BV assigns first smart ship notation to chemical tanker

The first vessel to receive Bureau Veritas’s smart ship class notations is 2021-built, 17,997-dwt chemical tanker Fure Vinga. Furetank’s vessel is designed by Swedish engineering company FKAB and built by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Yangzhou) Dingheng. The ship is operating in the Swedish Gothia Tanker Alliance fleet.

Fure Vinga has been equipped with smart systems to monitor the ship’s hull condition (H), as well as integrated machinery (M) and navigation (N) systems.

Therefore, the vessel is in compliance with all Tier 1 requirements included in the Rule Note Additional Service Feature SMART (NR675) issued in January 2021, and is granted SMART (H1, M1, N1).

The associated requirements have been specifically developed to set a benchmark for the safe and reliable design and operation of smart systems on board ships, covering both hardware and software, and include extensive onboard system and integration testing.

The vessel is already state-of-the-art from an environmental and energy efficiency perspective – the ship has optimised hull lines, is fitted with a ducted propeller and is equipped with a dual-fuel engine capable of burning both LNG and liquid bio-gas. A UPS battery pack for hybrid operation lowers fuel consumption and prevents blackouts.

The high level of digitalisation and integration of onboard systems and equipment includes computer-based systems incorporating smart functions for the collection, transmission, analysis and visualisation that supports the crew with informed decision-making to enhance safety and optimise operations and maintenance.

Bureau Veritas marine chief executive for Nordic region, Gijsbert de Jong, explained, “As the maritime industry continues its digital transformation journey, improving safety and minimising operational risk using smart technology for monitoring and decision support makes a lot of sense.”

“Furetank has achieved this across the key systems of Fure Vinga and therefore the ship has become the first BV-classed ship to be assigned the full suite of smart notations. This, in turn, provides the shipowner with a digital differentiator in the charter market.”

Furetank managing director Lars Höglund said, “We always have safety, quality and environmental care as our main priorities. This is why we equip our new vessels with the latest technology to deliver the best possible performance to our clients.”

“Our new generation of intermediate-sized oil and chemical tankers get us to the next level in terms of onboard system integration. We are happy to work with Bureau Veritas as it supports innovative solutions with relevant classification notations and technical requirements, which set new standards in our industry.”

Dual fuel is the subject of The case for LNG and LPG-fuelled tankers webinar, part of the free Tanker Shipping & Trade Webinar Week, 10-14 May 2021. Sign up here to ensure your chance to question the experts in their fields.