A Japanese industry project ‘Development of Integrated Simulation Platform for Sustainable and Competitive Maritime Industry’ has been selected by JST, Japan Science and Technology Agency.
The project is valued at up to JPY 12gn and is led by NYK Group company MTI; the other partners being Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Japan Marine United Corporation, Mitsui E&S, National Maritime Research Institute, Tsuneishi Akishima Laboratory (formerly Akishima Laboratory), Graduate School of Engineering of The University of Osaka and Kyoto University.
The project aims involves R&D for (tentative translation) ‘High-Performance Next-Generation Vessel Development Technology Using Digital Technology and High-Resolution and High-Precision Environmental Change Prediction Technologies to Support the Stable Operation of Vessels’, which is set out in the ‘Key and Advanced Technology R&D through Cross Community Collaboration Programme’ (known as the ‘K Program’) of the Japanese Government.
The K Program promotes R&D, as well as the utilisation of its outcomes, for advanced and critical technologies that are essential for Japan to maintain a solid position in the international community over the medium to long term. As one of the projects undertaken in the K Program, the consortium aims to secure leading next generation ship development, design and construction capabilities, and ensure safe marine transportation in accordance with the vision set out by Japan’s Cabinet Office and MEXT, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
With the focus of shipping demand perceived to be shifting toward high-performance next-generation ships that adopt alternative fuels to reduce GHG emissions, emphasis will be on energy-saving technologies such as wind propulsion, and advanced integrated control systems including autonomous navigation. Japan’s maritime industry faces the challenge of developing and supplying next-generation ships with increasingly sophisticated and complex functions in shorter lead times, while expanding its shipbuilding capacity to meet growing global demand amid a declining labour force.
To address this, the five-year R&D project will establish an ‘Integrated Simulation Platform’ that enables simultaneous consideration of ship lifecycle and the supply chain, at the initial development and design stages, to optimise ship design and construction plans. The project will promote implementation of virtual engineering concepts and techniques into the maritime industry. Additionally, regarding weather and sea condition predictions that impact the safe and stable ship operations, a seasonal prediction technology, covering up to three months in advance, including extreme phenomena such as typhoons, will be developed and integrated into the platform.
Image: Tsuneishi Shipbuilding is one of the project partners (source: Tsuneishi Shipbuilding)
