BIG DATA
Automation can be considered the ‘central nervous system’ of a ship.
Automation and data: The first play of a decarbonisation strategy A DUAL APPROACH OF LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR DATA ACCESS AND WIDESCALE APPRECIATION OF THE BENEFITS IN THE FIELD OF AUTOMATION IN SHIPPING IS VITAL IN THE FACE OF IMO DECARBONISATION.
WORDS BY BØRGE NOGVA, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF HØGLUND MARINE SOLUTIONS. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF HØGLUND MARINE SOLUTIONS.
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n late May 2020, Class Society ABS shared a survey that found that nearly two thirds of shipowners do not have a decarbonisation strategy in place. With the IMO decarbonisation deadlines looming, despite complications created by Covid-19, this lack of activity is concerning. A recent study from The University of Manchester found that the global shipping fleet and associated infrastructure must adopt significant and stringent carbon management strategies in the next ten years or face considerable disruption to its commercial operations following a rush to reach the IMO deadlines. However, the shipping community is hesitant to embrace the new technologies on the road to zero carbon – understandably
so, as many of the alternative fuels are still at prototype stage. One thing owners can do in the immediate term is to ensure that their automation technology is providing all the efficiencies it can. Many of these efficiencies will stem from data the automation systems generate, as well as the reliability and efficiency savings that effective automation delivers. Owners, shipyards, naval architects, legislators and class societies need to do far more to understand, specify and potentially legislate to unlock the widescale benefits of automation and its data generating capabilities to help shipping take widespread tangible steps towards an efficient, low carbon future.
s h i p b u i l d i n g -i n d u s tr y. e u
17-09-20 15:48
