Ship trials of powertrain condition monitoring underway

Neptune Lines is hosting shipboard trials of a digital service for marine powertrain condition analysis developed by METIS Cyberspace Technology and Geislinger GmbH.

The trials will link Geislinger’s GMS Mk6 continuous monitoring and measuring system for rotating components of the entire marine propulsion powertrain with the METIS IoT platform for data analytics. The goal is to provide in-depth analytics to correlate condition evaluations of the ship’s propulsion system with navigational and operational conditions already being analyzed by METIS. The new digital service is designed to provide information to the crew and to the technical department regarding the condition of the main engine vibration damper and any abnormalities likely to cause torsional vibrations on the main engine and propulsion shaft.

“For METIS, this is a significant evolution of shipping’s most advanced end-to-end digitalization platform, which integrates and displays the very best third-party digital services in a one stop shop for vessel performance analytics,” said Mike Konstantinidis, CEO, METIS Cybertechnology. “Sharing specific data benefits decision making by adding value to analytics and bringing new insights into overall performance.”

Pure Car & Truck Carrier (PCTC) operator Neptune Lines is hosting shipboard trials of a digital service for marine powertrain condition analysis, which has been developed by METIS Cyberspace Technology and Geislinger GmbH.

“Geislinger’s marine clients are fully aware of our expertise in high-performance drive lines and the benefits of our damping technology are routinely verified by advanced monitoring solutions,” added Adrian Geislinger. “We are delighted to work with METIS in bringing this expertise to a project integrating latest developments in torsional vibration and vessel performance analytics.”

METIS secured a fleet-wide contract from Neptune Lines to implement its data acquisition and advanced analytics platform in late 2020. The carrier specified additional functionality, including emissions indicator monitoring, antifouling coatings performance and generator operations in port.

“We have made a commitment to data analytics to enhance efficiency as part of its service to the logistics industry,” said Nikos Paterakis, Chief Operating Officer, Neptune Lines. “This pilot will offer insight into a key parameter in performance whose significance can be underestimated.”

A second vessel trial of the new METIS-Geislinger approach has already been confirmed for a very large crude carrier (VLCC). On completion of the proof of concept, the two companies also intend to investigate using AI and Machine Learning models to benefit predictive maintenance.