British shipyard, Harland & Wolff, has been awarded a £55 million contract to regenerate a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel, HMS QUORN.
£55 million to regenerate former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel
Supporting 100 jobs at Harland & Wolff Appledore site in south-west
Enhancing mine-hunting capability for NATO ally
British shipyard, Harland & Wolff, has been awarded a £55 million contract to regenerate a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel, HMS QUORN.
On behalf of the Lithuanian Government, the Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) awarded the contract that will see HMS QUORN renovated and restored, bolstering NATO maritime capability in Europe.
Supporting ambitions to bolster British shipbuilding, laid out in the National Shipbuilding Strategy Refresh, the regeneration will support 100 jobs at the south-west shipyard.
The work will see an influx of contractors for the project across the local and national supply chain, with 14 major subcontract packages in engineering, equipment and integration, along with other refurbishment services.
Minister for Defence Procurement, Jeremy Quin, said:
I’m pleased that this multi-million pound contract will see a former Royal Navy mine-hunting vessel restored and regenerated in a British shipyard, supporting UK jobs and strengthening shipbuilding in the south-west.
Lithuania is a key NATO ally and Joint Expeditionary Force partner, and this mine-hunting vessel will bolster NATO maritime capability across Europe, ensuring the Alliance remains ready to respond to evolving global threats.
HMS QUORN completed 27 years of Service with the Royal Navy before being sold to Lithuania in April 2020. The vessel patrolled the seas as part of the Royal Navy fleet of Hunt Class Mine Countermeasures Vessels (MCMVs) until 2017.
The Hunt Class vessels specialise in active mine-hunting. They use high-definition sonar to scour seabeds for mines, which are then destroyed by the ship’s clearance diving teams or mine disposal system.
A key NATO ally and partner in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), Lithuania will add the restored mine-hunting vessel to its existing fleet, with the addition of this capability boosting NATO capability across Europe.
Tailored for the Lithuanian Navy, the work includes upgrades to the ships mission and sonar systems, and an additional search and rescue capability. The contract will also add new main engines, generators and propulsion gear as well as refurbish the accommodation, hull, ancillary systems, electrical systems and painting.
Cdre Richard Whalley, Head of DESA, said:
This contract award reinforces our excellent working relationship that we have with Lithuania as our NATO ally as well as UK owned Harland & Wolff. We’re really pleased to see HMS QUORN refurbished in Appledore Shipyard and look forward to continuing our work with them supporting the British supply chain.
It is planned that the ship will be handed over to the Lithuanian Navy in 2024. HMS QUORN is the third mine-hunting vessel that DESA has sold to Lithuania, following the sale of HMS Dulverton and HMS Cottesmore in 2008.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Finnish technology company Wärtsilä suspended all deliveries, sales, orders, and bidding for Russian customers. It further downscaled its operations in the Russian Federation in April, taking a $200 million writedown on the value of its business and giving up about five percent of its annual net sales. According to Russian media, the decision may have spurred the creation of a new Russian company to serve Wärtsilä’s Russian customers in the electronic-navigation space.
Wärtsilä acquired the civilian division of electronics and software company Transas in 2018. Though Transas was a global company with a UK headquarters, it had been founded in St. Petersburg in 1990, and it had a substantial Russian workforce. At the time of the purchase, the high-profile acquisition looked very attractive: it handed Wärtsilä a portfolio of simulation, traffic control, fleet operations and ECDIS technology, along with related businesses like training and after-sales service.
But the market withdrawal from Russia has had an impact on the Transas business line (known as Wärtsilä Voyage after the merger). Wärtsilä took a $75 million writedown on goodwill and intangible assets related to its Voyage unit in April, the largest single component of the $200 million impairment.
Now, according to Russian outlet RBC, two ex-Transas, ex-Wärtsilä Voyage vice presidents are starting a new firm which reflects the division’s Russian roots. The newly-formed EMCT (Evolution of Marine Digital Technologies) will provide products for Russian customers left behind by Wärtsilä’s exit, and will also compete in “Russia-friendly” countries in the years ahead.
In an interview with RBC, development director Vladimir Ponomarev (formerly VP Solutions for Wärtsilä Voyage) noted that St. Petersburg had been the birthplace of many Voyage products. He predicted that with the founding of EMCT, there would be a “smooth replacement” with similar products for the sanctioned Russian shipping market.
