Vanguard Magazine

EVENTS 42 APRIL/MAY 2022 www.vanguardcanada.com posed – What green technologies do we need to be looking at? What alternative energies, clean fuels, and infrastructure is needed? Andy Smith's keynote shed light on these challenges, sharing that current pro- cesses are now focusing on greening the fleet and reducing emissions to an all-time low for all newly constructed ships. With waterways being opening up in the Arctic, there is more shipping taking place within these waters. This in turn affects marine life heavily as the noise pollution levels rise and disturb this wildlife, spurring a need for quiet design integrated into these ships. Regarding the ability to com- pete against subsidized yards in other re- gions of the world, he clarified that while low salary rates may not be able to be a point of competition, the Canada can lead in other areas such as design engineering and production thanks to advancements in technology, increasing competition in a different way. For the Canadian Coast Guard the average ship age is 40 years, in-service support, maintenance and re- pair for these ships are a continual focus, which calls for the incorporation of new technologies – such as digital twin, a top- ic revisited in Day 2. Other leaps in technological adoption that the CCG is looking at nclude a new Smart Vessel Traffic System, which uses AI, predictive modelling, predictive vessel movement and map environmental sensi- tivities – all of which will greatly enhance capabilities. Smith's keynote was further enhanced by various panels, such as Brent Perry's, the CEO of Shift Clean Energy. He shared various advancements in bat- tery production and decarbonation using energy storage. Cdr Corey Gleason also shared an eye-opening video of the maid- en voyage of the HMCS Harry DeWolf, one of Canada's newest icebreaking ships, sailing around the continent of North America – the first in 50 years. Day 2, led by keynote speaker RAdm Casper Donovan, enhanced the first day's conversations with themes regarding digital ships, by continuing the dialogue around digital twins and threads. The re- cent move to industry 4.0 ushers in a new era of digitization, as digital technology enables new ways of pursuing and chang- ing how we interact with our environ- ment and each other. This digital world also needs to be seamlessly integrated into ships for ease of communication and more efficient processes. With a digital twin or thread, this ease of communica- tion is made even clearer. With built-in capabilities to model, simulate and pre- dict performance and data, a digital twin is a virtual representation of an object or system that spans its lifecycle, is updated from real-time data, and uses simulation, machine learning and reasoning to help decision-making. Especially in the case of ship lifecycle management, it is im- perative for the data and emergence of innovative solutions to lead to effective management for operations, engineer- ing planning, and supply chain. RAdm Donavan concluded by emphasizing the Royal Canadian Navy's goal – to accu- rately pinpoint what we need to change to ensure future success, and how they can better empower their staff and those within the sector to adopt these practic- es, bettering the industry. In regards to security, the increasing use of cloud computing platforms and the Internet of Things, particularly onboard vessels, has created new opportunities for integrating and analyzing real-time data from different sources. However, it also raises questions about how we can se- curely capture, analyze and integrate this data safely when at sea. The second day wrapped up with a unanimous agreement regarding the importance of knowing what, where, and how this data is trans- mitted, making note that this needs to be prioritized onboard ships. With technology constantly improving and expanding its limits by the second, it is clear that opportunities to further inte- grate and utilize these tools are abundant within Canada's maritime sector. This year, the 9th Annual ShipTech Forum has provided an efficient virtual stage for such discussions to be held and deliber- ated upon, proving to be a successful step forward into the new generation and fu- ture of shipbuilding in Canada. Day 2, led by keynote speaker RAdm Casper Donovan, enhanced the first day's conversations with themes regarding digital ships, by continuing the dialogue around digital twins and threads. Cdr Corey Gleason also shared an eye-opening video of the maiden voyage of the HMCS Harry DeWolf, one of Canada's newest icebreaking ships, sailing around the continent of North America – the first in 50 years.

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