You co-authored the “Ship Operation 4.0” white paper, which has attracted a great deal of current interest in the maritime sector. What were your reasons for writing this?
Lutz Kretschmann: The core question for us was how the maritime industry can use the new opportunities contained in Industry 4.0 for ship operations. This specifically centers around the data from the operating phase of a ship. We published the white paper to describe how ship operations can be run more efficiently based on this data. We sketched out five areas, which in our opinion offer the best opportunities for various parties in the maritime sector to actively engage with the topic, “Ship Operation 4.0”: these include navigation and ship’s command, systems operation on board, new concepts in maintenance, administration and management processes, and comprehensive ship and fleet management.
What role does the Fraunhofer CML play in digitalization in this sector?
Kretschmann: We provide research services, which support the enterprises in the maritime economy in developing and using new solutions, for example, in applying key technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence. In short, we point out the opportunities offered by digitalization and contribute to their implementation.