Promoting Intelligent “Double Wheel” Drive into a New Era of Smart Ship

Chen Lu

From the end of last year to the present, with the introduction of two“Action Plans” and the deployment of related work, the top-level idea of the intelligent transformation and development of the Chinese shipbuilding industry is gradually getting clear. At the same time, under the strong guidance of the competent department, Chinese key shipbuilding and shipping enterprises and scientific research institutions are actively engaged in the exploration of intelligent ship practice. Through joint efforts of all parties, China has fully entered the new era of the intelligent ship 1.0.

Fruits Borne with Joy and Joint Efforts

IMO has vigorously promoted the implementation of the “E-navigation”strategy, and advanced shipbuilding countries and enterprises in the world have entered this field one after another in recent years. In this context, in 2016, the CSSC Shanghai Shipbuilding Research and Design Institute organized and acted as the lead unit, allied with China Merchants Group Energy Transport Co., Ltd., CSSC Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co.,Ltd., Dalian Shipbuilding Group Co.,Ltd., CSSC China Shipbuilding Industry Systems Engineering Research Institute,Beijing Hailanxin Data Technology Co., Ltd, Shanghai Ship and Shipping Research Institute (SSSRI), CCS, Harbin Engineering University and other units,launched the “Intelligent Ship 1.0 Research and Development Project”.

In November 2018, Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding named and delivered the 400000 ton intelligent VLOC “Ming Yuan” to CMES. This is the first demonstration ship of “Intelligent Ship 1.0 R&D Project” in China, the largest intelligent ship in the world and the first ship in the world to obtain the symbol of DNV GL smart ship. Media reports said the delivery of “Ming Yuan” ushered in a new era of smart ship 1.0 in China.

On March 15, the second intelligent VLOC “Ming Zhuo”, also built by Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, marked the successful completion of the VLOC construction project in the Chinese“Intelligent Ship 1.0 R&D Project”.

On June 22, Dalian Shipbuilding Group named and delivered the world's first intelligent VLCC “Kai Zheng”to CMES. It is also the first ship in the world to obtain the CCS intelligent cargo management symbol (C).

On August 28, Dalian Shipbuilding Group named and delivered the world's second 308000-ton intelligent VLCC“New Hai Liao”. At this point,“Intelligent Ship 1.0 R&D Project”had ended, and the two types of four ships had officially entered the stage of operation verification.

In the “Intelligent Ship 1.0 R&D Project”, the Shanghai Shipbuilding Research and Design Institute,Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding and Dalian Shipbuilding Group have actively contributed, and the China Shipbuilding Industry Systems Engineering Research Institute has given play to professional skills, leading to the construction of the intelligent information platform and intelligent operation and maintenance system of equipment. Harbin Engineering University has completed the intelligent ship simulation and verification evaluation system. Hailanxin has focused on breakthrough of key technologies such as radar small target and all-weather,full-automatic detection technology,photoelectric-assisted target detection and ship-and-ship communication, and solved a series of problems such as the detection and tracking of the sea target.SSSRI, in cooperation with other research and development units, has completed R&D of the ship comprehensive energy efficiency system and mineral liquefaction monitoring system. At the same time,CMES as the owner also fully supported and participated in the research and development of the demonstration ship.

“Thanks to joint efforts of all units in the special project to solve the problems of work and technology,the special project can be carried out steadily.” Li xin, director of the intelligent ship project department of SSSRI, said when summarizing the results of the two demonstration ships.

Preemptive

Although four smart ships were successfully delivered, the initial construction process for each ship was not a “smooth sailing”. In summing up the experience of the intelligent ship, chairman of Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding noted: “The design and construction of the intelligent ship posed a new challenge to the traditional shipbuilding mode at that time.”

Compared with the traditional VLOC, “Ming Yuan” added many special test items, such as electromagnetic compatibility test research, auxiliary collision avoidance function verification, whole ship uniform network information platform testing and so on. The accuracy of information perception and transmission will directly affect the scientific nature of auxiliary decision-making of the intelligent ship and even the safety of ship navigation. In order to carry out this test, Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, in line with electromagnetic interference on marine electronic equipment and signal transmission, carried out electromagnetic compatibility test method research,and through the analysis of shipboard interference sources, summed up the anti-interference optimization measures in design, technology and other ways to fill the gaps in testing and research of the civil ship field.

