The booming shipbuilding industry and its systems suppliers are increasingly leveraging the advantages of Ethernet-IP networks and digital information technology. The key reason behind this new trend is that 'smart' ships can be operated more profitably and managed more efficiently.
The End of Isolated Applications:
In the past, it was common practice to install separate bus cabling for each onboard system. Navigation, control and regulation, monitoring, communication, information, and alerting systems were independent solutions and generally unable to exchange data with one another. All of this has changed with the latest information technologies, their cost-effective standardized interfaces, open standards, and universal protocols, where a single network can now integrate a vast number of functions.
Modern Ethernet and IP-based data and communication networks also simplify the overall management of a vessel, and information flows more quickly. Information can converge on bridge monitors in a clear and easily interpretable format. Onboard systems can be controlled, regulated, and even maintained remotely via the internet, resulting in a significant reduction in personnel.
At sea, safety is of the highest priority. There are increasingly more control systems operating on board: access controls, lockout systems, smoke and motion detectors, remote services, and so on. In addition, there are numerous sensors to monitor machinery, controls, pumps, and tanks. The better interconnected the safety and security systems are, the easier the monitoring and the crew's ability to make quick decisions in a crisis. Here, too, Ethernet IP networks pave the way for integrated solutions.
Furthermore, in the case of cruise ships, onboard Ethernet networks offer passengers more in terms of comfort and services, including broadband internet access, online communication, multimedia entertainment, and "smart" or home automation cabins. These networked cabins store personal preferences for music, temperature, and lighting and can be quickly converted into offices if needed. There is no limit to the number of interactive uses, assuming, of course, that the necessary infrastructure is in place.
The Highest Demands on Board:
No other area of cabling applications and installations requires solutions as durable, indestructible, and extremely robust as the marine sector. Compared to factories or office buildings, conditions at sea are extremely harsh. Ocean-going ocean liners are high-performance systems in themselves. A ship is in operation almost constantly, with vibrations throughout the hull. The cabling is exposed to frequent temperature fluctuations and the humid, salty sea air. Furthermore, the crew must be able to carry out network repairs themselves, as it is not possible to call in a service technician to resolve any problems that may arise during the voyage.
It is therefore no coincidence that the standards and quality inspections of specialist maritime organizations Germanischer Lloyd (GL) and Norske Veritas (DNV) are among the most rigorous in the world. R&M offers connectivity products and solutions that have been certified by Germanischer Lloyd, for example.
The company has already delivered the cabling and distribution technology to a number of international shipbuilding projects.
Modular cabling systems for marine applications are based on their existing product range for industrial and offshore networks. Specifically, the Cat. 5e and 6 connector systems, along with corrosion- and vibration-resistant IDC copper cables, are capable of withstanding the typical mechanical, climatic, chemical, and electromagnetic challenges commonly encountered on ships. Beyond products designed for offshore applications, R&M provides international support to shipyards and their system suppliers through the QPP program, whose services also include 24-hour support and a lifetime application warranty.
Added value resulting from efficiency, safety, and modularity.
The decision to use Industrial Ethernet as the platform for maritime communication is becoming increasingly easier for system planners and integrators, as investing in generic cabling means achieving their goals faster and improving onboard efficiency. In the construction of large cruise ships, hundreds of kilometers of cabling can be saved by using this protocol, resulting in reduced costs, weight, and installation time – not to mention satisfied investors.
Rapid, tool-free assembly techniques and pre-terminated cabling—such as that supplied by R&M for marine applications—further increase installation speed. In addition, R&M cabling systems with convenient, corrosion- and vibration-resistant IDC (Insulation Displacement Contact) technology also simplify monitoring and maintenance, as a network can be repaired or modified while at sea, if necessary.
The modular principle that forms the basis of R&M's cabling systems provides ship owners with greater flexibility, as they can expand the data network at any time or retrofit a fiber optic infrastructure on the same platform. Using R&M's termination technology, the latest security systems, such as video surveillance, can be reliably integrated into an Ethernet-IP network and protected against tampering.
For the outfitting of booths that meet the highest requirements, R&M is able to draw on its very long experience in residential multimedia cabling.
Author:
Miguel Ángel Sevilla, R&M Spain and Portugal
