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Marine Industry 4.0 - Download PDF
Marine Industry 4.0 - Download PDF
Marine Industry 4.0 - Download PDF
Industry 4.0
2020
A supplement to
4-30 Features
Editor: Richard Halfhide
Editorial Assistant: Kaylee Maddison
Production Manager: Nicola Stuart Feature 1 Digitalisation
Advertisement Production Manager: Stephen Bell 4-5 Shipping’s new era is being digitally driven
Subscriptions & Publications Manager: Tasharna Francis
Publisher: Dmitriy Ponkratov 6-10 3D models hold the key to IoT and digital twin
development
Advertising Sales: J P Media Services 10-11 Industrial digitalisation brings hybrid power to
Email advertising: jpayten@jpmediaservices.com
Telephone: +44 (0)1737 852135 deep-sea ships
12 The path to digital class
Published by: 14 Automation, not fragmentation
The Royal Institution of Naval Architects
Editorial Office:
8-9 Northumberland Street Feature 2 Robotics & automation
London, WC2N 5DA, UK 15-16 Rise of the robots
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7235 4622
Telefax: +44 (0) 20 7245 6959 17-18 A chatty ferry – interaction design and
E-mail editorial: editorial@rina.org.uk transparent behaviour for autonomous
E-mail production: production@rina.org.uk vessels
E-mail subscriptions: subscriptions@rina.org.uk
Printed in Wales by Stephens & George Magazines. Feature 3 Virtual and augmented reality
The Institution is not, as a body, responsible for opinions expressed 19-22 Augmented Reality for marine navigation in
in The Naval Architect unless it is expressly stated that these are the the fourth Industrial Revolution
Council’s views.
23
DNV GL forges
ahead with AM
Solutions
T
he maritime industry is undergoing
a rapid transformation. From
being a rather conservative,
tradition-based industry reliant on trusted
and proven ways of doing things, it is now
quickly adjusting to the possibilities that
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital
technologies can offer. It is an adjustment
largely driven by necessity, as economic
challenges demand greater efficiencies, and
as regulatory restrictions demand better
environmental performance.
The availability of highly sophisticated
solutions capable of significantly reducing
operating expenses, the main ingredients Wärtsilä unveiled its holistic vision of ship and port operations, the Smart Marine
of which are fuel and labour costs, is Ecosystem, in 2017
an obvious attraction in driving the
transformation. At the same time, being
able to enhance existing practices with operational costs while also increasing Although as yet AI doesn’t have the
the management of Big Data through equipment efficiency. It represents an capability to interpret the anomalies it
automation and machine learning, an innovative breakthrough that leverages discovers, the fact that it can pinpoint
entirely new level of performance can AI and advanced diagnostics to monitor an issue allows the Wärtsilä specialists
be achieved in terms of efficiency, safety, equipment and systems in real-time. to quickly determine the cause and
investments and sustainability. Not least, Being able to have insight of a ship’s recommend actions without having to
human error – the cause of most accidents machinery and systems at all times and pour over reams of data.
– can be greatly reduced. to predict maintenance and manage Wärtsilä Expert Insight promotes closer
anomalies before they cause an issue collaboration between the company’s
Taking predictive maintenance will prevent operational disruptions and Expertise Centres and its customers’
to a higher plane greatly reduce downtime. Expert Insight technical personnel. This in turn forms
Wärtsilä has taken a leading role in this takes preventive maintenance to a higher the foundation for enhanced asset
transformational process. In 2017, the level of both efficiency and reliability, but management decisions, leading to more
company published its Smart Marine also allows Wärtsilä to further screen the cost-effective operations. The solution is
Ecosystem vision that takes a holistic view lifespan and required maintenance of its available in combination with a Wärtsilä
of the industry to eliminate inefficient products and systems. Lifecycle Solutions agreement, which goes
practices, such as having ships spend time, beyond operations and maintenance to
burn fuel, and send harmful emissions Proactive response deliver guaranteed levels of performance
into the atmosphere due to inadequate With Expert Insight, when anomalous based on mutually agreed targets.
operating and performance efficiency. behaviour of a monitored unit is detected, The benefits of AI are self-evident
The vision emphasises collaboration it is flagged to specialists at one of Wärtsilä’s when considering the amount of data and
between all stakeholders, and the use of Expertise Centres. The behaviour is studied signals being transmitted in the new era of
digital technology to deliver greater than and the customer is informed with an shipping, and the Wärtsilä Expert Insight
ever before levels of efficiency, safety, and appropriate resolution to the issue, thereby innovation is a prime example.
sustainability. allowing a proactive response.
Wärtsilä’s vision is on the road to The solution’s essential technique is Cyber security integral
becoming reality, and much has been very efficient as selection of important to asset management
achieved since it was first introduced. One information is mostly automated, based With the information technologies
highly relevant example of this progress on what the machine learning model has onboard and ships increasingly being
is the Wärtsilä Expert Insight product, a been trained to find. In other words, it can networked together, building resilience
service that is fully in line with the industry’s differentiate between expected and actual against unauthorised access, software
rapid global development towards lowering behaviour of the asset being monitored. failures, or attacks on a vessel’s systems
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s one of first companies to bring Currently, both of these challenges are quite significantly and substantially alter
Big Data solutions to shipping exacerbated by the fact that data being consumption – neither of which can be
by turning its wealth of data collected is patchy, with many gaps to reported in the noon report. Because the
into actionable insight, I believe that the fill in. When we surveyed owners and relationships between factors such as wind
capability for 3D modelling will be an managers earlier this year about their data speed, wave height and fuel consumption
integral element of the solutions that will collection and voyage optimisation habits, are non-linear, this means that variations
make up Industry 4.0. we discovered that a wide range of options in weather that can’t be included in a noon
As the 3D models we use to design ships are used. In every single case, noon reports report can have a disproportionate effect on
become more comprehensive and flexible, were relied upon no matter what else they vessel performance.
we can integrate this with the data that we used, whether IoT or sensor solutions. A common solution to add richness to this
obtain through sensors and other sources to What this tells us is that the measurements data is to correlate weather information with
fully simulate vessel performance. This has we need to accurately assess a vessel’s publicly available AIS data, which allows us
a variety of applications, from predicting performance might not always be available. to overlay ship positions with weather data.
voyage performance to fatigue life. Not only For example, a ship may not be equipped However, this also has its limits. If a vessel
do these models hold the key to accurately with adequate sensors to measure the is not equipped with sensors (and many
simulating performance, but they’re also power of the propeller, or even if it is that are not), it is difficult to make assumptions
instrumental in bridging the current gaps data is not necessarily disclosed to all the about a vessel’s performance.
in vessel data, allowing vessels without stakeholders. The owner might not reveal This is where it is necessary to leverage
complete sensor solutions to gain similar the measurements to the charterer who knowledge from the realm of vessel
benefits to those offered by IoT solutions. might be paying for the fuel and is interested design and modelling. By taking all the
in the actual level of performance of the information from the AIS and the publicly
Bridging data gaps vessel. Because of these factors, regardless available information about the ship, we
with 3D models of what other data collection methods are can build a digital twin of the vessel, based
Right now, there are two key challenges in place, the noon report remains the main on our knowledge and experience of naval
when it comes to taking advantage of the means by which owners currently deduce hydrodynamics and ship design. As a result,
profusion of additional data. The first is to the level of performance [1]. we can overcome some of the challenges
ensure that the data collected is accurate. The However, its simplicity inevitably created by the lack of available data from
second is to ensure that the same data doesn’t imposes limitations. If there’s only one daily the noon report.
