IT & AUTOMATION
TAKING SMALL STEPS TOWARDS AN AUTONOMOUS FUTURE The industry is working to an autonomous future but where and when can we expect to see more autonomy in the industry, or is it something that will never quite be realised, writes Samantha Fisk
8 While autonomy developments are currently focused on smaller vessels, a number of projects are investigating applicability for larger vessels.
The maritime industry has been waiting with bated breath in some respects to developments around autonomy and the autonomous vessel. With the announcement of the Yara Birkland that was under construction and was to be piloting autonomous systems, the industry was poised – could it actual pip other industries to the post with this. However, the early excitement may have been precipitous, as the Yara Birkland is unlikely to operate fully autonomously when it enters service. But that still has not stopped the industry in working to what is now seen as the inevitable goal of autonomy. While immediate commercial benefits from the research aren’t obvious, autonomy does hold value for the industry. Understanding that value and maximising its potential will be key if we are to harness the power of autonomy. As Peter Krähenbuhl, Head of Digital Transformation, WinGD explains about automation: “it’s everything and nothing.” It’s about incorporating it into the business model and looking at “what to do with it and the added value that it brings.” Currently there is a lot in the market in the area of diagnostic systems. Those systems come with a lot of data, Krähenbuhl notes that its structuring all the data and the data collection and then utilising that data. In the future of autonomy with being able to harness the data it will be possible to look at the development of engines that can self-calibrate. At the moment though, he notes that the industry is still at the preliminary stages with more simple solutions that are being adopted. Pierre Sames, Senior Vice President, Group Research and Development Director at DNV also comments about the recent developments in the market: “what we observe is more software-controlled systems onboard. Shipowners
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may not be aware of all the complexities. When there is more software onboard, then it will become even more complex.” This also raises the question of safety and being able to operate these systems in a safe and secure way. DNV has published a white paper looking at autonomy and the safety issues. Sames notes that the paper highlights how traditional methods of operating may not be good enough anymore and a need to understand systems better. Current developments in autonomy has seen mainly smaller vessel being trialled for systems onboard. Wärtsilä is also seeing more inland vessel developments with regards to autonomy. Currently it is working on an e-barge concept for the Port of Rotterdam. "We believe that overland transport modes will not be able to absorb the emerging capacity bottleneck for internal container movement. Our ambition is to see these container shuttles introduced into a smart logistics network within the next few years." says Hendrik Busshoff, Business Development Engineer at Wärtsilä Voyage. It is also working on developing an autonomous, zeroemission barge for the Port of Rotterdam named Project Magpie. The installation for the autonomous barge will include several of the latest Wärtsilä solutions, including SmartMove Suite, which provides a unique pairing of sensor tech with navigation systems for safe, automated ship movement. Wärtsilä are also seeing the retrofit market as a place where autonomy can also make a difference. Earlier this year, American Steamship Company’s vessel became the largest (and probably the oldest) vessel to perform automated dockto-dock operations. Currently, there is a massive pre-existing global fleet of over 100,000 ships with an average age of 21.7 years. Wärtsilä
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