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Japanese firms Eco Marine Power (EMP) and KEI System Ltd. (KEI) announced today that they will release later this year, the Aquarius Monitoring and Automation System, or Aquarius MAS – a marine computer system capable of monitoring and/or controlling equipment on ships including wind and solar power devices, plus being able to monitor fuel consumption.

The Aquarius MAS is based upon the KEI 3240 Data Logger platform, a marine computer system which is already in use on vessels such as tug boats, training ships and bulk ore carriers. The KEI 3240 Data Logger is able to monitor the performance of on-board equipment and systems plus record data for later analysis. It can also be configured to control equipment and automate processes to turn on/off equipment.

The Aquarius MAS will incorporate new features. For example the amount of energy provided by marine solar and/or wind power systems can be monitored against fuel consumption to verify savings. This information can also be recorded and later analysed along with a wide range of other performance data in order to fine-tune the operational performance of the vessel the system is fitted to.

According to EMP, the combination of marine renewable energy solutions plus the optimization of energy use will result in considerable fuel savings, lower noxious gas emissions and a reduced carbon footprint for ships and shipping companies.

Mr Nakagawa, President of KEI System Ltd commented: "This is a big step for our company and ship owners since we have been considering for a long time about how to get most efficient control of various equipment and machinery on-board vessels. The collaboration with AIMS Global and Eco Marine Power will allow us to demonstrate the capability of our system and we look forward to working on projects together with them."

Greg Atkinson of Eco Marine Power said: "This is an important milestone for our company and means that after years of development work with KEI System we are now bringing solutions to the market that will help make sustainable shipping a reality."

It is planned to install the first Aquarius Monitoring and Automation System in co-operation with AIMS Global Engineering of Malaysia, after which the system will be marketed globally.

The Aquarius MAS will also be incorporated into the Aquarius Eco Ship concept being developed by EMP and into the designs of the Tonbo Hybrid Ferry and Medaka Eco Commuter Ferry.