Seaspan continues to drive innovation in modern shipbuilding and fleet maintenance through collaboration with four leading Canadian companies

The contracts total $2.6 million and will advance digital twin technology in the marine sector

NORTH VANCOUVER, BC, April 25, 2023 /CNW/ - Seaspan Shipyards (Seaspan) has awarded three contracts totaling approximately $2.6 million to enable four leading Canadian companies in the marine industry to advance digitalization and further modernize shipbuilding and fleet maintenance. These agreements represent Seaspan's commitment to innovation and in providing growth opportunities across the pan-Canadian supply chain, enabling companies to sustain and grow over the long term and better position Canadian technology in the export market.

In March 2022, Seaspan launched its HoloShip platform, an immersive visualization system that allows designers, engineers, production teams, and customers to virtually experience a fully detailed, three-dimensional, and accurate digital model of a vessel, using an integrated 5.6-metre-wide display wall and virtual reality headset.

The HoloShip platform and the projects being announced today are part of Seaspan Shipyards' value proposition commitments under Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy. In addition to providing funding, Seaspan will give Gastops, BCS Automation, 3GA Marine and Kognitiv Spark access to its HoloShip platform – along with decades of shipbuilding expertise and use cases.

Seaspan is accelerating digital transformation through supporting these specific projects:

• BCS Automation (Ontario) – is developing a cutting-edge solution that represents a ship's control and monitoring system. This system will be made available through a virtual interface that aims to improve vessel design and reduce the vessels overall life cycle cost. Through this project, BCS Automation seeks to create a powerful digital tool and push the boundaries in predictive digital twins.
  
  
• Gastops (Ontario) – is developing a digital twin solution that aims to optimize vessel maintenance and performance by proactively identifying and quantifying vessel equipment performance and maintenance issues before they reach a critical stage. Through this project, Gastops seeks to develop a cutting-edge predictive maintenance solution that can be applied to newly built vessels during both the design and operational phases and build out their tools and offerings for marine propulsion systems. It is envisioned that this type of offering would enable customers to save time and money by leveraging innovative sensing and simulation techniques to identify pervasive propulsion system issues with sufficient notice, providing an opportunity to schedule repair and maintenance when vessels are in planned periods of docking.
  
  
• 3GA Marine (British Columbia) and Kognitiv Spark (New Brunswick) – are collaborating to develop an innovative mixed reality solution with an aim to allow onboard vessel operators to visualize and control ship systems and equipment from anywhere. This groundbreaking technology provides users with real-time customizable digital information, enabling operators to access essential technical data in a mixed reality environment. This solution aims to increase simplicity, safety, and efficiency in operating processes by enhancing the decision-making capabilities of engineers, the speed at which they can access information, and the implementation of customized predictive maintenance routines and associated software integration tools. This project is set torevolutionize the marine industry by enhancing ships control, monitoring and maintenance bringing it closer to a future of autonomous operations.

"Seaspan's partnership with leading Canadian companies in the marine industry is another important step to boost innovation and support the country's marine supply chains, while leveraging the use of the HoloShip platform. This will help to ensure we have the modern ships needed and lead to the creation of well-paying jobs for Canadians."

-  The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

"As part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy's overarching objective to build a sustained, long-term shipbuilding industry, Seaspan is leading several key innovation areas. Digital twins offer huge potential in all phases of a ship's lifecycle. By partnering and funding these three companies, we can move the Canadian marine digital twin ecosystem forward with a goal of leading the world in this area."

-  Dave Hargreaves, Senior Vice President, Strategy, Business Development and Communications

"For over 40 years our business has provided propulsion system performance modelling services, and advanced sensing products to the marine and aerospace markets. The Holoship Initiative provides us with a great opportunity to fuse these capabilities into a holistic solution, and establish a Propulsion, Emission, and Predictive Maintenance Digital Twin. We are extremely excited to advance this technology with Seaspan, an industry leader, and contribute to the Canadian shipbuilding ecosystem."

-  Brennan West, Director, Defence and Aftermarket, Gastops 

"3GA Marine and Kognitiv Spark have teamed up to revolutionize marine engineering with mixed reality technology to enhance vessel operations, streamline engineering procedures and pave the way for autonomous operations in the future. Seaspan's HoloShip program supports this groundbreaking initiative, which will replace certain functionalities typically found in a vessel's Machinery Control Room with a Hololens and associated software integration tools. This technological leap is set to transform the marine industry."

-  Daniel McIntyre, Vice President, 3GA Marine

"We are thrilled to leverage and develop the word-class talent our Canadian team brings to this innovative project here in Belleville, Ontario. This partnership exemplifies our commitment to emerging technologies like Predictive Digital Twins and Virtual Reality Immersive Models. We are proud of our partnership with Seaspan and of our participation in the National Shipbuilding Strategy, as we help develop the next generation of Canadian shipbuilders."

-  Nathan Bowland, General Manager, BCS Automation

Seaspan Shipyards, a division of Seaspan ULC, is a leader in Canada's shipbuilding and ship repair industry. With modern facilities and a dedicated workforce of 3,200 in North Vancouver and Victoria, Seaspan Shipyards has proven itself to be a trusted partner on a range of complex projects for both government and the private sector. Seaspan Shipyards is proud to be Canada's chosen non-combat shipbuilder under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. In this capacity, the company is building state-of-the-art ships in Canada for the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy. Through its NSS-related work, Seaspan Shipyards is creating jobs, generating economic benefits, and rebuilding Canada's shipbuilding and marine industries. 

BCS Automation provides custom solutions and high-quality products to meet client's specific electrical and automation objectives. A proud testament to their continual growth and contributions to both Canadian and international marine industries is the successful completion of challenging projects on commercial, Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy vessels. Their desire to advance the marine industry has led to the design, production, and implementation of automation systems around the world.

Gastops is the world's leading provider of intelligent condition monitoring solutions for Aerospace, Defence, Energy, and Industrial applications to optimize the availability, performance, and safety of critical assets. We offer peace of mind to our customers with innovative online monitoring sensors, at-line analysis, complex modeling and simulation, world class laboratory testing, engineering, design, and MRO services that predict performance to enable proactive operating decisions. Gastops has been providing powerful insights into the condition of critical equipment since 1979. 

3GA Marine is a leading marine engineering and consulting firm with a strong track record of delivering innovative, reliable, and cost-effective solutions for its clients. The company's services include vessel design, re-powering, and integration of new technological advancements to help clients stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry.

Kognitiv Spark is a pioneering mixed reality solutions provider dedicated to developing cutting-edge applications for a wide range of industries. Their innovative solutions empower organizations to enhance productivity, safety, and efficiency through the power of mixed reality.

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SOURCE Seaspan Shipyards

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