“The departure of Wärtsilä from Russia in March 2022 effectively deprived [Russian] users of qualified expert support and the opportunity to develop software and hardware solutions to meet changing requirements and standards. In most cases, this situation can be critical, at least on the horizon of 6-12 months,” Ponomarev said. “[EMCT is] ready to take on the tasks of expert and technical support for current users of Wärtsilä, as well as to develop and bring to the market domestic hardware and software solutions that can replace Wartsila products in a short time.”
EMCT’s creation is part of a broad wave of import substitution across the Russian economy. As Western businesses have pulled out or sold off their Russian divisions, others have stepped in to fill the gap – most prominently, the fast-food chain “Vkusno i Tochka,” the inheritor of McDonald’s Russian chains.
Kongsberg Digital’s suite of simulation systems provides efficient and realistic training for maritime students and crew so building vital skills promoting safety, cost-efficiency, and sustainability in operations at sea. MARINA is a leading maritime authority, representing the largest number of seafarers in the world. Partnership with Kongsberg Digital means that MARINA can provide simulation technology for research, operations and training, increasing the knowledge and competency of their workforce.
MARINA aims to bring the Philippines to the forefront of transformation in the maritime sector. Kongsberg Digital will contribute to this endeavour with its extensive experience in simulation studies related to autonomous shipping, digital twin and vessel insight. This MOU aims to contribute towards the realization of the Maritime Industry Development Plan (MIDP) through the use of innovative and modern simulation technologies and the two partners will cooperate on several areas.
“With this MOU, MARINA and Kongsberg Digital will work together to adopt and leverage more advanced methodologies and tools within the maritime education and training segment as well as forming best practices. This will lead to a more competent and agile seafaring workforce, prepared to adapt to the everchanging maritime landscape,” says VAdm Robert A. Empedrad AFP (Ret), Maritime Industry Authority in the Philippines, MARINA.
“We are very pleased to announce this MOU, which signals the start of a mutually beneficial partnership with MARINA. This forward-thinking organization shares Kongsberg Digitals´ understanding of the significance of maritime education and training, and the recognition that it is only feasible to secure highly qualified crew through innovative and high-quality training methodologies,” says Andreas Jagtøyen, Executive Vice President Digital Ocean, Kongsberg Digital.
HMM will expand its service network with an eco-friendly container fleet of 1.2 million TEU by 2026.
HMM also plans to secure logistics infrastructure such as terminals in key locations to reinforce its profit structure.
Moreover, the bulk fleet will be cemented with a fleet of 55 ships, substantially increased by 90 per cent from the current 29 ships.
HMM will plough its funding into a range of initiatives, including securing core assets such as ships, terminals, and logistics facilities throughout the upcoming five years from 2022 to 2026.
The firm will continue to enhance environmentally-friendly services for carbon neutrality in 2050 and explore the likelihood of ordering ships using alternative fuels in the future. HMM will also make enterprise-wide R&D efforts into the use of carbon-neutral fuels in cooperation with industrial players, the company said in its announcement.
On digitalisation, HMM recently launched ‘Hi Quote’, an online sales platform based on its own technological capabilities. HMM plans to integrate its inland logistics network into Hi Quote and apply freight rate solutions powered by Artificial Intelligence at a later date.
Kim Kyung Bae, HMM President & CEO, said: “Our strategy is to ensure perpetual growth of HMM under the new vision – a global leading company generating sustainable value for the world.
“We will continue to drive efforts for contribution to the global community.”
BIMCO provides the full write-up on the final guidance issued by t he International Maritime Organization (IMO) relating to corrosivity test for use in the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC) Code . This test is used for classify ing solid bulk cargoes that are hazardous when transported in bulk (MHB cargoes) .
Amendment 06-21 to the IMSBC Code was adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO at its 105th meeting held in April 2022. One of the amendments concerned the testing of cargoes for any corrosive hazards in order to see if the cargo is a MHB cargo where an additional test has been incorporated. In connection with this, the IMO also issued final guidance regarding this refined MHB test.
Avikus, a subsidiary of HD Hyundai, has successfully carried out autonomous navigation of a large ship across the ocean, becoming the first company in the world to accomplish such a feat. Together with SK Shipping, Avikus, which specializes in autonomous navigation, announced on June 2 that it had successfully completed autonomous navigation of Prism Courage, a 180,000 square-meter-class ultra-large LNG carrier. The vessel is equipped with HiNAS 2.0, Avikus’ Level 2 autonomous navigation solution. This transoceanic voyage is the world’s first case of a vessel using autonomous navigation technology.
