Light Structures Launches Virtual Monitoring System for Vessel Integrity
Norway’s Light Structures has launched a virtual structural health monitoring system designed to help shipowners comply with classification requirements without the use of onboard sensors.
The new system, ARGUS-VM, supports ABS SMART(SHM) Tier 1 notation and provides vessel operators with insights into structural stress and fatigue using digital models and external data sources.
The solution combines vessel tracking data and wave models with vessel-specific digital models to estimate structural loads and fatigue trends, enabling monitoring of hull integrity without physical sensors.
Light Structures said the system converts operational and environmental data into structural health indicators in near real time, with results delivered through onboard or shore-based platforms.
The company added that ARGUS-VM can be integrated with other digital systems and provides a pathway to more advanced monitoring, including sensor-based solutions aligned with higher tiers of the ABS SMART(SHM) framework.
The system has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from ABS and is available for both newbuild vessels and retrofits.
Light Structures said the technology is aimed at reducing lifecycle costs, supporting condition-based maintenance and improving vessel performance and safety.