Japanese shipbuilder Sumitomo Heavy Industries Marine & Engineering (SHI-ME) has entered into an agreement for the delivery of hull stress and fatigue monitoring systems from Light Structures of Norway for two newbuild 115,000 dwt AFRAMAX crude oil tankers.
Due for delivery in Q2 2023 and Q3 2023, the tankers will be fitted with fibre optic condition monitoring systems leveraging Light Structures’ SENSFIB technology to provide real-time data to captains and navigators on the impact of dynamic forces such as whipping, slamming and shearing while underway.
The installations will also help SHI-ME to verify its latest AFRAMAX design by measuring stress loading over time and comparing it to design values.
SENSFIB sensors are installed using a powerful adhesive, negating the need for any welding, and with no moving parts there is no requirement for annual recalibration.
“We believe that we should keep ships healthy because it improves the ship charterer’s reputations, increases resale values and reduces the pain-points such as insurance costs,” said Yoshinori Tagaya, Senior Engineer, SHI-ME.
“Our target is to supply more healthy ships to our clients using our in-house ship monitoring system AVEDAS (Automatic Voyage and Engine Data Acquisition System). By adopting a structural health monitoring system like SENSFIB from Light Structures, AVEDAS will become even more valuable to our clients.”
