Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LINCOLN (Lean innovative connected vessels)

Teaser

The global challenges, such as climate changes, green energy, food security, people safety and migrants mobility, and the new technological developments are reshaping the European economy, affecting the usage of the marine space as well. In the last decades, new business...

Summary

The global challenges, such as climate changes, green energy, food security, people safety and migrants mobility, and the new technological developments are reshaping the European economy, affecting the usage of the marine space as well. In the last decades, new business activities were born along the European sea coasts, such as aquaculture and renewable energy, beside the intensification of more traditional ones, like blue tourism, surveying, emergency and recovery response. This marine business diversification brings new activities and requires specialized operations and then the maritime industry is challenged to develop innovative vessels able to work in a more and more efficient, cost effective and specialized way to satisfy the above business needs. LINCOLN project wants to demonstrate how this new market demand of the maritime sector can be satisfied through an integrated approach among the technological enhancements in the vessels equipment and ICT sector, a new design & shipbuilding proposition and the vessel life cycle perspective adoption. This adds high value not only to the vessels in themselves, but to the whole shipbuilding industry and its value chain.
LINCOLN project vision is to develop three new added value vessels with innovative on board equipment, using lean design methodology and IoT solutions, able to be used in diverse maritime coastal activities and sectors in an efficient and sustainable way. To achieve this complex vision, the LINCOLN project has identified the following main objectives.
First objective is to develop and deliver three new types of vessels:
- A multi-platform catamaran to serve as Service crew vessel and Multipurpose survey vessel, with hybrid propulsion and innovative people transfer system
- A module based high-speed patrol boat platform, to enhance the modular design solution
- An Emergency Response and Recovery Vessel (ERRV),.with a low cost dynamic positioning system
These vessels represent three highly focused costal activities and takes in account all the main seas around Europe (Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, Mediterranean).
Second project objective is to apply the Lean Product Development methodologies to improve the vessel design and manufacturing process, fostering EU SME maritime competitiveness.
Third objective is to develop and deliver IoT based solutions for the maritime professional market, enhancing EU SME technological capabilities.
Fourth objective is to adopt and develop Lifecycle environmental and economic assessment methodology and tools to provide sustainable vessels solutions.
LINCOLN targets stakeholders along the whole vessel value chain, from designers, shipbuilders until vessels operators and after sales services actors, providing methodologies, tools, innovative solutions and services. The following picture 1 shows the Lean fact based design approach.

Figure 1: LINCOLN Lean fact based design approach
The innovative vessels are designed applying lean design tools (KbeML – Knowledge Based Engineering Modelling Language) and methodologies (SBCE – Set Based Concurrent Engineering), taking care of sustainability of the whole process, from environmental (LCA - Life Cycle Assessment) and financial (LCC - Life Cycle Cost) point of view and adopting digital solutions, through an integrated IoT (Internet of Things) platform, able to provide knowledge and future services to the maritime sector actors. More in detail, the IoT platform consists of a physical part made of dedicated black boxes (the UMG (Universal Marine Gateway) black box for vessel prototypes and the MG (Marine Gateway) for commercial versions), hosting sensors and connected to other vessels systems, like the on-board weather station Portweather, able to provide short time weather forecast locally. The data gathered by the sensors are then collected and sent to a cloud system, where they are analysed and processed through specific algorithms. The generated information is published through a web inte

Work performed

During the first half of the project the LINCOLN consortium has strictly collaborated to define the list of developments and solutions needed to reach the LINCOLN vision and objectives. Picture 3 shows the identified exploitable results.

Figure 3: LINCOLN exploitable results
The exploitable results in terms of single products and composite products, such as the IoT platform, have been identified since the early stage of the project, taking care of the target maritime markets needs as main development driver. A study about the exploitable results requirements has been done in WP2. The requirements correlations among the different exploitable results have been studied as well in WP2, in order to harmonize the single products developments into the final integrated solution. The requirements definition activity has been completed. In parallel with the first requirements definitions, the development phase of the different exploitable results has started in WP3, for the technological solutions, and in WP4, for vessels design methodology application and technical vessel concepts design. In WP5 the initial setup of the HPC platform where the virtual towing tank is under development has been opened to the vessels designers, to start getting familiar with the simulation environments. In WP6 the initial communication, dissemination and exploitation plans of the project in general and the specific exploitable results have been defined and pursuit until the middle of project lifespan. Moreover, an external advisory board made of maritime organizations has been organized to advise the LINCOLN partners on the project activity and developments. Collaborations among LINCOLN and HOLISHIP, SHIPLYS and BLUEMED CSA H2020 projects are on going as well.
Last but not least, in WP1 the project team, the executive board and general assembly have been named and organized in a proper structure at the beginning of the project to be able to monitor and control the project activity from managerial, administrative, financial, qualitative and technical point of view.

Final results

The resulting lean innovative and connected vessels are expecting to bring to their sectors the following technical and operational benefits:
- An Innovative Hybrid Propulsion (diesel-energy) for the 20-25m length vessels segment
- Reduced fuel consumptions and emissions
- A safer people transfer system to/from wind farms platforms
- A vessel modular platform solution for 8 to 15m length vessels
- An easier customizable vessel design and shipbuilding process
- An innovative dynamic positioning system for small rescue vessels with low operational cost
- Safer rescues operations
- Short time and on board weather forecasts
- New services along the vessels value chain through cloud web interfaces.

Website & more info

More info: http://www.lincolnproject.eu.