Rolls-Royce, DNV GL, NTNU, & SINTEF Establish Future Ship Simulation Platform

Rolls-Royce, The Norwegian University of Technology Science (NTNU), research organization SINTEF Ocean, and classification society DNV GL have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the aim of creating an open source digital platform for use in the development of new ships.

The platform would allow the creation of so called “digital twins”. A digital twin is a digital copy of a real ship, including its systems, that synthesizes the information available about the ship in a digital world. This allows any aspect of an asset to be explored through a digital interface, creating a virtual test bench to assess the safety and performance of a vessel and its systems, both before its construction and through its lifecycle.

Asbjørn Skaro, Director Digital & Systems, Rolls-Royce – Marine said: “The platform will enable us to build digital twins of real ships, which in turn will form the basis for novel ways of designing, constructing, verifying and operating new maritime concepts and technology.”

Remi Eriksen, Group President and CEO, DNV GL said: “We are entering a new era with the accelerated uptake of more IT-technology in shipping. Digitalization of information flows will have a positive impact on safety and environmental performance. By creating ships and ship technology in a virtual environment new ideas and technology can be realized and tested in a shorter time frame. A platform like this could form the basis for future class services.”

Hans Petter Hildre, Professor and Chairman, NTNU said: “A simulation-based way of working let’s us easily test multiple concepts before a final solution is selected. In addition, re-using digital models along the entire value chain will contribute to reducing costs.”

Henning Borgen, President, SINTEF Ocean said: “This is a very concrete example of how digitalization can contribute in making our most important ocean space industries more efficient. I believe we have the knowledge and data needed to contribute to this industrial revolution and look forward to be part of this.”

The project partners intend to open the platform for use by other parties, with some core aspects built on an open source framework – enabling designers, equipment and system manufacturers, yards, ship owners, operators, research institutes and academia to work together to co-create and innovate together. The platform is also designed to serve as a model library for different ship concepts, where concepts can be made generally available or kept part of projects with limited access. Following the signing of the MoU, the project partners are now working to form a steering group that will define and govern the development of the core platform system and its deployment.

About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc

Rolls-Royce’s vision is to be the market-leader in high performance power systems where our engineering expertise, global reach and deep industry knowledge deliver outstanding customer relationships and solutions. We operate across five businesses: Civil Aerospace, Defense Aerospace, Marine, Nuclear and Power Systems.

Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 4,000 marine customers including 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers.

We have three common themes across all our businesses:

• - Investing in and developing engineering excellence
• - Driving a manufacturing and supply chain transformation which will embed operational excellence in lean, lower-cost facilities and processes
• - Leveraging our installed base, product knowledge and engineering capabilities to provide customers with outstanding service through which we can capture aftermarket value long into the future.

Annual underlying revenue was £13.8 billion in 2016, around half of which came from the provision of aftermarket services. The firm and announced order book stood at £80 billion at the end of 2016. In 2016, Rolls-Royce invested £1.3 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 31 University Technology Centers, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.

Rolls-Royce employs almost 50,000 people in 50 countries. More than 16,500 of these are engineers. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills. In 2016 we recruited 274 graduates and 327 apprentices through our worldwide training programs.

About NTNU

The Norwegian University for Technology and Science (NTNU) has the main responsibility for higher education in technology in Norway, and it is the country’s premier institution for the education of engineers. The university offers several programs of professional study and a broad academic curriculum in the natural sciences, social sciences, teacher education, humanities, medicine and health sciences, economics, finance and administration, as well as architecture and the arts.

About SINTEF Ocean

SINTEF Ocean is one of seven research institutes in the SINTEF Group, one of Europe’s largest independent research organizations. SINTEF holds international top-level expertise in the fields of technology, natural sciences, medicine and social sciences. SINTEF Ocean focus on industries and activities that are important to Norway such as fisheries, aquaculture, the maritime sector, offshore oil and gas technology, as well as research into new opportunities.

About DNV GL

Driven by our purpose of safeguarding life, property and the environment, DNV GL enables organizations to advance the safety and sustainability of their business. We provide classification, technical assurance, software and independent expert advisory services to the maritime, oil & gas and energy industries. We also provide certification services to customers across a wide range of industries. Operating in more than 100 countries, our professionals are dedicated to helping our customers make the world safer, smarter and greener.

About DNV GL – Maritime

DNV GL is the world’s leading classification society and a recognized advisor for the maritime industry. We enhance safety, quality, energy efficiency and environmental performance of the global shipping industry – across all vessel types and offshore structures. We invest heavily in research and development to find solutions, together with the industry, that address strategic, operational or regulatory challenges. For more information visit www.dnvgl.com/maritime