NAPA, a Finnish company specializing in ship design and operational support systems (headquartered in Helsinki), held a user seminar on the 7th of this month at the Oriental Hotel Kobe (Kobe City). The event was attended by professionals from various sectors of the maritime industry, including Japanese shipbuilders, shipping companies, shipowners, trading houses, and ship management firms.
At the start of the seminar, NAPA Group CEO Mikko Kuosa delivered the opening remarks. Kuosa emphasized NAPA’s role in the decarbonization of the maritime industry, which is advancing at a rapid pace. “Our mission at NAPA is to leverage over 35 years of experience and technological development to provide solutions and products that cover the entire lifecycle of ships—from the initial design phase to the operational stage,” Kuosa stated.
(Text by Hiro Yamamoto)
Photo courtesy of JMD, NAPA
The seminar, themed “Accelerating the Future of Ship Design,” is scheduled over two days and features presentations by NAPA Japan, Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK), and NYK Line. Sector-specific workshops will be conducted by representatives from Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, Namura Shipbuilding, Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding, Monohakobi Technology Institute (MTI), and Asakawa Shipbuilding. On the first day, held on October 7th, 2024, more than 130 participants from 54 companies attended the event.
■ Roadmap to Decarbonization
NAPA, a software company specializing in ship design and operations, was established in 1989. The company offers solutions for ship design, operational support, and voyage optimization software, along with services such as operational monitoring, fuel efficiency optimization, and performance analysis.
In line with its commitment to supporting the maritime industry’s decarbonization, NAPA unveiled its new product, “NAPA Studios,” which covers the entire lifecycle of ships—from initial design to operational support—targeting decarbonization efforts.
NAPA CEO Mikko Kuosa highlighted that 2024 marks the company’s 35th anniversary, adding, “We’ve achieved strong growth, surpassing €30 million in annual revenue for the first time last year. With approximately 220 employees and offices in 10 countries, our customer base continues to expand.”
Regarding the maritime industry’s journey towards decarbonization, Kuosa stated, “Decarbonization is a topic that the maritime industry can no longer avoid. We are witnessing one of the most significant transformations in maritime history. It took around 100 years to transition from sailing ships to steamships, and another 50 years to shift from steam engines to oil-fueled engines. Today, we are looking to achieve carbon neutrality within just 25 years—a global energy and technological transition of unprecedented scale and speed.”
Kuosa also mentioned that cargo owners are increasingly committing to decarbonization. “For instance, Amazon aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, and Apple by 2030,” he said, emphasizing that NAPA is well-positioned to support these goals through the use of digital technologies, including AI, to serve the shipbuilding and maritime industries.
“We provide an advanced platform capable of automatically categorizing data on voyages, anchoring, and port stays. Our platform includes voyage optimization functions and sophisticated simulation features that incorporate seven years of detailed historical data on weather, sea conditions, and water depth, as well as current weather forecast data,” Kuosa explained.
“With NAPA’s performance models, it’s possible to conduct fleet-wide analysis, optimization, and simulation. These performance models can also be applied during the design phase to simulate operational scenarios,” he added, showcasing the high capabilities of NAPA’s solutions in supporting the industry’s decarbonization efforts.
■AI and IoT as Key Focus Areas: NAPA Vice President Highlights the Role of “NAPA Studios”
Following CEO Mikko Kuosa’s presentation, NAPA Vice President Mikko Forss took the stage to elaborate on the purpose behind the development of “NAPA Studios.” Forss stated, “At NAPA, we believe that collaboration is the key to enabling rapid innovation and development. The technologies and products we have developed to cover the entire lifecycle of ships serve as an excellent platform to quickly address current challenges through new innovations.”
Forss emphasized the importance of data sharing, explaining that “‘NAPA Studios’ is a new suite of consulting software, data services, and collaboration frameworks that expands beyond NAPA’s existing offerings. This enables us to rapidly develop solutions for challenges that existing products in the market are unable to address. Over the past year, we have already undertaken several projects and, responding to market demand, officially launched ‘NAPA Studios’ as part of our service offerings earlier this year.”
Looking ahead at the path toward decarbonization, Forss identified AI and IoT (Internet of Things) as critical components. “The maritime industry is at a crossroads when it comes to meeting greenhouse gas reduction targets. At the same time, we are in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is transforming not only our industry but many others as well. Technologies like AI, cloud computing, and simulation are significantly changing the entire lifecycle of design, manufacturing, and operations.”
“Digital manufacturing, combined with IoT, is a hot topic. Big data can open up new possibilities through concepts like operational simulations. At the same time, it is essential that all these innovations are implemented in a secure environment, integrating different workflows and processes,” Forss explained, underscoring the importance of digital transformation in the maritime industry.
ＮＡＰＡ、脱炭素化へ船舶設計を加速。 神戸でセミナー、船舶情報の共有と統合で最適化目指す
船舶設計と運航支援のシステム開発を手掛けるフィンランドのＮＡＰＡ（本社・ヘルシンキ）は７日、オリエンタルホテル神戸（神戸市）で日本の造船、海運、船主、商社、船舶管理など海事関係者を対象にユーザーセミナーを開催した。冒頭、ＮＡＰＡグループＣＥＯ（最高経営責任者）のミッコ・クオーサ（Mikko Kuosa）氏が挨拶。クオーサ(Kuosa)
氏は、海運の脱炭素化が急速に進む中、「ＮＡＰＡの使命は、35年以上にわたる経験と技術開発を通じ、船舶設計の初期段階から運航段階まで、船舶の全ライフサイクルをカバーする技術や製品を提供することにある」と強調した。
(Text by Hiro Yamamoto)
Photo courtesy=JMD
日本語の記事は2024年10月8日以降の日本海事新聞で読むことが出来ます。
