Hanwha Ocean has developed a smart ship solution that can diagnose the safety status of ships and offshore equipment in real time.
Recently, Hanwha Ocean announced that the hull structure monitoring system developed by Hanwha Ocean has received the top technical grade “Tier 3” Approval-in-Principle (AiP) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), which marks the official certification of the safety and feasibility of the new technology by the ship inspection agency.
Meeting the ABS ‘Tier 3’ requirements means that safety must be assessed even when there are no sensors to measure the loads on the hull. In response, Hanwha Ocean said: “The company has mastered the technology to evaluate the structural integrity of sensor-free areas through data fusion and analysis, overcoming the limitation of existing monitoring systems that can only evaluate the structural integrity of sensor-attached locations.”
In September last year, Hanwha Ocean and ABS signed a Marine Business Technology Cooperation Agreement and are advancing technology development in three areas: digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity operations and sustainability. The approved system is part of this technology cooperation agreement.
According to the report, the Smart Ship solution supports ship owners in developing preventive maintenance strategies by monitoring the condition of the ship’s structure in real time. As a ship or offshore equipment operates for long periods of time, its structure may weaken due to waves or cargo weight. The Hull Structure Monitoring System evaluates and warns of structural strength stability in extreme environments by analyzing operational data collected by sensors. The program also has the ability to predict the remaining fatigue life of a ship’s hull and pre-determine the timing of hull structure inspections.
Hanwha Ocean anticipates that advances in safety monitoring systems will reduce the time and cost required for safety inspections. In addition, timely maintenance will minimize unplanned operational disruptions, extend vessel life and improve safety.
Hanwha Ocean is currently conducting empirical research for the development of hull structure monitoring technology. The company plans to conduct further research and development, with plans to deploy it to actual offshore equipment by 2026. In the future, Hanwha Ocean intends to commercialize the technology and establish a consistent hull structure monitoring system from the design stage to post-delivery operation. Accumulated actual measurement data and analysis results will be used to develop various systems to improve ship design and reduce maintenance costs.
A Hanwha Ocean official said, “Recently, shipowners have included digital technology as one of the contract conditions, and classification societies are also revising digital-related regulations. Based on this concept approval, the company will actively respond to the shipping industry’s demand for smart and digital technologies.”