On behalf of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), SSPA Sweden AB has performed a study with the objective to conduct a study on the optimisation of energy consumption as part of implementation of a Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP). Emphasis was given to identification of best practices developed in the shipping industry, particularly since the introduction of the mandatory requirement to carry on board a SEEMP from 1 January 2013. Methods used included a web-based survey, in-depth interviews and literature studies and furthermore, this study has taken advantage of the project team member´s and SSPA’s in-house experience of the process of energy efficiency of ships, both in way of a range of studies made, but also from the project member´s operational experience. In addition, reference has been made to current research in the field covering recent studies on the areas investigated in this study. The study is qualitative, with the focus on finding best practises and the sample of shipping companies chosen for collection of data is information-based; companies are selected for their renowned progressive work with energy and environmental management. As a consequence, the result from the web-based surveys and the in-depth interviews do not and are not intended to represent any statistical data representative for the whole shipping industry or for any specific ship-segment. Four major shipping segments formed the basis of the gathered data; Tanker, Bulk, Container and Ro-Ro. In addition to this, ship management companies and operators handling several segments, amongst others including the above four majors, were included to gain further information on possible differences between various segments in dealing with the SEEMP.