Posted on November 14, 2017
By Martyn Wingrove, Marine Electronics & Communications
Van Oord is reaping the operational benefits on its fleet of dredgers and heavy lift ships by analysing an increasing volume of data. It has developed systems for the collection, storage, processing and analysis of data from suites of sensors on its vessels.
According to Van Oord data scientist Gerben de Boer, the vessel owner is working with multiple organisations, such as the technical university TU Delft, Deltares, Microsoft and Sogeti, in the Netherlands for an open software platform.
Van Oord has used cloud-based data storage and created a ‘data lake’ for storing terabytes of data from its fleet. It has developed methods for logging information, such as high frequency vibration data, pipe transect scans and automation SCADA data.
However, the amount of data that can be transmitted in real-time is limited by the satellite communications bandwidth available to these vessels, said Mr de Boer during a seminar at the Europort exhibition in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
This is why Van Oord is using technology that transmits software to the data store for analytics and processing instead of sending the data, said Mr de Boer. “We are using Python analysis program for insight and business intelligence.”
Engineers at Van Oord are also using OrcaFlex’s Orcina software to create a 3D digital twin of the vessels for simulation scenarios, said Mr de Boer.
Also during that seminar, Kongsberg Digital vice president Matt Duke explained how its open digital platform Kognifai can be used for a wide range of applications for condition monitoring, 3D modelling, fleet optimisation and benchmarking. He said machine learning and industry expertise should be combined with the data platform for analytics and vessel optimisation.
Caterpillar Marine Asset Intelligence business development manager Bert Ritscher outlined how shipowners can use data analytics and processing for identifying faults before they occur in ships systems. RH Marine technical product manager Michiel Post highlighted how data analytics can reduce fuel costs and extend battery life on vessels with hybrid propulsion systems.
