Sea trials have begun on two Falmouth-based pilot vessels which will provide data for the Innovate UK funded MOVE (Monitoring for Operational Vessel Efficiency) project.
The MOVE system is deployed on the two pilot vessels, which have been made available by Falmouth Harbour Commissioners. Data will be collected whilst the vessels carry out their daily duties, providing ‘real-time’ information from the vessel’s systems.
The vessels that would benefit from the MOVE technology are, among others, those deployed in the offshore wind sector, according to the technology developers.
The MOVE project’s solution aims to address the challenges of rising fuel costs, emissions regulation and concerns about carbon emissions, initially targeting the commercial work boat sector. The technology will allow operators to optimise vessel performance by maximising cost-effectiveness through improved selection of propulsion and generation systems. Additionally, it will enhance mission planning and enable better targeted maintenance.
The system measures and records the instantaneous power and torque outputs from the vessel’s engines, in conjunction with more standard monitored data (engine speed, vessel speed and heading, and fuel consumption). Although technology already exists to gather this data, it is often time consuming and expensive to install. The project is refining this to provide a device which can be quickly retro-fitted or removed making the system commercially more attractive for vessel owners. MOVE technology will be deployable on a wide range of marine engines including main propulsion and auxiliary power, the developers said.
MOVE (Monitoring for Operational Vessel Efficiency) is an Innovate UK project under the ‘Managing Energy on Marine Vessels’ Competition. Project partners include Datum Electronics, Gardline Geosurvey, Lloyd’s Register, Marine South East, REAPsystems, Triskel Marine, and University of Strathclyde.