This 8th INCASS technical meeting was hosted by BUREAU VERITAS in their Paris headquarter, right after the second annual review of the project carried out by the European commission in Brussels.
The excellent feedback received from the expert reviewers of the European Commission has permitted the INCASS project to start the third year with a reinforced determination to overcome the forthcoming challenges required to finish successfully the project.
During the first two years of the project, the individual tools and INCASS platform aimed to assist inspection bodies and ship operators’ daily routine and to enhance the procedures followed by them have been developed and improved. Key objectives are related to presenting a comprehensive solution for a faster, more flexible and effective inspection and maintenance regime based on innovative use of robotics, machinery condition monitoring and real time information. From now on, during the third year of the project, increasing significantly the on board campaign is necessary to put in play all these methodologies and techniques for the INCASS platform validation and audit.
Therefore, to accomplish these targets, several visits on board DANAOS, AP&A and HELLENIC TANKERS vessels are going to be carried out during the next moths. The campaigns will combine structural and machinery measurements for various project purposes. In particular, a very interesting structural study is foreseen combining hydro-structure modeling activities with full-scale measurement for validation and structural health continuous monitoring.
On top of that, TSI has presented during the meeting its new multi-technology recorder IDAO. This platform has been developed with the aim to enhance CBM inspection procedures to pave the way for a cultural change that eases the involvement of the crew in this type of activities. This way, any member of the crew has the capability to contribute in the assessment and monitoring of the machinery condition.
IDAO enables us to group many measurement techniques in a unique portable equipment enabling the operator to save time (vibration, temperature, thermography, ultrasound, currents, images etc…). Moreover, the use of this equipment can harmonize crew training and management of the device.
