A digital twin platform to optimise the energy efficiency of ships

Syroco EfficientShip, a digital twin platform to optimise the energy efficiency of ships

Marseille, May 26, 2021 - Syroco announced today that it has been selected by CMA CGM to evaluate the efficiency of wind propulsion systems for their ships. Thanks to its digital twin platform EfficientShip, Syroco models the behavior of ships and validates the efficiency of wind-based propulsion solutions.

Digital Twin platform

Syroco EfficientShip is a decision support platform for optimizing the performance and ecological impact of ships of any size. Using the latest artificial intelligence technologies for model production and data processing, the EfficientShip software platform is driven by a digital twin of the ship. This digital twin represents her behavior according to her speed, to the wind and/or the swell, as well as the behavior and the capabilities and characteristics (surface, location, etc.) of the propulsion systems that could be rigged (sails, kites, etc.).

“In recent years, real innovations have appeared in the wind propulsion market,” explains Alex Caizergues, CEO and co-founder of Syroco. “However, the implementation of such a solution on a container ship to ensure reliable, predictable and safe operation requires a rigorous scientific approach. Various wind-based solutions exist in the form of prototypes or deployments on smaller ships, but at this stage none has been proven at scale and in real operating conditions.”

“The goal of the project carried out with CMA CGM is to achieve up to 20% fuel savings, and therefore a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,” continues Alex Caizergues. “Syroco is pleased to put its breakthrough technologies at the service of CMA CGM, the undisputed leader in the transition to carbon-neutral maritime transport.”

A solution for better energy efficiency of ships

Accelerated at ZEBOX, the international incubator and accelerator of innovative startups founded at the initiative of Rodolphe Saadé, CEO of CMA CGM Group, Syroco was able to develop its Syroco EfficientShip platform there. This made it possible to create links with the R&D teams of CMA CGM and to set up a project to model the performance of propulsion systems. At the starting point of this model are the resistance calculations (in calm sea but also on swell and wind) made by BVS (Bureau Veritas Solutions), calculations which were assembled thanks to the Syroco Lab and the expertise of the CMA CGM R&D team, to create a Digital Twin of the ship. Fueled by historical data of meteorological and sea conditions provided by ACTIMAR, each Digital Twin accurately determines the fuel savings provided by a wind power system on a given route, depending on the conditions and the time of the year.

The simulation mode in Syroco EfficientShip allows a large number of combinations to be tested and optimised thanks to access to the powerful computing infrastructure available to the platform. Taking into account all the solutions available in the ecosystem, Syroco EfficientShip acts as a trusted third party, guaranteeing the neutrality of calculations which are only influenced by data, the laws of physics and simulation models.