A recent report released by Allianz Corporate and Specialty explains how Big Data could transform the way that ships operate in ports, with the company stating that ‘smart ships’ could be in operation in the next few years.
Jarek Klimczak, Master Mariner and Senior Marine Risk Consultant at Allianz, said: “I used to sail on a vessel which had acceleration gauges. These monitored acceleration and measured how the hull behaved under certain conditions. This system allowed constant monitoring of the vessel and made a prognosis based on the weather forecast, parameters of the vessel and the readings.”
Captain Andrew Kinsey, Senior Marine Risk Consultant at Allianz Risk Consulting, said: “You can get so much data at this nano-level – how do you adequately collate, read and analyse it? When you can get actual reports on what the vessel was encountering, that will revolutionise construction. It’s fascinating and it’s not going to go away.”
To read an analysis on Big Data at ports, click here
The way that these smart ships will work will be through the use of nanotechnology in paints, coatings and materials, which will enable ships to talk to each other.
The ultra-sensitive monitoring through the use of acoustic fibres will allow the detection of minor changes in vibrations.
The end result will be that data and voyage data will be collected from the structure, components and other machinery parts of a ship to boost performance and safety.
Captain Rahul Khanna of Allianz is due to write a Technical Paper in the upcoming Mega-Ports Edition of PTI.
Captain Khanna is to analyse the threats that mega-ships pose to both ports and shipping itself.
