Light Structures AS, a supplier of fibre optic condition monitoring systems for maritime applications, has secured a contract with Sumitomo Heavy Industries in Japan for the delivery of advanced SENSFIB Hull Stress Monitoring Systems on three AFRAMAX crude oil tankers.
The tankers, hull numbers S.1417, S.1419, and S.1420, are the final three in a series of eight newbuilds for Greek and Japanese shipowners. The ships will be the last tankers to be built at the Sumitomo yard, as the company shifts its focus to building more diverse maritime and offshore structures.
These 115,000 DWT AFRAMAX tankers are of the same design as existing Sumitomo-built vessels already operating with SENSFIB on board. They feature double-hulled fuel tanks and pump rooms, state-of-the-art wing section propellers, and energy-saving SILD technology.
Extending the lifespan
The scheduled delivery of the SENSFIB system for S.1417 is set for June 2024, with S.1419 following in February 2025 and S.1420 in June 2025. The company highlights that SENSFIB solutions employ Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) technology which allows them to offer high-quality maritime structural health monitoring, real-time data that is crucial for the safe and efficient operation of these massive vessels, as well as for optimising maintenance regimes and reducing lifetime costs.
“These new orders reinforce our strong relationship with Sumitomo as they enter an exciting new era,” said Goetz Vogelmann, Sales Director, Light Structures. “The SENSFIB technology extending the operational lifespan on these AFRAMAX vessels can be applied to stress and fatigue monitoring on any ship or structure, so we are confident that we have the best solutions to complement Sumitomo’s portfolio even as it closes the chapter on tanker production.”
