5 minute read
Alewijnse Introduces AlViVi
The AlViVi platform is already being used on board several trailing suction hopper dredgers.
unique virtuAlisAtion And visuAlisAtion plAtform for mAritime industry
Alewijnse hAs developed A unique, future-proof digital plAtform thAt cAn replAce most of the computer equipment on the bridge, thus saving space And money.
All imAges courtesy of Alewijnse.
In these digital times, the average ship has a lot of computer equipment and cables on board. in recent years, various new technologies have become available and alewijnse product Manager Johan van rikxoort wondered how these could be used to create a more efficient and space-saving solution. together with a dedicated team of experts, he has developed a unique digital platform that makes multiple ship systems more easily available and visually attractive as well as making the large number of existing physical hardware obsolete. alvivi (alewijnse virtualisation & visualisation) platform acts as a central hub, centralising and integrating all ship process systems and distributing the visualisation of the data to all connected screens on board. “We are excited to be the first, and so far the only company, to offer this fully digitalised platform to the maritime market”, explains Mr van rikxoort. “it is fast, user-friendly, and extremely reliable, resulting in maximum uptime and optimal operational performance. by bringing together multiple systems in one environment, the management and maintenance becomes much easier and more efficient.”
Committed to Dredging the alvivi platform is already being used on board several trailing suction hopper dredgers (tshd). “for more than four years, we have worked with a leading global dredging and offshore construction company in the field of automation on board dredgers”, states Mr van rikxoort. “other smart and reliable automation systems developed in close cooperation with this dredging company are the hopper >>
control systems such as the alewijnse draught and loading system (adls), and the alewijnse suction tube system (asts) with advanced automatic functions on board of dredging vessels to enable safe and more efficient operations.” Mr van rikxoort adds that the collaboration with the dredging company has been valuable. “With projects like this, it is absolutely essential to carry out the development activities in tight cooperation with the launching customer. i feel confident about this latest project, which extends the history of our fruitful partnership.”
Integrating Systems While the system has so far proved itself on multiple dredging vessels, alvivi can be applied to any other type of vessel that has numerous individual computers on board, each accompanied by the necessary hardware and metres of cables. according to Mr van rikxoort, the greatest benefit is that alvivi integrates all the mission
This schematic shows how AlViVi acts as a central hub, centralising and integrating all ship process systems and distributing the visualisation of the data to all connected screens.
equipment-related process operating systems, such as scada, maintenance, survey, and data log and administration computers, and distributes the respective data to all networked screens on board. “alvivi can visualise multiple ship systems on individual screens”, explains Mr van rikxoort. “at the same time, a single system can also be selected for display on multiple screens around the vessel. this makes it a highly flexible solution for operators on board.” in order to integrate the systems, a virtual computer is created for each of the separate systems, which is then placed within alvivi. as a result, each system can be linked to each available workspace, removing the need to switch from one workspace or screen to another to view and operate different systems.
the server platform has multiple processors and hard drives and there are duplicates of all the data, adds Mr van rikxoort. “so, even if one hard drive fails, the systems will keep working as normal. in fact, all the data on alvivi is doubled onto two identical units and in the unlikely event of a whole unit failing, the second unit takes over. the user won’t notice any of this, but we will get an alert so that we can solve any issues, either on location or remotely.” because everything is combined into one compact platform, time can be saved on maintenance, according to Mr van rikxoort, “updates are better and faster for testing or roll back. in addition, the software’s lifetime is extended by the independence of the platform, and the system is also extremely secure from intruders.”
Saving Space and Money another great benefit of the new platform is space-saving. “the alvivi platform takes up approximately 75% less space by replacing a lot of computers and keyboard, video, and mouse equipment, and reducing cabling on board.” While this is great for all ships, Mr van rikxoort sees particular benefits for newbuilds. “the bridge always takes up a huge amount of space in the design of
a new ship. by incorporating alvivi, more space on the bridge can be created. in addition to the saved space, shipowners can also save money by installing alvivi, voices Mr van rikxoort. “Most computer equipment needs to be replaced every five years. this is a recurring and timeconsuming investment if you have twenty computers on the bridge and in various locations on the vessel. by comparison, with alvivi there is a lot less hardware to replace. it is all in one location and the platform itself needs replacing only once every seven or eight years.”
Exciting Future Ahead alewijnse demonstrated alvivi at europort in rotterdam last year, using a large red desk on the stand to highlight the amount of space that can be saved by installing the platform. according to Mr van rikxoort, there is a lot of interest in the system. “people in the industry appreciate the beauty of this solution. alewijnse takes the lead in the competitor market with this platform.” he concludes, “We are the first one on the market and we have set a standard, but it will be interesting to see how the industry responds. We are furthermore working on several other
Alewijnse Product Manager Johan van Rikxoort (left) in the AlViVi testlab.
Alewijnse demonstrated AlViVi at Europort in Rotterdam, using a large red desk to highlight the amount of space that can be saved by installing the platform.
developments and are still optimising and improving our platform. there are more exciting things still to come…”
