Pratik Bijlani –
On July 16, the Indian Register of Shipping (IRCLASS) and the Directorate of Marine Engineering College Alumni (DMECA) held a critical technical symposium on the use of digitization and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve ship efficiency. This historic event brought together industry experts and stakeholders to discuss how cutting-edge digital technology and AI are transforming the maritime industry, increasing operational efficiency, and supporting sustainable practices.
The seminar proceeded with a hearty greeting from Mr PK Mishra, IRCLASS’s Joint Managing Director. He emphasised the importance of the collaboration between two prestigious institutions, describing it as the first of its type. “AI is a good tool, and it can be used for predictive analytics, robotics, computer analysis, machine learning, and decision making,” Mr Mishra declared, setting the tone for the fascinating debates that followed.
Mr Arun Sharma, Executive Chairman of IRCLASS, gave the inaugural address, reflecting on the history of DMET (now IMU-Kolkata) and its impact on the marine industry since its inception in 1949. Reflecting on his experience as a seafarer and the transformative technological advancements in the maritime sector, he specified, “You will see that the entire seascape will basically be very, very different if the next 20 years see a complete change in the fleet profile of ships, with the radical technological changes available today.”
The seminar included a series of informative lectures, beginning with Mr Pankaj Mishra, General Manager of Wartsila India Pvt Ltd His talk, titled “Informed Decision-Making in the Maritime Industry through Digital Modelling and AI,” covered AI terms like Machine Learning, Neural Networks, Deep Learning, and Generative AI. He presented how AI may increase operational efficiency in voyage planning, fleet optimisation, and anomaly detection, using case studies to demonstrate early detection and prevention of significant accidents aboard ships.
Mr Rabindra Sah, IRCLASS’s Chief Technology Officer, Ms Sanjida Augustine, Associate Vice President IT, and Mr Kapil Kumar Zaveri, Senior Surveyor at IRCLASS, who spoke on “Revolutionising the Maritime Industry: Embracing Digitalization for Transformation.” They described the many stages of vessel design and development, emphasising how digitalization may improve each aspect from concept design to scrapping. They also discussed essential digitalization concepts like Single Source of Truth, Change Management, Digital Threads, Virtual Twins, and Product Lifecycle Management. They talked on the impact of AI, cybersecurity, alternative fuels, and self-driving ships on the marine business.
Mr Sah and his colleagues also presented on “Extended Reality,” which covered the definitions and applications of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Extended Reality (XR). They highlighted the expected 48.3% CAGR growth of XR technologies by 2030, as well as its potential applications in ship design, building, staff training, and autonomous ships, which were accompanied by appealing movies.
Mr Uday Purohit, CEO and Founder of NEPTUNUS Power Plant Services Pvt. Ltd., gave a presentation titled “Smart Efficiency Monitoring and Analytics Tools.” He discussed the frequency and cost of ship engine problems, as well as how technology adoption might improve ship functionality. He presented the study of torsional vibrations to determine engine health and introduced Vib World 360’s Vibox 2.0 technology, which uses a variety of sensors to monitor engine and turbine systems. He displayed the alert system and dashboard used to retrieve ship data.
Mr Mudit Mehrotra, Assistant VP of The Great Eastern Shipping Co Ltd delivered the final presentation, which focused on DMECA’s engagement with the DMET Club in applying AI and digitization. Their goal is to educate 100,000 maritime professionals on the transformative potential of AI over the next 36 months using homegrown AI solutions, journals, courses, seminars, and membership programmes.
This presentations highlighted the enormous potential of AI and digitalization to alter the maritime industry. With the joint efforts of IRCLASS and DMECA, the sector is prepared for a future of increased efficiency, sustainability, and innovation.
Marex Media