Superyachts: A System of Systems on the Sea

In the marine industry, vessels like superyachts and ships are much like seagoing factories or small cities. They are constructed from a wide variety of diverse and fragmented monitoring and control systems, each of which has gained advanced functionality and increased digitalization over the years. But these amplified capabilities come with compounded complexity, so designers and shipbuilders need solutions for efficiently integrating disparate subsystems into a comprehensive whole.

Commercial and industrial sector projects use systems integrator (SI) specialists to seamlessly incorporate multiple software platforms. Shipbuilders are now tasked with doing the same thing, instead of providing multiple parallel and unique interfaces. Lessons can be learned from the harsh environments, control and communication aspects, and visualization needs of maritime vessels.  And it might just be pleasing to ponder the comparisons.

Working with major shipbuilder customers, one industrial supplier tailored its industrial human-machine interface (HMI) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) offerings for this demanding application.

A system of systems on the sea

Any large ship is much more than a hull, an engine, a propeller and a rudder. There are a wide range of subsystems, all important and some critical (Figure 1). These include:

• Engine control (engines will come with specific controls, but it may be necessary to integrate these with a supervisory monitoring system)

• Auxiliary control (thrusters, winches, anchors)

• Electrical power (generation and distribution)

• Machine and other utility control (desalination, water heater, pool)

• Liquid pumping (fuel, ballast, fresh water, waste handling)

• Smoke/fire systems (monitor and alarm)

• Intercoms and other communications

• Environmental control (HVAC, lighting, CCTV, audio/entertainment).

 Not only are there a lot of different things going on at once, but each subsystem has very unique monitoring and control requirements, and each is likely based on technologies that are dissimilar to other systems, or even proprietary.
 
With so many fragmented subsystems, integration efforts to achieve basic centralized monitoring is often inefficient. At the very least, this leads to an inconsistent look/feel for user interfaces. In the worst case possible, there could be mistakes during critical interactions, such as dropping anchor. Users may also be hampered by inadequate alarm management and a lack of historical data needed for analysis.

At a bare minimum, any type of centralized HMI/SCADA needs to communicate with each shipboard subsystem to obtain data, visualize it and log it. While some subsystems may accept remote control commands from HMI/SCADA, the most critical subsystems (direct engine controls, navigation/charting) would need to preserve their independence to a great degree because they are provided by highly specialized suppliers that are domain experts in these areas.
 

Tough enough for the high seas

Because superyachts and ships share many characteristics with factories, it makes sense that an HMI/SCADA hardware and software platform, built to handle the rigors of industrial-grade production facilities, would be robust enough for shipboard monitoring and control (Figure 2).

Single pane of glass possibilities

To enable the most effective user interaction and visualization with digital systems, many modern transportation systems—such as planes, trains, automobiles and even the SpaceX Dragon crew capsule—have shifted away from numerous individual specialized control interfaces. Instead, they now use a consolidated single pane of glass interface approach, where multiple systems are depicted on a unified digital display.

The auto industry in particular is an example of where this has been very prominent. Some new cars have almost no physical buttons, and just a few displays to represent the vehicle status, and to control the HVAC, accessories and entertainment subsystems. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are further examples of standardized HMI/SCADA interfaces integrated into autos for streamlined connectivity with almost any type of personal mobile device.

In fact, the dashboard of a car is a good metaphor for the type of interface a ship needs. As with a person using a car, the crew on a ship should have ready access to essential information, along with the capability to dive into deeper details as needed (Figure 3).

• Dashboard provides overview of all systems

• Engine Room

• Propulsion (engine, exhaust gas and gear data)

• Diesel generator and electrical power management

• Valve controls and tank volumes

• Schematics and performance indicators

• Fire detection

• Bridge

• Exterior/navigation lighting

• Interior lighting

• Marex control head (propulsion controls)

• Tank volumes

• CCTV

• HVAC

• Pool

• General

• Alarms

• Data logging

 Marine designers can accelerate and standardize their efforts by using these demonstration configurations as a starting point for implementing their specific requirements.
 

Applications set sail

Here are two examples of industrial-grade HMI/SCADA hardware and software applications for marine use developed using Movicon.NExT from Emerson.
 
One marine contractor already had an established vessel dynamic positioning system (DPS) for use on a floating production storage and offloading vessel, but the system did not quickly dispatch alarms or provide an overview of functionality. By supplementing their existing subsystems with Movicon.NExT, alarms were rapidly transmitted, leading to improved data displays and physical safety.

A redundant architecture with two servers and four clients prevented interruptions and downtime. This high-performance HMI/SCADA improved the accuracy of vessel positioning during transfers, enhancing response time and decision-making based on the increased visibility, which in turn enhanced throughput, reliability and profitability.

A second case involved a marine industry systems integrator that realized that technology integration for superyacht projects was often characterized by inflexible products and high costs. Therefore, they set out to create a comprehensive and cost-effective solution that would be easily usable, even by a small crew. By basing their design on Movicon.NExT, they were able to reduce the time, cost and complexity for developing marine automation applications due to the use of a standardized and proven platform.

The resulting system is now used on 100+ vessels as a standard automation and visualization solution. End users benefit from simplified operation due to the integration of a wide range of highly disparate systems into a single interface. Builders realized decreased costs and complexity by reducing electrical cabling due to improved OT and IT network connectivity.

Modern HMI/SCADA platforms designed to be tough and capable enough for industrial use are often the best solution for integrating the wide range of digital systems found on today’s superyachts and ships. Such comprehensive and robust visualization solutions can consolidate vessel operations into a single, effective interface.
 
All figures are supplied by Emerson Discrete Automation.

This feature originally appeared in the June 2024 issue of InTech digital magazine.