The Kilo Moana was built in 2001, and was subsequently equipped with some of the latest technology available.  A large part of this went towards shipboard interconnectivity.  Each stateroom, lab, and control center has a direct fiber optic connection to the central hub.  Through this connection, it is possible receive up to the second data from all the ships sensors.  Data such as position, orientation, wind speed and direction, and even engine RPM, is available on the shipboard network for anyone to use. 

In addition to data sharing, the shipboard network has several drives that simply store the all the data for future use.  Each data set is time stamped, which makes reviewing events and the conditions at the time quite simple.  The server where this information is stored also supports a shipboard email system that works intra-ship and also has a fifteen minute update cycle that allows communication with the outside world.

The ship also has video cameras overlooking critical areas.  These cameras are fully controllable from either the bridge or the computer lab, and make assessing the ships condition much easier.  For instance, the angles of the dredge wire can be seen (from the camera over my room’s window actually) and the needed actions can be taken to keep the wire from getting close to the ship’s propellers. 

The dredge winch can be controlled from anywhere on the ship.  It was recently moved the computer lab so that there is no communication delay or misunderstanding between the chief scientist directing the dredge and the winch operator.  The many monitors in the computer lab are set up so the winch operator can see the tension on the cable, the ship stats, and view the cable drum from a camera mounted above it.

In the main control room, there are two screens from which give you access to an interactive flow chart of all the ship’s systems.  From there you can start the engines, pump ballast around to trim the ship, activate lights, start pumps, or open and close valves.  Basically the whole ship can be monitored and controlled from that control station.  Of course, there are manual backups for everything, but in normal day to day operations they are not needed. 

Despite all the technology, the Kilo Moana still needs a crew to operate. With all this centralization, it becomes even more critical that someone is available at all times to address any problems that may arise.  To ensure that someone is present in the control room, there is what is called a “dead man alarm,” which despite how it sounds, is not a bad thing.  It is an alarm that goes of every thirty minutes and is deactivated by pressing a button on the console.  If it is not deactivated, an alarm goes off on the bridge to let them know that no one is present in the control room. 

In addition to its ‘swath’ hull design, the balance of automation and manual control on the Kilo Moana makes it a unique ship; representative of the current marine modern trend towards more encompassing shipboard computer systems.

Blake English onboard the R/V Kilo Moana.