Columbia Shipmanagement (CSM) and the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI) have signed an MOU to launch Digital Waves, a joint innovation programme to explore the digitalisation of certain domains of the maritime industry. The programme includes research and innovation in domains such as the gathering of data on ships and other stakeholders coupled with the latest trends in connectivity and artificial intelligence (AI).
Digital Waves will have a global perspective and address areas including the sensorisation of ships, augmented and virtual reality, the gathering and grooming of data using 5G and edge-cloud technologies combined with modern trends in machine learning and cognitive artificial intelligence.
The programme will also analyse the value-chain of the maritime sector and investigate potential transformations of the business model.
The final phase of the collaboration will be the development of digital products and solutions.
Commented Mark O’Neil, president of CSM: “As we enter the new year and a new decade amid the beginning of fundamental digital transformation in shipping, we envisage, through Digital Waves, to benefit from the combination of the rise of improved and cost sustainable connectivity and digitalisation to transform every aspect of the shipmanagement model over the next three decades with a primary focus on safety and efficiency to the benefit of our clients”.
Zacharias Siokouros, CEO of CMMI, said “”We are very excited that only a few weeks after CMMI set sail – having received great support in funds and resources from the EU, the Cyprus government and our industry and academia partners – we are now embarking with Columbia Shipmanagement on a voyage of exploration into the sea of Big Data.”
