KW/T (Kilowatt per Ton)

Kilowatt per ton expresses a ship’s installed propulsion power against its deadweight or displacement, a power-density ratio used to compare powering across vessel sizes. A low kW per ton signals a slow-steaming, fuel-efficient design, since required power scales with about the cube of speed, so trimming installed power forces lower service speed and lower fuel burn. The metric underlies the EEDI minimum-propulsion-power check in MARPOL Annex VI, which sets a floor on installed power so EEDI optimization does not leave a ship unable to keep steerage in adverse weather. It is a design screen, not a regulated value in its own right.