SHI Thrusts on Smart Ship Technology
South Korean shipbuilding giant Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has pushed ahead with advancing smart ship technology thanks to joint work with global equipment producers on SVESSEL, a smart ship system independently developed by Samsung.
Yesterday (August 16) SHI signed an MOU with the German-based global company specializing in engine technology MAN-ES for collaboration on smart ship technology development.
The MOU mainly aims at enhancing operating services of main marine engines by applying the engine diagnosis and high-tech control technology of MAN-ES to SVESSEL, an SHI's cloud-based smart ship system.
Shipbuilding companies will be able to reduce operating cost with accurate data provided in real time via the upgraded SVESSEL to onshore control centers and vessels on the water as this will facilitate effective navigation and maintenance.
Meanwhile, SHI has cooperated with WinGD of Switzerland from January, one of the top two giants in the global marine gas and diesel market along with MAN-ES, in order to develop a remote engine diagnosis technology applicable to LNG-fueled vessels.
Samsung also has continued to expand collaboration with major equipment companies on technology development for smart ship solutions; earlier this month it completed technology development with Hi Air Korea, a Korean company, which enables remote control of cooling and heating, humidity and fan system inside vessels from onshore control centers.
The way how equipment producers use SVESSEL, a smart ship system developed by SHI, as a platform to develop optimized solutions on their own has received attention from the industry as a win-win model between shipbuilders and equipment companies.
"Equipment manufacturers have actively participated in technology development of our cloud-based smart ship system and this will provide more useful and diverse services to shipowners. By solidifying the ecosystem where both shipbuilders and equipment producers coexist, we will take the lead in developing innovative smart ship system," said Shim, Yong-Lae, Vice President of SHI Ship & Offshore Research Institute.
