Intelligent Software News

The Danish provider of mobile robotic welding and adaptive multi-pass welding technologies, Inrotech has partnered withGullco International, a manufacturer of automated welding and cutting carriages, modular automation, and custom automation solutions.The two companies will use their partnership to strengthen their customer offerings and market position. With this partnership, both companies combine their knowledge together and offer smart, easy-to-use automation solutions equipped with intelligent software and scanning technology for the growing need for welding automation technology…

Classification society DNV has introduced the shipping industry’s first competence standard for vessel remote control center operators (RCCO). The standard is supported by a new recommended practice that offers a certification scheme for RCCOs. Together, they provide a framework for training, assessing, and certifying personnel working in remote-control centers that support or manage operations at sea. Intelligent software systems and enhanced ship-to-shore-connectivity have laid the groundwork for the growth of remote solutions and autonomy in shipping.

Recent reports show that on-time performance in the containership sector continues to deteriorate, causing tension between the carriers and retailers. In general, non-ocean carriers – trucks and trains – are achieving reliability rates well above 90% whereas containerships rarely beat a 70% on-time threshold. For retailers, the threat of having empty shelves is beginning to swing the balance from cheaper ocean transport to a need for reliable just-in-time deliveries supplied by…

The development of autonomous vessels is a hot topic in shipbuilding. This is certainly the case for the service operation vessels (SOV) being developed at Royal IHC (IHC). In our case, the word 'autonomous’ stands for ‘intelligent’ vessels, designed to support the crew in their operations on board.SOVs can spend many years at the same offshore wind farm to support the maintenance of the turbines. Daily tasks include visits to the turbines to provide access via the motion-compensated gangway.

German wind turbine builder is carrying out a condition monitoring campaign at the 402MW Veja Mate offshore wind farm in the German North Sea.The rotor blade condition monitoring system or fos4X “retroX” system, consisting of a sensor platform and intelligent software, was installed on strategically selected 10% of the wind farm’s turbines."The system enables structural condition monitoring of the rotor blades, recording of loads during turbine life time as well as the detection of yaw and pitch misalignment," said a press note from the specialist in fiber optic measurement technology and sensor technology.A further aspect of the joint project carried out by fos4X is the monitoring, consolidation and orchestration of the entire turbine and subsystem data.

Fugro, the global geo-data specialist, has awarded a contract to Bosch Rexroth to fully maintain and further improve Fugro Synergy’s hydraulic equipment.Fugro has worked with Bosch Rexroth for over a decade to ensure it has the best hydraulic systems and software solutions on board its geotechnical drilling vessel, the Fugro Synergy. Now, they are working together again in order to better prepare for the future.The Fugro Synergy vessel has been in operation since 2009, and is primarily used to drill into the seabed in order to analyse whether it can be safely used as a foundation for structures like wind farms or oil rigs. This ship was built to be effective in the harshest conditions…

Wight Shipyard Co. (WSC) debuts a hybrid patrol vessel designed  to reduce both fuel costs and engine maintenance.“This ground-breaking project aims to set new standards in high speed, fuel economy and light weight vessels in the sector. Building greener vessels has been an integral focus for some time now so moving into hybrid options is the obvious next step forward,” said Peter Morton, CEO, WSC.The WSC vessel has been designed by naval architect Chartwell Marine, and is the first in the new Chasewell range of pilot and patrol boats…

The maritime industry has always followed a path of gradual improvement, albeit with many opting to travel the route of least resistance. In some ways, this is a good thing. A cautious approach to navigating change brings stability, assurance and predictability. This measured attitude toward managing change has been fundamental to ensuring that the commercial shipping industry remains the most financially viable transportation solution for moving most goods around the world. But…

Transmetrics’ digital solution optimizes marine logistics using AI technologies and Marlink’s global multi-band networkMarlink has signed an agreement with Transmetrics to establish a strategic business partnership aimed at predictive logistics optimization for maritime customers. The agreement will enable Transmetrics, a Forbes-awarded start-up, to leverage Marlink’s broadband satellite communications network, digital solutions and contacts to further develop maritime logistics innovations.

Norwegian start-up technology firm ScanReach is set to redefine safety standards at sea with In:Range, a unique system capable of locating anyone on a vessel or offshore installation in real time. The plug and play technology is simple, easy to install, low cost and, according to the team behind it, could save countless lives at sea. With In:Range ScanReach has solved a problem nobody else has. The firm has created a system and technology capable of sending and receiving data signals wirelessly through any structure, including steel. Utilising a combination of advanced radio technology and intelligent software algorithms and protocols, signals sent from bracelets worn by crewmembers are picked up by sensors that simply plug into standard power points.

Rolls-Royce has unveiled a sophisticated situational awareness system that fuses multiple sensors with intelligent software to mitigate against the safety risks navigators face when operating vessels at night, in adverse weather conditions or in congested waterways. Officially introduced today during the Seatrade Cruise Global event in Fort Lauderdale, USA, the Rolls-Royce Intelligent Awareness (IA) system is the first of its kind to be made commercially available that uses data collection to enhance navigational safety and operational efficiency. Iiro Lindborg, Rolls-Royce, General Manager, Remote & Autonomous Operations, said: “The IA system forms part of our ongoing development of the autonomous ship…

Vesper Marine designed its Virtual AIS Beacon in 2010 and installed the first solution in 2011. Developed to address the need to make hazards at sea visible when costly physical infrastructure is not appropriate or is impossible to deploy, the Virtual Aid to Navigation technology that Vesper Marine has created is based on the international standardized AIS, which all large ships must use and many yachts and smaller vessels are now choosing to install due to the safety and collision avoidance benefits it provides.

