NEWS&TOPICS

Tokyo, September 6, 2021 — Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that its IoT Business Promotion Department was awarded an order by Osaka Gas International Transport Inc. (OGIT) for the Ship Operation and Performance analysis support system (SOPass®). This is the first SOPass® ordered by OGIT, and Kawasaki will install the system on one liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier chartered and currently operated by OGIT.

SOPass® services provide useful ship operation management information to vessels by making use of ship data gathered in real time via satellite communication while also utilizing Kawasaki’s ship engineering knowledge together with information and communication technology (ICT) and Internet of Things (IoT) technology. The system can be installed and used on both newly built andcurrently operational vessels, provides visual representations of operational status information, carries out various types of performance analysis, and offers LNG cargo management optimization features.Furthermore, the calculation program of SOPass® for recommending optimal routes takes boil-off gas (the natural evaporation of LNG that occurs during storage and transportation)into account, which leads to greater energy savings and environmental load reductions.

Features

• ・SOPass® helps managing boil-off gas, generated by natural evaporation during shipping, by predicting the temperature and pressure inside the LNG carrier tank. SOPass®allows effective usage of boil-off gas and proposes optimal routes that maximize LNG transport volume.
• ・By analyzing and learning from hull condition data and propulsion system performance data, SOPass® can propose sea routes that are safe and use the least amount of fuel while also issuing automated reports on predictions of future fuel consumption, ship speed, maintenance requirements and so forth to reduce ship operating costs and improve overall safety.
• ・SOPass® offers a solution in the time of the coronavirus pandemic that calls for diversification of work styles, as users can operate the system "anytime" and "anywhere" from a variety of devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Moving forward, Kawasaki will continue to respond to increasing market demand for even more sophisticated ship operation management systems with our cutting-edge ICT and IoT technologies as well as the broad expertise we have built over many years across the whole Kawasaki Group, and will contribute to further developments in the maritime industry.