Digital Twin project to boost efficiency and safety

A multi-sector Japanese initiative to enable digital twin technology to boost ship efficiency and safety at sea has successfully completed its early phases. The project uses a secure data-sharing network between shipyards and owners to advance the use of digital twins throughout a ship’s lifecycle.

Partners include NYK Group company MTI Co Ltd, Mitsui OSK, Marubeni Corporation, Imabari Shipbuilding, Japan Marine United Corporation, Usuki Shipyard, NAPA, and ClassNK.

The first two phases of the project have identified more than 30 potential use cases where data and 3D models used in the ship design process can be securely shared and used to create a vessel-specific digital twin that helps improve operational efficiency and safety throughout a ship’s operating life. The partners aim to provide real-life operating data to naval architects and engineers so that future ship designs can be improved.

Yoshimichi Sasaki, general manager of ClassNK’s Digital Transformation Center, said: “Digital twins are a key asset for shipping, particularly in the context of the energy transition. They offer unparalleled insight into a ship’s unique design profile and characteristics and unlock new opportunities to use this data to optimise operations and maintenance, while also expanding possibilities to deploy innovative technologies on board. This project demonstrates how we can break data silos to foster closer dialogue between shipyards and shipowners at a time of increasing design and operational complexity.”