retire to quiet solitude in a black box. It must data point on consumption, how much This gives us generic models that can
be turned into useful information that can be credibility can you truly give it? Moreover, cover whichever ship we choose, providing
used in a commercially optimal way. the weather might change during the day us with a base from which to begin our
↗ More information:
air-management@pbst.eu
www.pbst.eu
MP&Prop 2019_07.indd 43
MAN_ES_Anzeige_SESV_PBST_ANewBrandWithLongTradition_Master_ENG_210x297mm.indd 1 26/09/2019 08:49:15
11.06.19 14:23
Feature 1 | DIGITALISATION
analysis. We can then combine that with the ship design software used for more than virtual, real-time copy of ship, engine and
automation signals from 200 vessels that 90% of ocean-going newbuilds – to create a related systems, we can better monitor,
do have sensors installed, which gives us digital twin of the vessel that reliably estimates analyse, and predict performance, leading
further datasets to enhance these models, remaining fatigue life, and safety profile. It to safer and more efficient operations.
incorporating data learning methods to would be possible to use this information to Fully developing these systems requires a
continually improve them. With the help derive a financial assessment of a ship. multi-disciplinary approach to digital twins.
of these digital models we can extract The scientific research which provides Naval architects tend to think about shapes,
information, monitor the performance of the foundation of these structural and wave steel and the structure as the digital twin, for
the vessel, and conduct better, more precise estimates is not new. They are the outcome example. In reality it is much more complex
planning of operations. of numerous empirical investigations over and fragmented. For example, few digital
We can also use NAPA’s Ship Performance the past decade which have proven their twins currently simulate the entire ship in
model to apply a hydrodynamic model underlying effectiveness. However, it has terms of its electrical systems – despite the
which considers the coupling effects not been possible until recently to combine fact that they are vital to its operations –
of wind, waves, current, and shallow them in one simple, easy-to-use package. and the same goes for hydraulics systems,
water, combined with a full model of the In comparison to other non-destructive and fuel systems. The problem to solve next
propulsion and engine system. We are then fatigue detection methods, this provides an is how are these pieces (literally millions)
able to address the force balance of all these optimised experience and can substantially meant to work together when the digital
factors at the actual location of the ship, at reduce inspection costs compared to versions of the physical parts have been
the real operational speed, and in actual conventional testing. built in disparate CAD systems using
wind and wave conditions. All of this can be used to plan vessel different formats? How about simulating
With increasing data, we get better operation with better accuracy, with better flow of electricity, water and other fluids?
accuracy. When studying a fleet for three information on the effect of fouling, the And importantly, how does connecting all
years, on average, after three months of sea margin, estimated consumption and these pieces digitally benefit the final person
data collection, the uncertainty of the voyage time. For the foreseeable future, paying the bills – i.e. the owner or charterer?
consumption estimates is less than 7.5%. we see this as a vital bridge towards more One example of the next steps required
After half a year, the uncertainty is now less comprehensive IoT solutions. to achieve this can be seen in a recent
than 5%. collaboration between NAPA, shipyard
This same combination of 3D models and True Digital Twins – DSME, engine research institute AVL and
AIS data can also be used to better estimate covering all the angles Korea Maritime University. This collaboration
fatigue life. By combining these same datasets The next stage is to work out how to best aims to create the most comprehensive digital
with advanced structural analysis – as well as combine 3D structural models with digital twins possible: from the acquisition and
the experience it has gained as the provider of models of other components. By creating a processing of quality machinery data, ship
NAPA’s Fleet Intelligence is a platform bringing together voyage monitoring, reporting, analysis and optimisation
www.steerprop.com
performance and meteorological data to the what CFD does for hullforms. model of both engine and hullform, we can
training, simulation and human machine However, this collaboration allows us simulate and iterate better designs, optimised
interface that will be necessary to turn to go far beyond this. AVL’s expertise and for specific performance goals. With
insights from ship’s operational data into detailed database on engine performance better models, and more detailed engine
practical efficiencies. means the group can add even more detail to information, these iterative design solutions
The effort required to set up and integrate these models to simulate engine behaviour. can be put to better use. NA
advanced real-time models on a component Adding real-time capable, physics-based
and system level is considerable; but it’s engine models with crank-angle resolution, References
worth it. Firstly, it allows us to improve what for instance, allows the consideration 1. MANDERBACKA, T., “Methods for
is generally seen as the classical use case for of different engine phenomena into our improving operational efficiency” in
a digital twin is system simulation: testing performance models. SAFETY4SEA
compatibility and interoperability between The challenges for us to overcome are the 2. HULKKONEN, T., MANDERBACKA,
subsystems. As owners realise the benefits trade-off between real-time capability versus T., Sugimoto, K. “Digital Twin for
of digitalisation, and the need to future- model fidelity; also, the interoperability and Monitoring Remaining Fatigue
proof vessels at the design stage by better the aligned cooperation of partners when Life of Critical Hull Structures” in
integrating sensors and automation systems, it comes to model properties and quality. COMPIT2019.
designers and yards are beginning to increase Further enhancing operations, virtual sensors 3. ASHIDA, T., MIZUTANI, N.,
their focus on the design of electronics and can be used to create bridge assistance PAKKANEN, P., VÄISÄNEN, A.,
digital solutions. Better digital twins allow systems and simulators for training purpose. MANDERBACKA, T., “Performance
us to better simulate the interaction of these What’s more, digital twins can be used at Monitoring Insight at MOL” in
systems, doing for the digital design of ships the vessel design stage. By creating a detailed HullPIC2019.
T
he Fourth Industrial Revolution is simulation capability lets us more precisely
transforming the way ship engines model the dynamics of equipment and
are designed, built, installed and identify issues we may not have been able
operated. But according to Stefan Goranov, to see at the design stage before, such as
program manager – hybridisation, at engine the impact on performance of different
designer WinGD, the biggest impact of environmental conditions.”
‘Industry 4.0’ on shipping is the reimagining Rapid prototyping is enabled by advanced
of the global logistics chain. simulation, cutting the time taken to
“Harnessing digitalisation and cutting- update engine design. It also allows engine
edge technologies are improving ship developers to iron out teething problems
performance,” says Mr. Goranov. “But that could previously have been observed
adopting methodologies such as just-in-time Stefan Goranov
only on testbeds or at sea. At the same time,
shipping and the secure, paperless supply virtual validation and commissioning of
chain, will redefine the context in which ship equipment reduces risk and cost by making
operations take place.” integration more straightforward and
These concepts demand that ships transformation in their own businesses. The efficient for shipyards.
participate in ecosystems enabled by emergence of a more holistic approach to How engines are operated will also change.
digitalisation. The challenge for technology designing energy systems is just one example. “They could be equipped for real-time
providers is to understand how the market “Digitalisation enables closer collaboration diagnostics and in-service optimisation,”
may look in the future and provide the and allows us to consider systems in a more says Goranov. “This includes systems
solutions shipping needs. At the same integrated way rather than component offering advice to crew on how to operate
time, OEMs will need to adapt to industrial by component,” says Goranov. “Greater the system best, as well as the ability to
D
igitalisation has the potential Launched in April 2019, the ABS Smart
to transform the shipping notation is key to this process as it brings
industry, but the effects will also together the operational aspects of a digital
be disruptive. Managing this transition strategy and reflects the changes in the
calls for a combination of technical inspection regime.
and operational measures and a deep Smart functions will drive increasingly
understanding of how digital business condition-based approaches to both
affects classification. maintenance and class survey. While the
For ABS, the immediate goal of digital functions themselves are designed to help
class is to be able to increase remote owners and operators proactively manage
and virtual inspection of assets using asset health and performance, they also
techniques like image recognition, make possible an increasingly data-driven
drone technology and video streaming. approach within a CBC program.
