Through the Maritime Master Plan, the maritime sector is getting a significant boost to speed up sustainability. The ambitious plan relies on a digital platform for cooperation and data sharing, the Joint Maritime Digital Platform (JMDP). Also called Digital Collaboration by insiders. But how is this process progressing?
Essential for success in this is a commitment to innovation. Knowledge about and experience with new propulsion technologies such as methanol, hydrogen and LNG with carbon capture must be developed. That is why the JMDP is so important.
Are there opportunities for improvements with techniques such as digital twins, model-based systems engineering or data-driven document management and data-driven rules management? A newly established partnership of four digital experts from the maritime sector seeks to answer these questions. They are Jacques Hoffmans, Herbert Koelman, Geert Schouten and Ronald de Vries. Under the name Maritime Digital Masters, they aim to make the JMDP a digital success all at once.
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Jacques Hoffmans, director of MasterShip, is spearheading the project: ‘Consortia are currently forming for the research and demonstration (R&D) projects within the chosen three energy lines of the Maritime Master Plan. In the funding application that precedes this, these consortia have to substantiate how they will collaborate digitally. For this, they can earn 10 out of a total of 100 points to win the funding. Moreover, a good digital substantiation can also seriously contribute to the score on the other criteria. The better the application, the more points they score.’
He adds: ‘But this is where the shoe pinches. This requires a lot of knowledge and also experience with maritime digitalisation. That is why we set up the Maritime Digital Masters, specifically to support applications for the Maritime Master Plan. Why? Because we have all the knowledge to support in the application and make it successful. That is our common, maritime goal.’
So what knowledge and experience are we talking about exactly?
The potential of digital twins
An important aspect of the digital transformation identified in the Maritime Master Plan is the use of digital twins. Hoffmans clarifies: ‘Digital twin is a broad term. People often think of a digital copy of a 3D model, but a digital twin is much more. It contains detailed information about the components on board, such as maintenance data and sensor information, and is constantly updated during the construction and deployment of the ship. I therefore prefer to call it the adaptive digital twin.’
‘It reflects the current status on board and provides insight into when and where maintenance is needed. The digital twin is certainly also a 3D picture of the ship, but supplemented with information of all components, information that can be easily updated in it. That’s how you deploy a digital twin successfully,’ according to Hoffmans.
Also read: How a digital twin can support planning when building a ship
Model-based systems engineering
Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) is another crucial element in the Maritime Master Plan’s digital landscape. Hoffmans: ‘MBSE is much more than a buzzword. MBSE helps simplify complex systems by reducing them to manageable components. At that same component level, you can check that everything is working properly.’
He adds: ‘With a digital twin, you use the same components as within MBSE. This means you don’t just look at the component itself, but also at the interaction and preconditions with other components. You want to solve problems in components right at the start. Within a digital twin, you can see the context and understand the relationships in the environment.’
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Looking ahead: retrofitting and sustainability
An important future development is the use of a digital twin in retrofitting. Hoffmans stresses: ‘We want to be able to easily maintain and replace new drivelines in the future. If you store that in the properties and preconditions of your design now and include it in the digital twin, a retrofit will be much easier to perform by then, which is also more sustainable.’
And another key point. The consortia can again score a share of twenty points for sustainability, which is also an important criterion in the evaluation of the application. Hoffmans urges the consortia to make maximum use of the Maritime Digital Masters.
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Making humans and computers work together
The second expert to contribute to the digital success of the Maritime Master Plan is Herbert Koelman. He is the founder of SARC, acronym for “Scheepsbouwkundig Advies en Reken Centrum” (shipbuilding advice and computing centre). For more than forty years, the company has been the expert partner in software for ship design.
Letting the computer do the work has always been at the heart of the company. When the computer age was still very much in its infancy, Koelman passed his studies at TU Delft with flying colours. Today, SARC is active in software engineering, software support, project management and project support with a team of experienced naval architects.
‘The big challenge we want to tackle with the Maritime Master Plan is the realisation of ships that will run on alternative fuels such as hydrogen and methanol,’ says Koelman. ‘In the design phase of a ship, you usually make grateful use of available operational data. By using MBSE and artificial intelligence, you can calculate a lot of things very accurately.’
No prototypes, everything right the first time
For the new types of ships to be built within the Maritime Master Plan, the aforementioned data is not there yet. Traditionally, naval architecture used a lot of rules of thumb, such as the rudder area should be two per cent of the underwater hull. Koelman cites this rule to explain the hybrid possibilities of combining knowledge with data: ‘If you use sensors to collect operational data and start tracking manoeuvring possibilities with that, it allows you to make much more exact connections instead of using a rule of thumb.’
He continues: ‘The computational models for the new-type ships we want to develop within the Maritime Master Plan can only be enriched when they enter the operational phase. We are, therefore, going to focus first on simulations, which we will later test in practice and this is how we build up valuable knowledge.’
Unlike in the aerospace or automotive industry, prototypes are not built in the maritime industry. Koelman: ‘Actually, that’s pretty special. In the maritime industry, everything has to be right the first time. That makes designing these innovative ships challenging.’
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Graph database
When it comes to the operational software, for calculating forces, stability and other important values, SARC has all the maritime know-how on board. This company provides the digital framework that can be supplemented with data. Koelman: ‘Within this framework, plenty of further development and innovation can take place.’
For the JMDP, SARC recommends working with graph open source databases for data management. Traditional databases are based on a uniform structure, with everyone using the same kind of databases.
Koelman: ‘This approach assumes that information is similar, like when furnishing a ship with lamps, fittings and taps. In the design phase, however, data often show greater differences and more complex relationships. Graph databases provide the flexibility needed to effectively manage this non-systematic and diverse data. This allows better organisation and adjustment of specific details, such as individual weights, construction dimensions and functional relationships between spaces. Therefore, a more flexible and better organised approach to data using graph databases is necessary to meet the complex requirements of the design phase of the new sustainable ships.’
