Christian Hoetterges
Electromobility
If you want maritime infrastructure to be ready for the future, it will have to be engineered to spare resources, save time, and operate sustainably and safely. Ports, energy management, ships – all the mainstays of this sector are changing and every component of the infrastructure has its unique and often complex demands.
The key to tackling these challenges is to invest in the right places for maximum economic impact, today and for many tomorrows to come. This is why we look at the overall system to pinpoint the most critical needs and investment points. Then we draw on cutting-edge digital, AI, or alternative propulsion technology to find the solution that fits your needs best. And once we have that optimum solution, we team up with you to put it into practice.
Thinking and acting green in the interests of a sustainable ecosystem is also a challenging and pressing goal in the maritime sector. I see us doing our part to drive this process with our proven digital engineering methods. Digital models, simulations, and optimization are the tools we use to build new and retrofit legacy ships and port infrastructure.
Christina Warmann, Business Development Manager
The exit from fossil and nuclear fuels, carbon trading, shore-side electricity – these drivers are propelling the long-due transformation of port power systems. Each port’s energy supply system is different. Conditions vary, and each has its specific requirements. But if we come to appreciate the port as a holistic energy system, we could soon see it serving as an energy hub. To this end, the entire energy chain – that is, power generation, storage, and consumption – will have to be connected. And that, in turn, requires impactful investments and the ability to put a sustainable green port concept into practice. State-of-the-art technologies such as simulations, digital twins, and optimization algorithms help us make the right choices.
Greener shipping is all about cutting-edge propulsion systems, be they electric, hybrid or hydrogen-based. Modeling software and simulations are excellent tools for optimizing operations. It pays to use them before making investment decisions. Models and simulations not only provide digital renderings of the real-world propulsion system. They also enable engineers to map out and optimize the entire energy supply chain.
Software simulations certainly benefit autonomous and assisted shipping. Tools to simulate sensors are great assets to systems engineers, who find it so much easier to experiment with sensors’ positioning to pinpoint the best spots. What’s more, sensor fusion algorithms can serve to create assistance functions to improve environmental perception. Virtual sensors accelerate assisted navigation and increase situational awareness in the maritime environment using computer graphics as exemplified in one of our visualizations.
Hybrid propulsion technologies, intelligent energy management, and innovative connected and digital features are giving rise to greater complexity and more software. Engineers have to come up with new architectures and platform solutions to tame this complexity. We develop these solutions for the maritime market. Drawing on a deep well of experience in automotive engineering, we know all about functional safety, cyber security, and cloud-based data. What’s more, we have the skills to apply this knowledge to maritime use cases. And our approach is always adaptive, in tune and in line with your unique needs.
Optimizing shipping routes is so much easier and more effective with AI-driven software. After all, AI can learn from data gathered on previously taken routes. Weather data, ship performance metrics, energy consumption figures – all this is a treasure-trove for machine learning algorithms to exploit in the interest of optimizing shipping routes. Multi-criteria optimization is also an option. It provides the means to optimize each shipping operation to suit very specific requirements and even pursue multiple objectives, such as the fastest route paired with the lowest possible energy consumption.
Our knowledge of cyber security methods runs deep and wide. We tap this wellspring of insight and apply solutions that have proven their merits in the automotive and industrial sectors to maritime use cases. From risk assessment to conceptual consulting, from software development to testing, we have you covered from front to end.