Its ultimate goal is to use digital tools to The process includes benchmarking
enable Condition-Based Class (CBC); existing equipment and evaluation of
unlocking better operational decisions the penetration of installed sensors;
that deliver benefits in terms of safety, running the results through a risk matrix
efficiency and sustainability. to understand where vulnerabilities may Kashif Mahmood
It’s a challenge our clients have already lie. Increasing the number of sensors
embraced for operational reasons; our role monitoring equipment health and knowing
is helping to capture the deeper value in what to do with the resulting data enables close the scale of the challenge is even
that process so that the impact is felt both owners to get to ‘Smart’ operations more more obvious. By approaching the
in their bottom line and in their safety and quickly and move progressively away from problem methodically, it is possible for
sustainability strategy. prescriptive, calendar-based inspections. clients to move forward on the journey to
The results of this strategy are Looked at from a distance, digitalisation digital class and quickly start to realise the
already bearing fruit. ABS and offshore looks like a huge challenge, viewed up opportunity that digital presents. NA
energy logistics specialist Topaz Energy
and Marine recently announced the
Topaz Energy’s PSV
implementation of a pioneering project
Caspian Voyager
ultimately enabling a condition-based
survey approach.
The agreement marks a significant step
in Topaz’s journey to transform its fleet to
a CBC model with the entry of Caspian
Voyager, Topaz’s largest modern Platform
Supply Vessel in the Caspian Sea, into the
extended dry-docking scheme as a bridge
for this transition.
The programme will extend the vessel’s
maximum dry-docking period from five to
seven-and-a-half years, allowing the vessel
to undergo in-water surveys, resulting in
higher availability and productivity.
This project saw ABS work with Topaz
to structure the collection, inspection and
analysis of data and establish whether rule
changes were required to start providing
condition-based notations.
www.posidonia-events.com
T
oday’s vessels are becoming An Integrated
complex entities, which means Automation System
that the amount of electronic can futureproof
information handled on board is a vessel, making
increasing rapid. Numerous processes upgrading easier
onboard are already in the hands of
automation systems. By laying strong
foundations for these systems, we can
already do a lot to prepare for more
autonomous, and consequently, more
efficient operations.
Automated systems such as power
management, cargo handling, emergency
shutdown, and alarm systems are all
already integral to the daily operations
of a vessel, and will likely form the basis to take a stand and stop accepting being properly interfaced. The industry
for further IoT solutions. Furthermore, disjointed systems that do not give them could go a long way towards accessing the
these systems allow users to tap into access to their data. They should aim data that will power the next generation
the wealth of information that is sent to strike a transition from fragmented of digital solutions just by making sure
throughout a vessel as a series of inputs systems, where access to data and the that automation systems are built for data
and outputs during a voyage. This allows ability to fine tune is limited, to integrated exploitation in mind.
users to further optimise and enhance systems – where all elements are linked The path towards Marine Industry
vessel performance. into an overarching IAS (Integrated 4.0 will require collaboration between
This type of automation is often Automation System). Achieving this different fields of expertise to ensure
overlooked, partly due to its relatively low should result in sensible systems that we are getting the most out of
cost when compared to other systems, integration that streamlines the number the automation systems that currently
as well as a lack of awareness about the of processors and software types – not exist. Høglund’s recent collaboration
benefits of automation amongst naval only increasing access to valuable data with DNV GL is a prime example of
architects, ship owners and shipyards. but futureproofing the vessel by making industry parternships being established
As a result, there has been a decline upgrades and replacements easier. with the aim of enhancing data quality
in the overall standards of maritime In the marine industry, knowledge and exploitation. Through a new
automation. Consequently, the marine is power, and data is knowledge. In Memorandum of Understanding, DNV
industry is falling significantly behind the order to make best use of data, owners GL will gain improved, standardised
automotive and aerospace sectors when it and operators should demand that the real-time data on vessel operation,
comes to automation. automation systems they purchase allow security and risk management in order to
This systemic lack of mature thinking access to the wealth of data they generate. reduce threats.
behind maritime automation is resulting Most automation systems will contain We need to develop b etter
in non-responsive systems and poor detailed logs of inputs and outputs, communication between owners, yards
levels of customer service commonplace. recording how systems onboard a vessel and automation equipment suppliers
Unfortunately, this status quo has been interact. These are particularly useful in when it comes to these systems, and
somewhat accepted by the shipping playing back and analysing errors or faults raise the level of detail that is commonly
industry. The industry’s lack of foresight as well as revealing valuable insights into found in specifications at the design stage.
about automation has now become a vessel operations. Preferably, we need to ensure that essential
major issue, but one that doesn’t seem to However, not all automation systems are electrical systems are defined as carefully
get talked about enough. If automation created with this in mind. Some systems as the rest of a vessel. If we can do this,
fails, the consequences can be costly, and still even require physical hard drives to then we will already be on the path to
sometimes, mission-critical. be removed and mailed to manufacturers capturing more – and richer – data that
In order for the sector to start being for data to be analysed. In other instances, we can use to improve operations, while at
realistic about achieving Marine Industry information may be lost as different the same time adding enhanced reliability
4.0, it’s time for shipowners and operators systems interact and share data without to mission-critical systems. NA
O
ver the last century, moving The EU-funded
humans and goods by sea has MINOAS project
become one of the most time and (2009-2012)
cost-efficient methods of transportation. In envisaged a
order to further improve that effectiveness, heterogeneous
increasing effort has been put towards multi-modal fleet
technical advancements. for inspection of
In the field of automation, robots marine vessels,
have brought disruptive enhancement to such as this
the shipbuilding and maintenance. The magnetic hull-
employment of robotic tools for construction crawling robot
as well as the assembly of parts and
subsystems has become standard operating
procedure within industrial production
lines. Yet, as soon as a ship leaves its home
harbour, the command, management and
maintenance of the vessel is completely left in environment, thus preserving their safety. It is also possible to autonomously
the hands of well-trained human personnel. Of course, robots cannot do everything, so or semi-autonomously detect relevant
During navigation, it is highly challenging specific robotic systems have to be designed hull defects and assist the surveyor with
for human operators to guarantee the and developed for a particular operation. quantitative data. Mobile ground and
efficiency and reliability of the entire Moreover, a certain degree of interoperability crawling systems can be exploited for
ship system. Constant inspection and between the robotic tool and the human selective and high-precision inspection of
maintenance routines must be carefully personnel must be properly foreseen, since particular spots, also providing contact-based
carried out. Additionally, certain operations certain operational occurrences cannot be data gathering as in the case of ultrasonic
require further logistics or an idle ship in completely autonomously. measurements needed for structure integrity
order to be executed. In recent years, a number of international evaluation. The same concept is realised in
For example, hull cleaning and cargo hold projects have sought to solve the problem underwater environments, as in ballast tanks,
structures inspection. The execution of such of efficient inspection and monitoring, an whereby underwater vehicles are able to
actions requires a ship to pause operations, issue related to the lack of reporting the collect imagery evidence as well as thickness
thus money is lost during its inactivity. welfare status of a ship in terms of integrity data without emptying the environment from
With these issues in mind, shipowners of its structures, the presence of rust and the water to let the human operator access it.
