There is a better way. Identification of ways to improve the efficiency of engineering and technological design processes

One of the promising ideas of tomorrow, affecting any production, is digital asset modeling: creating virtual copies of real objects that look and function exactly the same as their prototypes. At Gazprom Neft, “digital twins” are closely involved in the company’s processing plants, and much of this innovative technology has already been implemented

From drawings to 3D models

A little history. People have always needed drawings and diagrams, from the moment of the first inventions - the wheel and the lever, in order to transmit information to each other about the design of these devices and the rules for their use. At first these were primitive drawings containing only the simplest information. However, the designs became more complex, and the images and instructions became more detailed. Since then, technologies for visualizing, documenting and storing knowledge about structures and mechanisms have come a long way. Nevertheless for a long time paper remained the main medium for recording engineering ideas, and the plane remained the working space.

In the second half of the twentieth century, it became clear that the usual army of draftsmen armed with drawing boards was no longer able to keep up with the rapid growth of industrial production and the complexity of engineering developments. Accelerating the processing of voluminous and complex information (for example, a technological installation for atmospheric distillation of oil contains more than 30 thousand pieces of equipment) required a change in the work technology of designers, designers, builders, technologists, operation and maintenance specialists. Evolution technical means design took another turn, and in the early 90s of the last century, computer-aided design systems - CAD - came to the oil industry. At first they used 2D drawings, and then, by the end of the 2000s, they came to 3D.

Modern design systems allow engineers to carry out the layout and design of industrial facilities in volumetric form, taking into account all the restrictions and requirements of the production process, as well as industrial safety requirements

Modern design systems allow engineers to layout and design industrial facilities in volumetric form, taking into account all the constraints and requirements of the production process, as well as industrial safety requirements. With their help, you can create a design model of a particular installation and correctly place technological and technical components on it without contradictions and collisions. Experience shows that through the use of such systems it is possible to reduce the number of errors and inconsistencies during design and operation by 2–3 times various installations. This figure is impressive when you consider that for large-scale industrial equipment, the number of errors that must be corrected during the design review process is in the thousands.

From the point of view of designers and builders, the use of 3D models makes it possible to radically improve the quality of design documentation and reduce design time. The constructed information model of the object turns out to be useful at the operational stage. This is a new level of ownership of an industrial facility, at which personnel can obtain any information required to make a decision or complete a task in the shortest possible time, based on the existing model. Moreover: when, after some time, equipment modernization is required, future designers will have access to all relevant information, with a history of repairs and maintenance.

Omsk pilot

Sergey Ovchinnikov,
Head of the Control Systems Department at Gazprom Neft

The development and implementation of an engineering data management system is, without a doubt, an important part of the innovative development of the logistics, processing and sales unit. The functionality inherent in SUPRID and the potential of the system will allow the unit in particular and the company as a whole to become leaders in the digital management of engineering data in oil refining. Moreover, this software is an important component of the entire line of related IT systems, which represent the foundation of the BLPS Performance Management Center that is currently being created.

In 2014, Gazprom Neft launched a project to create an engineering data management system for oil refining facilities - SUPRID. The project is based on the use of 3D modeling technologies for the design, construction and maintenance of industrial facilities. Thanks to their use, the time required for the creation and reconstruction of oil refining plants is reduced, the efficiency and safety of their operation is increased, and the downtime of the plant's process equipment is reduced. The implementation of a modern engineering data management system on the latest Smart Plant for Owners/Operators (SPO) platform is carried out by specialists from the management systems department of the logistics, processing and sales unit, as well as subsidiary company"ITSK" and "Automation Service".

Through use automated systems design, creating 3D models of objects, it is possible to reduce the number of errors and inconsistencies in the design and operation of various installations by 2–3 times.