The Prism Courage departed from the Freeport on the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico on May 1, passed through the Panama Canal, and finally arrived at the Boryeong LNG Terminal in South Chungcheong Province in Korea after 33 days. The vessel sailed half of roughly 20,000 kilometers in total distance with the autonomous navigation technology HiNAS 2.0.
Avikus’ HiNAS 2.0 is the navigation system that creates optimal routes and speeds based on Hyundai Global Service’s Integrated Smartship Solution (ISS). Its artificial intelligence recognizes the surrounding environment, such as weather and wave heights, and nearby ships, and then controls the vessel’s steering commands in real-time. The Level 2 autonomous navigation technology can control and operate the ship in addition to the functions of recognition and judgment (Level 1 autonomous navigation technology). For further information see the IDTechEx report on Electric Leisure & Sea-going Boats and Ships 2021-2040.
In this ocean crossing, the Prism Courage equipped with HiNAS 2.0 was operated autonomously on the optimal routes, increasing the fuel efficiency by around 7 percent while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by about 5 percent. Also, the system accurately recognized the locations of nearby ships during operation to avoid collision about 100 times.
This voyage was conducted under real-time monitoring of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the Korea Register of Shipping (KR) to verify the performance and stability of the technology. Avikus plans to commercialize HiNAS 2.0 within this year after receiving a certification from ABS for the results of this self-propelled ocean crossing.
Autonomous navigation technology is drawing attention as an innovative technology for future maritime mobility because it can solve workforce shortages in the maritime transportation industry, reduce pollutants, and improve safety by completely removing the possibility of human errors.
According to Acute Market Reports, a global market research firm, the autonomous navigation ships and related equipment market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 12.6 percent, reaching USD 235.7 billion in 2028.
Captain Young-hoon Koh of the Prism Courage said, “Avikus’ autonomous navigation technology was greatly helpful in this ocean-crossing test especially for maintaining navigating routes, autonomously changing directions, and avoiding nearby ships, which were all increasing ship crews’ work conveniences.”
Avikus CEO Do-hyeong Lim said, “It is meaningful that we have successfully tested the Level 2 system to operate a vessel beyond the Level 1 technology providing optimal routes.” He added, “We will lead innovation by upgrading autonomous navigation solutions not only for large merchant ships but also for small leisure boats.”
Avikus was launched in December 2020 as the first in-house venture of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group. It succeeded in conducting the first fully autonomous operation of a 12-seater cruise ship in Korea, and is now redoubling its efforts to advance autonomous navigation technology before others by, for instance, cooperating with ABS for step-by-step basic certification of ship autonomous navigation technology.
Seagulls, according to Andy Stanford-Clark, are smiling. They are a significant obstacle from an image-processing perspective. But they are not a threat at all. In fact, you can completely ignore them.
The chief technology officer for IBM in the United Kingdom and Ireland was exuding panic. It was the afternoon before the morning when IBM”s Mayflower Autonomous Ship was set to begin its journey from Plymouth, England. to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, staffed solely by IBMs A.I. and is owned by a non-profit ocean research company ProMare. It carries a crewless, fully autonomous trimaran for years, alongside a worldwide consortium of other partners.Now, after countless tests and
Seagulls were a false alarm from an image-recognition perspective because they looked like huge wonged obstacles that needed to be avoided at all costs. However, they were also a problem given the Mayflower”s ability to completely ignore against its obstacles-avoiding instincts.
The challenge of sailing a ship autonomously isn”t the same as running an autonomous vehicle. It involves driving down predefined streets, while observing other vehicles, buses, cyclists, and pedestrians at high speed. In the open ocean, lanes are larger, and events occur far more slowly (although turning circles and stopping distance are also significant worse).
There is a big challenge here: The Mayflower Autonomous Ship will be doing its three-week autonomous crossing, which commenced June 15, with zero in the way of human interference. The course is being carried out autonomously. However, any deviation from the ship”s response to weather conditions to avoid water hazards greater than a seagull, according to IBMs A.I. and automation techniques. Any major mechanical failure (all too easy when youre sloshing around in the open ocean) and suddenly one of the world
For people like Stanford-Clark, it”s a source of worry. For curious onlookers, who can tune in to watch every step of the Mayflower Autonomous Ships progress through a livestream dashboard developedby IBM iX the company”s digital agency its just another component of the intrepid adventuring fun.
