Dalian Shipbuilding completes sea trials of first 'intelligent' VLCC

Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Ltd, a division of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, has completed sea trials of New Journey, which the yard claims to be the world’s first intelligent VLCC.

New Journey is described as having five major intelligent functions that constitute an intelligent tanker:

• Ship navigation auxiliary autopilot
• Smart liquid cargo management
• Integrated energy efficiency management
• Equipment operation and maintenance
• Whole ship-shore communication through structuring the network information platform of smart service systems

New Journey is said to be the first VLCC in the world with ship notations of i-SHIP (I, N, M, Et, C), and OMBO acquired from CCS.

New Journey was part of a state-sponsored intelligent ship design programme which looked at how an intelligent ship would be built and designed.

Dalian Shipbuilding employed a general co-ordinator in charge of intelligent ships to oversee the intelligent equipment installation, mooring commissioning and declaration of intelligent systems within 45 days. Weekly meetings were held to enable any issues to be solved quickly and effectively.

According to Dalian Shipbuilding the vessel passed the sea trial two days early.

New Journey joins the 51-strong VLCC fleet of China VLCC, which has another two VLCCs on order at Dalian Shipbuilding. Both are due for delivery in 2019.

Once all the VLCCs are delivered, China VLCC will overtake COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation as the largest owner of VLCCs.