At the end of last year, a pilot project was successfully completed to deploy platform functionality and set up business processes for the newly reconstructed primary oil refining unit at the Omsk Refinery - AT-9. The system implements functionality for storing, managing and updating information about the installation throughout its entire life cycle: from construction to operation. Along with the system, regulatory and methodological documentation, requirements for the designer and standards for engineering data management were developed. “SUPRID is a good assistant in work,” noted Sergei Shmidt, head of the AT-9 installation at the Omsk Refinery. - The system allows you to quickly access engineering information about any equipment, view its drawing, clarify technical parameters, localize the location and take measurements on a three-dimensional model that accurately reproduces the real installation. The use of SUPRID helps, among other things, to train new specialists and trainees.”

How it works?

The task of the SUPRID system is to cover all stages of the life cycle of a technological object. Start by collecting engineering information at the design phase and then update the information at subsequent stages - construction, operation, reconstruction, reflecting the current state of the facility.

It all starts with information from the designer, which is sequentially transmitted and loaded into the system. The initial data consists of: design documentation, information about the functional, technological and construction and installation structure of the facility, intelligent technological diagrams. It is this information that becomes the basis information model, allowing you to instantly receive targeted information about construction projects and the technological diagram of the installation, making it possible in a few seconds to find the desired position of process equipment, instrumentation equipment on the technological diagram, and determine its participation in the technological process.

In turn, using a 3D design model of an object loaded into the system, you can visualize it, see the configuration of blocks, the spatial arrangement of equipment, surroundings with neighboring equipment, and measure the distances between various elements of the installation. The formation of an operational information model is completed by linking as-built documentation and 2D and 3D “as built” models, which provide the opportunity to obtain detailed information about the properties and technical characteristics of any equipment or its elements at the operating stage. Thus, the system is a structured and interconnected set of all engineering data of an object and its equipment.

Roman Komarov,
deputy head of department engineering systems"ITSK", head of development "SUPRID"

After many years of evaluating the benefits of the project and preliminary development, the pilot system was implemented in a short time. The implementation of SUPRID allowed the company to obtain a tool for managing engineering data of oil refining facilities. The next global step, which we will gradually approach, is the formation of a digital information model of the oil refinery.

Today in Electronic archive SUPRID has already downloaded more than 80,000 documents. The system allows for a positional search for up-to-date information about any type of equipment, providing the user with comprehensive information on each position, including specifications, overall dimensions, material design, design and operating parameters, etc. “SUPRID” makes it possible to view any part of the installation in a three-dimensional model or on a technological diagram, open scanned copies of documents related to this position: working, executive or operational documentation (passports, acts, drawings, etc.).

More than 80,000 documents have already been uploaded to the SUPRID electronic archive. The system allows you to carry out a positional search for up-to-date information about any type of equipment and provide the user with comprehensive information on each position.

This variability significantly reduces the time spent on accessing relevant information and its interpretation, avoids errors during reconstruction and technical re-equipment object, moral replacement outdated equipment. "SUPRID" helps analyze the operation of the installation and its equipment when assessing the operating efficiency, facilitates the preparation of changes in technological regulations, the investigation of failures, malfunctions, accidents at the facility, the education and training of operating personnel.

“SUPRID” is integrated with other BLPS information systems and forms a unified information environment for engineering data, which, among other things, will become the basis for the innovative Unit Performance Management Center. Interrelation with such programs as KSU NSI (corporate reference information management system), SAP TORO (maintenance and repair of equipment), SU PSD (design and estimate documentation management system) TrackDoc, Meridium APM, forms a unique integrated automation system processes for managing production assets of an oil refinery, allowing to increase the economic effect of their sharing For the company.

Project efficiency

In a relatively short period of time, Gazprom Neft IT specialists managed not only to master the intricacies of the SPO platform on which the engineering data management system is built, but also to create a completely new infrastructure for the company and develop a set regulatory documents, and ultimately develop a qualitatively new approach to the construction of oil refining facilities.