Alone together
Patrice ONeal once stated that he liked to go alone, but not be lonely. The Mayflower is undertaking its cross-ocean voyage solo, but fans from around the world may watch it. IBM”s MAS400 dashboard gives you the option to get a livestream from the boats onboard cameras. There are six cameras in all, and these are in and out to provide a few of the ships” surroundings.
Livestreaming will not be a big deal in 2021, but it is so commonplace that we will not stop worrying about it. However, livestreaming from the middle of the ocean is quite different from livestreaming from your backyard.
According to Stanford-Clark, people say once you get more than a few miles offshore, there is no cell phone signal. Then all bets are off. From that point on, all solutions are very costly and low bandwidth.
Low bandwidth might be equivalent to a YouTube video that requires a few seconds to load on 360p. However, there is still room for improvement. This feed is then then transcoded in real time with ultralow bit rate encoding techniques to allow it to be transmitted in a bandwidth that, at times, can be as low as 6kbps. That is, in turn, the low bandwidths are due to satellite connectivity, which at best passes at 200kbps and also has to include the telemetry data.
ProMareand IBM and Videosoft, a company that specializes in producing the technology that permits livestreaming in extremely challenging environments with minimal bandwidth. According to Stewart McCone, the CEO of Videosoft, are partnering with Digital Trends.
In cases in which such a high-bandwidth video dropout might be fatal, Videosoft has long developed algorithms and other tools. This includes clients such as the police and the military. The company”s technology is capable of not only stream in low-bandwidth situations, but also to automatically adapt to available bandwidth to encode and transmit it at the highest possible quality.
McCone said he would combine the main challenge of streaming video from the middle of the ocean to using space. It”s a very, very, very similar challenge.
It”s also harder to get a video from a Mars rover in real time due to the distances involved, but the footage is expected to be live with a latency of two weeks at worst, negating the ability to do slow data transfers at a higher quality.
Capturing the public imagination
The Mayflower Autonomous Ship, on the other hand, is IBM”s first bold televised challenge. Its 1997 and the Deep Blue series of chess matches with grandmaster Garry Kasparov captured the public”s imagination more than any other public A.I. demonstration of the last century. This century, the 2011 Jeopardy! showdown between question-answering A.I. Watson and show winners Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings, which has produced the highest audience numbers in over half
Will the ProMares robot ship be a similar triumph of A.I. as both of those previous milestones? Or will it tosputter to a halt somewhere in the middle of the ocean? Whatever happens, thanks to IBM”s dashboard and some very smart compression technology, you”ll be able to tune in to follow along.
US Congressman Alan Lowenthal, representing the Port of Long Beach, and Congresswoman Nanette Barragán, representing the Port of Los Angeles, introduced the Clean Shipping Act, a legislation that aims to zero pollution from all ocean shipping companies in the United States.
The bill has the goal to clean up the shipping industry, which alone produces more emissions than all but five individual countries in the world.
The legislation will also protect the health of coastal communities, address environmental injustice and provide solutions to the climate crisis.
“Since my earliest days of public service on the Long Beach City Council three decades ago, I have worked to clean up the maritime industry,” Congressman Lowenthal said. “This legislation continues this effort.”
The bill calls on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to:
Set stricter carbon intensity standards for fuels used by ships
Set requirements to eliminate ship emissions within the port by 2030
“The Clean Shipping Act of 2022 is bold legislation that will make the United States a global climate leader in addressing pollution from the shipping industry and protect the health of port communities in Los Angeles and around the country,” noted Congresswoman Barragán.
“This is a big step forward for climate-smart ports and a clean energy future for every community. Proud to support this legislation as an original co-sponsor. Thank you to Congressman Lowenthal for your leadership and partnership to clean up the maritime industry and advance the greening of our ports,” she added.
HMM has decided to proceed with massive investment in several initiatives aiming to diversify its business portfolio for future growth.
In the mid-to-long term strategy presentation held in the company’s headquarters in Seoul today (14 July), HMM announced it will expand its container ship fleet from 820,000 to 1.2 million TEU by 2026. Additionally, HMM is expected to enhance its bulk business increasing its fleet to 55 ships from the current 29 ships on the same timetable.
