SHIFT-DT: Sustainable, Holistic, Integrated Framework for Ship Design and Production Transformation through Digital Twins
Project Summary
The European Commission (2022) reveals that shipping, despite accounting for 90% of global trade, also contributes to 3% of the world’s greenhouse gases (GHGs). As such, the industry faces escalating pressure to rapidly curtail its carbon footprint. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set an ambitious target: a minimum 50% reduction in annual GHG emissions by 2050 compared to 2008 levels (IMO, 2018).
The Maritime Forecast 2050 (DNV, 2022) pinpoints Digitalization and Decarbonization as the transformative forces that will shape the future of shipping. Digitalization, through technologies like Digital Twins (DTs), has the potential to revolutionize ship design and production, thus driving decarbonization.
However, extensive literature reviews indicate that the application of DTs in ship design and production is still in its infancy. There is a conspicuous absence of studies involving ships designed from the ground up using DTs. Consequently, the maritime industry faces the daunting challenge of establishing a design methodology for new ships and their production using DT technologies. Even in the broader manufacturing industry, new design processes appear to be lagging, and the application of DTs in ship production remains a novel,
challenging concept (Mauro and Kana, 2023).
This project aims to bridge these gaps and tackle these challenges. Our overarching objective is to explore the potential of DTs in facilitating sustainable ship design and production in line with the Maritime Forecast 2050's vision of intertwining digitalization and decarbonization. To achieve this, we have forged a collaboration between the KTH Center for Naval Architecture and the Production Logistics Research Group at the Department of Production Engineering. Our multidisciplinary team, made up of internationally renowned experts in ship design and production, is uniquely equipped to drive digitalization in sustainable ship design and production. We will:
- Analyse the role of DTs in enabling shipping decarbonization.
- Develop a comprehensive, flexible DT architecture that can be expanded and upgraded for future applications, with a focus on design and production.
- Create a robust DT application framework that takes into account ship design and production, with the aim of improving efficiency and reducing emissions.
Our project, SHIFT-DT, aims to transcend the current advancements in ship design and production technologies by establishing a framework that incorporates a zero-emission shipping methodology. This novel approach positions DT technology as the next-generation solution for sustainable ship design and production. By realizing these research objectives, we can contribute significantly to the integration of digital and innovative solutions in
sustainable ship design and production. Importantly, our work will support the IMO’s ambitious 2050 goals and align with the Paris Agreement's long-term measures, thus making a meaningful contribution to global climate change mitigation efforts.
