FULL PICTURE THINKING
Kardash has ten years of experience in the offshore sector and sees a key trend from that field now migrating to shipping.
“Offshore thrives on data,” he comments. “There is a vast amount available and this is shared between offshore facilities and onshore control centres to increase production efficiency. Shipping, by its nature, can be a conservative industry and it has taken time for companies in this industry to realise the full potential of data.
“Now, however, we are underway and, over the next five years or so, I can see far more vessels, led by newbuilds and upgraded vessels, implementing ways of analysing and sharing information. This is a key foundation of optimising performance throughout entire fleets.
“The next challenge is to structure the data and use it in a way that can cut fuel cost and emissions, as well as bolster company learning.”
He explains with an example: “For instance, if two similar vessels with the same trading pattern consume fuel differently, or in a case where a ship is involved in a near accident, it is now possible to easily gather relevant historical data from the vessels. Having this data is one thing, but you also need a system that can analyse it and contribute to enhanced company understanding. One approach is to have a system to analyse incidents, another is to have a programme that actively searches data from vessels and continuously works to improve each vessel.”
BW and Kardash are looking to KONGSBERG to empower this new reality. All BW Gas managed newbuilds will feature K-Chief marine automation systems, while the 12 LPG tankers will also feature the latest Information Management System from KONGSBERG, as a cross functional platform for decision-making and collaboration.
The modular K-Chief system will give the new vessels optimal monitoring and control abilities across key vessel functions such as power management, auxiliary machinery control, ballast/bunker monitoring and control, and cargo monitoring and control. Its easy installation, with extensive cabling reductions and reduced man-hours and building time, is an added boon for Kardash and his team.
K-Chief integrates with other KONGSBERG technology to facilitate a seamless flow of information across vessel systems has been designed to enable continuous access to primary vessel data for both on-board vessels and onshore facilities. Built on a secure, web-based structure it makes information freely available across a ship’s administrative network and in selected onshore offices.
Data can be displayed, organised and stored – broken down by sub systems such as engine monitoring or power management – while trends can be mapped, reports generated and information exported to selected third parties, for tasks such as planned maintenance. It bridges the gap between land and sea, capturing information and delivering insights that empower better decision-making.
“This is the future of shipping,” Kardash remarks. “By connecting systems and sharing information on board and onshore we can maximise operational efficiency, while minimising environmental impact and enhancing sustainability.
“In the future this information will be made available to every vessel, allowing our land-based organisation to individually moni tor speed, fuel consumption, trim and determine the best operational practices for any given vessel, on any given day or route.
“While the technology for this has already been implemented in onshore and offshore industries its advent in the shipping industry has been delayed. One of the reasons is that a vessel, by its very nature, is not connected to shore and needs to make its own operational decisions. A land organisation can give guidelines, but it is the Captain on board who takes responsibility for commanding the ship in a safe and efficient manner. A land organisation cannot sit with detailed levels of data and give daily, comprehensive instructions to a vessel, as is common on offshore oil and gas installations. However, a land organisation can learn from vessel data, give advice and assist in the cases when a vessel needs assistance.
GETTING CONNECTED
Kardash sees better connections between vessels and shore as imperative for future success. Communication infrastructure is one thing, with obvious benefits for crews – “in 10 to 15 years everyone will have phones with shore access in their cabins,” he says – but the ties that bind operations to onshore support have to be the tightest.
“Expertise has to be on hand when it’s needed, and often before the crew themselves are even aware it is needed,” he argues.
Kardash sees remote diagnostic support as essential. Online health monitoring of vessel systems and continual data collection allows for remote inspection and investigation, system updates and operational guidance – putting onshore expertise ‘virtually’ on board, 24/7.
This, he states, improves planning and predictability and that, crucially, leads to reduced downtime and costs over a vessel lifetime.
“All our new vessels with automation systems will be implementing remote support (Kongsberg Maritime’s K-Remote),” Kardash says.
“If we have the ability to collect and share information we have to exploit this to its fullest potential. That will lead to the best level of understanding – for us and our suppliers – and therefore, enhanced levels of performance into the future.”
The future is, understandably, a recurring theme for a man, and a fleet programme, focused on delivering results over the next 20 to 30 years. While that may be daunting for some, Kardash and BW appear to be taking it in their stride.
“20 years is not a long time in shipping,” he concludes, “at least for a long-term player like BW. Good decisions made in the past have put us in this strong position in the present, and the decisions we’re currently making for our newbuilds will hopefully repeat this positive pattern into the future.
“The potential for greater efficiency through technology is huge – and we can achieve this potential by providing the right people with the right technology. By adopting the best solutions now we put ourselves in the best position for what lies ahead."
