Christiania Shipping, based in Denmark, has successfully reduced emissions and fuel consumption through a partnership with behaviour change service provider Signol. Launched earlier this year, the emissions reduction project has saved over 250 metric tonnes of fuel in just six months, preventing at least 790 metric tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
This achievement spans Christiania’s original 18-vessel fleet, which has since expanded, and resulted in substantial financial savings—more than $150,000 from the shipping company’s fuel bill and $48,000 in regulatory costs under the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).
Since March 2024, Signol’s solution has enhanced Christiania’s fuel efficiency initiatives by leveraging fuel performance data and behavioural science to identify fuel-saving opportunities and encourage crew members to adopt more energy-efficient practices.
Encouraged by the success of the six-month trial, Christiania Shipping has formalized its collaboration with Signol into a long-term contract. This move aims to continue engaging its crew members in improving fuel efficiency and achieving further emissions reductions.
Rune Eriksen Lorentsen, Christiania’s Director of Operations and Performance, remarked, “Our six-month trial with Signol almost immediately showed the value of effectively engaging with our crew on fuel efficiency. The resulting fuel reductions produced significant cost savings, leading to a remarkably quick return on investment, while also fostering a culture of positive engagement with operational efficiency and decarbonisation.”
A large portion of the savings came from the impact Signol had in encouraging the crew to optimize vessel trim. During the trial, crew members showed a 16% increase in the successful implementation of trim behaviours, with vessels being systematically trimmed 0.22 metres closer to even keel, which is typically the most fuel-efficient trim for the vessel type.
Harriet Hunnisett Johnson, Head of Maritime at Signol, stated, “Our ongoing work with Christiania Shipping shows that focusing on efficient human behaviour can bridge the gap between fuel performance monitoring and achieving tangible emissions reductions. Christiania quickly recognized that small changes in crew actions can result in significant fuel savings.”
Signol’s behavioural science approach complemented Christiania’s existing fuel performance monitoring initiatives, using detailed vessel data and insights on fuel consumption to identify four key areas where fuel savings could be made. Through the process, 70 crew members were actively engaged in making fuel-saving decisions.
To further incentivize fuel-saving efforts, Christiania added a charitable element to the initiative, with donations made to two causes—ships’ welfare funds and The Ocean Cleanup charity—for every fuel-saving goal achieved. Throughout the trial, the crew hit 4,400 fuel-saving targets, with crew members reporting a sense of pride and purpose knowing their efforts not only reduced emissions but also contributed to charitable causes.
One crew member shared, “Signol has created ‘double happiness’ for the crew, as we know our efforts are not just helping the environment but also supporting worthy causes.”
By integrating charitable donations with fuel-saving goals, Signol enables Christiania to meet its operational efficiency objectives while fulfilling its corporate social responsibility obligations, in line with new European regulations like the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).