South Korea’s national flagship carrier is expected to invest more than US$11.4 billion in a range of projects, including securing core assets such as vessels, terminals, and logistics facilities throughout the upcoming five years.
HMM explained that “the future strategy has been established to respond to growing uncertainty arising from ever-changing business circumstances and lay a solid foundation for sustainable growth.”
Apart from the boost of its container and bulk sectors, HMM noted it will continue to enhance environmentally-friendly services for carbon neutrality in 2050 and explore the likelihood of ordering ships using alternative fuels in the future.
The South Korean shipping company added it will also make Research & Development (R&D) efforts into the use of carbon-neutral fuels in cooperation with industrial players.
HMM CEO & President Kim, Kyung Bae (third from the right) and employees declared a vision at the mid-to long-term strategy presentation held in HMM headquarters in Seoul on 14 July 2022.
“Our strategy is to ensure perpetual growth of HMM under the new vision – a global leading company generating sustainable value for the world,” commented Kim, Kyung Bae, HMM President & CEO.
Furthermore, the company plans to proceed with its digitalisation process by improving online-based ‘e-platform’ and accelerating Enterprise resource planning (ERP) upgrades. HMM recently launched ‘Hi Quote’, an online sales platform based on its own technological capabilities and aims to integrate its inland logistics network into Hi Quote and apply freight rate solutions powered by Artificial Intelligence.
Moreover, HMM wants to strengthen its business areas by developing a customer portfolio, enhancing sales power and expertise, and training employees. Especially, the company said it will organise teams to accomplish strategic projects and explore new business opportunities.
Innovation is a buzzword in maritime, with ‘innovation hubs’ springing up around the world to encourage the acceleration of automation and greener maritime tech. But are the bold promises of technology being kept, and how does maritime innovation benefit seafarers? Sarah Robinson, Rob Coston and Deborah McPherson investigate
As a trade union, Nautilus supports maritime innovation. Innovation can give seafarers a safer and better working experience and can make our industry less harmful to the environment.
When a maritime innovation hub is set up, it can be an indication that government and businesses are ready to invest in shipping and seafarers – which is no bad thing for an industry that so often suffers from being out of sight, out of mind.
Innovation hubs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but in general a hub involves schemes to improve collaboration between individual businesses, and between the public and private sectors. Sometimes there is a physical campus where participants in the hub can work side by side to learn from each other and spark new ideas. Funding is often made available to develop inventions into viable businesses, and support can also be offered in the form of mentoring and networking.
Empty rhetoric or valuable promises?
Innovation hubs can sound great without necessarily delivering on a government’s eager promises. With this in mind, Nautilus is holding the UK government to account on pledges made on innovation in its Maritime 2050 strategy document. The government wants to accelerate maritime innovation, particularly in developing cleaner fuels and other green maritime tech – as described below. But Nautilus is concerned that maritime professionals could be left behind in the rush to introduce new tech. So when the UK parliament’s Transport Select Committee called for feedback this year on how the Maritime 2050 plans are progressing, Nautilus had this to say about training:
‘As the maritime industry progresses towards decarbonisation as laid out in the [Maritime 2050] clean maritime plan, the need for continuous professional development, education and training will only increase. As technological advances are made and new fuels and engine types developed, it is imperative that our maritime professionals are given every opportunity to re-skill and up-skill so as not to be disadvantaged by these changes. Maritime professionals should not bear the costs of these re-training requirements; it should be funded by government and industry.’
There’s more about Nautilus’s participation in the Maritime 2050 review here, but we are going to look in more detail at how maritime innovation hubs are working in all three countries where the Union has national branches: the UK, Netherlands and Switzerland.
Maritime innovation in the UK
The UK has made a start on hub-style collaborative initiatives to move the industry towards ‘net zero’ carbon emissions. Established as part of the Department of Transport (DfT), the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE), was launched in March this year with the bold aim of cementing the UK’s role as a technological innovator and manufacturer in the transport sector, and (even more boldly) ‘[making] journeys by sea as green as they were hundreds of years ago’.
The new office will draw on the experience gained in recent years through negotiations leading to the Clydebank Declaration at COP 26, and from the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC).