More on early stage After the project was implemented, it became obvious that the system would be in demand by the plant’s operational services and capital construction services. Suffice it to say that its use saves up to 30% of working time on searching and processing technical information for any object. When “SUPRID” is integrated with systems for regulatory and reference information, equipment maintenance and repair, design and estimate documentation and others, current engineering data becomes available for prompt and high-quality maintenance of process equipment. The capabilities of the system also make it possible to create a simulator for operation services, which will undoubtedly increase the level of training of their specialists. For refinery capital construction departments, the system will become a design tool at the stage of minor and medium repairs. This approach greatly simplifies monitoring the progress of reconstruction of industrial facilities and improves the quality of repairs.

It is expected that the investments made in the implementation of SUPRID will pay off in approximately 3–4 years. This will be possible due to a reduction in design time, an earlier transfer of installations from the commissioning stage to industrial operation and, as a result, an increase in the volume of finished products produced. Another significant advantage is the acceleration of the preparation and implementation of maintenance work and the implementation of reconstruction and modernization of installations by reducing the time it takes for refinery operating services to check new design documentation and timely detection of deficiencies and errors in the work of design and construction contractors.

The SUPRID implementation program is designed for the period until 2020. It will be used to “digitize” both existing installations and the construction of new facilities. Currently, specialists are preparing to replicate the system at the Moscow Refinery.

What is a Digital Twin?

The digital twin is a new word in modeling and production planning - a single model that reliably describes all processes and relationships as separate object, and within the entire production asset in the form virtual installations and simulation models. Thus, a virtual copy of the physical world is created.

The use of a digital twin, which is an exact copy real asset, helps to quickly simulate the development of events depending on certain conditions and factors, find the most effective operating modes, identify potential risks, integrate new technologies into existing production lines, reduce the time and cost of project implementation. Additionally, the digital twin helps identify security steps.

Modern technologies make it possible to build digital twins of absolutely any production assets, be it an oil refinery or Logistic company. In the future, these technologies will allow remote control of the entire production process in real time. Based on the digital twin, it is possible to combine all systems and models used for planning and managing production activities, which will increase the transparency of processes, the accuracy and speed of decision making.

A digital twin can also be viewed as electronic passport products, which records all data on raw materials, materials, operations performed, tests and laboratory studies. This means that all information, from drawings and production technology to maintenance and disposal rules, will be digitized and available for reading by devices and people. This principle allows us to monitor and guarantee the quality of products and ensure their effective service.

More and more enterprises are showing interest in the topic of digitalization of production. The organizers of the regional scientific and technical conference “Digitalization of production processes” were able to verify this. Application of industrial software for building digital enterprises,” which took place recently in Samara.

It was initiated by the SMS-Automation group of companies, known as a universal integrator specializing in the creation and support of industrial automation systems, together with the Digital Manufacturing department of Siemens, one of the world's largest concerns in the field of automation and electrical products, with which Samara developers have had more than two decades of fruitful cooperation.

Forum of manufacturers and developers information systems The Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Samara Region also supported it. Its specialists have repeatedly noted the successes of the group of companies in the field of industrial automation and the construction of large information systems.

Representatives of industrial enterprises in the Samara region were introduced to the conceptual framework and specific tools for building effective digital production. Industrial automation is only part of digitalization, or digitalization, as it is also called. Digitalization is the automation of processes throughout the entire life cycle of a product, equipment, or enterprise. The project, its functioning, and modernization fit into it.

The report of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the SMS-Automation Group of Companies, Andrey Sidorov, “Industrial software as a digitalization tool." “We are on the threshold of the intellectualization of control systems,” noted Andrey Sidorov (in the bottom photo). - Now equipment manufacturers in the West are changing their production model. Equipment begins to have a digital twin. Changing business models will mean that a digital twin will be a significant factor when choosing a supplier.”

Digitalization also means testing situations on virtual digital models, which allows you to save enormous amounts of money. Siemens is already at its digitalization site, without waiting for the arrival of a machine for the production of parts, having received it virtual image, connects virtual robots to it and begins debugging technological processes without wasting time.

The topics raised by experts related to the use of specific digital production tools were received with interest by conference participants and raised many questions and discussions. In addition to the reports, the attention of the conference guests was attracted by demo stands with practical examples of the implementation of the principles of digitalization in the realities of process control systems of industrial enterprises in Russia. Special attention at the conference was paid to the issues information security modern systems automation. Acquaintance with current trends in the development of enterprises within the framework of the Industry 4.0 concept, according to experts, can become additional tool in the process of increasing competitiveness in the era of Industry 4.0.

