CASE STUDY: MARITIME TRANSPORT - Marine Technology

Participants
The project is co-ordinated by British Maritime Technology Ltd (BMT) and organised as follows:
Participant Business activity Role in project
BMT, UK Software Developer Prediction & Training Software
Development
Atlas Marine Elektronik,
Germany
Maritime Equipment Manufacturer
and Supplier
Interface development
Cetena, Italy Software Development Enhanced Ship Design Tool
Development
Fincanteiri, Italy Ship Builder End-user of Enhanced Ship Design Tool
P&O Cruises, UK Cruise Ship Operator End-user of Navigation Aid & Training
System
Warsaw University of
Technology
Education/Research/Consulting Prediction Software Development
Enhanced Ship Model
Commercial benefits
Super-cruisers are capable of carrying 4000 plus people. A collision has the potential to produce unprecedented
carnage. The SEA-AHED tools will have the ability to significantly reduce the risk of this happening and will
contribute directly to safety through on-board training, providing a situational awareness, and even predicting
the behaviour of the vessel in situations where some machinery fails.
A demand for at least 2 more vessels by the end-user participants is forecast which would secure approximately
2300 more jobs. The system developers expect in excess of a 300% return in research investment in the 5
years following the completion of the project. This will result from direct sales to similar organisations to the enduser
partners. Cruise ship operators can expect a reduction of approximately €5m per ship in terms of repair
costs over a five year period. Shipbuilders can
expect €0.3m per vessel in direct benefits
through increased efficiency in the design
process, and increased profit due to the ordering
of more vessels (approximately €25m per
vessel) due to increased demand for a product
which can better match a customer’s needs.
The possibilities opened up by research on the
SEA-AHED project may be extended to bulk
carriers, tankers, container ships, Ro-Ros and
fast ferries, by lending itself towards the
development of intelligent cruise control, and
automatic docking for these large vessels. Other
possibilities for future research include prediction
and obstacle avoidance for commercial fixed
wing aircraft, intelligent cruise control for cars,
and automated underwater vehicles.
For further details on SEA-AHED contact: Rory Doyle, British Maritime Technology; 1 Waldegrave Rd.
Teddington, TW11 8LZ; Tel: 020 8943 5544; e-mail:roryd@bmtech.co.uk
For further information on opportunities for maritime and waterborne transport technologies in FP6, contact:
Cliff Funnell – UK FP6 Sustainable Surface Transport (Maritime) NCP
Tel: 01243 552921
e-mail: cfa@marinetechnology.co.uk
Web: http://fp6uk.ost.gov.uk or http://www.marinetechnology.co.uk