K Line Group and Kawasaki Heavy Industries have jointly developed an integrated vessel operation and performance management system. K Line expects that the K-IMS will improve navigation safety and reduce fuel costs, while improving the efficiency of vessel operations and management. The K-IMS is based on K Line’s existing ship performance analysis system (SPAS), EP-Monitor engine plant monitor and an optimum navigation system. SPAS is an electrical log and vessel performance analyser, while the EP-Monitor is able to collect and observe operation data.
The K-IMS collects data from different onboard systems, including navigation and engineroom equipment. It then integrates this to provide a full vessel performance monitoring service, which enables K Line to utilise real-time operational data from vessels, and integrate this into a mutual system. It enables the Japanese shipowner to support vessel operations and manage ship performance, by taking real-time vessel operating conditions, optimum safety route selection, and the latest vessel performance data.
K Line said there were various functions, including observing the operating condition of vessels, analysing the performance of vessels, and deciding the safest and lowest cost route, based on the analysis results and weather information. K Line manages K-IMS in a cloud system, which means it can be shared between different operations teams, shipmanagement companies and the vessels themselves.
In another innovation, K Line’s Singapore-based shipmanagement arm is using ClassNK Consulting Service’s machinery condition monitoring and automatic diagnostics system. The CMAXS LC-A program was installed on one of its container vessels, and was the first commercial application of the software. This followed a successful trial of the software in 2014. During that test, the shipmanager achieved fuel and lubricating oil savings of 200 tonnes a year. The trial was part of a joint research project carried out by ClassNK with Diesel United and a number of other partners.
ClassNK CMAXS LC-A uses diagnosis algorithms to analyse multiple sensor data in the engineroom and detect early signs of machinery damage. The solution automatically shows the condition of a wide variety of machinery in real-time, provides the relevant instructions and procedure manuals, and proposes the setting value for main engine optimum operation based on the result of the automatic condition diagnosis, without the need for remote shoreside support. CMAXS LC-A’s main engine optimum setting value function supports ship operators and shipmanagement companies by reducing fuel and lubricating oil costs while its troubleshooting function supports crew by preventing secondary damage and streamlining necessary repair and maintenance work.
Sensor data and condition monitoring results obtained from CMAXS LC-A’s onboard system are sent to and stored on the cloud database managed by Ship Data Center Co, another subsidiary of ClassNK, and shared between the vessel and shipping company.
K Line has also used ClassNK-Napa Green in the past for fuel optimisation. According to Napa vice president Esa Henttinen, the service can reduce fuel costs by more than 10 per cent. “Fuel savings from trim optimisation can be 2-4 per cent, and optimising speed and route can save 6-8 per cent. Both owners and charterers can benefit from fuel savings,” he told MEC. “We have been doing data analytics to find new ways of utilising ship performance data. We have interfaces to onboard sensors, such as fuel flow meters, and we get information on speed and route,” he explained. “We take the ship data and store this in the cloud and do the computations in the cloud. We compress the data on board to minimise the file size, but we do not miss any data.”
All of Napa’s processing is conducted in a cloud-based system, including computational fluid dynamics, which requires hundreds of computers for more rapid production. Napa has also been used to verify the potential of new marine technology, such as the use of Flettner rotors or new propellers on ships. “We monitor the performance before and after the addition to prove its performance,” said Mr Henttinen. “We can also do trim optimisation studies and verify the performance of hull coatings.”
Class society ABS has launched software for tracking the performance of ships and offshore vessels. ABS Nautical Systems (NS) developed the vessel performance software to help owners improve efficiency, reduce operating costs, and facilitate emissions reporting and compliance. The NS Vessel Performance tool uses a ship-specific model and tracking of key performance indicators (KPIs). It supports shipping companies’ environmental compliance and reporting, including CO2 reporting requirements being introduced by the EU. The ship-specific model is based on a vessel’s design characteristics. The software predicts a vessel’s performance based on sea trial data to establish a baseline. Eastern Mediterranean Maritime was one of the first to use the vessel performance tool. It has improved the overall efficiency of ships in its fleet.
ABS Nautical Systems chief operating officer Stephen Schwarz said the software is evidence of the organisation’s innovative approach to vessel performance solutions. He added: “By uniting all the major aspects of performance management, informed by the understanding of vessel design, our solution provides the next generation of actionable insight and decision support with custom-designed visualisations of key performance indicators, and is backed by consultation with ABS experts at regular intervals.”
Rival class society DNV GL has formed a partnership with Prisma Electronics to advance fleet performance management. This enables DNV GL’s ECO Insight portal to provide ship performance analytics based on Prisma’s Laros onboard data collection platform. They have been working together since the beginning of this year, and proved that the partnership works technically and operationally. “By working with a reliable remote condition monitoring supplier such as Prisma, we can provide shipping companies with a complete overview of their fleet,” said DNV GL regional manager Ioannis Chiotopoulos.
“The data provided by Prisma enables us to generate insights such as information about hull and engine degradation, benchmarks and market averages. There are no blind spots in our customer’s fleet performance management.” Prisma managing director Christos Giordamlis said shipowners could manage their entire fleet based on information from any vessel’s system. The data is normalised and converted into key performance indicators for analytics.
DNV GL is deploying its ShipManager integrated fleet management software on a fleet of more than 40 bulk carriers, general cargo and multipurpose vessels operated by Vertom-Bojen Bereederungs. Its implementation removes the problem of different software systems being deployed across two fleets.
Singapore-based shipowner Berge Bulk has deployed Logimatic’s Sertica suite of fleet management tools on its fleet of 40 dry bulk carriers. It began deploying the software in January 2015 and to date has it on 34 of its vessels. It uses Sertica modules for maintenance, procurement, invoice management and workflow, as well as for health, safety, quality and environmental purposes. All this interfaces with Berge Bulk’s own financial systems.
Before implementing Sertica, many different systems were used, including homemade systems in Microsoft Excel. Berge Bulk IT manager Amy Wahab said the Sertica software eliminated much of the paperwork and manual work that the shipowner had done previously. The system automatically synchronises information among the modules enabling staff to follow up and track changes.
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