Wärtsilä, together with project partners Carnival Maritime and HVCC Hamburg Vessel Coordination Center (HVCC), announced they have successfully implemented and tested a new solution for just-in-time sailing, according to a press release.
Together, the partners have achieved the seamless exchange of data between ship and shore under real-life conditions, thereby enabling optimal port arrival.
Wärtsilä Navi-Port has also received approval in principle from Bureau Veritas Marine and Offshore for meeting the classification society’s cyber security requirements.
According to a statement, ships frequently sail faster than necessary in order not to miss valuable berthing slots, only to find themselves having to wait at anchor before the pilot station.
Wärtsilä Navi-Port is a middleware which will be hooked up to Wärtsilä’s Fleet Operations Solution (FOS) system. FOS is essentially an online infrastructure designed to enable 360° ship-to-shore reporting and fleet performance management, according to the company.
It combines individual processes that are otherwise separated, to optimize voyage planning, weather routing and fuel consumption, taking into consideration charter party compliance, speed management, as well as the condition of the hull, propeller and engine.
“HVCC is responsible for the operational coordination of vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Hamburg in close collaboration with the relevant authorities. Terminals, shipping companies, and port service providers make use of our operational services for the arrival of large-sized-, feeder- and inland waterway vessels in the port, the rotation planning within the port, and departure coordination after handling. HVCC has already in past years been a frontrunner in terminal-carrier communication, and in 2019 distributed more than 3800 passage plans to our customers. The Wärtsilä Navi-Port enables seamless communication of data between ports and vessels. Ultimately, vessel approaches are even more efficient, resulting in reduced emissions,” said Gerald Hirt, Managing Director, HVCC.
“We are committed to making cruising more sustainable, and to setting an example in greener and safer operations. For this, we welcome the development of new and more efficient technologies, such as the Wärtsilä Navi-Port. We have tested the solution with two of our ships, the AIDAsol and AIDAperla. The ships’ onboard Wärtsilä NACOS Platinum navigation systems were connected directly to HVCC, which allowed continuous communications, resulting in JIT arrivals in Hamburg,” added Michael Salzmann, Senior Nautical Superintendent, Carnival Maritime.
“Wärtsilä’s Smart Marine Ecosystem approach is aimed at eliminating wasteful practices in shipping operations, and the Navi-Port solution does just that. Collaboration between industry stakeholders is a key enabler to our approach, and once again, this project shows what can be gained when the industry works together in a transparent and cooperative way,” noted Torsten Büssow, Director, Voyage, Wärtsilä.
“Connectivity is now enabling new ways of working. As a class society, Bureau Veritas plays a critical role in helping ensure that the marine industry safely adopts new technologies. BV initiated the Smart Ship Programme a few years ago, so it feels like a natural fit for us to be a part of this important JIT pilot,” added Najmeh Masoudi, Technology Leader- Smart ships, Bureau Veritas.
