Leading ship classification society ClassNK has confirmed type approval certification for SMARTShip™, the patented digital shipping solution developed by Alpha Ori Technologies (AOT) which is now enjoying rapid uptake across the maritime sector. SMARTShip, an Internet of Things (IoT) platform that enables the onboard operation of multiple systems with varying degrees of autonomy, has already been installed on more than 30 vessels. Another 60 ships are at various stages of the set-up process. ClassNK’s certification for SMARTShip approves the solution as a ‘Computer Based System’ which conforms to the Class Society’s rules governing a product performing ‘Remote Monitoring and Diagnostics’, ‘Situational Awareness’ and ‘Decision Support Systems’, both onboard and ashore. Hourai Maru, a mid-sized gas carrier delivered on 11th March 2019, was the first ship certified with a ClassNK-approved SMARTShip.
Captain Rajesh Unni, Co-CEO of AOT and CEO and Founder of leading Singapore-based shipmanager Synergy Group, welcomed the certification of SMARTShip by ClassNK. “ClassNK is renowned globally for its exceptional quality,” he said. “Its approval provides quality and reliability assurance for our SMARTShip solutions, especially to Japanese clients but also to our many maritime customers located around the world. “This is also recognition that AOT has quickly emerged as an industry leader in the field of technology and digital shipping. “Technology is transforming our industry. AOT’s approach to tackling pain points and enabling rules-based decision-making gives clients added transparency and delivers multiple operational, financial and environmental benefits.”
AOT’s SMARTShip platform takes a holistic approach to solving maritime pain-point issues for every stakeholder in the logistics value chain – Ship Owners, Ship Managers, Ship Operators, Port Management, Surveyors, Ship Registries, P&I Clubs and Shipbuilders. Data is collected from all parts of the ship to create a platform which connects disparate systems. This enables the continual monitoring and collection of data, helping crew and managers make rules-based decisions. “SMARTShip leverages AOT’s proprietary hardware and software and cloud-based infrastructure to collect and transmit more than 5000 data points from various systems onboard,” said Captain Unni. “It utilises the data collected to create value for stakeholders, often including additional information such as weather overlay, statutory and regulatory information etc. “The front-end user experience includes intuitive applications which facilitate monitoring and diagnostics of operational issues.” SMARTShip has already been critically acclaimed by industry leaders. Martin Ackermann, CEO of BW LPG, a leading client of AOT, commented: “With digitalisation disrupting entire industries, we seek to realise the competitive advantage it can bring to BW LPG and, in turn, our customers. The SMARTShip, solution from Alpha Ori Technologies enables us to combine our vessel’s operational data with a range of external data so that in real-time we can optimize performance on single vessels and across our entire fleet. “We see great potential in improving safety, reducing costs and enhancing performance for the benefit of all our stakeholders” Capt. Rajeeva Mathur, COO of Southern Pacific Holding Corporation C/O Kumiai Senpaku Co., Ltd, also praised the performance improvements yielded by SMARTShip. “Alpha Ori Technology’s SMARTShip system has introduced a whole new vision in the approach to ship operations for us at Kumiai Senpaku,” he said. “We certainly feel that its transparency and the reliability of information it gives us makes it a very efficient and effective tool in improving commercial and operational enhancement. Our expectations have also been met on fuel optimisation and predictive maintenance programmes. Our charterers and managers will continue to benefit from this.” Features such as the optimisation of total fuel consumption and the creation of intelligent alerts and leading indicators are an integral part of SMARTShip. For example, a quick visualization dashboard for critical assets and their parameters is available with drill-down options showing all related information in list and graph views. “SMARTShip’s Remote Monitoring & Diagnostics provides clients with the capability to troubleshoot remotely,” added Captain Unni. “This generates huge savings on the usual cost required to send a service engineer to the actual location of the ship for troubleshooting.” SMARTShip’s Situational Awareness Decision Support System (DSS) incorporates applications including SMARTAlert notifications for preventing incidents, TFOC (Total Fuel Oil Consumption) fuel optimization application and ASSET AI predictive maintenance applications. “AOT has deployed these systems on 30 vessels as in date and we have commitments for another 60 more in the pipeline for this year,” said Captain Unni. “By installing these systems, clients have seen improved operational efficiency via greater transparency, reduced repair and maintenance costs – preventing breakdowns, increasing time between overhauls etc. – and optimised fuel use.”
About Synergy Group
The Synergy Group, with over a decade of experience as a leading shipmanager, offers end-to-end maritime solutions and services tailored to the specific requirements of clients. In-depth technical expertise and a diverse product portfolio enable Synergy to generate efficiency and productivity gains to enhance the customer experience for all clients.Headquartered in the globally connected city-state of Singapore, Synergy’s hallmark is its through-life approach to asset management and maritime solutions custom-designed to client requirements. With 12 offices in six key maritime centres and over 225 vessels under management, Synergy supervises a diverse fleet which includes LPG tankers, chemical tankers, oil tankers (VLCC, Suezmax, Aframax, LR2, LR1 and MR), container vessels in the 1,800 TEU-20,000+ TEU range and every size of bulk carrier. Synergy’s holistic approach to seafarer wellness was recognised this year when it won the prestigious 2019 Seatrade Award for Investment in People. Synergy was also named ‘Shipmanager of the Year’ at the 2018 Lloyd’s List Asia Pacific Awards.
For more information visit www.synergymarinegroup.com
About Alpha Ori Technologies
Alpha Ori Technologies (AOT) is a B2B Technology company headquartered in Singapore with overseas product development offices in India and California’s ‘Silicon Valley’. AOT’s vision is to digitally enable all floating enterprises with cutting edge technology – IoT, Machine Learning and Cloud-based Big Data science – to drive remote operations, enhance operational efficiency and achieve the highest levels of safety on board ships. The deployment of cutting-edge technologies has enabled the ground-breaking development of AOT’s patented SMARTShip™, an Internet of Things (IoT) platform that enables the onboard operation of multiple systems with varying degrees of autonomy. AOT’s ‘Center Of Innovation’ is located in Singapore from where a Network Operating Centre remotely monitors and controls digitally enabled ships.
For more information visit https://www.alphaori.sg/
Synergy Group contact:
Captain Rohit Banta
Director – Synergy Marine
+65-6278-8233