More recently, German Gref, President of Sberbank, said that in 5 years artificial intelligence will replace many people: 80% of decisions will be made by machines, and this will lead to tens of thousands of people losing their jobs.

Machine learning and artificial intelligence expert Pedro Domingos goes even further: he suggests that people will acquire a computer psychological model of their personality. What will it be like?

Sex, lies and machine learning

The digital future begins with an awareness of the fact that when you interact with a computer - be it your own smartphone or a server thousands of kilometers away - you do so on two levels every time. The first is the desire to immediately get what you need: an answer to a question, a desired product, a new credit card. At the second level, strategic and most important, you tell the computer about yourself.

The more you teach him, the better he will serve you or manipulate you.

What model of your personality do you want to present to a computer? What data can be given to him so that he can build this model? These are questions to keep in mind whenever you interact with a machine learning algorithm, just as you would when interacting with people.

Digital mirror

Think about all your data that is stored in all the computers in the world. This emails, MS Office documents, texts, tweets, Facebook and LinkedIn accounts, internet search history, clicks, downloads and orders, credit history, taxes, phone and medical records, driving information recorded in your car's on-board computer, travel map , registered by your mobile phone, every photograph you've ever taken, briefly appearing in security camera footage.

If a would-be biographer had access only to this data dump and nothing else, what picture would he or she emerge? Probably pretty accurate.

Imagine that you took all your data and gave it to the real Supreme Algorithm of the future, which already has knowledge about human life that we can teach it. It will create your model and you can carry it on a flash drive in your pocket. Of course, this will be an excellent tool for self-analysis - like looking at yourself in the mirror. But the mirror would be digital and would show not only your appearance, but also everything that can be learned by watching you. The mirror could come to life and talk.

The benefits of a digital twin

What would you like to do, what tasks to entrust to your digital half? Probably the first thing you would want from your model is to instruct her to negotiate with the world on your behalf: release her into cyberspace so that she looks for all sorts of things for you.

Of all the books in the world, she'll recommend the top ten you'll want to read first, and the advice will be so deep that Amazon never dreamed of it. The same thing will happen with movies, music, games, clothes, electronics, whatever. Of course, your refrigerator will always be full. The model will filter your electronic and voicemail, news on Facebook and updates on Twitter, and when appropriate, respond for you.

It takes care of all the annoying little things of modern life, like checking your credit card accounts, appealing bad transactions, planning your schedule, renewing your subscriptions, and filing your taxes. She will select a medicine for you, check with your doctor and order it from the online store.

The model will tell you who you like. And after you get to know and like each other, your model will team up with your chosen one and choose restaurants that you both might like. And this is where it gets really interesting.

Model Society

In the very fast-approaching future, you will not be the only person with a “digital soulmate” who does your bidding around the clock. Everyone will have a similar personality model, and the models will communicate with each other all the time.

If you are looking for a job and company X is looking for employees, then their model will interview yours. Their “conversation” will in many ways resemble a real, “live” one - your model will be well instructed, for example, it will not give out negative information about you - but the whole process will only take a split second.

In the world of the Supreme Algorithm, “my people will contact your people” will become “my program will contact your program.” Each person will have a retinue of bots, designed to make his path around the world easier and more enjoyable. Deals, negotiations, meetings - all this will be organized before you have time to lift a finger.

Your digital soulmate will be like power steering: life will go where you want it to go, but with less effort on your part.

This does not mean that you will find yourself in a “filter bubble” and begin to see only what you are guaranteed to like, without any surprises. The digital personality will be much smarter, she will have instructions to leave room for chance, let you come into contact with new experiences, look for happy accidents.

As models improve, the interaction will become more and more similar to what would happen in the real world, but it will happen in silico and a million times faster. The cyberspace of tomorrow will turn into a very vast parallel world, which will begin to select all the most promising things to try in reality. It will be like a new, global subconscious, the collective “Id” of humanity, or “It”.

