As the world faces an escalating climate crisis, the maritime industry is also seeing waves of transformative change. At the forefront of this shift is the “Blue Visby Solution,” a project that aims to eliminate the inefficient practice of “sailing fast, then waiting” at port. This revolutionary initiative optimizes vessel speed and arrival times to foster a more sustainable shipping industry. A few days ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Haris Zografakis, Partner at Stephenson Harwood in London and a maritime lawyer closely involved with the Blue Visby Solution project.
(Text by Hirofumi Yamamoto)
Photo courtesy= the Blue Visby Solution, MOL, Marubeni, Hirofumi Yamamoto
――Thank you for joining us today. To begin, could you explain Blue Visby’s aim to eliminate the “Sail Fast, Then Wait” approach?
Zografakis: Thank you. The goal of the Blue Visby Solution is to tackle the carbon inefficiency of vessels sailing at full speed, only to wait upon arrival at port. This “Sail Fast, Then Wait” operational practice has various advantages, but at the same time results in excessive CO₂ emissions. Blue Visby promotes an operational model where vessels adjust their speed to align with a number of parameters, including port conditions, other ships, and their planned arrival times, thus eliminating unnecessary waiting at ports. This creates a more efficient and environmentally friendly approach to maritime operations.
――What first drew your attention to the inefficiencies of conventional sailing methods?
Zografakis: With over 30 years as a maritime lawyer, I have had first-hand experience of the legal, commercial, and financial consequences of SFTW in a contractual context: speed and consumption warranties, demurrage, lay cans and canceling dates, as well as delivery periods under sale contracts. As carbon efficiency entered everyone’s consciousness, I began to realize that my day-to-day work as a maritime lawyer involved universal practices that had a CO2 cost and were avoidable.. When vessels aim to arrive at their destination as quickly as possible, they consume excessive fuel and often face prolonged waiting times at the port. This unnecessary fuel consumption is a significant contributor to global warming.
―― I see. Could you elaborate on how the Blue Visby solution specifically aims to achieve these improvements?
Zografakis: The Blue Visby Solution can be described as a platform combining data, cutting-edge algorithms, software operational systems, a benefit-sharing mechanism, and contractual architecture. It offers a framework where shipowners, charterers, cargo owners, terminals, and port authorities can collaborate to optimize fleet-wide sailing schedules. For example, when multiple vessels heading to the same port coordinate their arrival times, they can maximize energy efficiency and significantly reduce port congestion and waiting times. I should add this: “Platform” is a common term used by the technology industry, and the Blue Visby Solution of course has a very important and deep technological foundation. However, I think it’s more precise to describe it as an energy-efficient business process.
――It’s a very innovative concept. Besides technology, I understand there are contractual adjustments involved. Could you explain how the profit-sharing mechanism works?
Zografakis: Absolutely. The technology behind the Blue Visby Solution delivers a CO2 benefit by systemically optimizing a group of ships, so as to swap anchorage time with steaming time at a slower speed. This has financial consequences: depending on the type of charter party that the vessel is performing, this operational outcome may damage the financial interests of the shipowner or of the charterer. For example, a vessel may miss her cancelling date, or breach its speed warranty. Or if the vessel is performing a voyage charter party, this reduction in waiting time may entail a sacrifice of demurrage. Economists refer to the concept of owners and charterers having conflicting interests as “split incentives”. In order to address those split incentives and to incentivize adoption, a key component of the Blue Visby Solution is a benefit-sharing methodology and mechanism that fairly distributes the savings from reduced fuel consumption between shipowners and charterers and also deals with the sacrifice of demurrage, where necessary. This model ensures that all parties gain financially while supporting sustainable practices. At a time when everyone talks about collaboration, the Blue Visby Solution has created a practical system that turns collaboration into operational reality.
――Which companies and organizations are currently involved in the project?
Zografakis: The Blue Visby Consortium currently has 41 members worldwide, including companies focused on reducing fuel use and environmental impact, and port authorities like those in Rotterdam, Yokohama, and Newcastle, as well as the Panama Canal Authority. We’re also supported by the UK’s Hydrographic Office, Carbon Trust, BIMCO, the Baltic Exchange, and the U.S.-based environmental organization Ocean Conservancy. Together with Consortium members, the Blue Visby team has conducted studies, pilots, operational trials,,s and environmental impact analyses.
