Rolls-Royce has opened the first in a series of ship intelligence experience spaces to show its customers, suppliers and partners how the latest digital solutions can transform the marine industry.
The first Intelligent Asset Management (IAM) experience space, opened end of November in Ålesund, Norway, demonstrates how ship intelligence systems can harness the “power of data” to optimise fleet operations, reduce operating costs and improve maintenance procedures.
The IAM space provides an area for Rolls-Royce customers to validate the advantages of using IAM systems, such as the Rolls-Royce Energy Management (EM) and Equipment Health Management (EHM) portals in real-time, operational environments.
Split into two distinct areas – an “Intelligent Analytics Centre Collaborative Canvas area” and a “Fleet Management Command Centre” – the IAM Experience Space will showcase the Rolls-Royce range of digital products designed to support its customers in the management of their vessels and fleets.
The facility also provides a work space in which Rolls-Royce and its customers can hone existing digital solutions and collaborate on the development of new ones to meet their individual requirements.
“Essentially, the Intelligent Analytics Centre is a ‘digital factory’, where data is transformed into insights that facilitate and support more informed decision-making,” said Jan Chirkowski, Rolls-Royce, Intelligent Analytics Centre Manager. “The Intelligent Analytics Centre Collaborative Canvas space allows us to visualise this data, co-develop product features with our customers to make better use of that data and give them a complete digital picture of the current and potential operational performance of their fleet.”
The Fleet Management Command Centre area, meanwhile, is a proof-of-concept for a future product that puts all the information a fleet manager needs at their fingertips. The command centre is fitted out with an intuitive touch interface and a floor-to-ceiling, six-metre-wide curved screen to display collected ship data via systems such as the Rolls-Royce EM and EHM portals.
“The EM display gives the fleet manager a complete overview of the fleet’s energy footprint, providing the comprehensive information needed to optimise or adjust operating parameters to achieve better energy and environmental efficiencies,” said Chirkowski.
The EMH portal, to be officially introduced next year, uses “Machine Learning” algorithms to flag-up any anomalies in the sensor data coming in from machinery and systems onboard a vessel, in a real-time, live operating environment. This information can then be used to make informed decisions to take more effective and pre-emptive action.
“This data is invaluable,” said Chirkowski. “For example, it can inform fleet managers of any material degradation or likely component failure before it actually happens. Components can then be ordered and replaced before causing any operational disturbance. Certainly, a reduction in the frequency of unplanned maintenance events will pay dividends and result in a fleet that is always running to optimum commercial and environmental efficiency.”
The concept of real-time machinery data is common in the aviation industry where aero-engine performance information is critical to safe operation. However, until recently bandwidth availability and cost have been barriers to the concept being rolled out across the marine industry.
Marco Camporeale, Rolls-Royce, Vice President Intelligent Asset Management Solutions, said: “Connectivity at sea has come a long way, and our recent cooperation with Inmarsat provides a good example. The satellite communications provider’s Fleet Xpress high-speed broadband service offers high-volume data processing though an application-triggered bandwidth.”
Mikael Makinen added: “The information presented to fleet managers today in the Aalesund IAM Experience Space is crucial for optimising vessel performance. It can be used to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, extend machinery overhaul intervals and increase system availability. Machinery breakdowns could be a thing of the past.
