#4 PRACTICAL USES FOR IOT IN SHIP MANAGEMENT

-

 

You can’t manage what you don’t measure. For ship managers who want to keep a close eye on their fleet, the internet of things (IoT) is a dream come true. Maritime IoT devices increase engine efficiency, decrease maintenance costs, and reduce the frequency and severity of breakdowns. For the crew on board, IoT cuts down on administrative tasks, allowing them to focus on their core tasks.

In simple terms, the internet of things connects physical objects to a network. Ashore, IoT devices can include smart light bulbs, moisture sensors to water your plants, and a growing range of health-tracking gadgets. IoT blurs the line between physical and digital objects by connecting the physical and digital worlds. By providing a continuous stream of data, IoT unlocks the power of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).

How can IoT improve ship management?

The strength of IoT isn’t in the sensors and the network, but in the data they provide. Ship managers can use ML models to analyse the data from IoT components, alert the crew to any anomalies, and suggest tweaks to improve compliance and efficiency. By reducing the risk of equipment failure, IoT could even reduce insurance costs.

Regulatory Compliance

Inmarsat’s 2018 Industrial IoT at Land and Sea: Maritime report found that 47% of shipping respondents collect data for environmental monitoring. Every year, the regulatory environment for ships becomes more stringent, requiring ever-increasing measurements and records. Sulphur caps, emissions requirements, SEEMP/EEDI, oily water separators, security and cybersecurity requirements are a few of the more recent requirements. IoT helps prove compliance while reducing the administrative burden on the crew.


Energy Efficiency Optimisation

Sensors embedded in IoT components enable continuous monitoring of the condition of hull, machinery and other equipment. Embedded sensors can collect more detailed and relevant data than surface-mounted sensors. Both the on-board crew and ship managers ashore can benefit from accurate real-time data. 

The Industrial IoT at Land and Sea: Maritime report found that, in 2018, 65% of ship owners already had IoT-based fuel consumption monitoring; another 9% planned to introduce it within 12 months. Since fuel accounts for more than half of ship operating costs, IoT cost savings can be significant.

Predictive Maintenance

Normally, we replace or maintain equipment at fixed intervals whether it needs it or not. With IoT components, ships can carry out predictive or condition-based maintenance instead. 

Predictive maintenance uses ML models to compare current data with similar data from before a known failure of the equipment. The models identify patterns and alert us when we need to repair or replace the component. For machinery and hull monitoring, this avoids unnecessary maintenance and replacement and simultaneously reduces breakdown frequency and off-hire time.

Voyage Management

Should the master choose the shortest route or the fastest? Is it worth taking a longer route to avoid ice or bad weather? Where are the ships in your fleet? What’s the ETA at the next port? IoT gives ship managers alternative ways to answer these questions. The crew is happy because they don’t have to constantly update the office; the office is happy because they’re not always waiting for information from the crew.

By combining propulsion system data with weather and route data, and live ship tracking, ship managers and crew can collaborate to optimise speed and engine configuration throughout the voyage.  

Stores and Spare Parts

Ships have to be self-sufficient for long periods. Many seafarers waste inordinate amounts of time hunting for stores and compiling inventories. From medicine to spare parts, IoT is a well-tested and efficient solution to inventory management in other industries. IoT automates inventory tracking and reporting, making it easy to find what you’re looking for.


Cargo management

Is your cargo at the right temperature and humidity? What forces is it experiencing? Where is it, and when will it get to the destination? No matter which cargo is involved, IoT improves monitoring and tracking. Particularly for container ships, real-time tracking with IoT saves time and effort and helps to avoid cargo claims.

What are the problems with IoT?

In the past, information technology (IT) systems managed data on computer systems, and operational technology (OT) systems managed physical systems. The IoT blurs the line between IT and OT, potentially exposing both physical systems and data to cyber-attacks.

Cybersecurity presents a challenge to all IoT systems; attacks on IIoT systems, like those on board ships, can have even more severe consequences. Worldwide, organisations and manufacturers are developing standards and guidelines to address the cybersecurity risks of industrial IoT (IIoT) systems. It’s critical that we consider those risks when designing and implementing IoT solutions in the maritime industry.


Which companies work in ship management IoT?

