China Developing a Smart Ship for the Future

A smart ship has been revealed at the Smart Ship Development Forum & Smart Ship Demo “i-Dolphin” Release Meeting sponsored by CSSC (China State Shipbuilding Corporationon) on December 1st in Shanghai, China.

The 38,800 dwt smart ship project is claimed to be the first civilian program of CSSC Innovation, planed and led by Shanghai Ship Design and Research Institute with participation from CSSC Systems Engineering Research Institute, CSSC Huangpu-Wenchong Shipbuilding Co., Ltd, CSSC Power Research Institute and Hudong Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd.

The project is aimed at the shipbuilding of smart demo ship based on “Green Dolphin” a 38,800 dwt bulk carrier. According to CSSC, the 38,800 dwt smart ship will be designed with the highest technical specifications, smart management and control systems.

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The ordering specifications have been completed. Several modules have been applied in trial assembly and used on other ships, with the commercial plans for building a smart demo ship having been confirmed.

The smart ship is based on big data and applies up-to-date information technology including real-time data transmission and collection, large-capacity calculations, digital modeling and remote control. All of this is designed to better guarantee navigational safety and improve operational efficiency of ship.

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According to Wei Muheng, an engineer working at the Intelligent Maintenance Laboratory for Platform System Research Institute under CSSC Systems Engineering Research Institute, the 38,800 dwt smart ship project will set up a whole-ship information perception system and realize information integration and data sharing between all the systems and equipment on the ship.

The project will also utilize intelligent management and control systems, independent analysis, assessment and predictions. This will help with communication between the smart ship and shore as well as providing remote maintenance and upgrades of ship systems.

The companies involved plan to start construction September 2016 and deliver in 2017. The entire ship will be run on smart systems, optimizing everything while maintaining safe operations.