Seaspan Contracts Will Advance Digital Twin Technology in the Marine Sector

May 1, 2023

@seaspan.com

VICTORIA – Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) has awarded three contracts totaling approximately $2.6 million to enable four leading Canadian companies in the marine industry to advance digitalization and further modernize shipbuilding and fleet maintenance. These agreements represent Seaspan’s commitment to innovation and in providing growth opportunities across the pan-Canadian supply chain, enabling companies to sustain and grow over the long term and better position Canadian technology in the export market.

In March 2022, Seaspan launched its HoloShip platform, an immersive visualization system that allows designers, engineers, production teams, and customers to virtually experience a fully detailed, three-dimensional, and accurate digital model of a vessel, using an integrated 5.6-metre-wide display wall and virtual reality headset.

The HoloShip platform and the projects being announced are part of Seaspan Shipyards’ value proposition commitments under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy. In addition to providing funding, Seaspan will give Gastops, BCS Automation, 3GA Marine and Kognitiv Spark access to its HoloShip platform – along with decades of shipbuilding expertise and use cases.

Seaspan is accelerating digital transformation through supporting these specific projects:

BCS Automation (Ontario) – is developing a cutting-edge solution that represents a ship’s control and monitoring system. This system will be made available through a virtual interface that aims to improve vessel design and reduce the vessels overall life cycle cost. Through this project, BCS Automation seeks to create a powerful digital tool and push the boundaries in predictive digital twins.

Gastops (Ontario) – is developing a digital twin solution that aims to optimize vessel maintenance and performance by proactively identifying and quantifying vessel equipment performance and maintenance issues before they reach a critical stage. Through this project, Gastops seeks to develop a cutting-edge predictive maintenance solution that can be applied to newly built vessels during both the design and operational phases and build out their tools and offerings for marine propulsion systems. It is envisioned that this type of offering would enable customers to save time and money by leveraging innovative sensing and simulation techniques to identify pervasive propulsion system issues with sufficient notice, providing an opportunity to schedule repair and maintenance when vessels are in planned periods of docking.

3GA Marine (British Columbia) and Kognitiv Spark (New Brunswick) – are collaborating to develop an innovative mixed reality solution with an aim to allow onboard vessel operators to visualize and control ship systems and equipment from anywhere. This groundbreaking technology provides users with real-time customizable digital information, enabling operators to access essential technical data in a mixed reality environment. This solution aims to increase simplicity, safety, and efficiency in operating processes by enhancing the decision-making capabilities of engineers, the speed at which they can access information, and the implementation of customized predictive maintenance routines and associated software integration tools. This project is set to revolutionize the marine industry by enhancing ships control, monitoring and maintenance bringing it closer to a future of autonomous operations.

“3GA Marine and Kognitiv Spark have teamed up to revolutionize marine engineering with mixed reality technology to enhance vessel operations, streamline engineering procedures and pave the way for autonomous operations in the future. Seaspan’s HoloShip program supports this groundbreaking initiative, which will replace certain functionalities typically found in a vessel’s Machinery Control Room with a Hololens and associated software integration tools. This technological leap is set to transform the marine industry,” Daniel McIntyre, Vice President of 3GA Marine.

Seaspan Shipyards, a division of Seaspan ULC, is a leader in Canada’s shipbuilding and ship repair industry. With modern facilities and a dedicated workforce of 3,200 in North Vancouver and Victoria.

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