DigiSeas

Ship management companies face a cumbersome process to monitor, log and explain any security breaches on their ships. DigiSeas’ IoT-enabled smart sensors provide robust 24-hour surveillance, instant alerts and detailed logs in the event of any security breaches.


ThinkPal

ThinkPal provides ship monitoring solutions. Near real-time feedback and alerts about engine and equipment parameters, weather, and more help in efficiency and time management.


METIS

METIS’ fully-automated data acquisition system fetches, cleans and stores data from on board equipment. This helps monitor CO2 and fuel consumption, and demonstrate compliance with the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP).


Augury

Augury’s advanced sensors, diagnostics and actionable insights enable predictive maintenance. Wireless sensors collect vibration, temperature and magnetic data to diagnose machine health. Their secure cloud service compares the data to recordings from similar equipment and alert the user to any developing malfunction.


LoginNo

LoginNo‘s FlexiTrack system includes portable tracking devices and software to track anything, from shipping containers to schoolchildren. Simply place the tracking device in or on whatever you want to track, and you’re good to go.

In a shipping container, the tracking device has a GPS locator, smart environmental monitoring, intrusion detection, long battery life and several years of data storage. It can report to and integrate with any system or smartphone, letting you track your assets from anywhere.

Is IoT for ship management worth it?

In a competitive market with rising costs, a better question is: can ship managers afford not to invest in IoT? All respondents to Inmarsat’s 2018 Industrial IoT at Land and Sea: Maritime report expected to use IIoT fuel monitoring solutions by 2023. On average, they expected to see 14% cost savings within five years. IoT technology, security and connectivity are steadily improving. Off-the-shelf IoT equipment is readily available, so it won’t be long before the absence of IoT devices on a ship will be more notable than its presence.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#18 10 Main Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Used Onboard Ship

-
Image
  Safety of self and co-workers is the prime priority kept in mind by a professional seafarer while working onboard ship. All shipping companies ensure that their crew follow personal safety procedures and rules for all the operation carried onboard ships. To achieve utmost safety on board ship, the basic step is to make sure that everybody wears their personal protective equipments made for different types of jobs carried out on ship. Following are the basic personal protective equipments (ppe) that are always present onboard a ship to ensure safety of the working crew: Protective Clothing : Protective clothing is a coverall which protects the body of the crew member from hazardous substance like hot oil, water, welding spark etc. It is popularly known as “dangri “or “boiler suit”. Helmet : The most important part of the human body is the head. It needs utmost protection which is provided by a hard plastic helmet on the ship. A chin strap is also provided with the helmet which k...
Read more

#68 MANNED SHIPS ERA TO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CONTROLLED SHIPS ERA (iota-4)

-
Image
 Differences between IT and OT systems Whereas IT systems manage data and support business functions, OT is the hardware and software that directly monitors/controls physical devices and processes and as such are an integral part of the ship and must function independently of the IT systems onboard. The systems can, however, be connected to the IT network for performance monitoring, remote support etc. Such systems are sometimes referred to as belonging to the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT). There may be important differences between who handles the purchase and management of the OT systems versus IT systems on a ship. IT managers are not usually involved in the purchase of OT systems and may or may not have a thorough understanding of cyber security. The purchase of such systems should involve someone, who knows about the impact on the onboard systems but will most probably only have limited knowledge of software and cyber risk management. IT covers the...
Read more

#41 Maritime Cybersecurity

-
Image
Maritime is one of the oldest industries and lifeblood of the global economy, accounting for the carriage of 90% of world trade. Ships and other vessels may seem like unusual targets for cyberattacks. But with their growing use of industrial control systems (ICS) and satellite communications, hackers have a new playground that’s ripe for attack. In a 2020 Safety at Sea and BIMCO Maritime Cyber Security survey, despite the majority of respondents (77%) viewing cyber-attacks as a high or medium risk to their organizations, few appear to be prepared for the aftermath of such an attack, 64% of respondents said their organization has a business continuity plan in place to follow in the event of a cyber incident, but only 24% claimed it was tested every three months, and only 15% said that it was tested every six to 12 months. Only 42% of respondents said that their organization protects vessels from operational technology (OT) cyber threats, and some respondents went so far as to describe...
Read more