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Big Data for Big Ships

Under Maritime 4.0, big data will check in on large ships within commercial shipping.

While Industry 4.0 continues to adopt specific forms for process automation, the first cyber-physical systems and cloud-based network structures, which will ultimately optimize maritime operations, still have a long way to go before they are ready for sea travel. It is primarily German maritime equipment suppliers that are convinced Maritime 4.0 will enable them to achieve enormous gains in commercial shipping efficiency. Is this merely a rosy outlook on the part of German industry? After all, they lead the global list of suppliers according to VDMA statistics. What does big data actually offer the maritime sector, and what new challenges are linked to these massive data sets?

Automation Takes Hold in Shipping:

Energy-efficient operation by linking sub-systems
Reading ship data and control intervention thanks to remote access from shore
Cost Reductions due to Unmanned Shipping
Evaluation of weather data and adjusting route to save fuel
The advantages of cost reduction, environmental protection and increased efficiency are countered by a high risk of data abuse and cybercriminality.

It is said that you are in God's hands when you are on the high seas and in court. This adage has lost nothing of its significance in the 21st century. There is always an amount of uncertainty in the courtroom as to how the legal situation will be resolved, and similar uncertainties prevail on the high seas. Even when ships are following defined routes, they remain exposed to the forces of nature, the reliability of the technology or even pirates. While some discuss redundancies and reliability, others contemplate autonomous ships that could alleviate the risk of pirates, since pirates are more interested in the ransom they can extort for hostages than they are in the cargo itself. Will driverless transport systems, which are already used for logistics on land, change the image of the global seas?

Sector experts are convinced of the enormous potential of big data.

Remote-controlled cargo ships on international waters are currently only dreams; however, they are approaching reality as automation is increasingly incorporated into ship designs and enables that which was inconceivable a few years ago. Examples include the networking of subsystems, which allows the linking of systems for finer tuning and significantly more efficiency; or remote access from land to read ship data or engage in the ship's operation to control specific functions. Whether or not people remain on board, sector experts like Hauke Schlegel, director of the VDMA “Marine Equipment and Systems” department, are convinced that, “an unimaginable potential is concealed” in big data. The maritime sector, with the German maritime economy as the leading global supplier, stands to profit from big data – a fact that pleases Schlegel immensely.

While it appears that in the foreseeable future China, Japan and Korea will close shipyards due to overcapacity, the German mechanical engineers and system designers are traveling in calmer waters. And while their future may not be rosy, it appears to be stable. In 2016, sales are expected to exceed 12 billion euros. And now the digital revolution offers further opportunity? What can ships and shipping actually get from this new technology? Let us examine efficiency, environmental protection and security in the shipping industry more closely.

Cost Reductions due to Unmanned Shipping

In general, cargo services suffer daily from high and ever-increasing cost pressures. The reason for this is simple: there is too much available shipping tonnage underway on the oceans – a result of speculation during the boom years between 2004 and 2009. Overcapacity and ongoing price erosion are the end result. Transport services are therefore attempting to retain their economic viability by reducing costs. And anywhere cost reductions are discussed, labor costs are always under consideration – even for shipping companies. For them, it specifically means a choice between quantity or quality. Companies either reduce the crew numbers on board, or the rely on a crew with lower electro-technical qualifications and correspondingly lower rates of pay.

Both scenarios can be realized by implementing automation. Automated systems are capable of taking over many long-term tasks that were previously performed by humans. They also allow for remote functionality, which enable land-based experts to read ship's data in order to oversee maintenance people at sea. If the crew numbers on board fell to zero, there would be profitable benefit: small subsystems, such as, wastewater treatment systems, climate control and desalinization plants, would be eliminated if a ship were autonomously guided. Transport services could save approximately 10 % in fuel costs alone if they did not have to offer the amenities required to feed, house and entertain a crew.