Ektank and Utkilen select Høglund for Chemical Tanker Automation

Tanker owners Ektank and Utkilen have selected marine automation specialists Høglund to provide automation systems on new chemical tankers currently under construction in China.

The four 18600 dwt tankers for Ektank, and the four 9900 dwt tankers for Utkilen will be fitted with integrated automation systems that link together systems such as power management, cargo control, and alarms.

This new level of integration is essential for the vessels’ long-term performance and reliability. It also allows the owners an enhanced level of access to data from the automated systems for optimisation purposes, which would otherwise be costly and difficult to extract.

Utkilen’s new chemical tanker

“These developments point to a new level of awareness of the importance of integrated automation in the chemical tanker segment,” says Høglund CEO Børge Nogva. “Historically, automation systems have been a low-priority item, and as such, often including several different components from various manufacturers that are linked, but not integrated, even if they have the same logo.”

“By prioritising integrated automation, Ektank and Utkilen will benefit from increased reliability, better visibility into the data within their systems, and a single point of contact for upgrades and service. Automation systems are the nervous systems of modern vessels – and as the fleet becomes smarter, it’s becoming ever more costly to ignore them.”

These vessels will benefit further from Høglund’s 24/7 engineer support service and the customised automatic reporting systems directly from ship to shore office. Høglund prides itself on being able to resolve 90% of service requests remotely, drastically reducing downtime and saving owners and operators from potentially mission-critical delays.

“Høglund has a unique appreciation of the need to create a tailored system and support it from installation onwards” says Fredrik Farsen, Technical Manager at Ektank. “We see integrated automation as something that is becoming increasingly necessary for the long-term health of our fleet.

Ektank’s new chemical tanker

“As modern vessels become increasingly sophisticated, it’s vital that we can access a full range of data from our automation systems,” commented Leif Larsen from Utkilen. “Thanks to Høglund’s integrated systems, it’s much easier for us to get the information we need to optimise systems and resolve any issues.”

This year, Høglund systems have also been used to equip brand new vessel types such as the LNG bunkering vessel Cardissa, and the wind farm support vessel Windea la Cour. In both instances, Høglund was selected thanks to the company’s ability to work with owners, yards and designers to create solutions tailored to the unique challenges of each vessel type. Høglund also has installed automation systems at retrofit for owners and operators across segments.