MARITIME VISION 2050 - DIGITILISATION

Right from our ancestors’ age human beings always wanted to advance further and one such process is digitalisation.

To understand the effectiveness of digitalisation, let us take a normal activity of communication.

The picture depicts certain stages in which the mode of communication progressed over a period of time. Though most of the initial stages of communication have almost come to an
end, each of them had its legacy and memories. Nevertheless, if you keep stressing about adapting to old methods, we would have been left behind & outdated or we wouldn’t have
advanced further.

Also if you see in the process of advancement, cost, effort & time for carrying out the process have effectively reduced which makes it a win-win situation for vendors & end-users.

The case depicted is true for every vertical of business & activities happening around this world. One such vertical is shipping where I would say that digitalisation is much in lag
compared to other verticals or in other words I would say there are loads of opportunities to advance further.

No doubt, shipping is all about moving an object from one location to another in open ocean. Now the question is how effectively, precisely & cost-effectively without any accidents,
injuries & without harming the environment we can transfer the object. To achieve this, we need tons of inputs from running machinery & other parameters have to be monitored
precisely on a real-time basis to avoid errors & inadvertent situations. In today’s time, such a process could be achieved only by “Digitilasing maritime sector”.

In shipping, we have commonly come across veterans saying that digitalisation has killed the basic engineering skill of identifying the problem with 5 senses. Though it’s true, the real
truth is digitalisation has brought in 500 other senses by which every aspect of machinery can be monitored on a real-time basis and timely action can be taken to maximise the output
of machinery. Such real-time monitoring wouldn’t be possible without digitalising shipping.

Climate change & its implications have resulted in enforcing ships to reduce carbon emissions. So to achieve its targeted GHG / co2 reduction, makers & researchers are looking into
alternative fuel & even the use of nuclear reactors is being considered for merchant ships. Shipping has to implement thorough digitalisation to achieve success in those areas /or in
other words, cannot succeed without complete digitalisation of ships.

IMO has given its nod in implementing digitalisation of maritime sector through “Single window” system & encouraging its member countries for complete digitalisation of ports &
terminals. Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) which operate without human interaction have already completed their testing phase and are operational in limited areas.
IMO classification & regulations for autonomous ships makes it clear that autonomous vessels are becoming a commercial reality. Digitalisation’s of ports & ships wouldn’t be possible
without a multilayer & multi partnership approach where all global entities would be involved in balancing the digital eco cycle of the maritime sector. Robust cyber security & constant
vigilance would be needed to sustain the digitalisation of maritime sectors.

Companies, owners, seafarers & countries avoiding digital transformation would miss the train in developing a sustained digital technology.

Provided world geo-politics, living conditions are safe on earth, definitely a major section of shipping would be digitalised by 2050. I have made a imaginary road map for maritime
digitalisation in next page.

Parthasarathy Mani
Cheng. SS Adriatic Energy
Employee id: 05716
 IMO & other entities setting up
Ship ow ners / managers:
basic layout of smartship /MASS
i) Digitilising office/seafarer routine
Digitilisation of Maritime sector:
1 concept.
Port & terminals encouraged to 2 ii) Setting up IoT on vessels Vision 2050
adopt "Single w indow " system iii) Retro fitting smartship concept
M aritim e Autonom ous Surface Ships
across fleet
(M ASS) projected over 3 de cade
Makers/Ship ow ners / Ship
100
operators:
3 i) Stratergy set across fleet for 80
digitilisation of vessels
Cyber
Cyber ii) Improving /recruiting skill set to 60
attack
Lack of f unds /
Lack of attack introduce MASS vessels across fleet
reluctance f rom 40 80
skilled
entities f or
labour for 65
1 digitlisation 2 3 50
digitilisation 20
25
Set backs in 13 6 1510 14 20
complete 0 1 1
Pre 2020 Shipyards: digitilisation of
ports
Pre 2020 - 20302030 - 2040 2040 - 2050
i) implementing "Smartship concept" in Seafarers
their new build vessels Cyber
loosing job
5 attack
due to
Cyber
attack i) Major digitilisation of
digitilisatio
Ship with automated processes
ports across w orld. and decision support.
n of maritime 4 ii) Single w indow system
sector 4 Seafarers onboard
5 Knowledge exchange
made compulsory
programme between Remotely controlled ship with
2030 Chip shortages / countries/ship operators to i) Major Amendment
Seafarers on board
material shortages
implement MASS (1 -4 degree in Solas & STCW -
Suggestions on
manual operation 7 ships) 8 minimum manning for
IMO setting guideline for minimum of ships Remotely controlled ship
Conflicts on MASS ships,
"Smartship" schme to monitor essential common
Cyber No seafarers onboard
attack Data theft ii)Strenghting Cyber
6 parameters remotely on manned programming
/ beach Security Panel for
vessels to achieve de-carbonisation platform / Fully autonomous ship
6 cyber fights
Cyber
7 MASS category No seafarers onboard
goal attack
2030 8 vessels
Collosion due
to failure of
10 Ships central
sytem on raise
Implemention of
Ship - shore
Aritificial AI takes over's
remote failure
Intelligence on age old seafaring
causing Ship ow ners / managers setting up
skill
MASS ships as delays &
9 remote "Remote Monitoring Centres"
part of Goal
10 damages 9
based standards
vessel hijacked by
taking control of
2040 central sysem
Cyber 2040 2050
attack
Cyber
attack
Small scale
traders & Minor
11 employ ees threats/
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 protest 12 stepbacks 13 Cyber
attack 14
i) Major rejig of amendments w ith
11 regard to MASS category vessels Major port facility / MASS ships regarded as
2030 2040 2050 ii) Implementation of robust Multilayer Mandate requirement to
terminal allow ing only new normalancy w ith
cyber security protocol implement MASS category for
Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) 13 MASS category ships regard to Merchant
projected over different stages of road map iii) Robust measure to prevent environmental 12 ships of 200 GT & above 14
of 200 GT & above shipping
pollution