| By Andreas Symeonidis, Marketing Manager, METIS Cyberspace Technology |  |
While data in shipping is more abundant and accessible than ever before, a lack of standardization in onboard equipment makes it difficult to leverage. The METIS solution is to bring together data from multiple sources to reveal the ‘big picture’ on ship performance.
As vast and complex machines, ships feature countless interconnected components, each representing a potential source of data. Tapping into these sources can provide significant benefits for systems performance. However, with different equipment manufacturers fulfilling distinct requirements, modern vessels often deploy a patchwork of fragmented technologies that makes valuable insights on vessel performance as a whole hard to come by.
Big-picture analytics
METIS Cyberspace Technology takes a holistic approach to ship efficiency analytics. Powered by Microsoft Azure, the METIS AI platform combines automated data acquisition from numerous sources with high-grade analysis to deliver a fuller picture of vessel performance.
At the heart of the METIS platform is an automated Data Acquisition System (METIS Ship Connect) which creates a robust network of Wired & Wireless Intelligent Collectors (WICs), which harvest data from onboard machinery and navigational equipment regardless of supplier. The WICs pre-process and clean this data, performing preliminary analysis before securely transmitting it to a cloud-based hub (METIS Space), where it is stored alongside AIS data and information from traffic monitoring and weather services.
Covering machinery function, the physical condition of the ship and external influences on performance and operation, the resultant dataset holds opportunities for vessel owners, personnel, managers and charterers alike.
Benefits across the board
For example, the ability to model ‘what-if’ scenarios enables users to determine the route that best combines safety, voyage time and fuel efficiency. This function is already paying dividends, with one owner reporting a 27.5% reduction in fuel consumption and another stating that it cut voyage time by a day and a half while using less fuel.
A recently released METIS software module provides another angle on ship efficiency, allowing operators to monitor performance in line with the terms stipulated in charter party agreements (CPAs). With analysis drawing on data points including weather, maneuvering and speed, the module offers a complete representation of a vessel’s CPA compliance – to the benefit of both operator and charterer.
Meanwhile, personnel and stakeholders onboard and ashore have immediate access to real-time insights and interactive support through the METIS Virtual Personal Assistant. As shipping’s first chatbot, the Assistant communicates with users in plain English, sharing vessel performance analyses, informing of machinery malfunctions and assisting with voyage planning and maintenance scheduling. Thanks to its underlying machine learning technology, the chatbot also refines its insights and recommendations over time.
The METIS cloud platform is the first end-to-end, AI-powered data solution in shipping. As such, it provides a unique service, enabling users to integrate insights from multiple sources to gain a full picture of ship performance. The benefits of this holistic approach can be felt across the board and by every stakeholder.