and operators have tried to figure out cracks, and the identification of parts to be When conducted in a supervised or totally
certain activities could be performed during substituted/repaired. European projects autonomous way, the described operations
navigation or in a faster timespan, with three like MINOAS, INCASS, SMARTBOT and dramatically improve the level of the work,
three main objectives: CROCELLS propose the re-engineering of enhancing the data quality and reducing the
i) Reducing the required operational time the overall vessel inspection methodology time spent and improving safety for human
(and related costs) by introducing systems that integrate human personnel, who can operate in remotely.
ii) Enhancing the quality of the operations personnel with high locomotion-enabled Furthermore, the implicit digitalisation of
(in terms of performance, precision, etc.) robots, that effectively ‘teleport’ the human all the collected information can be instantly
iii) Improving the safety level for human inspector from the vessel’s hold to a control made available over the network and
operators room with virtual reality properties. integrated with the already existing data.
These technological frameworks include Many companies have already directed
Over the last decade, we have started to a variety of heterogeneous robotic platforms their efforts towards the problem of hull
see intelligent and autonomous technology – such as flying drones, mobile ground and cleaning, which impacts heavily upon vessel
carving a space within shipping. Robotic crawling vehicles, and underwater agents – performance, particularly with regard to
systems can provide a 24/7 service, thereby capable of collecting data that characterises biofouling, which can increase fuel costs by
increasing operation speed and performance, the operational environment of interest and as much as 40%.
and in turn reducing costs. Furthermore, in provide a rapid remote visual assessment of As for the inspection task, automatised
a great number of cases, robotics can keep the area under inspection by means of image hull cleaning devices are gaining their
human personnel far from the operational processing techniques. space as effective tools onboard ships.
Depending on the specific area of Following this development philosophy, large vessel navigating without a single
application (dry hull or submerged), they brand new concepts of ship design are human operator onboard, but there will
are characterised by different specifics, supporting increased interoperability inevitably be different ships to those we
starting from the locomotion method between human and autonomous agents, are familiar with today. New ship designs
that is based on magnetic wheels or legs sharing information in order to improve will accommodate suitable infrastructure
for dry platforms, while underwater the overall ship system and speed up the for an optimised employment of intelligent
hybrid solution mixing propeller-based management and maintenance actions in a robots and will guarantee an integrated data
motion with magnetic devices for contact collaborative paradigm. This new concept aggregation, revolutionising the way we
maintenance with the hull. is known as ‘Extended Ship’, meaning that conceive transportation at sea. Today, we can
Although the technology related to the ship extends its capabilities in terms of already imagine onboard production lines
materials, actuation systems and sensors self-knowledge and self-maintenance; no that might be capable of constructing spare
are consolidated and reliable for all the longer is it merely a method of transportation. parts for repairs and maintenance.
mentioned applications, communicating The ship becomes ‘extended’ from a landside In a future vision, robots will not only
with the robot still represents a challenge. In standpoint as well, since the reliable remote be employed for in-ship operations (as
confined and underwater environments, the connections available nowadays (WiFi, 5G, inspection or repair), but also as outboard
low penetration of electromagnetic waves satellite) allow a constant dialogue with the perception systems, in such a way to gather
prohibits wireless connection, thus making ship worldwide, thus providing second-by- in advance an additional assessment of the
the employment of umbilical cables the second management and support. environment. For instance, observing the
only possible solution. On the other side, These are only the first steps towards surrounding area from atop with flying
researchers and industrial stakeholders are the very disruptive leap of the upcoming drones to verify the presence of traffic
working towards trying to develop these autonomous ship, the waterborne and exploring the underwater segment to
robotic platforms to cope by themselves counterpart of autonomous cars. It is not gather a detailed bathymetric profile of the
within complex and harsh environments. possible to say yet if there will ever be a sea-bottom. NA
WARSHIP 2020:
Future Technologies In Naval Submarines
17-18 June 2020, Bristol, UK
www.rina.org.uk/WARSHIP_2020_Future_Technologies_In_Naval_Submarines
P
addling down the harbour canal
in Trondheim in my day rented
kayak, I suddenly encountered
a small passenger ferry about to pass in
front of me. The ferry disengaged from
the canal bank with a pattern of turquoise
LED arrows moving along its side. A sign
enlightened me of the nature of this vessel:
“Autonomous ferry”.
I immediately started to paddle
backwards to stop my kayak, and in doing
so managed to turn sideways and slide into
the path of the ferry. I was convinced that
I had not been detected and that the ferry Figure. 1. 18th century magazines along the river Nidelen in Trondheim. Further down a
would run me over. Some passengers hung section of the river branches off into the harbour canal where the ferry crossing is planned
over the railing and looked curiously on the
developing situation.
But suddenly the ferry slowed and stopped, is transparent and easy to understand autonomous, unmanned passenger ferry
the moving arrows on its side stopped, the for humans. Whether these humans are that contiguously can take pedestrians
ship’s bell sounded, and a cheerful voice was onboard, ashore or on interacting vessels. and bicyclists over the 80m-wide harbour
heard over a loudspeaker: “Please, come On more open waters the alternative of canal by the Trondheim central station
along, Sir. You have the right of way and I will using voice communication may not be an and cruise terminal. The metaphor used is
wait for you.” The ferry lay still in the water. I option, but in the closed environment of a horizontal elevator, just as simple to use
had managed to back my kayak out of its way, the Trondheim harbour canal it is. Here we and safe and reliable. The difference is that
but now I hesitated, not certain that I could are also faced with the pedagogical task of while the elevator is moving in a closed,
trust this automatic craft, who obviously was educating unexperienced or first timers in protected shaft, the ferry will be crossing
aware of my presence. “Don’t be shy, Sir, come the rules of the road at sea. a living waterway exposed to wind and
along, I will wait.” The full-scale Trondheim autonomous changing weather.
The cheerful voice said again in the distinct harbour ferry depicted in Figure 2 will be To succeed with this several
local Trønder dialect. “According to the 8.5m-long and carry a maximum of 12 cross-disciplinary university teams with
collision regulations you have the right of way, passengers with bicycles. The hull is presently students and researchers are working
and I will yield, so please go ahead.” A green under construction and will be launched together. Not only from naval architecture,
traffic light saying “Go” on the bow finally in the summer of 2020. For the past two but also cybernetics and electronics,
convinced me and I continued my paddling years the AutoFerry project has been doing propulsion and power management,
down the canal. manoeuvring tests with a test prototype, the sensor technology, computer science,
The fictive story above illustrates the half-scale model seen in Figure 3. The test information security, interaction design and
concept of operation of an autonomous prototype has two azimuth thrusters and human-factors. Interaction design being the
harbour ferry presently being developed dynamic position capability. The full-scale focus of this article.
by the Norwegian University of Science ferry will have four azimuth thrusters.
and Technology in Trondheim. It also AutoFerry is a university research Human-machine interaction
illustrates a problem facing automatic ships: project involving student and researchers The Department of Design is doing
how to communicate intentions and make from different faculties and disciplines. research on the interaction and the
sure that the behaviour of its automation The challenge is to create a fully working interface between automation and humans.
