Chinese ship design company Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute (SDARI) and NAPA, provider of maritime software solutions and services for ship design and operations, have agreed to expand their co-operation to cover ship performance monitoring.
The enhanced agreement will extend an existing co-operation that includes the application of NAPA software to SDARI’s ship design processes and NAPA’s Loading Computer, which enhances safe operation and maximisation of a vessel’s cargo carriage capacity.
Ship performance monitoring has been added to partnership’s scope in response to a shift in focus in the maritime industry from capital expenditure costs to operating costs, amid sustained high bunker prices. Demand for tools that provide ‘real time’ performance monitoring has risen sharply; playing a critical role in supporting ship owners, operators and charterers as they seek to optimise operational efficiency during the lifecycle of their vessels.
SDARI President Hu Jintao said: “I am very pleased to have expanded SDARI’s co-operation with NAPA. By working in collaboration, SDARI and NAPA can build a reputation as the leading supplier of ship performance monitoring solutions to the market. SDARI’s vessels are already designed to industry-leading standards, but in order to increase competitiveness in an industry increasingly focused on cutting operating costs, we hope to introduce NAPA’s performance monitoring solutions to demonstrate the superior operating efficiency of our designs.”
NAPA President Juha Heikinheimo said: “We are honoured to confirm the expansion of our co-operation with SDARI, China’s leading ship designer. Broadening the scope of our partnership enables us to serve the ship owners and operators even better by helping them to monitor and analyse actual ship performance. Ship owners and operators have significant savings potential of up to 30%, which can be achieved with better designs and more efficient, well-planned, monitored, analysed and optimised operations. NAPA solutions offer comprehensive tools for efficient operations and, in addition, a possibility to prove the superiority of the modern eco-designs and provide valuable feedback to the design process.”