CMDC bearing fruit
The first CMDC was launched in 2021, and resulted in government funding being awarded to 55 UK projects, including a net-positive submarine fleet (i.e. one that removes more greenhouse gases than it emits) for collecting microplastics, software now being used to measure greenhouse gas emissions in ports, clean energy refuelling infrastructure in Grimsby, and ‘the world’s first commercially viable 100% electric, high-speed foiling workboat range’, which was recently launched by Artemis Technologies.
A bid by MJR Power and Automation has created an all-electric charge point connected to an offshore wind turbine to power boats using 100% renewable energy. Billed as the ‘world’s first fully automated offshore wind vessel charging system’, this is contributing towards ‘Operation Zero’, a coalition across the North Sea offshore wind sector, which intends to deploy zero-emissions workboats operating commercially on wind farms by 2025. Eight months after winning the funding, MJR has created the charging ports, and installation is now set to go ahead in late summer 2022 at the Lynn and Inner Dowsing offshore wind farms.
Ten times the funding
Whereas the 2021 CMDC offered £23 million in funding, UK SHORE now has £206 million in new funding for research and development to assign. This represents the largest investment by the DfT in maritime decarbonisation to date.
At the recent 2050 Maritime Innovation Week hosted in June by the Port of Tyne – which is aiming to be net zero itself by 2030 – Eamonn Beirne of the DfT revealed some of the ways this new UK SHORE funding will be used to boost innovation and help the country meet its climate ambitions.
This includes a second round of the CMDC to last over multiple years, which will also comprise feasibility studies for UK green shipping corridors. Some £12 million has already been assigned for the first year – with entries closing on 13 July 2022 – and substantially more funding is planned for years two and three.
UK SHORE’s plans also include a new Skills Taskforce for net zero shipping; a Zero Emission Ferries programme for ‘greening intra-UK ferry routes’; grant schemes for early research projects at UK universities; and a Centre for Smart Shipping to support existing innovation hubs for automation – which is seen as a key way to cut emissions.
Spreading the wealth
As might be expected at an event hosted in the Port of Tyne rather than in the capital, there was also discussion about how investment in decarbonisation has helped to rebuild communities in previously declining areas of the UK – such as the offshore wind industry’s investment in Grimsby – and how this trend can be continued.
In Liverpool, a £23 million Maritime Knowledge Hub is being developed as part of the redevelopment of Wirral Waters. The planning application has now been submitted for this centre – with proposed tenants including Peel L&P, Mersey Maritime and the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority – which will focus on the opportunities offered by decarbonisation via innovation, engineering, R&D, entrepreneurship and training. It will seek to provide the skilled professionals who will be needed to drive forward the maritime innovation projects of the future.
MJR’s innovative all-electric charge point connected to an offshore wind turbine received UK government funding, and is to be deployed in 2022. Picture: MJR
Innovation elsewhere: Singapore’s maritime hub
In the 2022 edition of the Leading Maritime Cities report by DNV and Menon Economics, Singapore held onto its spot as one of the world’s best maritime cities, not least because it scooped the Maritime Technology title due to the city-state’s focus on digital transformation.
Such attention to maritime digital enhancements is no surprise, considering the maritime industry contributes about 7% of Singapore’s GDP.
This drive to digitalisation includes everything from the ship supplies delivery process to port operations such as:
‘internet of things’ tracking technology which allows workers and assets to be tracked at any time
web-based bunker supply improvements for bunker operators
sustainability technology for addressing climate change, improving health and the environment, including a focus on ways to reduce human-impacting nitrogen and sulphur as well as C02 emissions.
new ways to enhance digitalisation for maritime security and improve safety at sea through the development of high-tech early warning systems for collisions
Many of these developments can be traced to the MPA Maritime Innovation Lab, a partnership platform for technology and capability development expected to shape future port operations. Current projects focus on collision technology, ship-to-shore communications and the automatic generation of reports for safe and efficient vessel approaches to Singapore.
The Netherlands is proud of its reputation as ‘the maritime centre of Europe’, and has numerous schemes to encourage innovation.
In a country with a strong culture of collaborative working, the concept of bringing together entrepreneurs, universities, government and investors is long established. The government has decided to focus its maritime innovation work on four main areas:
Clean Ships looks at fuel efficiency, reduced emissions and material efficiency. Various alternative fuel applications are being examined, as well as noise reduction both above water and underwater – which has obvious benefits for seafarers.