Today's world is remarkable in that theories of mind have begun to appear in computers. While these theories are still primitive, they are evolving rapidly, and we will have to work with them as much as with other people to get what we want.

Based on materials from the book “The Supreme Algorithm”

Neural networks, digital twins, artificial intelligence. Industry 4.0 technologies will change the oil industry beyond recognition

Architects of the Digital Age

Usually the most technologically advanced spheres are considered to be information technologies and biomedicine. The attitude towards companies in traditional industries, such as metal rolling or oil production and refining, is completely different. At first glance, they seem conservative, but many experts call them the main architects of the new digital era.

Industrial giants began automating production processes back in the mid-30s of the last century. For many decades, hardware and software continuously improved and became more complex. Automation of production processes - for example, in oil refining - has made great progress. The operation of a modern oil refinery is monitored by hundreds of thousands of sensors and instruments, and fuel supplies are monitored in real time by systems satellite navigation. Every day, the average Russian refinery produces more than 50,000 terabytes of information. For comparison, the 3 million books stored in the digital storage of the Russian State Library occupy hundreds of times less - “only” 162 terabytes.

This is the same “big data”, or Big Data, is a flow comparable to the information load of the largest websites and social networks. The accumulated array of data represents a unique resource that can be used in business management. But traditional methods of information analysis are no longer suitable for this. Working truly effectively with such a volume of data is only possible with the help of Industry 4.0 technologies. In the context of a changing economic paradigm, rich industrial “historical experience” is a serious advantage. Big data is at the heart of artificial intelligence. Its ability to learn, understand reality and predict processes directly depends on the amount of loaded knowledge. At the same time, industrial companies have a powerful engineering school and are actively involved in introducing and improving new technologies. This is another circumstance that makes them key players in the “new economy”.

Best of the week

Finally, domestic industrialists know the price of business efficiency. Russia is a country of long distances. Often, production assets are located at a great distance from consumers. In these conditions, it is very difficult to quickly respond to market fluctuations. Traditional technologies allow saving no more than a tenth of a percent. Meanwhile, digital solutions today make it possible to reduce costs by up to 10-15% per month. The fact is obvious: in the era of the fourth industrial revolution, the one who learns to most effectively apply new technologies in the context of accumulated experience will be competitive.

Petr Kaznacheev, Director of the Center for Resource Economy, RANEPA: “As a first step towards an “integrated” artificial intelligence system in oil and gas, one could consider “smart” management and corporate planning. In this case, we could talk about creating an algorithm for digitizing all key information about the company’s activities - from the field to the gas station. This information could be sent to a single automated center. Based on this information, using artificial intelligence methods, forecasts and recommendations could be made to optimize the company’s work.”

Leader of digital transformation

Realizing this trend, industrial leaders in Russia and the world are restructuring business processes that have developed over decades, introducing Industry 4.0 technologies into production based on the industrial Internet of things, artificial intelligence and Big Data. The most intensive transformation is taking place in the oil and gas industry: the industry is dynamically “digitalizing”, investing in projects that seemed fantastic just yesterday. Factories controlled by artificial intelligence and capable of predicting situations, installations that tell the operator the optimal operating mode - all this is already becoming a reality today.

At the same time, the maximum task is to create a management system for production, logistics, production and sales that would unite “smart” wells, factories and gas stations into a single ecosystem. In an ideal digital model, the moment a consumer pulls the nozzle lever, company analysts in the operations center instantly receive information about what brand of gasoline is being filled into the tank, how much oil needs to be extracted, delivered to the plant and refined to meet demand in specific region. So far, none of the Russian and foreign companies have been able to build such a model. However, Gazprom Neft has advanced the furthest in solving this problem. Its specialists are currently implementing a number of projects, which should ultimately become the basis for creating a unified platform for managing processing, logistics and sales. A platform that no one else in the world has yet.

