Digital Twins for the Sea: Building Resilient Intelligent Ship-Shore Remote Collaboration Systems

Yujie Liu(CSSC Heavy Industry (Qingdao) Marine Equipment Research Institute Co., Ltd.,Qingdao City, Shandong)
Lili Hu(CSSC Heavy Industry (Qingdao) Marine Equipment Research Institute Co., Ltd.,Qingdao City, Shandong)
Wentao Wang(CSSC Heavy Industry (Qingdao) Marine Equipment Research Institute Co., Ltd.,Qingdao City, Shandong)

Abstract

Abstract

As global maritime operations face increasing demands for safety, efficiency, and resilience, the need for intelligent, integrated solutions has never been more critical. Digital twins—virtual, data-driven replicas of physical ships—are emerging as transformative tools for enabling real-time monitoring, simulation, predictive analytics, and coordinated decision-making between shipboard systems and shore-based stakeholders. This paper explores the conceptual foundation and functional roles of digital twins within maritime contexts, emphasising their contribution to resilient ship-shore remote collaboration systems. With the help of the industry case studies and secondary data of companies like Rolls-Royce, Kongsberg Maritime, and the Port of Rotterdam, the paper can point out best practices and challenges behind the digital twin technology implementation. It says that digital twins are not only leading to the advancement of situational awareness and the reliability of operational reliability, but they are transforming the human-machine interface within the maritime ecosystem. The conclusion of the study presents some of the main enablers, policy-related considerations, and future scale-ups of digital twin adoption in global shipping.

References

Falidouri M. Cybersecurity in maritime digital twins (Master’s thesis, Πανεπιστήμιο Πειραιώς).

Margaretha R, Syuzairi M, Mahadiansar M. Digital transformation in the maritime industry: Opportunities and challenges for Indonesia. Journal of Maritime Policy and Strategy. 2024 May 30;1(1):1-2.

CORTÉS-MURCIA DL, GUERRERO WJ, MONTOYA-TORRES JR. game-changing technologies, and physical internet: A systematic meta-review of literature.

da Conceicao VF. Designing for Safe Maritime Navigation. Studying Control Processes for Bridge

Teams (Master’s thesis, Chalmers Tekniska Hogskola (Sweden)).

Madusanka NS, Fan Y, Yang S, Xiang X. Digital twin in the maritime domain: A review and emerging trends. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2023 May 10;11(5):1021.

Barth L, Schweiger L, Galeno G, Schaal N, Ehrat M. Value creation with digital twins: Application-oriented conceptual framework and case study. Applied Sciences. 2023 Mar 9;13(6):3511.

Kaklis D, Varlamis I, Giannakopoulos G, Varelas TJ, Spyropoulos CD. Enabling digital twilns in the maritime sector through the lens of AI and industry 4.0. Internationa Journal of Information Management Data Insights. 2023 Nov 1;3(2):100178.

Piras G, Agostinelli S, Muzi F. Digital twin framework for built environment: a review of key enablers. Energies. 2024 Jan 16;17(2):436.

Li L, Aslam S, Wileman A, Perinpanayagam S. Digital twin in aerospace industry: A gentle introduction. IEEE Access. 2021 Dec 20;10:9543-62.

Pang TY, Pelaez Restrepo JD, Cheng CT, Yasin A, Lim H, Miletic M. Developing a digital twin and digital thread framework for an ‘Industry 4.0’Shipyard. Applied Sciences. 2021 Jan 25;11(3):1097.

Giering JE, Dyck A. Maritime Digital Twin architecture: A concept for holistic Digital Twin application for shipbuilding and shipping. at-Automatisierungstechnik. 2021 Dec 20;69(12):1081-95.

Mayer I. Digital twins for the real world. Tilburg University; 2022 Jun 17.

Shaveko O. Maintenance of Autonomous Vessels (advantages and disadvantages) in comparison with Conventional Ships.

Liu Z, Meyendorf N, Blasch E, Tsukada K, Liao M, Mrad N. The Role of Data Fusion in Predictive Maintenance Using Digital Twins. InHandbook of Nondestructive Evaluation 4.0 2025 Jan 16 (pp. 1-23). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

Van Dinter R, Tekinerdogan B, Catal C. Predictive maintenance using digital twins: A systematic literature review. Information and Software Technology. 2022 Nov 1;151:107008.

Erstad, E. Operational training for enhanced maritime cyber resilience: Bridging safety and security through maritime education and training.

Aslam S, Michaelides MP, Herodotou H. Internet of ships: A survey on architectures, emerging applications, and challenges. IEEE Internet of Things journal. 2020 May 8;7(10):9714-27.

Katsoulakos T, Tsiochantari G, O’Donncha F, Kaklamanis E, Maccari A, Mucharski M. Shipping digital twin landscape. InState-of-the-Art Digital Twin Applications for Shipping Sector Decarbonization 2024 (pp. 1-25). IGI Global.

Homayouni SM, Pinho de Sousa J, Moreira Marques C. Unlocking the potential of digital twins to achieve sustainability in seaports: the state of practice and future outlook. WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs. 2025 Mar;24(1):59-98.

Mihai S, Yaqoob M, Hung DV, Davis W, Towakel P, Raza M, Karamanoglu M, Barn B, Shetve D, Prasad RV, Venkataraman H. Digital twins: A survey on enabling technologies, challenges, trends and future prospects. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials. 2022 Sep 22;24(4):2255-91.

Menges D, Rasheed A. Digital Twin for Autonomous Surface Vessels: Enabler for Safe Maritime Navigation. arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.03465. 2024 Nov 5.

Heikkilä M, Saarni J, Saurama A. Innovation in smart ports: Future directions of digitalization in container ports. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. 2022 Dec 6;10(12):1925.

Mihai S, Yaqoob M, Hung DV, Davis W, Towakel P, Raza M, Karamanoglu M, Barn B, Shetve D, Prasad RV, Venkataraman H. Digital twins: A survey on enabling technologies, challenges, trends and future prospects. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials. 2022 Sep 22;24(4):2255-91.

Notteboom T. Dock labour and port-related employment in the European seaport system. ITTMA/University of Antwerp, Antwerpen. 2010.

Farzadmehr M. AI-powered solutions assessment in port and maritime sector (Doctoral dissertation, University of Antwerp).

Resende LM, Bilcati T, Pontes J, Betim LM. Assessing digitalization maturity in port environments: a comprehensive tool for logistics, operations, and planning management. Australian Journal of Maritime & Ocean Affairs. 2024 Dec 12:1-22.

Donner M, Donner M, Kruk C. Supply chain security guide. Washington, DC, USA: World Bank; 2009 Jan.

Juarez MG, Botti VJ, Giret AS. Digital twins: Review and challenges. Journal of Computing and

Information Science in Engineering. 2021 Jun 1;21(3):030802.

Rasheed A, San O, Kvamsdal T. Digital twin: Values, challenges and enablers from a modeling perspective. IEEE access. 2020 Jan 28;8:21980-2012.

Mylonas G, Kalogeras A, Kalogeras G, Anagnostopoulos C, Alexakos C, Muñoz L. Digital twins from smart manufacturing to smart cities: A survey. Ieee Access. 2021 Oct 15;9:143222-49.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12345/jms.v6i2.30408