Smart Ships aims to see vessels ‘better equipped for their many tasks at sea’. This is a more contentious one for seafarers because it looks at how shipowners can save money through automation. ‘[Smart ships] lower the costs of construction and operation,’ notes a page on the government website www.government.nl. ‘This means that the size of crews and the costs of maintenance and operation are significantly reduced.’ Perhaps aware that this kind of language is a red flag to maritime trade unions, the website does concede that ‘special attention should be paid to ensuring safety’.
Smart Ports is about making ‘the entire process from calling at port to transhipment at the quay more efficient for ships’. This project also has a nod to worker wellbeing on the government website: ‘Research into the safety of operations is necessary to be able to guarantee the desired safety level when innovations are implemented.’
Winning at Sea seeks technological solutions for extracting energy from the sea and the offshore mining of raw materials. This seems unlikely to create many jobs for seafarers, given that it starts from a principle of technology and automation.
Port of Rotterdam. Picture: Getty Images
Private sector hub scheme
Meanwhile, in Europe’s busiest container port, a private-sector maritime hub scheme called the Rotterdam Port Fund (RPF) ‘eagerly contributes’ to companies that ‘focus on sustainability, durability and technology.’
The RPF supports management teams with capital, knowledge and networks to ‘realise further growth and long-term activity’. As well as helping entrepreneurs to develop innovations and turn a profit, the Fund encourages participants to ‘contribute to a positive, social and sustainable change to the port’ – which could be good news for maritime professionals.
Cooperation is evolving rapidly between Japan and Singapore on the digital front.
In the Japan Times it was reported that the bond shared by Japan and Singapore was strengthened during the Covid-19 pandemic through cooperation in science, innovation and green technologies. The prediction is the digital market is set to expand – with a particular focus on support for CO2 reduction initiatives in shipping.
An Inmarsat report from 2020 also highlighted Japan’s ongoing ‘connected maritime innovation ecosystem’ and its commitment to implementing the ‘internet of things’ (IoT) in its ship and crew management technology and the country’s emerging start-up culture.
The report noted that in merchant shipping, 34% of respondents see themselves as having ‘fully deployed’ IoT-based solutions, a proportion that puts maritime ahead of other industries such as agriculture, energy and mining. It also found that 100% of respondents will be adopting some form of electronic fuel monitoring system.
Picture: Mr. Cole/Getty Images
Maritime innovation in Switzerland
Passenger vessels in Basel. Picture: Getty Images
Turning to Switzerland, it is not surprising that the landlocked country has nothing explicitly called a ‘maritime innovation hub’. However, the country is generally keen to support innovation and has a substantial workforce on its rivers and lakes that could perhaps benefit from new tech.
Switzerland has six innovation parks that ‘facilitate collaborations for established companies, start-ups, and universities, to find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.’ So maritime innovators could presumably find a home there – as well as an excellent maritime union, of course, to work with on matters of training, skills and safety.
Innovation elsewhere: Isle of Man welfare project
For seafarer digital welfare innovations, look no further than the Isle of Man Ship Registry, which has an app where seafarers can see exercise classes and go to religious services, among other offerings.
The Isle of Man’s Crew Matters app was the first designed by a flag state. It was developed in partnership with Liverpool-based training company Tapiit Live and is available to around 10,000 seafarers sailing on more than 400 vessels under the flag. It can be downloaded from the Google Play store.
Where next for maritime innovation?
Maritime innovation can be good for seafarers, as Nautilus member Jeroen van de Voort found when GPS was introduced on the inland waterways where he works.
But sometimes innovation can lead to concerns over job losses or de-skilling; hence the European dock workers’ new rallying cry of ‘no automation without negotiation‘. In the dockers’ case, trade union support from across the European Transport Workers’ Federation is helping ensure that maritime innovation works to their benefit rather than their detriment, and this is a commitment that individual unions such as Nautilus must also make to members.
Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson is determined that the Union will continue to do its part. He says:
‘We are monitoring the delivery of the UK government on its pledges and pressing for increased funding of seafarer training in new technology in order to secure a just transition for our members and all maritime professionals.
’We will also hold the industry and government to account in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and will be keeping a close eye on the delivery of pledges made to deliver human-centred technology and decarbonisation.
‘As both a trade union and a professional association, Nautilus is a respected voice in the maritime industry that provides expertise to policy-makers to ensure the best outcome for our members. We will carry on using our influence to make sure innovation pledges aren’t just hot air, and to ensure that no maritime professional is left behind.’
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