Automation and data – Høglund Marine Solutions proposes a decarbonisation strategy

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. I 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.

The current state of automation In an increasingly technologically driven shipping industry that operates highly sophisticated vessels, automation can be considered the ‘central nervous system’ of a ship. As the number of onboard systems increases, the hardware and accompanying automation technology will grow and often come from many different suppliers. This is only likely to become more complex and advanced as environmental regulations become increasingly stringent and technologies evolve. But hardware suppliers will often give little consideration for how their system will integrate and work effectively alongside other onboard systems. This can result in onboard automation being clunky, inefficient, unreliable and costly for the crew and owner. For example, an electronic control room can have 10-20 different monitors and stand-alone systems, such as the propulsion management system, tanksounding, bilge, HVAC, refrigeration compressor control, engine safety and valve control. Not only is this overly complex and creates difficulties for vessel maintenance, but the ability to access system data logs is significantly hampered, with some still using unreliable paper print outs or even physical removal of hard drives and data banks. This approach to access data and overtly complex command interfaces would not be expected in the modern aviation or automotive sectors, so it must not be expected on modern ships. The lack of understanding and cohesion regarding automation amongst suppliers, yards and owners can potentially derail the commercial viability of decarbonisation strategies if vessel optimisation is hampered by poor automation. As vessels become more complex, the amount of data they generate will expand. This will put shipping in a better place to exploit big data as core capital for defining future operations. Automation technology will be a big part of this development, and we see it as a stepping stone to the shipping industry embracing Internet of Things (IoT) technology and cloud-based services. With this technology, the capabilities that automation has brought to other industries such as the aerospace and automotive sectors will be felt in the maritime industry. Considering the pressures created by the looming emissions deadline, owners and the industry cannot afford to miss the opportunities presented by automation. Automation as an emissions management strategy Effective onboard automation presents owners with several optimisation benefits that will make a considerable dent in their vessel’s emissions. These can mainly be put down to reliable data access and the appropriate information interface for the crew. From a decarbonisation perspective, the development of future fuels and more efficient engines will be at the forefront of widescale carbon emissions reductions. This will increase the requirements on automation systems to optimise engine and propulsion plant performance as future fuels are anticipated to come with added complexity. Within a propulsion unit, many components must work together to ensure optimised performance. However, given the current status of automation on ships, the interface between these systems is often unnecessarily complex. A way to rectify this is through the incorporation of an Integrated Automation & Control System (IACS) either through retrofits or at the newbuild stage, to simplify the command and control of these complex systems. Examples of the correlation between improved information interfaces and efficiencies are seen within the propulsion units. Information from fuel flow monitors can be analysed and compared against previous voyages. At Høglund, we have seen customers generate as much as 20% in fuel savings just through careful consideration of data from flow metres. Also, with torque and thrust sensors within a propeller shaft data, operators are presented with an accurate measure and display of the level of cavitation within their propeller units. With these two insights, sizable dents can be made into fuel consumption and emissions. Longer term efficiencies can be generated by monitoring longitudinal data for deviations in consumption. If deviations are occurring without any obvious reason, then the crew and operator must know and intervene accordingly to minimise excess fuel burn. By leveraging these types of insights across the board, the cumulative effect of deviation monitoring and emissions control will have a sizable impact on both a fleet’s and shipping’s overall emissions.

Automation alongside future fuels and big data The vessel optimisation benefits of integrated automation could be considered a viable part of a decarbonisation strategy, as well as a part of planning to enhance vessel efficiency that owners will consider mitigating pressure on the bottom line. A survey of 50 owners conducted in >>

As vessels become more complex, the amount of data they generate will expand.

Owners will need to demand automation specifications at the new build or retrofit stage.

Børge Nogva, President and CEO of Høglund Marine Solutions.

January 2020 by lubricants supplier Castrol found that just over half (55%) of respondents had undertaken planning on decarbonisation strategy. Worryingly, nearly a third had not completed any planning. Regardless of the decarbonisation tactics owners eventually decide on, any alternative fuel choice or integration of new energy storage solutions will require significant changes to the complexity of propulsion systems. Whether hydrogen, methanol, biofuel, carbon capture and storage or, most likely, a combination of these, vessels of the future will need to carefully manage the output and consumption efficiency of their propulsion systems. Furthermore, this will be alongside fuels that behave differently to what we are used to, while simultaneously managing a greater number of systems and giving us the data insights needed for supporting short and long-term operations. Integrated automation will be a vital asset in helping to achieve this. Automation can be seen as a fuel agnostic technology that must be a pivotal part of the discussions between yards, owners and suppliers when considering alternative fuels. Owners will need to demand automation specifications at the new build or retrofit stage, and work with the suppliers and OEMs to ensure integration and data access. Whichever alternative fuel demonstrates the highest commercial viability, its efficacy as a low carbon solution will only be partially achieved if not combined with the benefits of effective automation.

Big data solutions We’ve discussed immediate tangible benefits that arise from automation and the improved data interface that will generate more efficiencies, yet we must also think on how automation will allow shipping to embrace big data assets IoT solutions. Cloud-based services will be the lynchpin of this, yet there is little established standardisation on big data clouds. This is where the regulatory bodies will need to play their part, and efforts are being made, such as DNV GL’s Veracity programme and e-class verification that is initially tackling poor data success on vessels. Regulators will need to work with suppliers to have standardised protocols for data collection, storage and input into cloudbased services. These protocols must cover factors, such as what data to include to avoid a myriad of different data being inputted, consequently making data assets unusable. Automation represents a relatively small investment compared to other types of major engineering works, which can account for why it is often overlooked. However, the benefits and added capabilities created are extensive. But with a dual approach of legislative requirements for data access and widescale appreciation of the benefits, the field of automation in shipping can develop and help form the efficiency stepping stone towards long-term decarbonisation for maritime.

i. www.hoglund.no

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