Shipbuilder stresses importance of industrial research
The success of the JMDP depends on the maritime industry’s willingness to truly digitise. Industrial research is needed for this. This will help discover what is needed to make the plan and the sector technically 100 per cent compatible. For that, we can turn to Geert Schouten, the third maritime expert. Shipbuilder, the company he founded, has a lot of experience in this.
‘The Maritime Master Plan offers a unique opportunity to strengthen the competitive position of the Dutch maritime sector by promoting sustainability initiatives and digital collaboration,’ states Schouten. ‘Data-driven document management based on MBSE is the formula for success.’
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Data-driven document management the first logical step
Through the JMDP, digital cooperation between chain partners should be improved. This article has already pointed out that digital twins are excellent at organising data exchange according to jointly chosen and developed chain standards and models. Schouten adds that the starting point should be that ‘everyone in the maritime sector should be able to be connected, regardless of their level of digital maturity.’
As a first step towards this goal, he recommends focusing on data-driven document control: ‘Documents can be used to build a digital twin, but documents are only one aspect of a digital twin. By deploying data-driven document control, relevant documents can be easily found per system, equipment, requirement or class rule. This prevents different document versions from wandering across servers. Creating this single source of truth ensures that all parties involved have real-time and constant access to the most up-to-date and reliable information.’
The benefits of data-driven document management
One of the biggest advantages of data-driven document management is that repetitive work can be taken over by a computer. In doing so, the computer makes connections much better and faster than humans.
Schouten: ‘This saves professionals’ valuable time. Mail traffic alone decreases by ninety per cent after the introduction of data-driven document management. They no longer have to search for documents, let alone check whether they are working with the correct version. Errors are thus prevented. Then, by also linking programs and automating data exchange, the knowledge and skills of professionals can be better utilised.’
Yet the Shipbuilder team still regularly encounters chain partners who say they already work together digitally. Schouten continues: ‘Then people are quick to ask, what’s the point? But surely sharing data via mail, SharePoint and an FTP server is not the future? It is precisely those parties that want to look differently at digital collaboration that the Maritime Master Plan offers a golden opportunity to move to the next level. The digital aspect can give a huge boost to the efficiency and effectiveness of collaboration.’
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MBSE and data-driven document management
How does MBSE relate to data-driven document management? Schouten: ‘There are some large shipyards that successfully deploy a hybrid system of MBSE and data-driven document management in both the engineering and construction phases. Combining digital models with smart data-driven document management results in fast and very reliable results.’
He adds: ‘The hybrid application of MBSE in data-driven document management within the JMDP considerably enhances these advantages: review and approval processes are more automatic and all comments are 100 per cent traceable. Don’t forget that the engineers, working within the consortia, are left with time to work on the desired innovations. By the way, this also ensures that all parties involved always work with a single source of truth, which is crucial for the accuracy and reliability of the design and development process.’
Improving the sector’s competitiveness
According to Ronald de Vries, the group’s fourth expert and CEO of Floorganise, the Netherlands has very many maritime competences. Specialists who know how to perform at top level at a multitude of different companies spread throughout the Netherlands.
De Vries: ‘At many foreign shipyards, the various competences such as engineering, electrical engineering and all kinds of product manufacturing are present at one location. This concentration of knowledge and experience often gives them a competitive edge in terms of efficiency and cost control. The question then arises: how can you collaborate effectively in the Netherlands, where the situation is different? To achieve that, all parties have to integrate successfully in one way or another. Especially in terms of information provision.’
De Vries sees in the Maritime Master Plan an excellent opportunity to digitally shape that cooperation, which needs to be taken to the next level in the maritime sector. He reports: ‘With the Maritime Master Plan, the Dutch maritime industry is taking on an interesting challenge in terms of information provision and cooperation. Floorganise advocates shaping this cooperation digitally. As far as we are concerned, digital cooperation is essential for the success of the Maritime Master Plan.’
Floorganise has years of experience in digital collaboration throughout a ship’s lifecycle. The company’s expertise lies in integrated collaboration, planning and process control, which is crucial for the predictability and success of shipbuilding projects. By providing a stable framework for planning, collaboration and process control, they can guarantee maximum stability for the complex projects within the Maritime Master Plan. This approach has already proven successful at several shipyards, both in the Netherlands and internationally.
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Unique combination of four digital parties
To support the broader story of digital collaboration, De Vries speaks out to those involved in the Maritime Master Plan: ‘Choose this unique combination of four digital parties. MasterShip, SARC, Shipbuilder and Floorganise have proven internationally at the highest level how integrated collaboration can be organised. With the government recognising that digital collaboration is an important pillar for a more efficient, effective and innovative maritime sector, it makes sense to look to parties with international experience in the maritime sector.’
He concludes: ‘I am convinced that we can establish a JMDP that contributes to realising projects more cheaply and efficiently, ultimately resulting in a competitive advantage for the Netherlands. As a group, we each have our own expertise. Bringing in joint expertise will raise the competences within the Dutch maritime sector to a higher level. I think it is possible to reduce our construction costs by around twenty per cent as a result. Digital cooperation and integration are key to strengthening the competitive position of the Dutch maritime sector on the world stage. As far as we are concerned, the Maritime Master Plan will only succeed through true maritime digitalisation.’
Picture: The Maritime Digital Masters, with from left to right, Herbert Koelman of SARC, Geert Schouten of Shipbuilder, Jacques Hoffmans of MasterShip (top right), and Floorganise’s Ronald de Vries.
