Cons.A.R. - Italian Shipowner's Research Consortium

Project title
FLAGSHIP

Duration
48 months (4 years)

The vision of FLAGSHIP is to create the mechanism by which the expertise of all the required actors can be brought together in real time, independently of their location, and given the required information (in the right format, at the right time and incorporating the highest level of knowledge) to better manage all the questions which confront a ship operator: that includes issues relating to the ship itself and its equipment (e.g. hull monitoring, equipment diagnostics, maintenance planning), its day-to-day operation (e.g. navigation, cargo, rule compliance) as well as emergencies and other exceptional situations (collision, fire, etc.).
FLAGSHIP will develop not just the infrastructure for collecting data but also the processing capability for extracting knowledge out of data and use it in on-board operations in routine and emergency situations, remote diagnostics and maintenance systems and in the provision of safety and environmental indicators for a whole shipping operation. The framework for integrated decision support systems will be based on an open architecture to facilitate easy integration with existing on-board systems (e.g. propulsion, hull, navigation, flooding, fire, ventilation etc). Cargo operation and handling, including real-time scheduling will be addressed, as well as monitoring systems for real-time assessment of structures and components and environmental conditions. The tools and procedures will be based on open systems for on-line link between ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore, extending not just to communication with owners/management office but to all relevant actors involved in co-operative decision support both for day-to-day operations and better management of accidents. This also includes automatic notification and transfer of updated rules and regulations between ship, management office and agent. The project will address the impact of new technologies on HSE requirements, and organisations onboard and ashore, and will take into account the next generation of navigation, communication and reporting technologies as well as upcoming IMO and EU rules. Project findings and developments will be implemented and demonstrated on board three different vessel categories.

Over the last two years of the Flagship project, Cons.ar has been mainly engaged in carrying out research activities in relation to WP D and, in particular, SP D2 "Health and Safety, Organization and Processes."
The last task to be performed within that SP was the D2.3 "New work processes - changes in competencies". This task starts from the results achieved in previous works of the D2.1 and D2.2 performed in the first two years of development and also has used the information obtained during a workshop held in Naples in June 2010 (attended by technical and administrative managers of several shipping companies) and an interview phase involving masters and ship officers from different parts of Europe. The purpose of this study was to highlight the activities on board (and eventually on shore) that are most critical with regard to workload and time required for their performance. Among them, activities that are susceptible of room for improvement related to the introduction of new technological systems or other operational strategies has been specifically identified. We have tried to define possible ways of improvement for them, also considering the latest developments achieved in the project.

Last December 31st, 2010 the Flagship project ended with the finalization research activities. Only the demonstration and evaluation activities of the systems developed during the project are still open, as for those tasks an extension of six months was obtained.

ECSA - European Community Shipowners' Association
Teekay Shipping corporation
Minoan Lines
V.Ships UK
Carnival Corporation & plc
Danaos Shipping Co. Ltd.
Containerships
NSA - Norwegian Shipowners' Association
Cons.A.R. - Consorzio Armatori per la Ricerca s.r.l.
Perseveranza s.p.a. di Navigazione
CSS
NSB - Niederelbe Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG
KVNR - Koninklijke Vereniging van Nederlandse Reders
Portline - Transportes Maritimos Internacionais, SA
ASME - Altair Special Maritime Enterprise
Superfast Ferries S.A.
RR - Rolls-Royce plc
SAM Electronics GmbH
Autronica Fire and Security AS
Lyngsø Marine A/S
SSA - Shipbuilder and Shiprepairers Association
Lodic AS
EMEC - European Marine Equipment Council
GL - Germanischer Lloyd AG
RINA - Registro Italiano Navale spa
BV - Bureau Veritas
Port Authority of Valencia
TBS - Trans-Base Soler, S.L.
SDS - Spanish Depot Service, S.A.
MW - Meyer Werft GmbH
Aker Yards S.A.
CESA - Community of European Shipyards Association
Temis S.A.
Regs4ships Ltd
MJC2 Limited
SEMA2 srl
ISDEFE - Ingenieria de Siatemas para la Defensa di España S.A.
Sirenha
BMT - British Maritime Technology Ltd
MARINTEK - Norsk Marinteknisk Forskningsinstitutt
SSRC - University of Strathclyde
NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
NTUA - National Technical University of Athens
Cardiff University
IST - Insituto Superior Tecnico
WEGEMT - European Association of Universities in Marine Technology and Related Sciences