Bourbon opens up a world of possibilities with digital inspection and survey audit

Day by day, digital technology is making its mark on the shipping industry. The possibilities for connected vessels are snapping into focus, and shipowners are on the lookout for the cyber advances that will make their fleets stand out.   

Remote access is at the top of many owners’ to-do lists, with research for this technology well underway. This March, the Bourbon 508, an offshore support vessel stationed off the coast of Angola, performed an industry first when it underwent complete digital Dynamic Positioning trials using Kongsberg Maritime’s DP Digital Survey solution. 


A revolutionary technique for remote data collection

The DP Digital Survey tool runs on an industrial data management system that ensures unprecedented data consistency for verifying onboard systems. By using DP Digital Surveys, information is acquired directly from ships’ control systems and delivered to auditors via secure infrastructure, greatly improving the quality of services. 

MAC, a Bureau Veritas company with expertise in dynamic positioning systems, was deployed to help Bourbon ensure (a) FMEA trials were performed as safely as conventional trials, (b) the tool’s functionality, availability, and reliability were maintained and (c) insights provided to remotely located surveyors were accurate and user-friendly.

This successful pilot on Bourbon 508 has wide-reaching consequences for the shipping industry. As the DP Digital Survey tool evolves, we expect to see increased automation and improvements to the survey process, as well as the ability to establish a continuous DP survey assurance framework allowing for detailed and continual remote audits. In addition, Bureau Veritas will be able to expand our class Rules for DP trials. By the end of 2019, the Bourbon 508 will be the first vessel awarded a DP digital survey class notation.