Consortium Targets Better Ship Efficiency and Navigation
A consortium of companies aims to develop an expert decision support system for improved ship efficiency and safer navigation via a two-year R&D project called iSea.
Backed by funding from the Eurostars program, the iSea innitiative is led by Danelec Marine, with other participants including Vessel Performance Solutions ApS (Denmark), i-Marine Technologies and Research Inc. (Turkey) and Deniztekno Danismanlik Bilgi Teknolojileri ve Bilgisayar San. Tic. Std. Sti (Turkey).
Set to commence the R&D program in January 2017, the iSea team will deliver a set of Expert Decision Support Systems (EDSS) for enhancing the performance and navigability of vessels. The novel EDSS will be enabled by a low-cost and low-risk telematics solution providing real-time transfer of crucial data from ship to shore. The main goals will be to increase fuel efficiency in open waters and facilitate near-shore navigation and reduce human errors, especially in difficult waters.
“A critical element for an Expert Decision Support System for ship navigation is the availability of real-time data from shipboard sensors and systems,” said Hans Ottosen, CEO of Danelec Marine. “As a part of the iSea initiative, Danelec Marine is investigating an alternative type of communication which would give a subscriber access to real-time data within limits set by the system administrator.”
The real-time data solution will leverage Danelec’s VDRConnect technology, which enables remote push-through and pull-through data retrieval from shipboard systems and sensors, according to Ottosen.
Eurostars is a European joint program that supports international innovation projects by R&D-performing small- and medium-sized enterprises. It is co-funded from the national budgets of 34 EUREKA countries and the European Union, with a total public budget of €1.14 billion for the period 2014-2020. EUREKA is an intergovernmental network launched in 1985 to support market-oriented R&D and innovation projects.