BW LNG is to create a ‘digital twin’ of one of its floating storage and regasification units in a bid to enhance the efficiency and reduce the environmental footprint of its LNG-focused tonnage.
The shipowner said its 173,400-cbm BW Magna (built 2019) will be used for the pilot project, which is being carried out in collaboration with Kongsberg Digital and Singapore’s Alpha Ori Technologies.
The pilot will utilise Kongsberg Digital’s data infrastructure technology, Vessel Insight, as well as Alpha Ori’s AI shipping platform SMARTShip.
BW LNG said the project would be aimed at “promoting operational excellence, reducing emissions and costs, and increasing safety”.
The Yngvil Asheim-led company added that the pilot will “aim to illustrate an example of the benefits of digitalisation for the industry”.
The BW Magna is currently based in Brazil's Porto do Acu as part of a large $2.2bn LNG-to-power project under a long-term charter to Gas Natural Acu (GNA).
The FSRU was built to regasify up to 1bn standard cubic feet of natural gas per day. Port Acu is one of the largest greenfield LNG-to-power projects in Latin America.
Strategic digitalisation partnership
The ‘digital twin’ project is part of a larger strategic digitalisation partnership agreed between the three companies focusing on LNG carriers and FSRUs.
The agreement also includes several projects, including “utilising a common data management platform and digital processing models to facilitate operational excellence”.
“We’re confident these digitalization initiatives will help close the information gap between ship and shore and empower us to be more data-driven in our decision making,” said Harald Martin Myhre, head of IT and digitalisation at BW LNG.
“By supplementing our extensive operational experience with well-managed data and algorithms we can create more value for all our stakeholders – increasing the safety of operations, reducing emissions to the environment, and reducing operating costs for our customers.”
Alpha Ori, which was co-founded by Synergy Marine chief executive Rajesh Unni, recently closed a $6m investment round, jointly led by Hafnia and BW LPG.
Mikael Skov, chief executive of product tanker specialist Hafnia, has joined the Alpha Ori board of directors following the investment round.
BW LPG said it has been among the earliest adopters of Alpha Ori’s SMARTShip technology, while Hafnia said its use had empowered it to make decisions based on real-time and accurate data analytics.
