By Anna Liza Montenegro, Microsol Resources
The maritime industry and marine construction are vital for the performance of the U.S. economy. Just take a look at a map of the United States, and it becomes clear that much of our trade is dependent on ships docking on our shores. For that reason alone, it comes as no surprise that North America continued to lead the world in the global ports and marine construction market in 2022.
However, despite continued growth, the American marine construction industry is facing strong competition. To maintain their position as global leaders, marine construction contractors need to streamline operations and improve productivity. Emerging technologies are here to support this process. American marine construction contractors work in a wide variety of environments. Aside from port construction, marine contractors’ services are also required during bridge construction and offshore projects. Think marine wind farms and offshore oil platforms, for example. Both require specialist contractors.
Some of the challenges faced by marine contractors are similar to those other contractors need to address. Supply chain disruption caused first by the pandemic and then prolonged by the war in Ukraine has been slowing growth in the sector for several years. In fact, a lack of materials has hampered the industry’s recovery after the pandemic and continues to delay projects of all sizes.
Marine construction is also suffering from a shortage of skilled workers. As a result, there is growing pressure on existing employees to work longer and harder to fulfill orders.
Moreover, the inherently risky nature of the job poses another challenge. Managing on-the-job exposure to high risks from environmental factors, including unpredictable water conditions, needs to be a priority for responsible contractors. Emerging technologies have the potential to provide solutions to most of these issues.
Due to the twin challenges of increasing demand and a lack of readily available materials, productivity management and improvement remain among the greatest challenges for the marine construction sector in the U.S. In this section, we examine some of the most promising emerging technologies and how marine contractors can harness them.
Leverage 3D printing in marine construction
Just a few years ago, you would have been forgiven for considering 3D printing a fad. Since then, the technology has developed at an unprecedented speed, and it is now widely used in the medical industry, in manufacturing, and in architecture.
Some applications of 3D printing are purely aesthetic, but others produce fully functional items. In the manufacturing industry, for example, 3D printing allows businesses to create a single part at the same cost that would be associated with producing thousands of copies. In marine construction, 3D printing could make it possible to access rare spare parts in a remote location. All the contractor needs are exact design specifications and a 3D printer with the appropriate software.
The downside of 3D printers used to be the high initial cost. However, as these printers are becoming more widely used, the cost-benefit ratio is changing dramatically.
Improve surveys and inspections with autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs)
Autonomous underwater vehicles are effectively unmanned robots programmed to complete specific tasks in marine environments. They are ideal for surveying potential marine construction sites or inspecting finished structures to check integrity and damage from corrosion.
Why use an AUV rather than a human diver? There are several reasons: AUVs can work around the clock without the need for scheduled breaks, for example. They require limited maintenance and can be deployed to depths that may be out of a diver’s reach or require an entire dive team.
Compared to remote-operated vehicles (ROVs), AUVs are not tethered to the ship or the construction platform. As a result, they can move more freely and deliver highly detailed information about the terrain they are inspecting.
How building information modeling (BIM) supports marine construction
Building information modeling allows contractors to create a 3D model of all aspects of the construction process at the design stage. BIM benefits project managers and their teams by helping to pre-empt problems before they can cause a serious delay.
With the help of powerful software programs, designers, contractors, and clients can interact at a more informed level. Designers are able to better share their vision, and contractors can identify the most critical phases of a project and share that information with their partners.
Rather than working off individual blueprints, every stakeholder has access to the same data, allowing for an unprecedented level of collaboration that will lead to both time- and cost-savings.
Taking advantage of the Internet of Things (IoT) and improved sensors
The Internet of Things (IoT) describes the network of physical devices that can connect with each other to share information gathered by sensors, cameras, and other electronics. Like 3D printing, this technology has entered many industry sectors, including marine construction.
In marine construction, the IoT ensures that data gathered by individual devices do not exist in a silo. Instead, devices are enabled to communicate, share information, and allow human operators to draw conclusions that would have been impossible otherwise. Sensor technology is critical to this type of information gathering.
Traditionally, sensors could be a weak point in a system, but many have become more robust in recent years.
Enhancing visualization with virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)
One of the main challenges in marine construction is the limited visibility of the site. Granted, contractors can send divers below the surface. Companies can also choose to use ROVs or AUVs. More recently, though, visualization technologies like VR and AR have developed in a way that allows them to outperform the alternatives. Both options allow contractors to work with unparalleled precision and avoid spending excess time on-site or having to return to redo part of a project. Instead, marine contractors gain the peace of mind of knowing they delivered a project with the exact specifications requested by the client.
Marine construction is critical to the U.S. economy.
Like other industries, coastal building and maintenance are facing challenges from foreign competitors, while also dealing with a skills shortage and bottlenecks in their supply chain.
Emerging technologies such as 3D printing, VR, and AR as well as BIM allow contractors to streamline their processes and increase productivity. Add to that the capacities of unmanned underwater vehicles and the IoT as a gateway technology, and America’s marine construction sector is ready to leverage digital transformation and strengthen its position as a global leader.
Anna Liza Montenegro is an architect and marketing professional. She is the director of marketing for Microsol Resources, a technology consulting company to the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries. She can be reached at [email protected].
Reprinted from Marine Construction Magazine Issue IV, 2023