Digital twins

Today, Gazprom Neft refineries are among the most modern in the industry. However, the fourth industrial revolution opens up qualitatively new opportunities, while simultaneously placing new demands on automation. More precisely, we are talking not so much about automation, but about almost complete digitization of production.

The basis of the new stage will be the so-called “digital twins” - virtual copies of refinery installations. 3D models reliably describe all processes and relationships occurring in real prototypes. They are based on the work of artificial intelligence based on neural networks. The “digital twin” can suggest optimal operating modes for equipment, predict its failures, and recommend repair times. Among its other advantages is the ability to constantly learn. The neural network itself finds errors, corrects and remembers them, thereby improving its performance and forecast accuracy.

The basis for training the “digital twin” is an array of historical information. Modern oil refining plants are as complex as the human body. Hundreds of thousands of parts, tens of thousands of sensors. Technical documentation for each installation occupies a room the size of an assembly hall. To create a “digital twin”, all this information must first be uploaded to neural network. Then the most difficult stage begins - the stage of training artificial intelligence to understand the installation. It includes readings from sensors and instrumentation collected over the last few years of plant operation. The operator simulates various situations, forces the neural network to answer the question “what will happen if you change one of the operating parameters?” - for example, replacing one of the raw material components or increasing the energy supply of the installation. The neural network analyzes the experience of past years and, using a calculation method, excludes non-optimal modes from the algorithm, and learns to predict the future operation of the installation.

Best of the week

Gazprom Neft has already completely “digitized” two industrial complexes involved in the production of automobile fuel - a hydrotreating unit for catalytic cracking gasoline at the Moscow Oil Refinery and an installation operating at the company’s oil refinery in Omsk. Tests have shown that artificial intelligence is able to simultaneously take into account a huge number of parameters of their “digital twins”, make decisions and notify about possible deviations in work even before the moment when the trouble threatens to develop into a serious problem.

At the same time, Gazprom Neft is testing comprehensive solutions that will minimize the impact of the human factor on the scale of the entire production. Similar projects are currently being implemented at the company’s bitumen plants in Ryazan and Kazakhstan. Successful decisions, found experimentally, can subsequently be scaled to the level of large refineries, which will ultimately make it possible to create an effective digital production management platform.

Nikolay Legkodimov, Head of the Advanced Technologies Advisory Group at KPMG in Russia and the CIS:“Solutions that simulate various components, assemblies and systems have been known and used for quite a long time, including in the oil and gas industry. We can talk about a qualitative leap only when a sufficient breadth of coverage of these models has been achieved. If we manage to combine these models with each other, to combine them into a whole complex chain, then this will indeed make it possible to solve problems at a completely new level - in particular, to simulate the behavior of the system in critical, unprofitable and simply dangerous operating conditions. For those areas where re-equipment and modernization of equipment are very expensive, this will allow preliminary testing of new components.”

Performance Management

In the future, the entire added value chain in the logistics, refining and sales block of Gazprom Neft will be united by a single technological platform based on artificial intelligence. The “brain” of this organism will be the Performance Management Center, created a year ago in St. Petersburg. This is where information from “digital twins” will flow, here it will be analyzed and here, based on the data obtained, management decisions will be made.

Already today, in real time, more than 250 thousand sensors and dozens of systems transmit information to the Center from all the company’s assets included in the perimeter of the Gazprom Neft logistics, refining and sales block. Every second 180 thousand signals arrive here. It would take a person about a week just to view this information. The digital brain of the Center does this instantly: in real time it monitors the quality of products and the quantity of petroleum products along the entire chain - from the exit from the refinery to the end consumer.

The strategic goal of the Center is to radically increase the efficiency of the downstream segment, using the technologies and capabilities of Industry 4.0. That is, it’s not just about managing processes - this can be done within the framework of traditional systems, but making these processes more efficient: through predictive analytics and artificial intelligence at every stage of business, reducing losses, optimizing processes and preventing losses.