Figure. 2. The
8.5m-long
autonomous
passenger-
bicycle ferry
planned to traffic
the 80m-wide
harbour canal in
Trondheim. Design
and 3D rendering:
Petter Mustved,
NTNU
This involves three important areas: the Ashore waterway in Trondheim are unexperienced
passenger-automation onboard the ferry, A big question is to what extent do we need leisure mariners, or even tourists renting a
the situational awareness of operators in a a central control room to monitor the ferry. kayak for the first time. We therefore cannot
remote operation centre and the interaction Elevators has an emergency call button rely on a general knowledge of COLREGs,
with other vessels in the canal. which will connect the elevator to help, IMO’s collision regulations giving vessels
but there is no central function constantly on my starboard (right) side right of way.
Onboard monitoring the elevator. Could this be Luckily slow speed, the confined canal
The ferry can carry a maximum of 12 the case for our ferry as well? With the and relatively calm environment make
passengers which has to be counted and any emergency service’s rib boat just 5 minutes unconventional solution, such as using voice
extra passengers must be kindly declined to away? Or do we need to have an operator over loudspeakers and animated signboards
board. During the voyage, the passengers contiguously monitoring the ferry though possible. By establishing the ferry as a
must feel safe and trust that the automatic cameras and radar? The answer will to a phlegmatic and friendly character, we hope
system is in control and knows what it is large extent depend on the reliability of that both passengers and fellow navigator
doing. This might not be so easy. Although sensors and automation. will understand the ferry’s behaviour better.
automatic elevators were invented already This is what is called anthropomorphism.
before 1900, it took almost 50 years before On the water
the elevator conductor started to disappear The third area of research is that of Anthropomorphism
and the automation was trusted. But the interaction between an autonomous vessel Anthropomorphism is the attribution of
biggest challenge will be how to evacuate a and other manned crafts in the canal. As human characteristics or behaviour to an
ferry on the water without any crew onboard. explained above, many of the crafts using the inanimate object. We have all growled at our
computers, commenting their behaviour in
terms of “he is in a bad mood today” or “she
Figure. 3. A half-scale, 4m-long prototype ferry has been used since 2017 for testing
needs to think”. This attribution gives us a
propulsion and manoeuvring capability
sense of “understanding” what is going on.
If we can design the behaviour of machines
and signal their “character” by different
means, e.g. by a chatty voice, we can
hopefully increase understanding and user
friendliness. This is on the research agenda
for the “chatty” ferry in Trondheim. NA
A
ugmented Reality (AR), also
known as vision-overlay, can help
the navigator to visually detect a
dangerous target by the overlay of a synthetic
image, thus providing a visual cue over
the real world. A semi-transparent Head
Mounted Display (HMD) is used for this.
During the last year a prototype interface
has been developed which transfers relevant
sensor data into information that supports the
watchkeeper in his decision-making process.
Informed by the Ecological Interface Design
(EID) approach, this working prototype will Figure 1: The role of the human in the control loop
be used in a bridge simulator experiment over
the coming months to explore the impact of
AR on building and maintaining Situational adjusts the controls of the plant in order justifies the effort spent on research and
Awareness (SA). In this article I will highlight to achieve the desired reference. Because development to improve safety.
some of the interface’s design principles, giving of imperfections in the plant’s design and It is commonly accepted that technical
examples of the work of a contemporary build, as well as the unpredictable character malfunctioning of navigation equipment
marine navigator, and show why support by of disturbance in an open system, the task is seldom the cause of accidents, therefore
AR could be a valuable addition. of human control is difficult to automate. focusing on human factors is opportune.
Moreover, humans have been shown to However, the work routines of the navigator
Why humans? possess great potential in problem solving, have barely changed over the last three or
The challenge of autonomous or even even problems that have never been four decades. Morrel [8] suggested as far
unmanned shipping has been much seen before, hence, problems that were back as 1960, some form of expert aided
debated over the last five years. Taking the overlooked or could not be foreseen during decision support would have been helpful
human element out of the loop of ship’s the design of the plant. in accident prevention. Despite several
navigation, whether for economic reasons Therefore, the quality of the interface is studies into this field, automated Collision
or to prevent human-induced accidents, is paramount when a human is required to Avoidance (CA) or decision support has still
seen by some as the inevitable next phase be in control at all times, and is even greater not been accepted.
of technological development. Others, when the human is the last line of defence. For the foreseeable future, the human
however, challenge this and highlight the operator remains the only entity to control
need for human intervention to deal with Challenges the ‘open’ process of navigation. AR can
imperfect design [6], an unconvincing Although several measures like the contribute to this; by superimposing a
business model, or they just don’t see established Vessel Traffic Service (VTS), virtual image on the outside world, the
unmanning as an aim [1]. which separates traffic, and the introduction reality is enhanced by visual cues which may
This article alludes to the present – and of electronic navigation have helped represent dangerous targets.
perhaps foreseeable future – situation where decrease the absolute number of accidents, Yet, in the E-navigation domain the
the human is in control of safe navigation the large annual number of accidents and functionality needs not be limited to CA
and relies on systems and automation to dramatic loss of life continues to drive alone. Using AR, we also expect to speed up
assist them in doing this. research towards to further improvements. effective information processing, albeit the
The principle function of the human Furthermore, tonnage statistics show that practical implications of introducing this
in the control loop is shown in Figure the amount of goods transported by sea new technique is not at all clear. Although
1. The sum of the plant’s output and has more than tripled since the 1950’s and several ways to portray AR already exist,
the disturbance is fed back through an is expected to grow by approximately 2-3% and although hardware development is
interface, and the human controller per annum for the next decade [10]. This ongoing, the intermediate solution is a
Figure 2: Synthetic
markers align with
nearby targets
while visual cues
indicate speed
and direction
Head Mounted Display (HMD) used for So, the introduction of AR in marine cross track distance (XTD) and Speed over
prototype testing [9]. navigation deals with hardware and, for a Ground (SOG) by horizontal and vertical
much greater part, with interface design. The bars respectively.
Ecological Interface Design design, developed at Willem Barentsz, aims Ecological information is typically shown
Ideally, the content of an interface provides to provide cues that support the perception by simplified Aids to Navigation (ATON)
the navigator with just enough to inform of the environment by showing, for example, markers that co-locate with the real objects
him/her in such a way that he/she can build a synthetic marker (see Fig. 2) that aligns in the same visual direction (‘C’ on Fig. 2).
and maintain SA. This SA can be regarded as with a nearby target, i.e. ship. This marker This can be extended, later, with information
perception of elements in the environment, provides locational information, while its about the fairway margin and designated
comprehension of the current situation colour coding informs about the importance No-Go areas for grounding avoidance.
and projection of the future status [5]. The and its shape informs about the change in
ecological part in the interface design can be bearing of the target. Velocity Obstacles
derived from three key tenets of ecological The co-location of the marker and its The concept of Velocity Obstacles (VO)
psychology. Actions are constrained by associated target provides an implicit check was published by Degré and Lefèvre [3].
the environment, an interface can provide on the system’s integrity. The interface also Presently, this concept of VO is under
information that people can pick up and provides a visual cue on the ground vector development at TU Delft e.g. for airborne
use, and there are visual ways of displaying (speed and direction) of the ship by a pattern conflict resolution [4]. The principle of an
information that can reduce the need for of moving compression lines (‘B’ on Fig. 2). intuitive (ship’s) domain that should be kept
memory or mental calculation [2]. The deviation from the planned track, i.e. free from intruding targets is the same in
marine navigation as in aviation.
