course-details-portlet

TS300819

Digital shipping

Choose study year
Credits 7.5
Level Third-year courses, level III
Course start Spring 2025
Duration 1 semester
Language of instruction English
Location Ålesund
Examination arrangement Portfolio

About

About the course

Course content

The course is open for the students who are interested in the Digital Transformation (DX) of the shipping industry and are willing to apply DX theory to practical applications. Focus will be on the use of digitalization in order to:

  1. Improve efficiency.
  2. Reduce costs.
  3. Improve safety.
  4. Improve operational performance.
  5. Enable decarbonization.

Throughout the course, students will receive an introduction to DX related topics and gain knowledge of DX transformation from actual projects in the shipping industry.

The course content is as follows:

  • The digital transformation of the shipping industry - Marine 4.0
  • Digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation
  • Data Driven Ship Management
  • Digital transformation (DX) - what is DX?
  • The DX strategy process
  • Remote controlled and autonomous shipping operations (MASS)
  • The Remote Operation Center (ROC)
  • Connectivity and cyber security
  • DX and Decarbonization
  • DX impact on OPEX and CAPEX
  • IMO and MASS
  • Role of the classification society

Role of the flag state

Learning outcome

The students are expected to:

  • Have a good understanding of digitization, digitalization, and digital transformation.
  • Understand how digitalization is going to transform the shipping industry.
  • Understand the potential DX benefits.
  • Know how to create a digital transformation strategy.
  • Can develop and implement a digital transformation (DX) strategy for a specific company of choice.
  • Present and defend their DX strategy proposal to the company’s management.
  • Are aware of the challenges when implementing DX strategies.
  • Have a basic knowledge of MASS and the required assurance process to receive flag approval for MASS operations.
  • Have learned how to present and defend a proposal before an audience.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, exercises, and examples from actual shipping applications will be provided in the course. Active student participation in lectures will be required.

Students will have to present and discuss (in English) the result of their work before an audience of fellow Digital Shipping students.

The focus will be on business-related learning experiences.

A minimum of 80% attendance is required in the scheduled teaching.

Compulsory assignments

  • Group assignment (maximum 5 students per group).

Compulsory assignments

  • 80% participation in classes

Further on evaluation

Students must prepare a written mandatory assignment (Digital Transformation strategy proposal for a shipping-related company). The strategy proposal must be presented. Participants in each group will get the same grade (maximum 5 students per group).

The assignment consists of 3 parts:

  1. The company description and transformation idea (10%)
  2. The digital transformation strategy proposal for the selected company (70%)
  3. Proposal presentation to the (fictitious) board of the company (20%)

The final grade in the course will be based on the mandatory group assignment (3 parts). All mandatory group works must be completed.

Deferred examination (= New and postponed exam): Deferred examination for those who possess a valid absence and those who not passed the last ordinary exam, will be held during the next semester for postponed examinations.

Course materials

  • George Westerman (Author), Didier Bonnet (Author), Andrew McAfee (Author). Leading Digital: Turning Technology into Business Transformation. Harvard Business Review Press, 2014.
  • Pengfei Zhang, Lijun Tang, Ship Management Theory and Practice. Routledge Maritime Masters, 2022

Subject areas

  • Nautic

Contact information

Course coordinator

Lecturers

Department with academic responsibility

Department of Ocean Operations and Civil Engineering