The network information platform not only establishes a local area network on board, but also provides a unified information service platform for all intelligent applications, with the whole system and application strongly coupled. Taking the first demonstration ship “Ming Yuan” as an example,Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding and SSSRI, together with main research units of the system, CCS and DNV GL, carried out network storm, network attack and other tests that have never been done on merchant ships, which accumulated valuable experience for the construction of intelligent ships in the future and formed a set of effective methods.

Similar complications put a lot of pressure on the builder of two other smart ships, Dalian Shipbuilding Group. Unlike the VLOC “Ming Yuan” designed by the SSSRI and build by Waigaoqiao, the production design and detailed design of the VLCC “Kai Zheng”both came from the Dalian Shipbuilding Group, which was responsible for the overall intelligent system design and integration of the ship. In the face of the current situation that more than ten system equipment manufacturers concentrate on the installation and commissioning of the ship and the difficulties encountered in the first installation of the intelligent system, Dalian Shipbuilding set up general coordinator of the intelligent ship, who is specially responsible for the construction of the intelligent equipment or system,and organizes the weekly meeting of the intelligent ship to focus on the intelligent ship construction difficulties, so that all problems can be solved quickly and effectively. Under the unified coordination of the project team of Dalian Shipbuilding, all research units cooperated fully and completed the commissioning and application for inspection of all intelligent ship equipment in only 45 days, which provided a solid guarantee for the scheduled trial voyage.

Li Zhipeng, chief designer of the “Kai Zheng”project of Dalian Shipbuilding, told reporters: “At the beginning of the Programming of intelligent liquid cargo software, there were some problems, such as rough interface, insufficient auxiliary function, and so on. The designers of the No.704 Institute of Dalian Shipbuilding and CSIC repeatedly revised for hundreds of times and reviewed on several occasions, finally optimized dozens of interfaces, improved 21 auxiliary decision-making functions, made them intuitionistic and powerful, won success in the acceptance of mooring and navigation and were praised by the shipowner.” At present,the system has designed 21 types of auxiliary decision-making,and 231 data points participated in auxiliary decision-making,able to provide technical assistance for crew to identify and solve problems quickly.

Li Xin said, both ships have a unified network information platform, which is the whole ship's data highway and the basis and platform for intelligent applications, and they have the functions of auxiliary autopilot, integrated energy efficiency management,equipment operation and maintenance, integrated ship-shore communication and cargo management. The difference is that the cargo management of VLOC is embodied in mineral liquefaction monitoring, while VLCC is embodied in intelligent liquid cargo management. At present, “Intelligent Ship 1.0” defines the degree of intelligence at the level of auxiliary decisionmaking, that is, through intelligent application, it provides optimization suggestions for crew to analyze ship operation and provide optimization suggestions, so as to make up for objective insufficiency of crew monitoring, experience, decision-making and so on. As the four ships met the above technical requirements,all delivery marks the entry of China into a new era of intelligent ship 1.0.

In spite of the painful experience of “crossing the river by feeling the stones”, what we paid in the early stage was not only the joy of the first taste of the fruit, but also the confidence in the future.

“The development process of intelligent ships in China is basically in step with that of the major shipbuilding powers in the world.” An insider engaged in intelligent ship research and development said, especially the state issued “Intelligent Ship Development Action Plan (2019～2021)”, Intelligent Shipping Development Guidelines” and other documents, encouraging conventional ship intelligent upgrading,and guiding enterprises to speed up scientific and technological innovation,actively promote intelligent ships to a new stage, thus speeding up shaping new market competitive advantages.

“The next 10～20 years is the key period for the intelligent ship development, and the development direction, the change of ship type and the change of crew capability requirements of intelligent ships will be gradually clear.” Wang Qi believes that the vast number of shipbuilding enterprises and scientific research institutes in China should deeply study the characteristics, vigorously carry out technological research and development,and strive to seize the opportunity.Under the guidance of the Intelligent Ship Development Action Plan (2019-2021), by strengthening international exchanges and industry-universityresearch cooperation, strengthening talent building, realizing from front-end design, construction, application to backend operation, maintenance, logistics information sharing, they will build a complete ecological chain of intelligent ship data, step up concept, technology and management innovation, and actively promote the engineering application of intelligent technology.

However, an industry insider said, as the current intelligent ship development in China is still at the primary stage, facing many technical challenges, ship companies should not blindly follow suit, rather they should consider fully and systematically the process of the whole industry intelligence,carry out the related research according to their own actual situation, step by step, gradually spreading, and in the precondition of mature related key technologies and realizing technical support and harmonious development of the entire marine ecosystem, they should focus on the design and construction of intelligent ship.