Presenting valuable data for shipping companies

​Digitread Connect built an IoT solution for smoother ballast water operations on all the world’s oceans for Optimarin. Optimarin delivers smart systems for purifying ballast water for ships. The solution Digitread Connect developed helps Optimarin to present valuable data for shipping companies.

"One of the things we like best about Digitread Connect is how they work. They asked us what our minimum requirements for a solution would be. A week and a half later, they developed a solution that worked in real life. In other sprints, Digitread Connect develops concrete improvements step-by-step. The advantage is that we can reach each sub-goal quickly, and it is also effortless to change course if something needs to be adjusted along the way.”, explains Ingve Risa, who is a System Engineer at Optimarin.

Ballast water is an environmental challenge

Strict regulations have been introduced to protect marine ecosystems. By 2025 all ships using commercial shipping lanes must install a treatment system such as Optimarin’s to regulate their ballast water operations.

We needed a company that knows to retrieve data efficiently from the cloud and who, at the same time, can deliver user-friendly and tailored Optimarin applications such as “software as a service.” It was also crucial for us to find a partner who could quickly and efficiently. Digitread Connect has shown, every step of the way, that they can do this,” he adds. 

The applications are built on a low-code platform developed by the Norwegian software company Appfarm.

A tool that offers ship-owners cost savings

Optimarin and Digitread Connect started small, making it easier to scale up the development when needed.

The first pilot project was done on a ship in November 2020 and involved a digital solution where data was presented in real-time without any human interference. "By collecting health data on the treatment plant on board and presenting it to the shipping companies, it makes it easier to plan and carry out preventive maintenance, thus increasing equipment availability and operational output."

Based on the collected data, the app can show the ship crews with GPS data exactly where they can find the cleanest water for their operations. In addition, shipowners can identify which crews are performing the operations correctly and which may need more training. At the end of the day, all of this leads to more efficient ballast water operations: "Everything revolves around simplifying the shipping companies' daily routine and helping them to earn money and reduce costs with our solutions," concluded Risa.