Eniram provides efficient energy management technology and analytics services to optimize operations and monitor fleet performance. Vast data collected onboard over several years brings Eniram’s customers cost savings and helps them make the right business decisions. In 2016 Eniram was acquired by Wärtsilä Corporation to strengthen its digital offering and in-house capabilities, specifically in data analytics, modelling and performance optimization. We talked to Henrik Dahl, co-founder and CEO of Eniram, to learn how sensors and data analytics achieve results.
What was the driving force that established this once niche company in 2005 which is now going global?
”Two founders came from outside the maritime sector and two came from the Helsinki Shipyard. The spark was that the shipyard guys noted so much automation going into ships and so much data being gathered but use of this information was primitive. The idea of data analytics was not around, so that’s where we came in. At the same time global recognition of the value of data and its use awakened. Over two years we worked on optimising fuel consumption and Co2 reduction, without going into deep analytics but putting things in terms that the captain could understand, where clear economies could be made with a very short visible payback period of less than a year – as it still is today.”
Finding value for the customer
”We progressed by finding value for the customer in the data, and still do. It meant talking to the customer, identifying the problem with them and finding its solution. Trim optimisation was our first product in 2007 as a solution to a common issue. We could save between 1% and 5% of fuel consumption and achieve a short payback time. We had a real time traffic light system to guide trim set-up based on analysing data from and around the ship and the sea conditions. The data was fed back to the user in a simplified form to enable well-informed decisions.”
The positive effects of Eniram Trim can be seen in the reduced water turbulence on the right
With Eniram Trim widely adopted, Eniram moved on to solutions for optimum speed, engine configuration and route planning. This has led on to performance analysis, fuel optimisation and even things like boil-off analysis in LNG carriers, which was nominated for a Digital Innovation @LloydsList Global award.
”More recently we’ve been looking at commercial operation analysis, which is very relevant to cruise ships and the analysis of environmental factors, safety, security and asset maintenance. One by one we are expanding the areas where data analysis helps owners and operators make intelligent decisions.”
The Wärtsilä relationship
”Wärtsilä started taking an interest in us 11 years ago. We’ve been in dialogue with them and many of the industry players so what led Wärstilä to acquire us in 2016? There’s the question of business maturity. We are now into global expansion. There’s been a lot of development focus which will go on into the future, but building the end to end data infrastructure we now have has taken almost 10 years. This encompasses good data that builds a picture of many things that go on well beyond the vessel. As global sales partners to help us upscale Wärstilä offers a fantastic opportunity with their global presence and customer base. Also, the whole industry is into digitalisation and seeking to make best use of data to improve operations, so the industry has also matured in this sense.
With Wärtsilä we have been building our joint plan to introduce the next round of comprehensive optimisation solutions within the Wärtsilä portfolio. The objective is to move the customer mindset toward a having a solution provision, which can be applied to a wide range of things from daily technical operation to long term asset care.”
The deep scope of optimisation solutions
”Trim is well recognised but now we can be more segment specific and look at energy efficiency in cruise ships, where we can model – from end to end – the energy consumption data to optimise energy generation. This means you must know what speed to run, the number of engines to operate and to do this you must have a lot of variables under control . Think of energy requirements when cruise passengers wake up and have breakfast or look at the sun’s position in relation to the use of air conditioning. The more fully you look at the overall situation then you can maximise efficiency and see savings in the order of 5%.”
Should customers just go for total optimisation packages?
”Working with the whole package may be optimal, though it can be better to work progressively with segments of the solution. Royal Caribbean is a good example of modular approach. We have worked with them close to 10 years, focusing on one element at a time, now achieving a very comprehensive level of optimisation. The process should not overwhelm the crew or the shoreside people. In a modular approach you start with one or two aspects of the ship’s operation and build from there. Software updates are done remotely without a need to visit the ship and if we don’t have enough sensors deep in place to obtain all the data then this is often resolved by a system augmentation software upload.”
Royal Caribbean have been working with Eniram for close to ten years (Picture courtesy of Royal Caribbean)
How many sensors do you need?
”We get most sensors from the vessel, limiting the amount of extra sensors we install. Cruise and other complex vessels already have a good level of sensoring, so we integrate into existing systems to get the ship data we need. We must get reliable sensor data and even in advanced vessels we find some sensors are inaccurate. We spent 10 years building data from a wide range of reliable information sources around and on the vessel which enables us to correlate the data we get from the onboard sensor. Many of our sensors are virtual items based on intelligent algorithms we keep on our platform in relation to the vessel and so enable more accurate data to be available for decision making on the ship. This is ”mathematical regression probability” based on extraction of hundreds of billions information signals from multiple sources which feed the analysis of the ship’s situation and provide an accurate real time report for decision making. The more data that is input, the more accurate the output in predicting what will happen.”
SkyLight, an optimisation package for the world’s cargo fleet.
”We recently launched ”SkyLight”, a commercial and charter market solution. Typical bulkers don’t have a sensor infrastructure, yet are 80% of the world’s fleet. SkyLight as one smart sensor drawing upon the sensed ship data alongside the area data we have built up from other ships to produce a 95% accurate solution to optimise the ship’s operation. It costs from less than 500uros per month including satellite connection. What is important is that we gather data and report in real time with a payback period of weeks.”
The SkyLight module for cargo ships, a small addition which brings savings(additional image to use if space)
Satellite limitations are fading
”Sea communication issues are fading as they are being addressed on a global scale. Cruise passengers can download things like Netflix at all times. Cargo ships have seen some data delay points but most are willing to invest in advanced broadband or satellite communications to ensure connectivity and our SkyLight service includes satellite communication. Communications development costs have fallen and capability increased which is a great enabler for us to go to a global market. This fits with Wärtsilä’s ambition to be number one in the global marketplace . Their engines are but one part of their wider business offering in areas where they are mostly market leaders. We can work with optimisation in all those areas in to find the value for the customer in each case.”
So what about the cost of your systems?
”An average ship can use 10 million euros or more in fuel annually. A 2 to 3% saving is up to 300 000 per year. Subject to solution package modularity payback is under a year and weeks in the case of SkyLight.”
What is the vision being shared between Eniram and Wärtsilä?
” Wärtsilä appointed Marco Ryan as Chief Digital Officer as part of a digital strategy we are building together. Wärtsilä wants digitalisation to be part of all the business for existing and new customers, not just in performance, but in all operations involving human interaction with the asset. We have the analytical knowledge to achieve this and our way of working will be to find the business case and value first and then expand to build much more comprehensive optimisation. Looking ahead to the future it will be a case of improving the efficiency with which humans interact with machines. Autonomous ships loaded with artificial intelligence will be a long way off.”
Eniram’s progression from data collection to predictive analysis
Text: Paul Allison
Pictures: Eniram and Royal Caribbean