The idea behind this concept is that we
can predict intrusion into someone’s domain
given the present course and speed. This is
visualised by the target’s calculated Conflict
Zone (red) where the own ship’s vector
head is intruding (Fig. 3). The yellow area
in the figure represents the collection of all
combinations of own ship’s course and speed
that avoid entering the Conflict Zone, hence
avoiding future intrusion in the target’s
Protected Zone.
The visualisation of the domain and the
relative distance to its nearby targets appears
to be cumbersome. It seems straightforward
to project, in true perspective, the dimension
of the ship’s domain in the virtual space as
an overlay. However, humans are not good
Figure 3: The intrusion conflict zone in estimating distance in the far field, i.e. the
The operation of remote and autonomous ships will need to be at least as safe as existing
vessels if they are to secure regulatory approval, the support of ship owners, operators,
seafarers and wider public acceptance.
RINA invites papers from ship designers, builders, operators, classification societies, legislative
government bodies and organisations/companies with experience in other related autonomous
domains, on topics including:
• Maritime remote-control technology
• Automated onboard systems
• Autonomous technology
• E-navigation
• Impact on maritime workforce and human factors
• Legal implications and maritime regulations
• Case studies and research projects
www.rina.org.uk/Autonomous_Ships
Autonomous Ship Half page CFP AD V1.indd 1 17/12/2019 12:34:00
Marine Industry 4.0 January 2020 21
to share data on a VHF carrier wave. The making. Thus, reducing the stress level of Avoidance System’, The Journal of
Automatic Identification System (AIS) may be the operator and enhancing the quality of Navigation, 34(2):294–302, May 1981.
seen as an early example of this. The concept navigation. Much effort must be paid in the 4. ELLERBROEK, J., ‘Airborn Conflict
of VO relies on the exchange of data, e.g. design of systems to keep the human in the Resolution in Three Dimensions’. PhD
identification, position course and speed, but loop, at the front end, in order to avoid the thesis, Delft University of Technology, 10
also route exchange and, for the VO concept, deterioration of skills. Moreover, to enhance September 2013.
exchange of the shape and dimension of the the user acceptance, the required hardware 5. ENDSLEY, MICA R. AND JONES,
requested Protected Zone. These dimensions for visualising AR is likely to shift from HMD DEBRA G, Designing for Situation
depend on ship’s size and maneuverability. to a transparent screen, e.g. a glass monitor, Awareness (2nd edition), CRC Press, 2012.
that provides the synthetic overlay and will be 6. GREGORY , D., SHANAHAN, P., Being
Conclusion adaptable to all kinds of outside light. Human in Safety-Critical Situations, The
Considering the present situation in which Stationary Office, 2017.
we can expect an ever increasing amount About the author 7. IMO. E - Nav ig ation Strateg y
of sea transport, using an ever decreasing Stephan Procee has worked in the maritime Implementation Plan. http://www.imo.
area of free navigable space, and in which industry since 1985. He currently lectures org/en/ourwork/safety/navigation/pages/
we demand higher quality in terms of Marine Navigation at Maritiem Instituut enavigation.aspx, November 2014.
efficiency and timeliness at lesser cost Willem Barentsz. He is also a PhD student 8. MORREL, J.S.’ ‘The Physics of Collision
and at a much lesser ecological footprint, at Delft Technical University in the faculty of at Sea’, The Journal of Navigation,
we can only strive to support the human Aerospace Engineering which involves the (XIV):163–184, 1960.
operator on the ship in his desire to meet development of AR. NA 9. PROCEE, S., BALDAUF, M., ‘Augmented
his professional goal. Because of this Reality as part of a Man-Machine Interface
complicated demand and the occasional References in E-Navigation. In Deutsche Gesellschaft
close-quarters situation (a.k.a. ’near miss’) 1. BRUUS, N, ‘Autonomy for Maersk’ (MSC für Ortung und Navigation e. V. (DGON),
at the numerous traffic hot-spots in the 98). https://www.dma.dk/Vaekst/IMO/ editor, ISIS 2014, pages 170–178, 4
world, it is foreseeable that the frequency MoederReferater/ /MSC2098.pdf, 2017. September 2014.
of accidents will not likely fall. 2. BURNS , C.M., HAJDUKIEWICZ, 10.UNCTAD. Review of Maritime
A system like the proposed AR aims J.R., Ecological Interface Design, CRC Tran sp or t . http : / / u n c t a d. org /
at providing information that supports Press, 2004. en/PublicationsLibrary/rmt2016_en.pdf,
SA leading to better, preemptive, decision 3. DEGRÉ, T., LEFÈVRE , X., ‘A Collision 2016. pp. 24-26.
Figure 4: A
simulated situation
using the interface
A
dditive Manufacturing (AM) or
3D printing has been at the top
of classification society DNV
GL’s agenda for some time. Since 2014,
the company has been investigating the
opportunities and challenges posed by
AM. And just recently, the first-ever
AM approval of manufacturer (AoM)
certificate was issued to thyssenkrupp
TechCenter Additive Manufacturing.
This means that thyssenkrupp TechCenter
Additive Manufacturing is a DNV
GL-approved supplier for maritime and
general industrial applications.
The AoM approval covers the 3D
printing and processing of austenitic
stainless-steel parts. Certification was
also awarded for the acceptance process
in accordance with EN 10204 – the Additive manufacturing is a broad term for processes using the layered application of
European standard for steel products – materials to create 3D objects
and the associated product information,
particularly the chemical and physical
material characteristics. Approvals for projects, reducing reliance on external designed to verify a manufacturer’s ability
individual special components are also procurement. to consistently manufacture materials
being prepared. DNV GL experts from The much talked about term ‘Additive and products to given specifications and
multiple units coordinated to examine Manufacturing’ refers to industrial in accordance with the DNV GL rule
whether the TechCenter’s processes were processes that create three dimensional requirements. Geir Dugstad, Director of
reliable and ensured consistent quality. objects by adding layers of material. Ship Classification & Technical Director of
Not long after thyssenkrupp, Singapore- It includes such technologies as 3D DNV GL – Maritime, explains, “Additive
based Sembcorp Marine received DNV printing, Rapid Prototyping (RP), Direct manufacturing will have a significant
GL certifications qualifying its 3D Digital Manufacturing (DDM), layered impact on the future maritime value
printing procedures and specifications manufacturing, and additive fabrication. chain. Producing components that have
for components used in its construction This contrasts with uch of traditional the same level of quality as conventionally
and repair projects. This game-changing manufacturing, where the final parts are manufactured parts and fulfil class
development paves the way for the machined out from a pre-made form. requirements is key.”
shipyard and offshore marine group to In turn, the technology will enable new
unlock significant efficiencies and reduce supply chains and on-site 3D printing of Singapore initiative
supply chain risks. spare parts, adding value in many areas In the spring of 2019, it was announced
The certifications from DNV GL that have yet to be explored: reduction of that DNV GL was chosen by the Maritime
endorse Sembcorp Marine to use 3D lead-time, weight and part count, greater and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA),
printing technology for repairing efficiency of components, lower waste, the National Additive Manufacturing
non-critical parts such as worn-out metal and lower emissions. AM will also enable Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) and
sleeves used in pumps, and for fabricating novel designs with high complexity, Singapore Shipping Association (SSA)
bevel gear sets for machinery applications. new repair methods, and the use of to lead the first phase of a joint industry
More importantly, these certifications unconventional or new materials. programme (JIP) to establish the
will give the company the experience Seeing the great potential in this method commercial viability, technological
to prepare for the validation and use of production, DNV GL created the AoM feasibility and regulatory requirements
of more 3D-printed components in its programme for Additive Manufacturing, behind the use of AM and 3D printing
for the maritime industry. As part of a that our customers can have the same
joint industrial programme (JIP) initiated confidence in an AM product as any other
by the Maritime and Port Authority of that has undergone approval by class.”
