Remote SCADA breakdown support enables reliable shipping deliveries

SAGE’s client delivers millions of tonnes of cargo to Australian ports each year. If the client misses their window to unload at port, it can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars each day.

To reduce the risk of this happening, the client engaged SAGE Automation to provide remote breakdown support and service for a number of their ships.

This support is delivered through the National Operations Centre (NOC), connecting the clients directly to expert engineers who can respond and resolve breakdowns quickly, using remote connections.

The NOC Technicians completed remote fault finding via the ship’s PLC and SCADA systems that control the onboard ballast and self-unloader. The ballast controls the amount of water the ship contains to balance the cargo weight and the self-unloader is an automated loading and unloading system, utilising conveyors and scrapers to transfer the cargo.

SAGE also upgraded two vessels’ SCADA systems, deploying and commission remotely with Virtual Machines and an assisting on board technician. This involved transferring the client’s SCADA into Virtual Machines, which can be copied across to a new PC within an hour. This process saved weeks of downtime by removing the installation and setup process while also improving security and safety by reducing the need for onboard contractors.

The remote service provided by the NOC makes breakdown support exponentially faster. By removing travel time and the time to complete vessel access paperwork, the response time is reduced, with most issues resolved within only a couple of hours.