Halunder Jet now safer and more efficient – thanks to NautIQ

UK, September 19. In the North Sea, the crew onboard the Halunder Jet – a high-speed catamaran operated by ferry company FRS – is transporting passengers between Hamburg, Cuxhaven and Heligoland harbour.

With just four hours on Heligoland island to visit the ‘Tall Anna’ sea-stack, watch guillemots and gannets, or engage in some duty-free shopping, visitors want to make the most of every minute secure in the knowledge that they’ll be back on the mainland in time to catch their onward connections.

Uptime and reliability, therefore, are top priorities for the Halunder Jet’s operators, closely followed by cutting fuel consumption – an increasingly important consideration amid rising fuel prices and growing environmental awareness.

Enhancing efficiencies through data

To keep a sea-going vessel like the Halunder Jet running reliably and sustainably, the crew need access to a host of relevant data on its condition. That’s where Rolls-Royce’s mtu NautIQ Foresight can help.

The equipment health management system (EHMS) is designed to evaluate data and enable predictive maintenance, as well as help the crew operate the vessel at maximum efficiency. This way, they can maximise uptime and minimise fuel consumption.

A tailored solution

Since the EHMS went into service, new features have been gradually and continually added to its armoury, including vibration control sensors and a sensor for checking the oil quality on one of the engines.

The crew is now able to access live data from mtu NautIQ Foresight at any time, from nautical information to current performance figures on each engine and upcoming planned maintenance dates.

“One of the benefits of mtu NautIQ Foresight is that it’s much more flexible,” says Chief Engineer Branco Susanic. “If need be, we can attach more sensors to record other metrics we need to see aboard. Also, the software can be customised at any time to show these.”

Solutions from bridge to propeller

At first glance, collecting live data aboard a vessel doesn’t seem like a complex task. In reality, the quality of data and ability to access it via a single tool makes mtu NautIQ Foresight a standout system and underlines Rolls-Royce’s claim to offer solutions as a one-stop provider – from bridge to propeller.

Among the other benefits of the new EHMS aboard the Halunder Jet, the data produced is now also available on land where the fleet manager and the chief technical officer can use it whenever they need to. Once enough data is collected and analysed, artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities can be used to automatically detect any issues.

Delivering continued added value

As part of the mtu NautIQ portfolio, NautIQ Foresight sits alongside a range of new and proven platform management and vessel management systems for ships of all types and sizes. Today, the product family includes new capabilities for intelligent crew support, autonomous control and remote control.

A new virtual co-pilot that makes it possible to navigate more precisely while mtu NautIQ CoOperate enables tugboat skippers to leave the wheelhouse and manoeuvre their vessels from somewhere with better visibility, improving safety and efficiency and producing other benefits as well.