Singapore (MPA), DNV GL, together with DNV GL offers this clear path to
10 member companies of the Singapore AoM approval through several tailored
Ship Association (SSA), investigated how programmes for additive manufacturers.
3D-printed spare parts could help the These include – but are not limited to
capital-intensive industry to reduce costs – manufacturers in the following fields:
as well as downtime. The findings should Steelmaking and rolled steel products; steel
encourage more maritime actors to take forgings; foundries; wrought-aluminium
advantage of AM for fortifying their spare An AM-printed probehead. Courtesy: alloys; tubes, pipes and fittings; chain cables;
parts supply. The program also confirmed thyssenkrupp steel wire ropes; and system and software
Singapore’s recent status as a one-stop engineering. As part of applying for AoM,
shop with port services supporting the manufacturers have to first undertake a
diverse operations of shipping companies. of the approval class program, coupled proof of concept to demonstrate that they
AM is only going to become more with our CoE in Singapore, will help to have feasible technology and products.
relevant in the maritime industry. As such, boost industry confidence in additive DNV GL sees a bright future for additive
DNV GL opened the Global Additive manufactured technology and products.” manufacturers in the maritime industry,
Manufacturing Centre of Excellence in particularly now that the AoM programme
Singapore, an incubator and testbed for Manufacturer guidance is in place for them: “Although additive
the research and development of AM With thyssenkrupp being the first additive manufacturing is relatively new for many
technology for the oil & gas, offshore, and manufacturer to win AoM approval, more companies, it offers great potential in terms
marine sectors. As Head of the Global AM are sure to follow. Speaking to customers of cost and time saving. We strongly believe
Centre of Excellence & Regional Manager, in Singapore Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO that this approval program is just what the
SEA & Australia, DNV GL – Oil & Gas of DNV GL – Maritime, said: “As the industry needs to ensure that safety and
Brice Le Gallo stated, “We expect AM to world’s leading classification society, our quality standards are upheld,” says Cristina
have a major impact in the O&M industry responsibility is to give manufacturers Saenz de Santa Maria, Regional Manager,
with a range of 3D printed spare parts a clear path they can take to offer their South East Asia, Pacific & India, DNV GL
and structural sensitive parts. The launch innovative products, while ensuring – Maritime. NA
D
NV GL has been involved in a two examples of how Singapore drives CoE in Singapore strives for knowledge
number of AM-related projects innovation and collaboration to improve and best practice sharing on AM within
in Europe, so what makes the level of adoption. the organisation.
Singapore the ideal location for a Centre At the same time, it is a pilot service
of Excellence (CoE)? What are the CoE’s principal objectives delivery centre for next generation
Brice Le Gallo (Regional Manager South and what sort of progress has been made digital assurance and advisory services
East Asia & Australia, DNV GL – Oil since it opened in 2018? in 3D printing and allied technologies.
& Gas): Additive manufacturing (AM) Sastry Yagnanna Kandukuri (Principal The competence and knowledge
is one of the pillars of the country’s Specialist, AM CoE, DNV GL – Oil gained through AM R&D and advisory
Industry 4.0 transformation roadmap. & Gas): DNV GL’s Global Additive engagement with customers will support
Singapore has developed a thriving Manufacturing (AM) Technology Centre DNV GL to maintain its competitive edge
and diversified ecosystem around of Excellence in Singapore was set up in the global offshore and marine market
AM, bringing in the same place both to serve as an incubator and testbed and has the potential to enhance DNV
supply and demand, backed with strong for research and development (R&D) GL’s vision to be positioned as a world
research and innovation power. NAMIC of additive manufacturing technology leader in this technology.
(National Additive Manufacturing for the oil & gas, offshore and marine Since this centre was set up with partial
Innovation Cluster) and SC3DP sectors. While working together with support from the Economic Development
(Singapore Centre for 3D Printing) are other AM hubs within DNV GL, the AM Board of Singapore, it will also play a
Authors
M
ecklenburger Metallguss
GmbH (MMG) is a foundry
with one of the largest
capacities for casting of aluminium and
copper alloys. The main product of MMG
are propellers with diameter up to 11m for
the maritime industry, but the company’s
manufacturing scope is much wider than
that. There are more than 150 different
alloys in its portfolio, ranging from Figure 1: The MMG alloy tree
aluminium bronze and tin bronze over
brass and gunmetal to special aluminium
alloys. In MMG’s alloy tree (see Figure 1) MMG offers a full complement of growing. In this article we will attempt
it can be found ideal material properties services for their clients: including alloy to explain how the AM technology can
for a wide range of products, e.g. bushes, and castability consulting (e.g. numerical support foundry processes and some of
bearings, jackets, spindle-nuts, pumps, casting simulations), computer added the challenges are yet to be overcome.
valves, gear houses or even sculptures and machining through to design consulting
many more. Customers will find the ideal over the total production planning 3D-printed pattern
alloy depending on their needs: process right up to the final product. for sand casting
• Resistant against sea water, acid or base MMG’s production facilities include a One of the latest machines in XXL
corrosion, 4000m2 moulding shop, a melting house manufacturing is the XXLFDM 3D-printer
• Resistance against erosion, cavitation with 25m3 melting capacities for 200t (see Figure 2). With its printing dimensions
and abrasion, copper- and 70t aluminium-based alloys, of 2,000 x 2,000 x 2,000mm (l x b x h) it is
• Optimal mechanical properties production area for centrifugal castings one of the largest industrial 3D-printers
(strength, elongation, hardness, impact and mechanical workshops with including being used for the maritime industry.
resistance), five computer numerical control (CNC) The printer is capable to print high speed
• Weldability, milling centres. Components with XXL with a high geometric accuracy. The
• Anti-friction/lubrication properties, dimensions of up to 200tons and 12m developed extruder allowed a high flow
• Physical characteristics like electrical in diameter can be processed. Additive rate up to 80mm/s (0,25kg/h). MMG uses
or thermal conductivity, permeability Manufacturing may be the new ‘sexy’ mostly plastic PLA (polylactic acid) for
or absorption properties production technology but MMG’s printing, because it is cheap, degradable,
• Machining properties facilities for production are constantly laminatable, easy to print and compatible
T
he Fourth Maritime Industrial
Revolution is driven by emerging
and disruptive technologies.
The key drivers for the coming decade
will be automation, digitalisation and
decarbonisation, leading to an emerging
focus on connected smart ships,
autonomous vessels and green shipping
technologies and operations.
