ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC Thursday, 11 December 2014
Rolls-Royce predicts that Ship Intelligence will be the next major transition for the shipping industry as ships are set to become more complex and will require high levels of data analysis to operate on-board systems to manage propulsion, navigation and potentially lead to autonomous vessels.
Together with VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Rolls-Royce today unveiled its latest vision of Ship Intelligence - a futuristic ship's bridge concept which could become reality by 2025.
Rolls-Royce has worked together with VTT's researchers and Aalto University to develop the new bridge, known as the Future Operator Experience Concept or 'oX'. It offers the crew smart workstations, which automatically recognise individuals when they walk into the bridge, and adjust to their own preferences.
The windows of the bridge serve as augmented reality displays of the vessel's surroundings, including visualisation of potential hazards that would otherwise be invisible to the human eye. The system can, for example, pinpoint sea ice or tug boats and other craft that may not be visible to the crew, especially on large container ships.
Mikael Makinen, Rolls-Royce , President - Marine, said: "We are entering a truly exciting period in the history of shipping, where technology, and in particular the smart use of Big Data is going to drive the next generation of ships. Over the next ten to 20 years we believe Ship Intelligence is going to be the driving force that will determine the future of our industry, the type of ships at sea, and the competence levels required from tomorrow's seafarers.
"The new oX bridge concept, is one example of ship intelligence, and is a glimpse into the future where significant advances to navigation, efficiency of operations and safety at sea, can be achieved.
"With the demands of environmental legislation and rising operating costs, ships are going to become more complex. Add to that the fact that skilled crews are already in short supply, then we see a distinct gap opening up between the complexity of ships and the competency of the people who will crew them. That will cause real problems for the industry, and we believe it is ship intelligence, that will fill that gap."
The oX concept, has been developed by studying user experience on ships today, and will transform the operating environment for crews on board large cargo ships and platform supply vessels. Using advanced 3D animation to illustrate just what could be achieved in the next decade, the new concept will utilise the latest digital techniques to create safer and more energy efficient ship operations.
Today, Rolls-Royce already has many of the technologies that will be part of the intelligent ships of the future. The Unified Bridge system has recently entered service on the vessel Stril Luna, representing a new ergonomic approach to all the activity required on the bridge of a ship, coordinating the operation of on-board equipment ranging from engines to propulsion and cargo handling.
The remote monitoring of equipment on board ships is also advancing, and Rolls-Royce has control centres in Alesund, Norway, and Rauma, Finland, where many ships and thrusters are already monitored in real-time in operation around the world.
Oskar Levander, Rolls-Royce , Vice President - Innovation - Marine, speaking at a Ship Intelligence briefing in London today, said: "Many of the technology building blocks that will control the ships of the future are already available today, but there is still work to be done to develop marine solutions from them. We are investing in ship intelligence, which will be a major driver of the next transition era of shipping. Much in the way that sail gave way to steam powered ships, and coal gave way to oil, we will see increasingly sophisticated ships, highly automated and perhaps even unmanned remote controlled, plying the seas within the next two decades."
Images are available for download at:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rolls-royceplc/sets/72157647334399764
- Rolls-Royce 's vision is to create better power for a changing world via two main business segments, Aerospace and Land & Sea. These business segments address markets with two strong technology platforms, gas turbines and reciprocating engines. Aerospace comprises Civil Aerospace and Defence Aerospace. Land & Sea comprises Marine, Nuclear and Power Systems.
- Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 120 countries, comprising more than 380 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 4,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and 1,200 power and nuclear customers.
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Our business is focused on the 4Cs:
- Customer - placing the customer at the heart of our business
- Concentration - deciding where to grow and where not to
- Cost - continually looking to increase efficiency
- Cash - improving financial performance
- Annual underlying revenue was £15.5 billion in 2013, around half of which came from the provision of aftermarket services. The firm and announced order book stood at £70.4 billion at 30 June 2014.
- In 2013, Rolls-Royce invested £1.1 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 31 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.
- Rolls-Royce employs over 55,000 people in 45 countries. Over 17,000 of these are engineers. The Energy businesses transferred to Siemens in December 2014, have just under 2,100 permanent employees.
- The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills. In 2013 we employed 379 graduates and 288 apprentices through our worldwide training programmes. Globally we have over 1,000 Rolls-Royce STEM ambassadors who are actively involved in education programmes and activities; we have set ourselves a target to reach 6 million people through our STEM outreach activities by 2020.
For more information, contact:
Craig Taylor
Head of Communications - Marine
Rolls-Royce
Tel : 01332 632 612
Mob : 07807 969 426
Email : craig.taylor2@rolls-royce.com
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