F e at ur e 3 | V O Y A G E O P TI MI S A TI O N


Cr a c ki n g t h e bi of o uli n g ri d dl e wit h M a c hi n e L e ar ni n g


H ull f o uli n g is o n e of t h e bi g g est c a us es of e x c ess f u el w ast a g e, b ut k n o wi n g t h e o pti m u m ti mi n g f or cl e a ni n g c a n o nl y b e a c hi e v e d wit h a t h or o u g h u n d erst a n di n g of a v ess el’s p erf or m a n c e. O pti mis ati o n s p e ci alist Gr e e n St e a m b eli e v es it’s cr a c k e d t h e pr o bl e m


T


h e c h all e n g e of mi ni misi n g a s hi p’s f u el c o ns u m pti o n h a s d o g g e d m ariti m e f or as l o n g as t h er e’s


b e e n st e a m- p o w er e d pr o p ulsi o n, b ut it’s m or e o ffi e n a b o ut t h e c o nst a ntl y c h a n gi n g r el ati o ns hi ps b et w e e n m ulti pl e f a ct ors t h a n a n y si n gl e c a us e. U n d erst a n di n g t h os e i nt er a cti o ns, s o t h at it’s b e c o m e p ossi bl e t o pr e di ct a v ess el’s p erf or m a n c e i n a n y gi v e n cir c u mst a n c es, h ol ds t h e k e y t o si g ni fi c a nt s a vi n gs a n d, m or e i m p ort a ntl y f or gr e e n er s hi p pi n g, r e d u ci n g e missi o ns. It’s a c o n u n dr u m t h at


i ns pir e d t h e


f or m ati o n of Gr e e n St e a m i n 2 0 0 7, b y t hr e e a c a d e mi cs fr o m t h e F ar o e Isl a n ds w h o w er e st u d yi n g at C o p e n h a g e n Te c h ni c al U ni v ersit y. H a vi n g s e e n


its s u c c essf ul


a p pli c ati o n t o ot h er i n d ustri es, t h e y w a nt e d t o us e t h e e m er gi n g p ot e nti al of Arti fi ci al I nt elli g e n c e, als o k n o w n as M a c hi n e L e ar ni n g ( M L), t o t a c kl e t h e pr o bl e m. A d v a n c es i n s e ns or- d eri v e d d at a, as w ell as t h os e i n cl o u d c o m p uti n g a n d l e ar ni n g al g orit h ms, w er e st arti n g t o m a k e s u c h s ol uti o ns t e c h ni c all y f e asi bl e. Alt h o u g h M L is fi n di n g a gr o wi n g r a n g e


of a p pli c ati o ns i n s hi p pi n g, fr o m c ollisi o n a v oi d a n c e t o c ar g o c h ai n o pti mis ati o n, p erf or m a n c e o pti mis ati o n p os es a v er y s p e ci fi c c h all e n g e. W hil e t h e c o m p a n y h as gr o w n t o a n esti m at e d t ur n o v er of U S $ 1 2. 2 milli o n, t h er e w er e s e v er al y e ars of i nt e ns e d e v el o p m e nt b ef ore Gre e n St e a m r oll e d o ut its first s ol uti o n i n 2 0 1 1. “ Yo u’ v e g ot u p t o 1 5 diff er e nt f a ct ors


a ff e cti n g a s hi p, s o m eti m es c h a n gi n g e v er y s e c o n d, a n d s o m e h o w y o u’ ve g ot t o tr y a n d w or k o ut w h at t he i m p a ct a n y o ne p arti c ul ar p ar a m et er h as o n t h e f u el c o ns u m pti o n w h e n all t h e ot h er p ar a meters are c h a n gi n g,” e x pl ai ns Si m o n W hitf or d, Gre e n Ste a m’s c hi ef e xe c uti ve, w h o j oi ne d t he c o m p a n y i n 2 0 1 8. “ fi e b e n e fit of t h at is y o u c a n t he n c o nstr u ct a s hi p-s p e ci fic m o del of t he vess el, r at her t h a n si m pli fi c ati o ns of h y dr o d y n a mi c e q u ati o ns.”


