How KCC makes efficiency a mindset, not just a metric

KCC team working in our Dubai office.

The concept of the KCC’s combination carrier didn’t come from convention. It was a product of decades of technical and commercial curiosity, and innovation. While most vessels are built to carry either wet or dry cargo, combination carriers do both, switching between cargo types to take advantage of global trade imbalances. The result is more paid days, better fuel efficiency, and lower emissions per transport work. The same mindset that developed this concept continues to shape how KCC approaches business development, efficiency, and decarbonization today.

While efficiency has been a key strategic pillar for years and a foundation for the decarbonization ambitions (Decarbonization Strategy 2023–2050), what sets KCC apart isn’t just technical investments. It’s the culture behind them. A culture that prioritizes efficiency across the entire organization and its activities giving people the space and responsibility to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and follow through.

We sat down with Martin Wattum, Head of Energy and Operational Efficiency at KCC, to explore how this mindset has taken shape specifically within the energy efficiency initiatives.

“Improving something you've done well for a long time takes more than skill — it takes curiosity,” says Wattum. “Without curiosity, progress stops. You stay where you are. The goal for us is to continue improving trading efficiency, voyage efficiency and energy efficiency.”

Tech enables, but people deliver

KCC’s energy efficiency toolkit includes a range of technical solutions and initiatives: advanced routing, real-time monitoring, onboard optimization systems, and analytical dashboards. Some run quietly in the background. Others depend on active use by chartering and operations teams, as well as captains and crew onboard.

That’s where curiosity comes in.

“It’s not enough to install a system and expect it to keep delivering the full potential on its own,” Wattum says. “You need people who are motivated to get the full potential out of it. People who will test, evaluate and share feedback with an ambition to improve and find new solutions.”

More questions. More possibilities.

That mindset has opened the door to ideas that might not gain traction elsewhere. One example: hull cleaning at sea.

Ship hulls naturally accumulate fouling in slime, lime, and barnacles – all of which increase drag and reduce efficiency. During long port stays, the problem gets worse. So KCC explored a new approach: what if the hull could be cleaned while the vessel was still at sea?

The team partnered with ShipShave, a startup that has developed a robot designed to remove fouling from the vertical sides of the hull during voyages. The trial was carried out on a deep-sea voyage by KCC’s own crew, with no representatives from the supplier onboard.

“Trying something like this means accepting unknowns,” Wattum says. “Is it effective on our coating? Can it handle different types of fouling? Is it safe for the crew and the vessel? We asked all those questions and kept moving forward.”

More ideas followed. Could the robot help inspect hull roughness? Could it collect data to support predictive maintenance? Could it enable other in-water tasks?

“That’s what curiosity does,” Wattum says. “One good question leads to ten more.”

A culture that keeps moving

In many companies, pilots remain pilots. Initiatives fade. Efficiency gets pushed aside by more urgent priorities. But at KCC, curiosity keeps things moving and plays a role in how existing ideas evolve.

For curiosity to lead to lasting change, it needs structure behind it. That’s why KCC has established dedicated roles and clear mandates to ensure that efficiency efforts don’t get lost in transition, tools are used as intended, and lessons are preserved even as crews rotate, and systems evolve.

“When curiosity leads to something valuable, we embed it into the system,” says Wattum. “That’s how progress becomes permanent. And those learnings are carried into the design of our new buildings and future vessels, so the impact extends to the next generation and beyond.”

At KCC, curiosity is a habit built into operations and how decisions are made. By giving it structure, ownership, and room to grow, efficiency doesn’t just happen in one-off pilots, it has become an inherent part of how we think, act and continuously improve.

This article is part of a broader look at how Klaveness puts their values into practice.  See also How Klaveness Dry Bulk turns questions into impact and How Klaveness Digital’s innovation engine is bringing new ideas to life.