About the project
Objective
This project aims to develop a DT-based risk-informed decision support methodology, specifically addressing the risk issue associated with stability and manoeuvrability loss of a scaled wind-assisted propulsion ship system. By integrating the DTs into Dynamic Risk Analysis (DRA) methodology, real-time risk estimation can be achieved, enabling proactive risk identification and control. Building on these real-time risk insights, a risk-informed decision support model will be trained to optimise sail attack angle adjustments, ensuring the scaled ship operates within a low-risk state.
Background
Digitalisation and decarbonisation are identified as the key transformative forces shaping the future of shipping, driving the adoption of marine green technologies. Therein, wind-assisted propulsion ship is recognised as one of the most promising solutions for green shipping. However, the deployment of large-scale sails in the wind-assisted propulsion system (WAPS) significantly alters ship’s weight and load distribution, increasing the inherent risk of stability and manoeuvrability loss, which threatens crew lives, assets and the marine environment.
Additionally, the continuous adjustments of sail direction to adapt to changing wind conditions during navigation introduce further uncertainties, amplifying the fluctuations in risk and highlighting the challenges in managing the dynamic risk levels associated with these systems. Therefore, achieving resilient and smart green shipping, which involves risk-interactive and adaptive automated operations, requires real-time, risk-informed decision support integrated with high-fidelity digitalisation. In this context, Digital Twins (DTs), by integrating the virtual and physical worlds, enable the real-time monitoring of operational scenarios and timely data analysis to head off issues before they arise, which holds great potential to enhance the risk-informed decision support yet still remains largely untapped.
About the Digital Futures Postdoc Fellow
Yue Han holds a Ph.D. in Design and Manufacture of Ship and Ocean Structure from Dalian University of Technology in China, where she specialised in the development of risk assessment methodologies and frameworks. With 7 years of research experience in this field, she has been working on dynamic risk analysis and intelligent decision-making of risk control strategies for marine structures such as ships, offshore installations, and their equipment. Now Yue is working on addressing the new hazards and failure mechanisms emerging from the recent implementation of green technologies and digital technologies in the maritime industry.
Main supervisor
Abbas Dashtimanesh
Co-supervisor
Jelena Zdravkovic and Giuseppe Belgioioso
