Commercial monitoring systems based on high-end technology

Servowatch has nearly 40 years’ experience, up to the present concentrating more on naval and large yacht markets than deep-sea merchant shipping. The company was originally established as Bond Instrumentation and Process Controls in 1975, and has its roots in service and support for the UK Ministry of Defence. In 2012, its holding company, Thalest, became part of Indian conglomerate Larsen & Toubro, and shortly afterwards Servowatch moved to a new facility in the UK to provide space for expansion and production optimisation. Servowatch secured a contract to provide monitoring systems for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary’s four 38,000gt MARS (Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability) tankers, currently being built at DSME in South Korea.

The company now hopes to build on its experience with bespoke ship solutions for the naval and specialist ship sectors to provide a cost-effective, commercial-off-the-shelf solution for the mainstream shipping industry. It believes the basic technology can be applied to standardised, lower-cost systems for bulk carriers, tankers and container ships.

Two machinery alarm, monitoring and control (AMC) system ranges are to be provided: an entry level system to meet the robust demands of the commercial marine market; and a bespoke solution for more advanced vessels that need greater electrical and automation integration. These are to be supported by a marine security and surveillance solution, based on similar technology. All of the systems use Servowatch’s WinMon Windows-based software at their core.

The simpler system, known as ServoCore, is a COTS (commercial-of-the-shelf) entry level product, designed to offer similar functionality and flexibility as the bespoke products, but at lower first cost, making it more commercially attractive to operators of standard tonnage. The company says the system is built up from standard modules, and is available with three I/O (input/output) configurations, with an expansion capacity allowing additional components to be integrated as required at a later date, providing a degree of future proofing.

South Korea’s Dae Sun Shipbuilding & Engineering has ordered the ServoCore AMS for three 17,500dwt multi-purpose cargo ships currently under construction for an undisclosed Middle Eastern shipowner.

“ServoCore is a real winner for shipbuilders, given the complexity of existing ship automation and integration solutions. It is a fit and forget, plug in and play system offering shipbuilders faster installation and shorter lead times, since the engineering involved has been significantly reduced,” said Martyn Dickinson, Servowatch director of marine business sales.

The more advanced commercial system is known as ServoFusion, described by the company as a turnkey solution tailor-made to suit the complex automation and integration requirements of operators of specialist tonnage. The system offers a variety of options from integrated bridge navigation and platform management to fully integrated turnkey electrical and automation solutions. Data from such ship systems as propulsion plant, electrical systems, auxiliary machinery, tanking and piping arrangements, tank monitoring systems, HVAC, and safety and security management platforms can all be integrated. ServoFusion can handle data from a total of up to 10,000 sensors, compared with the 30-1,500 inputs handled by ServoCore.

Wayne Ross, Servowatch CEO, said: “The success of any specialist, high-value newbuild relies heavily on effective project management. We are with our customers from the outset, at the design and planning stages, right through to commissioning to ensure that each and every project runs smoothly and is delivered on time. We are a total solutions provider, offering FEED (front end engineering and design), installation, testing and commissioning services for newbuilds, retrofits and upgrades.”

The system is similar in many respects to the Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) for the UK RFA MARS tankers, due for delivery from 2016, each of which will receive a Servowatch scope of supply that includes operator interfaces for all shipboard machinery, such as automation, propulsion control, power management, damage control, onboard training, CCTV and other critical components.

The ServoCore and ServoFusion packages can incorporate the ship safety and security management aspects of the company’s new ServoSecurity offering. This can be integrated into shipboard fire and flood detection systems to optimise emergency management and evacuation processes. The ServoSecurity system builds on the company’s success as provider of the primary marine surveillance tool used by the principal authorities during the 2012 London Olympics.

“This landmark technology has capability across many different sectors including counter surveillance for both marine and land-based application,” said Servowatch head of R&D Stafford Williams.