[By: ABS]
Hanwha Ocean has received the ABS SMART (SHM) Tier 3 approval in principle (AIP) for its advanced hull monitoring system.
The system from Hanwha Ocean is designed to estimate structural damage to ships and offshore assets during operation, which can support decision making for the optimal maintenance timing to maintain safety. ABS SMART(SHM) Tier 3 recognizes systems that employ hull sensors combined with additional algorithms to generate structural health insights at critical locations, even at locations where no sensors are present.
The AIP is one of the first fruits of the Offshore Technology Collaboration Agreement signed by ABS and Hanwha Ocean in 2024. The agreement promotes technology development in three areas: digitalization and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity operations, and sustainability.
“ABS celebrates this achievement with Hanwha Ocean, a milestone in our collective pursuit of safety at sea. As a leader in supporting the adoption of smart technologies in the maritime and offshore sectors, ABS recognizes the transformative capabilities of these systems – advancing health and condition awareness, operational optimization and, eventually, classification supported by condition-based programs,” said Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer.
“Recently, shipowners have been including digital technologies as part of their contractual requirements, and classification societies are also in the process of refining regulations related to digitalization. Based on this approval, we will proactively respond to the growing demand for smart and digital technologies in the shipping industry,” said Young Chang Shon, Chief Technology Officer of Hanwha Ocean.
The hull monitoring system from Hanwha Ocean is being developed in accordance with the ABS Guide for Smart Functions for Marine Vessels and Offshore Units, which can be found here.
The products and services herein described in this press release are not endorsed by The Maritime Executive.
The evolution of remote inspection technologies is redefining how class and regulators verify compliance, writes Matthew Tremblay, ABS Vice President, Global Offshore.
The safety we expect in the maritime supply chain depends on all its components working properly. From commodity producer or manufacturer to carrier and end user, all assets must be built, operated and managed with safety in mind.
The appeal of state-of-the-art audit services stretches beyond operators of vessels, facilities and equipment to a wider range of operators across the breadth of the supply chain for equipment and materials manufacturing.
To support this end-to-end approach, remote inspection applications, ranging from component design and manufacture, through to construction and in-service maintenance are evolving at a rapid pace.
The evolution of the technology to make this happen - and how it can be applied in remote inspections - signals a major transition in how the industry is addressing the monitoring and integrity of assets regardless of location.
Just as importantly, the technology is generating more detailed insight than was once possible with the human eye, representing a step change in how these services are attracting the interest of more operators globally.
Remote Impetus
The impetus for ABS to re-evaluate long-standing business practices came in part from the pandemic. Restrictions on physically attending assets for inspection spurred demand for remote surveys and audits to augment the traditional survey experience by allowing surveyors to perform a range of actions without being physically present while simultaneously capturing all survey and audit requirements.
Access to remote surveys and audits allowed for business continuity, particularly during challenging times that may create scheduling conflicts or personnel or logistical issues.
Remote inspection technologies help to reduce direct human intervention on site and in dangerous situations, which is enhancing a safety-first approach with the adoption of tools, software, and systems that improve safety, performance, and operating costs for the client.
The ability of these technologies to navigate through complex and dangerous environments, access restricted spaces, and perform inspections with precision and agility was comprehensively proven. This dramatically reduces risk and, in the longer term, cost, by reducing human intervention and automating maintenance inspections. Advances in image recognition from deep-learning techniques have made it possible to create a high-fidelity model of the world around an asset.
Overcoming Objections
Remote inspection suffered initially from the perception of being less effective than an in-person, onboard survey. However, the process has evolving from simply replicating what is done onboard to identifying and assessing a broader set of data to make more informed compliance and safety related decisions.
The availability of higher bandwidth, lower-latency connectivity thanks to LEO internet connectivity, supported by cloud-based data storage means we are able to leverage a wider range of data in real time.
Remote inspection is now a tool in the larger toolbox of data-driven verification which includes the use of both transactional data such as maintenance, condition monitoring results, inspection records and time-series data from sensors, and health monitoring approaches.
This evaluation of a broader set of data means our new remote way of working can actually be more comprehensive and effective than traditional in-person visual examination and testing.
Meeting Challenges
Confronted by daily challenges, complexities, uncertainties and opportunities, it is easy to lose sight of a simple fact: companies that fully assess their risks are better able to manage them strategically. Delivering effective remote inspection services with the support of independent expertise from companies like ABS is vital to sustaining asset safety and efficiency.
Joint ventures and collaborations with technology developers, which introduce valuable core inspection and maintenance competencies into businesses, are beginning to redefine industry perceptions of safety, and foster important dialogue about sustainable energy supply and demand issues.
These challenges can then be tackled collaboratively. These programs are particularly valuable when seen alongside industry trends. A maturing shipping fleet – particularly in the dry bulk sector - has the potential to introduce new risks without close attention to asset maintenance and component health.
We are also seeing a greater number of assets change hands more frequently. In its simplest terms, this can be a change of personnel, right through to a new organization inheriting new assets. Both these cases are examples of where the remote technologies can help.
From Proactive to Reactive
The economic implications of adopting remote inspection technologies are profound. Beyond the direct cost savings, the early detection of failures through enhanced monitoring can prevent extensive damage and downtime, further optimizing the financial viability of oil and gas assets.
The ability to conduct thorough inspections remotely means that maintenance can be potentially proactive rather than reactive, which is less costly and more efficient for the operator and their teams – and can save on mobilization costs that helps to reduce risks associated with offshore travel.
Remote inspection technologies are the primary catalyst for transitioning from traditional human-resourced maintenance to real-time risk assessments and insights, which is more cost-effective and allows second-by-second assessment of an asset’s integrity. This enables maintenance responses based on actual needs rather than forecasts. It reduces downtime for the operator, the supply chain and engineers or surveyors.
However the ultimate goal of remote technologies is not to entirely remove employees from inspection operations, but to use technologies as a way to more efficiently and effectively inform decision makers without the need to be physically present onboard thanks to, for example, sensor technologies.
Sensor systems are evolving and their application across transport, infrastructure and other assets are expanding at a fast rate to meet the demands of expanded remote inspection technologies, the need to cut costs, and to ensure efficiencies are met safely.
Supporting Applications
ABS is at the forefront of how remote inspection technologies are being developed and applied, helping companies execute inspections swiftly, accurately, and with minimal disruption to operations.
Clients have told ABS what a difference the remote inspection services have made to their operations since they were first introduced. Recent projects indicate how the scope of new remote inspection services can be applied and have shown the benefits of adopting this approach more widely as alarms and alerts for critical assets.
While ABS took the decision to officially launch its remote offshore surveys as far back as 2018 following a lengthy period of testing and evaluation, it has since taken the decision to extend its range of technologies to provide more choice and flexibility for how clients.
ABS’s Operations Support Center (OSC) is the global hub for management of remote surveys, staffed with trained and qualified surveyors ready to connect to assets and perform remote surveys. The rapid expansion of asset connectivity and remote inspection technologies enables the OSC to serve as a core function in ABS’s approach to class surveys.
Matthew Tremblay is ABS Vice President of Global Offshore.
The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.
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