17 August 2020
Bakker Sliedrecht has successfully renewed the vessel management system of chemical tanker Comus 2 with an upgraded BIMAC system. The improved system makes the tanker more manageable for owner ChemContrans and allows the company to schedule maintenance more efficiently. This leads to a reduction in operational costs.
The upgraded Bakker Integrated Modular Alarm Control system (BIMAC-system) allows data from the vessel to be safely logged and made available. This gives the crew insights to all events and the history of the vessel’s installations. “The market is increasingly requiring data logs which can be analysed at the office. This allows companies to better manage their fleet and schedule maintenance more efficiently. This reduces costs and improves the operational deployment of their vessels,” explains automation engineer Bart van Wijngaarden of Bakker Sliedrecht.
ChemContrans owner David Olislagers is pleased with the upgrade. The Comus 2 has thirteen separate tanks and transports various chemicals in the ARA area. The barge has been sailing day and night for twelve years and is only stationary during loading and unloading. “In all those years, Bakker Sliedrecht’s vessel management system worked perfectly, therefore we chose BIMAC again,” he says. “The upgrade tailored to our vessel. We are now able to collect and analyse more data and service engineers of Bakker Sliedrecht can log in remotely to provide remote support.”
According to David, the ship can perform optimally thanks to the BIMAC system. Additional to that, the new system allows ChemContrans to easy demonstrate customers and authorities that the ship is in order and properly maintained. “During the entire upgrade, the ship was decommissioned for only three days. At that time, the system was upgraded and five new computers with touchscreens were installed and tested.” says Olislagers
The BIMAC-system is a vessel management system, which enables the crew to control the entire ship with screens and computers. From bridge to engine room and from power management system to propulsion. The ship management system can be customised with all desired functions, such as ballast pumps, tank level measurements and remote assistance and diagnostics. Bakker Sliedrecht has developed and installed the system at various ships, such as dredgers and patrol ships. New functionalities are continuously added to the BIMAC system.
