Kampus ITS, ITS News – Another flagship product from Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) is set to be commercialized in the international market. iStow, a stowage planning software developed by ITS lecturer Dr. Ing. Ir.  Setyo Nugroho has successfully secured funding from the Productive Innovative Research (Rispro) program, which will enable upgrades to the application for expansion into the Southeast Asian market.

Funding From Rispro

Rispro is a funding program initiated by the Education Fund Management Institution (LPDP) and awarded to selected research groups from various institutions. This time, Yoyok, the popular nickname of the Head of the Department of Marine Transportation Engineering (DTTL) or Seatrans ITS, successfully obtained Rispro funding in the first competition wave of 2020.

In this program, Yoyok submitted research focused on maritime studies titled Downstreaming of Internationally Certified Ship Stowage Planning Software for ASEAN Market and Industry 4.0.

The TU Berlin alumnus explained that the iStow application was created to prevent ship accidents due to errors in cargo arrangement. Such errors lead to stability issues, which is a major cause of ship accidents.

 

Developed Since 2007

In this Industry 4.0 era, Yoyok added, everything is based on artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, making iStow’s use highly relevant. “It can make the ship loading process more efficient,” he noted.

Developed since 2007, iStow has five application versions. iStow Container is for container ships, iStow Tanker is for tankers, and there is iStow Ferry Ro-Ro for ferries. iStow also offers heavy cargo loading planning via iStow LPH and has released a cargo handling simulator called iStow CHS.

With Rispro funding, Yoyok mentioned that in expanding to the Southeast Asian market, he and his team will develop all iStow versions into a second version with 3D models. The iStow team is also collaborating with German-Norwegian-based classification body DNV-GL to implement and develop the Eco-Assistant interface feature.

 

The Eco-Assistant feature, Yoyok continued, aims to optimize trim (the difference in height between the front and back of a ship), making large vessels more fuel-efficient. The bespectacled man plans to participate in a maritime technology exhibition in Singapore once iStow’s development is complete.

The application features include load recorder, automatic calculator, and stability checker in accordance with International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations. “With iStow, ship and cargo data become more transparent and accountable,” Yoyok explained.

Other advantages of this software from the Marine Transportation Telematics Laboratory include its integration with cargo booking and yard planning systems. Additionally, iStow automatically provides administrative documents that comply with international standards.

 

Yoyok noted that iStow remains the only locally developed stowage planning application with international certification. iStow has been certified by the Indonesian Classification Bureau (BKI), ClassNK (a Japanese Classification Society), the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), and the Italian Register of Shipping (RINA). “We are also processing certification with Lloyd Register (LR),” he added.

Currently, iStow is used by several national shipping companies, including PT Meratus Lines, PT Samudera Indonesia, PT Pertamina Shipping, PT Bitumen Marasende, PT Dok & Perkapalan Surabaya (DPS), and PT Pelayaran Banyuwangi Sejati. “We are also finishing the installation of iStow for PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry,” he added.

 

Meanwhile, the iStow LPH version has been used in heavy cargo transport projects, such as transporting the Holtekamp Bridge from Surabaya to Papua in 2019 and transporting offshore jackets for oil mining. Beyond business purposes, the iStow CHS version for cargo handling simulation is used in maritime education, such as at the Indonesian Maritime Polytechnic (Polimarin) in Semarang.

Having been commercially used nationally, Yoyok hopes iStow will be widely adopted internationally. “Hopefully, iStow’s benefits will reach more people,” he concluded with optimism. (yus/HUMAS ITS)

Source: ITS.ac.id