Ahoy! While the maritime industry is as old as time itself, our technology certainly isn't standing still. From High Frequency data to digital innovation, let's explore what's been making waves in maritime tech this week.
This week, I sat down with Dr. Duncan Campbell, Principal Data Scientist at Danelec. He’s an expert in all things data and gave me insights on transitioning from Low Frequency (LFD) to High Frequency Data (HFD).
Dr Duncan Campbell, Principal Data Scientist at Danelec.
As a Principal Data Scientist at Danelec, Dr. Campbell plays a pivotal role in the company's innovative approach to vessel data collection and analysis, helping shipowners worldwide transition from traditional reporting methods to high-frequency data solutions.
“Every ship is a unique snowflake - they measure things in different ways.”
Danelec is a global leader in maritime data collection and analytics, specializing in Voyage Data Recorders and ship performance monitoring. With over 30 years of experience, the company has supported an impressive 14,000+ vessels, which all carry Danelec equipment onboard.
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The shipping sector is evolving from LFD collected once a day through manually created noon reports to high-frequency data HFD from real-time sensors, enabling precise vessel monitoring and enhanced operational performance.
“Without HFD, there's almost no way to measure optimisation benefits - if you think your vessel is underperforming what was promised, an HFD system is required to even prove that.”
The maritime industry's shift to HFD has always been inevitable, driven by technological advancement and digital transformation. However, not all transitions to HFD are created equal. With some opting for a streamlined transition and a “set it and forget it” approach, they lose out on key insights and rely on the assumption that automated data is always correct.
Dr. Duncan Campbell explained the need to embrace HFD and gave his advice on how to implement and manage HFD for the best results.
With incoming carbon taxes and stricter environmental regulations, shipowners can't afford to guess at their vessels' efficiency. "Without HFD, there's almost no way to measure optimisation benefits - if you think your vessel is underperforming what was promised, an HFD system is required to even prove that."
"Just because you have an HFD system up and running doesn't mean you can forget about it.”
Naturally, when you first transition to HFD, there will be a lot of data coming in, from many different sources. “Every ship is a kind of unique snowflake - they have different sets of sensors, they measure things in different ways.”
Each vessel becomes its own distinct data ecosystem. So it's important that time is taken to map processes and standardise datasets so they can be effectively analysed across the fleet, ensuring meaningful comparisons and actionable insights.
The transition to HFD brings its own set of challenges, particularly around data quality. "Just because you have an HFD system up and running doesn't mean you can forget about it. These have their own data quality concerns," explains Dr Campbell.
While HFD provides vastly more information the volume of data itself isn't enough. "Don't ignore data quality from the beginning. Part of the point of this transition is to increase the operational insight and fidelity of your data source, and HFD systems aren't set-it-and-forget-it."
Although the implementation of HFD systems represents a significant upfront investment, the cost of not having detailed performance data is potentially far greater.
“There are tens of millions of dollars invested easily in these various systems, and you would think you'd want to know if your vessel is healthy and operating well.”
In an industry where vessel efficiency, regulatory compliance, and performance optimisation directly impact the bottom line, comprehensive data collection isn't just an operational expense—it's a strategic necessity.
As Dr Campbell emphasised: "These are really expensive assets, and I'm always surprised this isn't more top of the mind for owners when talking about HFD - ‘just this question of how's my expensive ship doing?’ There are tens of millions of dollars invested easily in these various systems, and you would think you'd want to know if your vessel is healthy and operating well."
With millions of dollars invested in each vessel, the real risk isn't in the cost of implementing HFD…it's in operating without it.
Quick-Fire News Round-Up
Time to wrap up this week's maritime IT digest. I'll return next Thursday with another carefully curated selection of industry developments worth your attention. Until then, keep pushing the industry forward! Best wishes, Ailsa