CII ‘optimiser’ software brings AI to shipping regulatory compliance

Bearing CII Optimiser is an AI-powered CII management solution that claims to offer several useful tools for shipowners and operators looking to achieve or maintain CII compliance levels.

Among the benefits touted by the California-based company that developed the software tool Bearing AI are real-time estimates of current CII ratings, predictions of fuel consumption and end-of-year CII ratings. The software company said its tool also offers visualisations of CO2 emissions under different operating conditions, and can quantify the effectiveness of various operational measures in achieving the target CII rating for each vessel.

And Bearing AI asserts its “deep learning ship performance models” are “significantly more accurate than traditional physics-based models,” claiming an accuracy of 98% in its predictions.

ClassNK said it has verified the functions of Bearing CII Optimiser, as follows:

• • Monitoring the current CII ratings for vessels without manual data entry.

• • An interactive user interface to visualise the CII ratings for vessels and display potentially problematic vessels.

• • Forecasting end-of-year CII ratings based on expected operational patterns and forecast weather conditions using AI-powered vessel performance models.

• • Simulating various operating conditions (eg, vessel speed or days sailing per month) and estimating their impact on the CII rating using AI-powered vessel performance models.

• • Estimating the impact on costs, emissions and mileage based upon different operating conditions.

Bearing AI said, “The strides our team of AI and shipping experts has made in the application of AI to this essential industry will go far beyond CII optimisation and emissions management.”

The company said its software is the only purpose-built AI platform for green shipping. “Our technology is going to transform the operations of the global fleet,” Bearing AI said, noting CII is “only the first of a wave of carbon emissions regulations sweeping the maritime shipping industry”.

With the European Union Emissions Trading System coming into force in coming years, Bearing AI said, “It is clear the industry needs a fast, highly accurate emissions prediction and tracking solution, now more than ever”.

Bearing AI was founded by chief executive Dylan Keil and chief engineer David Liu, gaining US$3M in funding from investors including AI Fund (founded by Andrew Ng) and shipping’s Mitsui & Co.

The company announced the full launch of its AI-driven operations optimisation platform with the news that another major Japanese shipping company, K Line, will implement the new BearingAI Analysis Dashboard on more than 300 vessels.