Wärtsilä latest drive towards harnessing innovative and creative technologies took place in a successful testing programme on board the cruise ship ‘Costa Atlantica’, belonging to Carnival’s Costa Crociere fleet.
This test enabled the crew to have a better understanding of the ship’s trim, thereby enhancing both safety and efficiency, which was made possible through the combined use of Wärtsilä’s Eniram Trim and Nacos Platinum systems, the company claimed.
By introducing the Eniram Trim functionality, which allows immediate response to changing conditions and the maintaining of an optimum trim in real time, for use with the Nacos Platinum control system for navigation, automation and dynamic positioning, substantial operator benefits can be accrued, Wärtsilä said.
These include better operational visibility, fewer workstations, and improved customer support in data collection and subsequent analysis. By combining the Eniram and Nacos technologies, the system is claimed to be easier to use, and creates greater availability of the guidance information needed. This information is available on all the Nacos screens.
“This programme fits well into Wärtsilä’s digitalisation strategy, our vision for a smart marine future and our roadmap of horizontal integration across Wärtsilä’s unrivalled product portfolio. We are uniquely positioned to utilise complementing technologies because of our extensive product portfolio and broad range of in-house competences, and this testing programme confirmed our ability to create a better value chain for data collection and analytics,” said Maik Stoevhase, Director Automation, Navigation, Communication, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.
Eniram, a specialist in providing energy management technology to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, was acquired by Wärtsilä in 2016 to be a catalyst in creating a digital and performance driven company.
Eniram’s trim analysis is based on a unique model of a vessel’s hydrodynamic characteristics, the information gathered by attitude sensors installed on the vessel’s hull, and the vessel’s automation and bridge systems. The input gained enables the system to calculate the optimal trim in real time, which leads to lower fuel consumption and greater cost savings than is possible with conventional trimming methods.
Nacos Platinum represents a combination of control systems for navigation, automation and dynamic positioning, as well as power and propulsion. By integrating all these functions into a single system, the vessel can be navigated, controlled and monitored from various on board locations.
