Van Oord is developing the VOCAM platform for far-reaching ship automation

Van Oord is active worldwide as a contractor for dredging, offshore wind and offshore projects. For the fleet, the company developed VOCAM, a platform for automating their mission equipment on board the ships. Daan Baljet from Van Oord explains during the PPA event about the development of this system.

By: Dimitri Reijerman

Baljet works as Electrical & Automation Manager in the Ship Management department, one of the staff departments of this company that manages several ships: “We ensure that ships continue to sail,” says Baljet. “If they have problems, they first try to solve them on board. If that doesn't work, they end up at one of our departments. We have a considerable number of specialists ready for this. We are also involved in the repair periods of the ships and in the new construction projects.”

Within his department, the focus is on electrical installations and the automation of the production process. “We also have two hydraulics specialists,” says Baljet. “But within the 'Projects and Developments' sub-department we are looking at the ship of the future. What do you need to develop now to build the ship of the future within Van Oord?”

During his lecture At the Production Process Automation event, the manager will first discuss the automation platforms on board the ships: “I make a distinction between ship automation and the automation of mission equipment. What exactly is ship automation? And when we talk about mission equipment, it is really about automating the production process that we have on board. Consider, for example, a trailing suction hopper dredger that sucks up sand with a suction tube and pumps it into its hopper. Somewhere else the sand is pumped out again. This requires control, not only for the suction pipe but also for the pump company. And all of this has to work together again.”

VOCAM

Initially, Van Oord searched the market for a suitable platform to extensively automate its ships. But this search did not yield what they were actually looking for. Too many wishes that could not be met by the market. This was one of the reasons for Van Oord to build its own platform. This resulted in the VOCAM platform, or Van Oord Control Automation Monitoring.

So far, VOCAM has been tested in practice in relatively small setups on several smaller Van Oord ships. According to Baljet, that process went well. Now the maritime company plans to further develop and implement the system.

Autonomous sailing

Consideration is also being given to how VOCAM can be used on ships that will be built around 2030. Baljet already sketches a picture of Van Oord's future equipment: “These ships must be able to work autonomously. This does not mean that they will sail without a crew, but that they will make completely independent choices when carrying out a particular project. The ship is given the project parameters and then does the rest automatically. The crew is still there to make adjustments, to keep an eye on everything and to solve malfunctions.”

In conclusion, Baljet says that during his presentation he wants to take his audience into the story of how the collected data is handled on board. For example, it can be used to remotely determine the wear of pumps and other parts and preventive maintenance can be carried out at a strategic time. But with VOCAM, Baljet sees even more added value for the company: “There is so much knowledge within Van Oord. All this comes together in a project like VOCAM.”

You can attend the lecture by Daan Baljet from Van Oord on January 29 at 9:30 am by to register free of charge on the PPA website.