Danelec Marine’s new intelligent remote management platform is bringing the Internet of Things (IoT) to the maritime industry by providing easy, low-cost access to data from ships at sea. The second-generation DanelecConnect telematics platform is now fully available and the first ship installations are currently underway. The company is working with third-party software application providers to use the DanelecConnect application programming interface (API) tool to capture data from shipboard systems and sensors into their specialized software packages.

DNV GL held it’s traditional press conference at the Nor-Shipping trade fair today. This year, the event took place on the Vision of the Fjords, a DNV GL-classed carbon fiber hybrid ferry. The content showcased DNV GL’s innovative vision, with attendees taking part in a virtual reality (VR) presentation, which showed how DNV GL is pushing ahead with a digital transformation to improve the quality and efficiency of its services, as well as the emerging solutions which will take class into the future. The VR experience took viewers on a tour of the Shanghai Express, a modern container ship, to demonstrate how advanced sensor technology, powerful satellite connections, and the digital data being created and transmitted from vessels was opening up a new range of possibilities for shipping.

The Iranian Maritime Industry Knowledge Hub will be soon opened up and ready to use by public in the area of shipping and offshore industry. Reza Mohammad Alibeike, member of The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST), said, "In order to promote culture and knowledge of common people and maritime activists with the maritime industry issues and related jobs, I decided to design and execute a simple, but smart and practical structure. The member of Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME) emphasized that in his software maritime industry is defined and its different segments are distinct. Due to absence of a scientific and reasonable definition of maritime industry and lack of unawareness of the authorities…

Cruise shipping is one of the fastest growing sectors in tourism. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) predicts that over 24 million passengers will take a cruise in 2016 and that CLIA member lines will match this with more than a $6.5 billion investment in new ocean-going ships. However, in the past few years, the industry has not always hit the headlines for the right reasons. Negative environmental stories, brand damage, revenue loss and sometimes even incidents costing passenger lives, have prompted the U.S.

MACSEA Ltd, a provider of software agent technology for prognostic machinery health monitoring, has signed a Co-Operative Research and Development Agreement with Electric Boat Corporation (A General Dynamics Company) of Groton, Conn. The goal is to further develop and demonstrate advanced technology for real-time maintenance decision-making in support of a minimum manned, highly automated and networked information infrastructure on future Navy ships. Key technology development areas include wireless sensors, neural network-based diagnostics/prognostics, and intelligent software agents. One outcome of this research will be prognostic agents capable of operating in a wireless environment to satisfy the Navy’s Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) philosophy of the future…

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers today announced that Major General Carl A. Strock, Director of Civil Works, has signed the Record of Decision (ROD) for the Columbia River Channel Improvement Project. Construction of the navigation improvements and associated ecosystem restoration features may now proceed after a cost-sharing agreement is signed. Issuance of the ROD -- a written public record under the National Environmental Policy Act explaining why the agency has decided upon a particular course of action - clears the way for the Corps' Portland District to begin work improving the federal navigation channel that stretches 103 miles between the Pacific Ocean and Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash.

Together with the Ministry of Transport, RMPM has developed a Port Facility Security Toolkit. This intelligent software program will be made available free of charge via a secure internet link to 134 companies from the Rotterdam port and industrial complex that have to comply with the ISPS code. The program comprises a detailed questionnaire based on eleven themes, such as 'terminal access' and 'cargo handling'. By filling in the questions, the terminal carries out a risk assessment. The assessment shows what measures need to be taken (action plan) to arrive at a security plan that can be presented to the relevant authority for approval. In other words, the tool automatically creates the security plan. Source: Rotterdam Briefs

The shipping company Ernst Russ strives continuously for the highest quality, safety and environmental standards in shipping; in recognition of this it has now been awarded the "GL Excellence - 5 Stars" certificate by classification society Germanischer Lloyd (GL). Ernst Russ Managing Director Mr Stefan Bülow and Mr Jan Stahmer, Health, Safety, Environment und Quality Manager, were presented with the firm's certificate by GL this week, making the Hamburg shipping company only the ninth ship-owner in the world to receive this prestigious award.

Maritime Security systems company WatchStander LLC announced that it has completed development of a fully automated system designed to prevent gangs of pirates and other unwanted individuals or groups from boarding ships. The object of the system is to make it more physically intolerable for the criminals to approach the ship and to persuade them to abort their attacks. The video and data from all incidents will be archived for subsequent transmission to the data centers of the shipowner and WatchStander for training and evidential purposes.

FKAB secured a contract for the design of a 2,400m³ trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) for the Taiwanese Kaohsiung Harbour Authority which will be built at Taiwan’s Ching Fu Shipyard. FKAB Sweden performed basic drawings, FKAB China office will carry out detail and production design with Nupas-Cadmatic. Even though FKAB has had Nupas-Cadmatic licenses for a couple of years, they were all used in the Dalian office. Now the Shanghai office will use the licenses for the complete design and production engineering of the dredger.

Wrist Ship Supply launch 'Xena', to streamline the purchasing of consumable ship supplies, optimising vessel economy & improving health at sea. The Xena software is a menu-planning tool and electronic cookbook which provides ship owners with inventory control, reducing waste and enabling transparency to ensure they stay within nutritional guidelines. Recipes in this programme also provide cost per meal information and reconcile this against existing food stock. Xena enables ordering, stock and menu planning that takes into account regulation around seafarer catering, stipulated in the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006. MLC 2006 has been ratified by 29 countries to date, and is expected to enter into force in 2013.