The Canadian shipbuilding industry has emerged as a rapidly expanding strategic sector undergoing profound transformation. Over the past few decades, ship design has gradually evolved to meet efficiency and sustainability requirements, incorporating cutting-edge technologies and leveraging automation. Technology, now prevalent in commercial and military shipping, ensures enhanced performance and safety in the sector, contributing to smart fleet operations, maritime traffic management, and the development of autonomous ships.
The digitization of the shipbuilding industry, essential to supporting its expansion, however, poses several challenges that we will address here from two main angles.
In 2010, the Canadian federal government adopted a National Shipbuilding Strategy aimed at renewing the fleets of the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard over a 30-year period. This project, the largest procurement initiative in Canadian history, highlights the central role of the shipbuilding industry in safeguarding national security, fostering maritime trade, and driving economic development.
Today, technology is everywhere, and shipyards must act as systems integrators, coordinating the activities of the many suppliers responsible for installing onboard components and systems.
There are a variety of systems at play here—often interdependent—designed to improve real-time monitoring, optimize offshore operations and safety, and reduce operators’ operating costs. From propulsion systems to smart sensors, radars, and other communication technologies, to automated navigation tools, onboard networks, and energy management technologies, challenges abound.
In the case of modern ships, the quality of system engineering is crucial to ensuring their performance and interoperability. For older ships, or commercial vessels converted into military ships, the level of complexity is of a different nature. Integrators must then work within the constraints of ships that were not originally designed to accommodate so many technologies. Technology integration plays a critical role here, particularly when upgrading systems.
However, these challenges are not exclusive to the shipbuilding industry. Other sectors, such as rail transport, the bus industry, and air transport, operate platforms with a lifespan of several decades (typically 30 to 50 years) and rely on constantly evolving technologies with life cycles of 5 to 10 years.
With technology constantly evolving and at an ever-increasing pace, operators of civilian and military vessels must balance multiple factors to ensure that systems are available at all times, compatible and interoperable, while safeguarding the security of the data they process.
Add to this the obsolescence of the systems they must factor into their fleet management strategy. The ability to track changes, maintain data consistency, and ensure data security will be key to achieving a smooth transition as systems are replaced.
In any case, a structured approach to technological evolution in ships involves several key steps, including:
Our experts in systems engineering and technology integration, recognized for their ability to structure projects and establish a clear operational framework, have in-depth knowledge of the transportation sector. They can provide guidance on the best course of action based on your specific technological scenarios (new or under-construction vessels and older vessels undergoing retrofits).
Our approach typically involves:
To meet the fleet’s requirements for efficiency, performance, safety, and reliability, the Cysca team stands out for its expertise in complex environments, which requires working in coordination with numerous stakeholders while adhering to strict regulatory frameworks and maintaining data confidentiality.
Finally, the increased cybersecurity risks resulting from the proliferation of onboard systems must also be considered. Our experts can assist you in mapping the cyber threats to which ships are exposed and in developing an appropriate action plan to ensure your project’s security.
