By
Rebecca Gibson |
Kongsberg Maritime has installed its Kongsberg Information Management System (KIMS) onboard Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas to improve data access and vessel management.
KIMS is a customised data management system, which features a suite of applications within a single web portal. It offers triple redundant data access, while its storage system comprises of two onboard servers, which enables engineers to access the ship’s data. An additional server is located in a hosted cloud service as part of Royal Caribbean’s office network in California, allowing the operator to access data without relying on satellite communications. KIMS data is also displayed on a large screen in Allure of the Seas’ engine control room.
Protected by a malware system, the data can also be securely accessed via an administration server from authorised locations including the Kongsberg Maritime customer support team.
“The KIMS onboard Allure of the Seas is a revolutionary upgrade in data storing and a handling application that has a significant influence on our daily operations,” said Dragutin Radobuljac, Allure of the Seas’ chief electrical engineer. “It helps us to perform our daily duties and continue with smooth ship operation.”
In addition, the ship’s existing Kongsberg Maritime K-Chief automation system was significantly upgraded. One of the most extensive ever installed by Kongsberg Maritime, the new K-Chief system consists of 76 remote control units, which manage more than 40,000 input/output (I/O) points.
Replacing the existing K-Chief History Station, KIMS will provide data from 21,000 I/O points and data storage for seven years. This provides Royal Caribbean with extensive data and statistics with which to improve vessel operational performance.
KIMS also provides the ability to review statistical data, condition-based monitoring, alarms and events, as well as performance data. Providing a long-term overview of equipment performance, KIMS enables the ship’s engineers to carry out preventative maintenance, while alarms and events reporting allows issues to be fixed before an emergency occurs.
According to Hans Ellingsen, manager of information management systems at Kongsberg Maritime, fuel efficiency was a key driver behind the installation of KIMS. “The chief engineer requested a report which would show how much fuel was being consumed since noon the previous day,” Ellingsen said. “The report includes all the heavy consumers as line items so the data can be used to help with decisions about which consumers should be kept running and consuming power and which may be shut off. Consequently, the vessel can be operated at a lower fuel cost.”