In the near future, the Center must learn to solve several key problems that affect the efficiency of business management. This includes forecasting the future 60 days in advance: how the market will behave in two months, how much oil will need to be processed to satisfy the demand for gasoline at the current moment in time, what condition the equipment will be in, whether the installations will be able to cope with the upcoming load and whether they need repairs. At the same time, in the next two years, the Center must reach 50% capacity and begin to monitor, analyze and forecast the amount of petroleum product reserves at all oil depots and fueling complexes of the company; V automatic mode monitor more than 90% of production parameters; analyze the reliability of more than 40% of process equipment and develop measures to prevent losses of petroleum products and a decrease in their quality.

By 2020, Gazprom Neft sets a goal to reach 100% of the capabilities of the Performance Management Center. Among the stated indicators are analysis of the reliability of all equipment, prevention of losses in the quality and quantity of products, and predictive management of technological deviations.

Daria Kozlova, senior consultant at VYGON Consulting:“In general, integrated solutions bring significant economic benefits to the industry. For example, according to Accenture estimates, the economic effect of digitalization could amount to more than $1 trillion. Therefore, when we are talking about large vertically integrated companies, the implementation of integrated solutions is very justified. But it is also justified for small companies, since increasing efficiency can free up additional funds for them by reducing costs, increase the efficiency of working capital management, etc.”

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IBM will introduce the latest cloud technologies and the Internet of Things to the Port of Rotterdam.

In the near future, the port of Rotterdam expects a new record: it will become not only the largest European port in terms of cargo turnover, but also the smartest port in the world. And IBM will help him with this.

Joint efforts will be aimed primarily at implementing the system "connected shipping"(connected shipping), similar to connected cars in the automotive industry. Vessels that have access to the system are controlled autonomously and exchange data for safe navigation. According to the Port of Rotterdam administration, they plan to receive the first autonomous ships as early as 2025.

The digitalization program is designed for several years. As a result, the 42-kilometer port area will be organized into a single digital space using cloud technologies IBM Cloud and the Internet of Things IBM IoT, and the port of Rotterdam can rightfully be called the smartest port in the world.

To build such a system, it will be created port digital twin– an accurate digital model of all operations, which will reflect with 100% accuracy resources and port capacities, ship movements, infrastructure, weather, geographical and hydrological conditions.

More than 140 thousand ships pass through the port annually, and many stakeholders are involved in the cargo handling process. Digital model will allow you to see the overall picture, test port operation scenarios and, using a centralized control panel, better coordinate the actions of all participants. This will increase the speed of port operations and the volume of cargo handled, while also ensuring compliance with the most stringent safety standards. Ultimately the vessel's time in port will be reduced by an average of 1 hour. For port operators this will translate into order savings US$80,000, and for the port - in increasing the number of ships received.

The port will use Internet of Things and Augmented Intelligence processing technologies, as well as intelligent meteorological and hydrological data, with which carriers will be able to determine the most favorable time to enter the port of Rotterdam. And favorable navigation conditions allow you to save fuel, optimize the speed of entry and mooring and ensure better safety of the cargo.

For this purpose, berths and buoys will be equipped "digital dolphins"– smart sensors that provide support for cargo transshipment, record the vacancy or occupancy of mooring terminals, generate data on the status of port operations at a particular point in time, and also monitor environmental conditions that directly or indirectly affect navigation. The digital dolphins will be self-learning and their real-time readings are claimed to be 100% accurate. The port plans to transmit this information to users through a specially developed application for planning and monitoring operations.

Another initiative of the Port of Rotterdam is the creation of an auxiliary manufacturing laboratory (RAMLAB). Its goal is to supply shipyards with high-quality industrial spare parts on demand. This is the first 3D printing laboratory, aimed at ports and sea carriers, capable of reducing the waiting time for the required part from 1.5-2 months to several days.

Speed ​​and efficiency are the two main advantages of any port - Paul Smits

“Speed ​​and efficiency are two of the greatest strengths of any port,” says Paul Smits, CFO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority. “They are the ones who attract business and allow us to increase cargo turnover.” It is clear that the Port of Rotterdam's innovations directly serve these two goals.