Economies of scale

摘要

Very few pumps on board a ship are selected directly by the owner or even the shipyard, but come as an integral part of a subsystem, such as a fuel-treatment system. As a consequence the pumps may not be the most efficient or reliable available. Under circumstances where fuel costs are low, the efficiency of pumps with regard to power demand and not operation would not be a major consideration, but at today's bunker prices any small saving an owner can make could be vital to survival.