Developing technologies with benefits
Sam Taylor, Business Development Manager, discusses the essential technologies being developed to facilitate safe remote operations that could bring wider benefits to the conventional offshore industry by enabling lower emission operations.
Some developments could be quick to implement; delivering immediate environmental benefits with a small shift in thinking, whilst other changes will be generational, requiring a wholesale shift in how the offshore industry is designed and operated.
The power
Remote vessels don’t need to accommodate the same number of people that a conventional vessel might
The shipping industry alone is responsible for around 940 million tonnes of CO2 annually, at least 2.5% of the world’s total CO2 emissions. In response to this, the International Maritime Organisation has set a target to cut emissions by 50% by 20501, a huge target.
Remote vessels, by nature, don’t need to accommodate the same number of people that a conventional vessel might. This means that custom-developed remote vessels, are typically smaller in size than conventional vessels designed for the same task and therefore have a lower environmental footprint.
Alternative fuel sources
But arguably, changing how to generate power on board vessels, be they crewed or uncrewed, could deliver the largest achievable emissions reduction.
There is an increase of new-build vessels taking on the challenge of power generation with the rise of credible alternative fuel sources such as LNG, Ethanol, and Hydrogen, and the now commonplace battery hybrid. However, the introduction of alternative fuel sources is very much a transition, not an overnight switch.
Cutting-edge green fuel technologies
Within 5 years, Ocean Infinity will be using green fuel technology in the vessels to provide the greenest boats
The development of Ocean Infinity's remotely operated Armada fleet is stimulating this transition, pushing the development of alternative fuel sources. The larger vessels in the fleet, the 78m and 85m vessels, are being built with the integration of new fuel-cell and battery technology very much in mind.
Ocean Infinity has a team of engineers developing cutting-edge green fuel technologies for its robotic ships. Within 5 years, Ocean Infinity will be using green fuel technology in the vessels to provide the greenest, cleanest boats the industry has seen.
Clean Maritime Demonstration project
One of the projects currently underway is the Clean Maritime Demonstration project, which along with partner organisations, build a Marine Propulsion Test facility, with an integrated Ammonia Marine Power System (AMPS).
The test facility will demonstrate one of the clean-fuelled technologies eventually capable of powering our Armada fleet.
The payload
As with conventional vessels, the primary objective of the robotic vessel is the delivery of its ‘payload’ to the project worksite; whether that be subsea, surface or cargo. If there is no longer a crew onboard to maintain or operate the asset whilst offshore, how does that impact the design?
Simply put, remote operations change a lot in payload design. It changes how Ocean Infinity delivers the asset to the site; it changes how it maintains the asset, increasing the focus on the reliability of its design; it changes the construction of the asset, moving away from hydraulic to a full electrical design reducing the environmental impact should a breakdown or failure occur; and importantly, it changes how companies operate the asset, demanding new solutions for operational control and data transfer.
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Companies cannot move towards greener robotic solutions without the development of command and control
Working with the reality of low bandwidth and high latency offshore, Ocean Infinity needs to adjust how it operates the payload, leading to increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) with a ‘human in the loop’ design philosophy.
Companies cannot move towards greener robotic solutions without the development of command and control enterprise infrastructure. This demand has spurred new payload designs right across the industry with new vehicle designs and new systems of operation control.
Reducing emissions
For Ocean Infinity, this is enhanced with in-house software and new control systems incorporating both the vessel and the payload into a single eco-system.
The entire offshore industry can take advantage of technologies developed to meet the demands of remote operations delivering small, but impactful, changes to both the conventional and remote operated global fleet all leading to reduced maintenance and downtime, and fewer port calls ultimately resulting in a reduction in emissions.
Spearheading change
Ocean Infinity is fast developing new solutions, necessary for remote and uncrewed operations, which will have a significant impact on the conventional market, from logistics and remote handling of goods and equipment, through to AI and ML, drastically reducing the time required for data processing whilst improving the quality of our deliveries.
In short, the robotic and uncrewed vessel industry is not operating outside of the conventional scene but is at the vanguard of technology development, spearheading the transition of operations offshore and thus enabling people and the planet to thrive.