OPINION: How commercial marine could use a studio approach
NAPA Studios brings together shipowners, charterers, shipyards, classification societies, financiers, and insurers, and like a band, contributes diverse expertise to create something unique: innovative solutions to some of the most imminent challenges faced by the maritime industry today.
A fresh approach is needed because of the magnitude of the changes required of the maritime industry, and the accelerated pace at which they must happen. In short, we must create new ships powered by alternative energy sources, but also select the right systems for every vessel in an incredibly diverse global fleet.
Beyond technology choices, it is the entire operational ecosystem that will be transformed to enable net-zero shipping: from safeguards to ensure the safe use of new fuels and technologies, to cost-sharing mechanisms and contractual frameworks fit for decarbonized shipping.
Connecting the dots
NAPA Studios will leverage software, performance models and experience with digital twins, data science and simulation tools to create insights and solutions. This will bring together a wide network of maritime stakeholders to foster partnerships that will range from ship design to operations, all with digital systems at their core.
Some collaborations will aim to provide more clarity on the practical implications of deploying new technologies, such as wind propulsion, the use of which in a recent simulation study was found to reduce potential emissions by up to 28%.
Other ongoing projects are looking at advancing the use of digital twins from design to operations, to boost the safety, efficiency and environmental footprint of shipping. In tangible terms, this would enable owners to use ship-specific design data to improve operational efficiency and ship maintenance, while also allowing operational data to be fed back to shipyards to improve future designs.
This would mark a breakthrough in data sharing, with new business models between shipyards and owners that could have a transformative effect in accelerating emissions reductions as well as the development of more energy-efficient designs.
Our vision is that by responding to shipping’s growing demand for data-based evidence and proven solutions for every aspect of the huge transformation ahead, we can contribute to the whole industry’s success.
