The NYK Group’s R&D arm MTI (Monohakobi Technology Institute), working with Nabtesco, ClassNK, Nihon Shipyard, and BEMAC, has begun a research project to examine the potential for automated remote monitoring and operation of marine engines utilising simulator technologies.
The project is supported by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) as part of the ‘2021 Support Project for R&D in Promoting Aggregation and Cooperation in the Maritime Industry’ and aims to provide solutions to the challenges facing the industry in attracting new seafarers to maintain vessel operations in the future.
The project will see the five participating organisations, including NYK Line, aim to understand the different reasons for engine operation failures by utilising simulators, and to develop a remote-engine-monitoring system that can assess these failures and make decisions on how to manage recovery.
The system would link with a land-based monitoring centre to track engine operations on multiple ships, maintaining safety levels even if the number of seafarers involved in engine operation on board is reduced, the partners said.
The project plans to conduct demonstration tests of the new technologies deployed on actual ships as part of its activities, with the involved shipyard, maritime equipment manufacturers, classification society and shipping companies all providing their respective expertise in different development areas.
