What does 'Slow Steaming' mean?

Slow steaming is a lot more than simply running slower to save money. In this video we explore how it came about and some of the advantages and disadvantages of slow steaming for a modern merchant vessel.

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[ThatGuy-vwgc]

Slow steaming is a common practice that is often used when cooking things such as dim sims or dumplings.
Oh wait... nevermind.

[adlantian]

Just when you think you've gone down every youtube rabbit hole

[nickbutler]

In the early 1980's I had several trips where the ship would 'slow steam' . Yes it reduced the fuel bill, and emissions, but it could also increase the crews tip time dramatically. Most trips were on a 6 month basis with the company I worked for but one was exteneded to 9 months purely waiting for the retail price of the cargo to go up. It gets very boring and you end up looking for things to paint!!. We had a very spruce ship by the time we hit port again and could 'pay-off'. my Fiance was very understanding as We had to change the wedding date 3 times.

[waverleyjournalise]

The quality of your content more than rewards our 'slow steaming' patience.

[MervynPartin]

Most of the vessels upon which I served were designed for higher speeds (eg 17 knots) but were generally run at around 14 knots. Exhaust gas boilers were fitted that could supply sufficient steam to run a turbo-alternator that would cover the entire ship's electrical load at sea.
On slow steaming, there was insufficient steam generation so the shortfall had to be made up with a diesel alternator at part load- not ideal for diesel engines. Just another problem down to slow steaming.
Some diesels were prone to design faults leading to frequent and sudden failures. In deep sea, clear of all traffic, a blackout could be avoided by increasing main engine speed to generate more steam from the exhaust gas boiler for the turbo-generator, until another diesel (if available) could be started.

[toveychurchill]

I suddenly wanted to add sails on those cargo ships, using wind and fuel together. Sounds fun :)

[terryboyer]

But slow steaming would seem to decrease personnel labor efficiency and reduce revenue due to fewer loads being transported. It's complicated finding the right balance.

[ElephantRage]

My next tinder date will have a great time during dinner. "By the way, darling, are you aware of all the intricacies of slow steaming?"

[Quasihamster]

Slow Steaming is what your channel seems to have been doing for a while.

JK, glad to see you're active again! :)

[RubySapior]

People act as they care for the environment then start complaining when their amazon package is a day late.

[danielwest]

I was honestly worried you'd left YouTube, but kept checking back every month to see if there was an upload. Now have been rewarded with my patience! Great content as always, hope you're doing well and keep making these videos 👌🏽

[HEDGE]

Excellent content. I’m an airline pilot and the parallels are dramatic. Airplanes are designed for an optimum speed which varies somewhat with the cost of fuel, crews, and maintenance. We generally can go a bit faster to make up time but fuel flow goes up exponentially which could make an otherwise profitable flight lose money.

For long range flights we likewise can have scheduling conundrums: you can sometimes buy two aircraft that can barely cover a route at high speed but have much higher per aircraft and fuel costs, or you can do it a bit slower with much less cost per flight (or per seat-mile) but you’ll need three aircraft to cover the route. Given that widebody airliners can cost upwards of $200 million each on the high end, this can obviously make a given route unviable economically.

[robert-johnswier]

A few years back we used slow steaming to save on fuel costs, however, most engines are designed to run at optimum rpm for proper piston ring sealing, combustion etc. the liner wear lifetime was greatly reduced, we fitted Teflon tubes ion the cooling water bores in combustion areas to raise the liner temperature (cold corrosion was another factor)
So the trade off with fuel cost vs slow steaming was not that simple. Also, adding on days due to slow steaming would increase maintenance, crew costs insurance cost.
Give me an engine at rated peak performance any day, they humm where as SSteaming they rattle and shake.

[jumi]

Why does this video got recommended to me, a person living in the alps and disliking the sea so much that I wouldn't even go there for holiday?

Anyway, it answered questions I didn't even know could be asked and I watched all of your videos and subbed.

But still, miss me with that salty water full of fish and ships.

[ajaxengineco]

Most people: Slow Steaming for efficiency.
Me: Haha 50 knots go

[hydarara]

I'm going to take Bachelor of Science and Maritime Transportation soon and this channel truly helps me. Thank you lad.

[GraemeSPa]

I can't believe I clicked on this. I first went to sea in 1973, joined big oil tankers in 1977, retired in 2016. I remember leaving Ras Tanura around the Cape to go to Savona at 30 RPM on a 264, 000 ton VLCC. Chuck an empty beer can over the side and you would see it for ages. At such low speeds there was no bleed steam from the turbines, so the auxiliary systems needed live steam, pushing up bunker costs. Once The Company realized this, we moved faster, but went to almost shutdown at the destination. More time for fishing - and at Freeport, Bahamas, we made lobster pots - oh yes!

[supertrinigamer]

Bring back the old style merchant ships! Single funnel with boiler and engine in the center, barely making 13 knots 😂

[guillaumeromain]

Yet another brilliant video, such a pleasant content and delivery. I could listen to you for hours on end. Thank you! Your channel is wonderful! Don't change a thing!

[noelgeorgette]

I have just discovered your channel. Like a very good book one cannot put down, I watch one video after another despite it being well after midnight. I am learning so very much through your detailed presentations. Excellent!