Camera transformation for Wilson Sons tugs

The expression ‘digital transformation’ is a phrase heard regularly nowadays and as the towage industry explores remote and autonomous tug operations, digital technologies will of course form the foundation of such and while Wilson Sons reporting of this project does not mention such developments it can perhaps be seen as a part of future-proofing its tug fleet with a host of operational advantages.

The company state the camera system brings even more security to the fleet by allowing real-time visualisation of operations and manoeuvres, accessible also by customers. Storage and retrieval of images for 30 days allows accident and incident investigation along with tug and crew performance studies. Wifi spots on the bridge and in the galley and engine room allows connection to Wilson Sons systems by cell phone or tablet including video conferencing.

The equipment has already been installed in almost half the fleet distributed in the main ports of Brazil, the remaining vessels receiving the new system this year in a schedule including relevant Covid-19 precautions.

Several systems previously inaccessible on board will be integrated into the online platform with information presented to the crews on a dashboard including water, oil and fuel levels along with inspection cycles, maintenance activities, purchase orders and other onboard processes.

The project involves Tuglab, Wilson Sons’ innovation laboratory in partnership with IT management of the company’s towage division. Tuglab was formed in 2017 with around 10 professionals from different areas such as IT, engineering (maintenance, operations, HSE), human resources and administration. An indication of the foresight Wilson Sons sees in such technology (and a clue as to what is possible) is where the company state many projects are in progress, such as the use of artificial intelligence, QR code, and other solutions to streamline and increase the security of operations.

Juliano Maia, Wilson Sons towage division IT manager said: ‘Today the speed of technological change is much higher than 20 years ago. We need to be prepared for this new scenario in the naval sector. Our goal is to make our processes more agile allowing all resources and information to be on board at the right time, making them more efficient.’

By Peter Barker