――Could you share any specific data or studies showing how Blue Visby contributes to emission reduction?
Zografakis: Certainly. A series of hindcast simulation studies involving the Blue Visby algorithms have shown a range of 15- 20% CO₂ reduction compared to business-as-usual practices. A series of trials on specific routes demonstrated that adjusting sailing speed to reduce waiting times cuts fuel consumption at levels comparable to those in the hindcast simulation studies.
――Could technologies like Blue Visby also facilitate the transition to new fuels in the future?
Zografakis: Absolutely. The centuries-old operational practice of Sail Fast Then Wait is entirely inconsistent with a future of green fuels. Given the high cost, scarcity, and lower energy density of new fuels like green ammonia and green methanol, it is inconceivable that the fuel inefficiency of SFTW, a waste of about 20% of fuel, will be tolerated. For this reason, the Blue Visby Solution is not only delivering CO2 savings from today’s fleet, but it’s also providing a framework that supports the shift to these new fuels. By addressing fuel supply constraints and energy efficiency challenges, Blue Visby plays a vital role in enabling this transition.
―― Lastly, could you tell us about Blue Visby’s future outlook and the vision for transformation in the maritime industry?
Zografakis: The ultimate vision is for Blue Visby to become a standard operational system, enabling global fleet decarbonization. This will not happen overnight and it will not happen in every part of the world and in every market segment at the same time. Adoption will be incremental, in different areas and different market segments at a time. Also, the Blue Visby Solution has been designed to respond to different use cases and a variety of needs, so the early phases of deployment will be focused. Blue Visby is more than technology—it’s a project to embed new practices across the maritime industry. Though this transformation will take time, we’re making progress step by step toward helping the industry to achieve the 2030 carbon efficiency goals, which many shipowners will find unattainable without the Blue Visby Solution. Today, we’re improving carbon efficiency, but we’re working toward a model where energy efficiency is prioritized, preventing wasteful use of any fuel, fossil-based or green.
■Profile: Haris Zografakis
He is a London-based maritime lawyer and partner at Stephenson Harwood. He has over 30 years of experience in shipping and international maritime trade, having achieved top-tier rankings in The Legal 500 and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2018. While his main area of practice is disputes arising out of the purchase, sale, and transportation of commodities, over the last several years, he has become renowned for his expertise in decarbonization-related contractual issues and was named one of the top 10 maritime lawyers worldwide by Lloyd’s List. He advises shipowners, charterers, cargo owners, ports, and NGOs on the legal aspects of decarbonization and is involved in several decarbonization projects, including as coordinator of the Blue Visby Consortium.
He also chairs the Maritime Decarbonization Working Group of Comité Maritime International, is on the editorial board of the Shipping and Transport Law Journal, member of the University of Southampton’s Institute of Maritime Law, and a former council member of the London Shipping Law Centre
〆インタビュー、ステファンソン・ハードウッドのパートナー（海事弁護士）、ハリス・ゾグラファキス氏に聞く。
「速く航行して待機」パラダイムの打破：ブルー・ビズビー・ソリューションのビジョンと海運業界の未来
世界が気候危機の深刻化に直面する中、海運業界も大きな変革の波にさらされている。その解決策の最前線として期待されているのが「ブルー・ビズビー・ソリューション」（Blue Visby Solution、BVS）である。同プロジェクトは、港での「速く航行して待機する」という非効率的な慣行を解消することを目指している。この取り組みは、船舶の速度と到着時間を最適化することで、より持続可能な海運業界を推進している。ロンドンのステファンソン・ハードウッドのパートナーであり、ブルー・ビズビー・ソリューションプロジェクトに深く関わる海事弁護士のハリス・ゾグラファキス氏にブルー・ビズビー・ソリューションのビジョンと展望について聞いた。
(Text by Hirofumi Yamamoto)
Photo courtesy= the Blue Visby Solution, MOL, Marubeni, Hirofumi Yamamoto
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