The subject of condition-based monitoring has been on everyone’s lips for the past few years, especially as the marine industry is faced with the challenges of increasing fuel costs and implementation of new and stricter environmental regulations. To reinforce this situation, a new chapter to the IMO MARPOL regulations is making the Ship Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP) mandatory for all ships, starting from the 1st of January 2020. These measures are aimed at improving the operational energy efficiency of existing ships, in an attempt to reduce global emissions, created by the shipping industry.

For the past 15 years, Datum Electronics has been providing Marine Shaft Power Meter systems that accurately measure torque, power, and speed, generated by engines and used by propellers. Early systems used average data over long voyage cycles and only look at simple efficiency changes. This data has been used by our customers like Oldendorff Carriers to improve efficiency and validate changes to their operations and ships.

Over this period, we have have been collecting and analysing data, looking at the signal data more in depth, at much higher sample rates and resolutions. From these studies, we have recognised that changes to engine and propeller performance can be identified much earlier, if measured in a dynamic way. And that’s how our new solution was born. Datum Hawk, advanced condition-based monitoring (CBM) system, uses state-of-the-art condition-based monitoring technologies in order to maximise performance in all conditions, under all loads, providing the true engine performance, at all times.

By delivering dynamic data at rates of up to 2000sps, Datum Hawk offers a unique insight into the entire shaft line, while producing averaged data for SFOC in parallel. Unlike other CBM systems on the market, Datum Hawk is installed directly on-shaft as part of the vessel’s shaft line, providing significantly earlier detection of any potential failures or downtime, well in advance of any off-shaft sensors (such as vibration or optical sensors) and at much higher amplitudes.

Additionally, by using the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) & machine-learning techniques, the system can observe every cylinder strike through the ground-breaking dynamic torque data profile and deliver the engine condition diagnostic in real time. This data, presented in a visual format on board of the ship, as well as on shore, enables ship owners and fleet operators to operate a vessel to its ultimate potential.