Ships are set to get Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to help with health and safety.
According to a report from Maritime Executive, Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop Internet of Things (IoT) applications for ships.
The firm has partnered with SK Shipping, Intel, Microsoft, the Ulsan Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (UCCEI) and the Daejeon Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (DCCEI).
Under the agreement, HHI and partners to develop software to enhance ships’ operational safety and crew well-being.
The ship service software should be ready to be deployed in so-called smart ships by 2019 and will enable functions such as ballast tank inspection, remote medical treatment services for crews, virtual reality training, automatic voyage information reporting, and maintenance of key equipment.
HHI and SK Shipping will also offer tech “mentoring” mentoring services and smart ship platforms for the software while UCCEI and DCCEI brief the shipping industry on the technology demand for shipbuilders and shipping liners in a bid to gain the participation of other tech companies.
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A spokesperson for HHI told the publication: “The Korean shipbuilding industry has developed on the back of the advanced manufacturing technology but now is the time for us to shift our focus to differentiated ship service technologies. We see that customised and value-added software will play a role in reviving the industry.”
In May HHI and Accenture revealed its smart ship, utilising IoT technology, called OceanLink. The ship has a network of IoT sensors and analytics software, allowing ship owners to monitor a ship’s status and condition in real-time and have at their disposal a wide range of ship operation information including weather, location and on-board equipment and cargo status data.
Daniele Buonaiuto, chief information officer (CIO), IT at MSC Cruises, told Internet of Business that the connected ship is a concept going beyond the technicalities and is more focused on connecting the guests with the cruise experiences as whole.
“A cruise is a multi-faceted product and enabling the guests to personalize their experience and easily access many kind of information to personalise their experience is key. In all this, the bandwidth is the enabling factor through which we can gather and transmit data around passengers and services,” he said.