TwinShip Consortium Podcast 4 with Lokukaluge Prasad Perera

🚢 TwinShip Interview: Building Trustworthy AI & Digital Twins for a Smarter and Greener Shipping Future! 🌍

How can Digital Twins, Artificial Intelligence (AI), secure data sharing and Decision Support Systems (DSS) transform the maritime industry towards a more sustainable future?

🎙️ In a recent TwinShip Horizon Europe project interview, Professor Lokukaluge Prasad Perera, Project Coordinator from UiT The Arctic University of Norway, shared insights into the project's development, technological innovations, current achievements and future vision for AI-powered maritime digitalisation and decarbonisation.

🔹 🔐 Building Trust Through Secure Data Sharing
One of the biggest challenges in maritime research is obtaining operational data from shipowners. TwinShip addresses this through the open-source VesselAI platform, enhanced with encryption, cybersecurity features and controlled data access to protect commercially sensitive information.

🔹 🚢 Developing Advanced Digital Twins
TwinShip combines physics-based knowledge, vessel operational data, machine learning and AI to develop more generalised Digital Twin models that can be continuously updated as new vessel data becomes available.

🔹 🧠 Integrating Generative AI with Digital Twins
Generative AI could transform how maritime professionals interact with complex digital systems. Future users could communicate in natural language with Digital Twins and DSS applications to obtain operational recommendations, visualisations and technical insights.

🔹 📊 AI-Powered Decision Support for Decarbonisation
TwinShip focuses on three key applications:

✅ Weather Routing – Optimising voyages to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions.

✅ Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) – Evaluating future technologies, retrofits and investment returns.

✅ Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) – Assessing emissions and the environmental benefits of alternative technologies.

🔹 🤝 Trustworthy Research–Industry Collaboration
The project brings together maritime experts, shipowners, technology providers, researchers and software developers. Building mutual trust, protecting confidential information and combining multidisciplinary expertise are fundamental to its success.

🔹 🎓 Human-Centred AI and Future Skills
As AI advances rapidly, continuous training, knowledge exchange and industrial involvement are essential to ensure that maritime professionals can understand, trust and effectively use these technologies.

🔹 🌐 Open-Source Innovation for European Shipping
TwinShip aims to make its technological developments reusable, allowing future researchers and industrial users to explore Digital Twin modelling, maritime decision support and AI-powered applications.

🌱 Beyond Technology: A Greener Maritime Future

The ultimate objective is not simply to digitalise ships, but to develop more energy-efficient maritime operations, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support innovation, strengthen European competitiveness and contribute to a more sustainable society.

💡 The future of shipping lies in combining classical maritime engineering, reliable operational data, trustworthy AI and human expertise.

🚢 TwinShip aims to become a guiding light in the maritime industry's digital and green transition!