Emergent technologies of fer
opportunities for the maritime industry The emergence of smart ships, such as remote and autonomous vessels, is likely to
to become safer and more efficient while increase competition for skilled workers
reducing its environmental footprint. This
will transform the industry, changing its
more traditional trading ecosystem to a shorter, they are also becoming more varied individuals continually staying abreast of
symbiotic one linking innovative concepts as individuals gain and carry skills across technological developments. The training
such as the Digital Economy, Future Cities multiple sectors. subjects shouldn’t be traditional either; WEF
and new trading systems. Increasingly flexible conditions are identifies new technological competency
The future workforce will need to adapt expected to be demanded with workers and critical human skills such as creativity,
to this changing work environment, with looking to improve their work / life balance. originality and complex problem solving as
changing working attitudes and new skills Digitalisation and virtualisation of the the core skills required in the future labour
brought about by new technological and workplace has the possibility to enable this landscape.
demographic changes. New roles and jobs across all areas of business, making the So how do we see the challenges for this
are expected to be created as more traditional maritime industry more attractive in the future workforce. When considering the
roles are scaled down with the increased use world skills market. future workforce, we can see four trends that
of technologies like Artificial Intelligence we should prepare for:
and robotic systems. People need new skills WEF report • Digitalisation: the growth of data, analytics
achieved through new forms of training As the industry, workforce and businesses and Artificial Intelligence, coupled with
to keep up with this high speed of change. change so too does the global labour the growth of virtual and augmented
The reshaping of the workforce, training landscape and market. Whilst it is impossible reality, are expected to change the skills
and technology are key to unlocking the to predict what it will comprise of in 20 required for traditional operations. This
productive potential of Industry 4.0. years there are indications of its direction of change is set to accelerate as the impact of
Other drivers will also require the marine travel. Large numbers of existing jobs could the proliferation of technology at low cost
workforce to change; a skills shortage across become redundant whilst the skills required driven by the consumer markets.
the industry, caused by shorter seafaring for the others will change dramatically. The • Connected technologies: systems and
careers and a greater reluctance of people WEF Future of Jobs Report 2018 (World equipment will be more dynamic
to serve on vessels means that the skillsets Economic Forum, 2018) suggests that 50% and increasingly interconnected as
required by workers will also change. of the workforce will need reskilling by 2022 communications and networking
These specific challenges faced by the as these changes occur. technologies accelerate (eg 5G
maritime industry are compounded by As the rate of technological innovation communications and the Internet of Things).
socio-demographic changes across the and introduction increases so too will the • Emission control, reduction and
wider workforce. The workforce is aging, need for updating the workforce’s skills. The ultimately alternative energy solutions
multigenerational, more international and traditional training model – an early career are expected to come to the market. As
diverse. Record numbers of workers over formal education or training program – is the sustainability and emissions targets
50 are retiring and the workforce is losing becoming redundant. A lifelong approach become more challenging.
valued skills. As careers are becoming to learning needs to be adopted with • Demographics, skills and learning: in
particular the impact of the changing to experience must urgently change. New (particularly in our coastal cities) driving
nature of the workforce and use of employment models must be developed, transport loads. The scarcity of natural
autonomous systems and robotics. The and job roles created, which allow people resources will give rise to new areas
maritime sector as a whole will need to to transition in and out of the industry of activity such as seabed mining and
adapt as the impact of global demographic throughout their careers whilst progressing exploration. As an industry, we will need
change, the rise of middle classes and an and learning new skills. to take a collaborative and coordinated
ageing population are felt. Whilst the future is uncertain there are approach in order to achieve this safely
inferences as to what it may entail: greater and without over burdening the sector or
The development of smart ships, use of technology and a greater emphasis on resources available. It is felt that there are
unmanned ships (autonomous or human and technical skills of the workforce. several overriding aspects that need to be
remote controlled), port automation and Individuals and businesses need to adapt by overcome to facilitate this; they include:
digitalisation in the service elements of adopting a lifelong approach to learning and • Exploiting technologies throughout the
the sector will force change to the ability improving their adaptability to changing supply chain, such that it both enables
to recruit and retain seafarers, increasing circumstances. Future technologies have and supports business and generates
competition for scarce talent with other immense potential but the narrative between improved safety and productivity
emerging digitised businesses in all sectors, people and technology needs to change delivering significantly increased
coping with rapid technology change will to a more holistic view. The combination business performance and enabling
force change to existing structures, people, of user-friendly technology and a highly innovation within the sector. As the
career paths. capable workforce will unlock the productive individual technologies mature, systems
This future is full of uncertainties and potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution will undertake an increasing number of
challenges which we will must overcome, in ways just focusing on technological functions. We will need to address the
requiring future maritime leaders in advancement could not. higher-level areas such as operational
government, the maritime communities In summary, fundamental to dealing planning and management and control
and industries to develop new and effective with the change brought about by the fourth together with the integration of expanding
leadership capabilities, leading not just maritime industrial revolution will be data and information capabilities to
the people, but also the machine / human re-imagining the way we recruit, train and provide cost effective solutions.
partnerships that will underpin defence develop our people. To do this we will need • Changes will need to be carefully managed
capability. Given a changing workforce to consider: and appropriate training, regulatory and
with far more complex and diverse notions • How does the maritime enterprise governance frameworks put in the place
of identity, loyalty and expectations of respond to these challenges and to support their development and the
meaningful and purposeful work, these opportunities to create a workforce of the people alongside technology.
leaders will need to be more flexible adapting future? • Understand the interactions between
approaches appropriate for the differing • How does it create a public and private people and intelligent systems,
audiences they will lead. sector environment where new processes, not just from a maintenance or
leadership and management create new control perspective, but also wider
‘Modular’ careers ways of thinking, and allow new ideas and socio-economic perspectives such as the
The modern workforce recognises that many technologies to be exploited? impact on skills and jobs.
of today’s careers will not exist throughout • How does it become more agile and data
their lives. They are often looking for driven? The maritime industry will undergo a
modular careers, where they acquire • How does it attract and support the right profound and deep change as technologies
skills that will allow them to change roles people? which enable the Fourth Industrial
regularly. Equally many skilled people are Revolution mature and business take
now finding jobs they have spent their lives The Ocean Economy competitive opportunities for their
in are becoming obsolete and considering As the sector embraces the changes exploitation. In terms of jobs, we see a
retraining into new environments. This described above, the maritime sector significant re-shaping of the workforce,
transformation of the workforce and the becomes even more relevant particularly moving away from traditional manual
workplace will place heavy demands on from a global prosperity and environmental roles and activities into more supervisory
future leaders, they will need to be capable of compliance perspective, as highlighted by roles, coupled with increasing technological
leading through continuous and sometimes the OECD Report “The Ocean Economy capabilities, this will result in the need to
turbulent change, constantly learning and in 2030” (OECD, 2016). Indeed, the future generally re-skill elements of the workforce.
evolving as individuals are adapting to of the sector is looking particularly buoyant We must recognise and address these
emergent challenges. and this is evidenced by the ever-increasing challenges in transitioning the industry over
This is a massive societal challenge, that adoption of emerging technology in the the coming decades from today’s solutions
the maritime sector is, arguably, currently sector. The demands placed on our oceans to this future autonomous and intelligent
ill-suited to dealing with. The traditional and waterways are and will continue nirvana requiring us to collaborate as an
hierarchies where pay and rank is related to increase, with population demands industry and a sector. NA
And more th
than 25 years of experience helps
• Type Approved Planned Maintenance (PMS) • Ship Management Software
• No ‘Per Seat’ or Annual License Fees • Complete Integrated Suite or Individual Modules
• Fleet Dashboard for Consolidated View • Global Customer Base
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or visit www.marinesoftware.co.uk
1991–2016
PLANNED MAINTENANCE | STOCK | PURCHASING | SAFETY & DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT | CREW MANAGEMENT | DRY-DOCK/REFIT MANAGER
8 th
EDITION