1 0 Si m o n W hitf or d, C E O of Gr e e n St e a m


m ust e v ol v e t o e x pl ai n a n d l e ar n fr o m t h e d at a. This m o d el t h e n b e c o m es t h e b asis f or m a ki n g pr e di cti o ns, w hi c h i n t ur n is tr ai n e d a n d r e fi n e d wit h t h e h el p of e x p ert s u p er visi o n (t y pi c all y p erf or m e d b y n a v al ar c hit e cts a n d m a c hi n e l e ar ni n g e x p erts) t o f urt h er i m pr o v e t h e a c c ur a c y; f or e x a m pl e, a d di n g a d diti o n al v ari a bl es t o t h e m o d el, s u c h as w a v e r esist a n c e. E v e nt u all y it’s p ossi bl e t o arri v e at a c o m pl e x m o d el t h at t a k es i nt o a c c o u nt n u m er o us v ari a bl es i n f or mi n g its pr e di cti o ns. “I m a gi n e a tr e e di a gr a m wit h all t h e


D at a dri v e n m o d elli n g Tr a diti o n all y, c al c ul ati n g a v ess el’s f u el c o ns u m pti o n w o ul d t a k e t h e ‘t e xt b o o k’ a p pr o a c h of a h y dr o d y n a mi c m o d el wit h a s p e e d p o w er c ur v e. If t h e s hi p o w n er or o p er at or b eli e v e d t h at p erf or m a n c e w as b ei n g c o m pr o mis e d b y a n iss u e s u c h as bi of o uli n g, t h e n t h at d at a w o ul d b e c o m p ar e d a g ai nst t h es e o pti m al r es ults. H o w e v e r, t his c o ul d m e a n t h at a s


m u c h as 9 5 % of t h e d at a w o ul d n e e d t o b e o mitt e d b e c a us e t h e c o n diti o ns d o n’t m at c h t h os e


i n w hi c h t h e m o d el w as


o p er ati n g. F or i nst a n c e, i n t h e c as e of t h e I S O 1 9 0 3 0 st a n d ar d f or h ull f o uli n g ar o u n d 9 6 % of t h e d at a c a n’t b e us e d b e c a us e of t h e ass u m pti o ns t h e m o d el m a k es. Th es e n u m b ers c a n b e i m pr o v e d wit h e x p ert a n al ysis b ut still ar o u n d 5 0 % of t h e d at a c o nti n u es t o b e pr o bl e m ati c. I n t h e c as e of M L it’s t h e d at a, n ot t h e


m o d el, t h at s er v es as t h e st arti n g p oi nt a n d o nl y r es ults w hi c h ar e cl e arl y err o n e o us ( e. g. a v ess el m o vi n g at a n e g ati v e s p e e d) ar e e x cl u d e d fr o m t h e m o d elli n g pr o c ess. I n ot h er w or ds, t h e m o d el w hi c h is cr e at e d


i n p uts t h at a ff e ct a s hi p, s u c h as s e a s urf a c e t e m p er at ur e, u n d er k e el cl e ar a n c e, s ali nit y l e v els, a n d t h e h ei g ht a n d dire cti o n of w a v es. All t h es e f a ct ors l e a d t o o n e p oi nt at t h e t o p, w hi c h is t h e f u el c o ns u m pti o n of t h e v ess el. Wit h a n M L m o d el y o u u n d erst a n d h o w e a c h of t h os e f a ct ors c o ntri b ut es i n d e p e n d e ntl y b ut wit h e v er yt hi n g els e als o c h a n gi n g,” s a ys W hitf or d. “ We d o n’t n e e d t o d o t h at e m piri c all y;


wit h o ur M L m o d el w e c a n t ur n w a v e h ei g ht d o w n t o z er o, wi n d s p e e d d o w n t o z er o, or t h e d e pt h of w at er. We c a n m a k e it c h art er p art y c o n diti o ns.”


Q u a ntif yi n g bi of o uli n g Wit h t h e c o nst a nt st r e a mi n g of d at a t h at’s a c hi e v a bl e wit h t o d a y’s v ess el-s h or e c o m m u ni c ati o ns


it’s p ossi bl e t o cr e at e


a c c ur at e s p e e d- c o ns u m pti o n c ur v es f or a n y v ess el c o n diti o ns. Th at m a k es f a ct ors it w o ul d h a v e pr e vi o usl y b e e n c h all e n gi n g t o pr e di ct, li k e t h e i n cr e asi n g h ull r esist a n c e c a us e d b y f o uli n g, f ar e asi er t o q u a ntif y. Us ers of Gr e e n St e a m’s s ol uti o n ar e a bl e t o r e c ei v e s m art al erts w h e n c ert ai n h ull f o uli n g t hr es h ol ds ar e e x c e e d e d, all o wi n g s hi p o w n ers t o t a k e a pr o a cti v e a p pr o a c h t o h ull cl e a ni n g s c h e d uli n g. Th e s u bj e ct w as r e c e ntl y t h e t o pi c of a


w hit e p a p er p u blis h e d b y Gr e e n St e a m, w hi c h s ets o ut t h e r ul es f or o pti misi n g


Gr e e n S hi p pi n g J a n u ar y 2 0 2 1


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32