INTRODUCTION
The so-called "smart" concept of operations is developing to be an increasingly common solution for marine aquaculture. Real time monitoring of asset condition combined with securing a reliable remote operation where the integrity of "autoromote" performance is considered a competitive advantage. The fish farming industry is in the middle of a major transition as vessels and installations are transformed into sensor hubs, generating data, and linking in an expanding interconnected web.
DIGTAL APPROACH MERGED WITH REMOTE OPERATIONS
For Smart operations the term digital asset management is often used where inspection as well as operational decisions are based on continuous data streams supplied by sensors on board the fish farm.
Digitally driven condition-based maintenance yields improved reliability by continuously assessing the condition of the fish farming installation. The objective is to identify potential issues before they become major problems and take proactive measures to prevent failures and unplanned as well as expensive repairs. Digital asset management will help improve efficiency and reduce operational costs. For example, by identifying equipment that needs maintenance or replacement. the digitally driven operational monitoring is based on the scheme of capturing information, analysing data collected, learn plus synthesis, and finally act accordingly.
The integrity of these solutions is mainly based on the reliability of sensors and their locations on board. Operational onboard servers together with data transfers solutions and intermediate digital storage are also essential aspects in the utilization of digital management infrastructure. Stability and performance of software applied to process/analyse collected data represents a significant risk and needs to be assessed. Finally safe data transfer and cyber security are vital items in the overall digital performance.
Autonomous and remotely operated fish farms, ranging from remote control operation to fully unmanned installations, marks a major advancement in the aquaculture industry. These solutions can deliver a wide range of benefits including improved personnel safety due to reductions in crew, increased operational efficiency, reduced emissions, and reduced operational and maintenance costs. A broad risk assessment processes for the qualification of autonomous and remotely operated marine technologies with a set of functional requirements need to be established to maintain required safety level for these solutions. This approach is deliberately flexible in nature, and it is essential to creating the space for future innovation, while also drawing on experience from general ocean industry in project development within the autonomous shipping space over the past decade.
While digital asset management can offer several benefits, there are also a number of potential risks and challenges associated with relying on this technology. Together with data security risks and technical issues, challenges related to data quality is a major concern. The monitoring system relies on high-quality, accurate data to provide meaningful insights into asset condition and performance.
This is still early days for autonomous and remotely operated aquaculture installations. Advances in research, technology, and legislation, as well as experience from projects, is expected to lead to significant developments in "autoremote" technology in the future
CONCLUSION
Smart-digital is an efficient concept that most operators are chasing, but how well can you trust the status and "green lights" on your operational dashboard? The industry is expected to put great effort into assuring the integrity of the data-streams continuously feeding information to our operational decision-making tools.
There are several efficient methods to mitigate the risks introduced as advanced digital technology is applied in operations of fish farming installations. One of the most rational approaches includes focus on sensor reliability, integrity of operational onboard servers together with robustness of data transfers solutions.