TS-106
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN SHIP MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION
Presented at
Sixth
International Symposium On Marine Engineering
TOKYO 2000
Nils Telle
Director Research, Norwegian Shipowners' Association
Abstract
International shipping industry faces profound structural changes. The shipowners customers merges, getting bigger and more demanding, and we see mergers between between shipping companies.
Traditionally shipping offered seatransportation only. They are now developing into providers of multimodal logistics services, or door to door transport.
This paper covers how ICT (Information and Communication Technology) can be implemented in the shipping companies to support efficient ship operation and ship management. It reflects a change in the acceptance of ICT systems on board ships and in the shipowners offices. The software itself has become more reliable, use of personal computers in society illustrates the use and importance of this technology.
Through several projects in Norway, progress has been made in improving ship management and operation as it relates to safety, efficiency, routine work load reduction and improved distant learning systems for the personnel onboard and ashore.
Transport logistics efficiency is crucial for sea transport as competition with rail and road transport increases. Integration of applications and efficient exchange of information between different parties in the transport chain shows promising results. Efficient use of ICT systems requires organizational adoption and competence development.
These areas are more challenging than the ICT system development itself.
This paper has been written in close cooperation with Egil Rensvik, Marintek
Norwegian Maritime Research
Norwegian Maritime Research is organised differently than in other countries in that its focus is primarily on the needs for shipping companies and secondarily product development for the yards and the equipment suppliers. In recent years, Maritime R&D in Norway has focused on utilizing the benefits of Information and Communication Technology in ship operation and ship management. In our R&D both the shipowners, the equipment supplying industry, software producers and classification societies have been involved.
And the end user must be in "the drivers seat".
Recent Result
Development of IT for ships started many years ago with "stand alone" systems for automation and instrumentation functions. The last 8 - 10 years, availability of standard PC, PC-network and satellite communication technology has provided the opportunity to integrate the systems on board the ship itself as well as between the ship and the land organization.
The last 10 years there has been a shortage of qualified officers on a worldwide basis, and this is perhaps the most serious challenge facing the shipowning companies to day. We have therefore raised the question: "Can ICT systems be developed to ease this situation?"
We planned an extencive R&D program in close cooperation with 4 of our major owners aiming at developing ICT to meet the needs for the shipowners in their endeavour to improve efficient, safe and environmental friendly ship operation, not reduce the number of crew members.
In a program like this there will always be a number of components and systems to be developed. We agreed with one of our shipowners to have all the new development tested in an integrated network onboard two of the companies newbuildings delivered from a Japanese yard.
