Support vessel owners are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize vessel operations and transits between offshore production assets, helping to make more informed decisions and reduce administrative costs .
Offshore logistics can be optimized to save fuel and emissions, reduce waiting times for goods and personnel to arrive, and reduce the number of vessels needed to serve multiple facilities.
P&O Maritime Logistics has identified that fuel savings of 20-35% are possible by using AI to optimize offshore cargo logistics, based on location, offshore drilling and production facilities provided, position vessel bases and number of operators involved.
“We can also reduce goods delivery times by focusing on the cargo and not the vessel,” says Kris Vedat, head of technology and logistics at P&O Maritime Logistics. “In an optimization solution, we create an optimized schedule and include backloads, which means the voyage is optimized in terms of fuel, emissions and time, and ships are less idle. »
AI analysis is used to plan routes using historical and real-time data, and machine learning algorithms use the data to identify travel patterns and freight needs. AI can suggest detours to optimize routes or lower speeds to reduce fuel consumption and emissions without impacting the estimated arrival time.
However, much of this depends on the quality and accuracy of the data. “Data is the lifeblood of artificial intelligence,” says Vedat. “It is essential that the input data is clean. Machine learning algorithms will make poor predictions if the data is not clean. Making sense of data is also important for optimizing operations and making sound operational decisions.
“If we adopt analytics, we can reduce fuel consumption and emissions right now. Potential actions can be taken today,” says Vedat.
Fugro uses AI for data processing and administration automation, while AI also improves navigation and speeds up the Dutch group’s maritime operations. “AI is an enabler for our operations,” says Peter Toxopeüs, Fugro’s head of fleet development. “AI eases the burden of data processing and analysis. This helps us to be more efficient and effective.
One of the concerns with implementing AI is that it would take work away from staff, allowing companies to downsize. However, Mr Toxopeüs believes that the effective application of AI could generate new career opportunities for staff, who would need to reskill and upskill.
“AI will help accelerate data collection and information extraction”
DEME Group Sustainability Director Jiska Verhulst agrees that adopting AI for data analysis has positive benefits to improve business and embedded operations.
“We believe in AI and we want to find applications in data collection and analysis,” she says. “AI will help accelerate data collection and information extraction.”
International Marine Contractors Association president Luca Gentili says the association is working to become more connected and use AI to write its documents in different languages for different nationalities.
Engine manufacturers highlighted some of the key benefits of data analytics and AI at Riviera’s Offshore Support Journal, Middle East conference, held in December 2024 in Dubai.
Phil Kordic, Rolls-Royce Group Commercial Director for Offshore, believes that monitoring vessel and propulsion system data allows managers to maximize uptime, track and optimize fuel consumption, measure torque on the shafts and identify peak performance or potential problems.
Owners can use data analytics to “manage vessel and propulsion performance and reduce fuel consumption and emissions by operating the vessel more efficiently,” Kordic says.
Using AI and machine learning, owners can improve their condition-based maintenance efficiency by remotely monitoring engine performance in real time.
“Shipboard information systems combine all of these elements to achieve the operator’s objectives,” explains Kordic.
“This monitors the status of the vessel and propulsion, generates notifications and alerts that can be investigated, and maximizes availability,” he says. Information is sent ashore using the ship’s satellite communications equipment to allow shore-based managers to monitor the performance of the entire fleet.
While data quality is important, so are the human resources needed to interpret the data and insights generated by AI and verify the results.
Nathan Ankersen, chief strategy officer of Caterpillar Marine, says AI is constantly being developed or adjusted to become an onboard tool to help seafarers, managers and ship owners. It highlights the importance of human oversight of AI to avoid errors and make better decisions. “If you only trust machine data or AI data, you are vulnerable,” he warns, emphasizing the need for historical data and human validation in machine learning models.
“Use AI and the human element to understand what to do with insights from analytics, such as predictive maintenance,” adds Ankersen. “We use machine learning analytics and feed the model with historical and real-time data,” he explains. “We then need people to act on the information, for example if the analyzes predict a valve failure. »
AI can also be used to understand what crews are doing on ships and monitor fuel consumption and refueling.
Ascenz Marorka’s director of business development says AI is used to compare the performance of ships and crews across a fleet and to “challenge the crew to report what they and the ship are doing to optimize performance.” operations”.
The analytics applications will monitor fueling and fuel flow in real time, provide insight into onboard operations, automatically generate reports and alerts, and enable operators to optimize transit speeds and engine loads.
Dirk de Bruyn, VPS general manager for the Middle East and Africa, says owners are challenging crews to use these apps to excel in reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
“Digitalization reduces operating costs and analysis helps crews and operators learn and act accordingly,” says de Bruyn. “AI transforms data into actionable information to reduce the environmental footprint and for predictive maintenance. »
During the third quarter of 2024, VPS and P&I Club NorthStandard launched the Fuel Insights digital platform to provide real-time fuel supply, testing and quality insights to vessel owners.
Users can obtain bunker fuel information, including quality risks, off-specification values and calorific value, chemical contamination and specific cold flow parameters, from one database test and validation data.
NorthStandard members will benefit from “easy access to global fuel statistics and tools to trade with confidence by managing risk and reducing claims in one of the most challenging areas of ship management” , says Colin Gillespie, NorthStandard’s global head of loss prevention.
