Structural Health Monitoring · Ships & floating structures
Hull Forecast
Structural health, forecast.
hullforecast.com
The gap
Everything on board has a backup. Except the hull.
On complex vessels, every critical system is duplicated and monitored around the clock. The hull is unique — the most critical structure on board, and the only one nobody watches. Inspected every few years, unwatched in between — and sometimes, it breaks.
| On a complex vessel | Backup | Live monitoring |
|---|---|---|
| Propulsion | Yes — duplicated | Yes — 24/7 |
| Power generation | Yes — duplicated | Yes — 24/7 |
| Steering | Yes — duplicated | Yes — 24/7 |
| Navigation & comms | Yes — duplicated | Yes — 24/7 |
| The hull | None — it is unique | None |
Steel records every load it takes. Hull Forecast reads it continuously — and tells you what comes next.
The analogy
Would you go to sea without a weather forecast? Then why run a hull without one?
| Step | Weather forecast | Hull Forecast |
|---|---|---|
| Observe | Stations, buoys, satellites | FBG sensors at engineered locations |
| Model | Atmospheric models | Structural model of complex structures |
| Forecast | Storm expected in 48 hours | Fatigue limit approaching at a critical zone |
| Decide | Reroute, stay in port | Plan the repair, adjust loading, schedule the drydock |
Forecasts became indispensable at sea by measuring constantly and modelling well. Hull Forecast applies the same discipline to the structure.
The solution
Sense. Read. Forecast.
Sense
Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors at engineered locations measure strain, temperature and mechanical stress in real time.
Read
Interrogators and an onboard edge unit sample every sensor continuously and keep the record on board.
Forecast
A proprietary structural model computes the load on the structure and its evolution, to anticipate failures and plan repairs.
- Immune to electromagnetic noiseAn optical signal, unaffected by onboard electrical systems.
- Safe in hazardous areasNo electrical current at the sensor.
- Lighter cablingMany sensors on a single fibre.
- Suited to wet and subsea zonesGlass fibre, built for immersion.
- Long runs, low lossReliable over the full length of the vessel.
- Stable over timeWavelength-encoded readings, free of zero drift.
Where the science is
The fibre is the instrument. The value is knowing where to place it and how to read it.
Placement
Structural analysis of load paths and fatigue-critical details decides where each sensor goes.
Measurement
Layout, bonding, calibration and temperature compensation turn a reading into a reliable value.
Interpretation
Deep knowledge of complex structures links local strain to global load, fatigue and remaining life.
Optical hardware can be bought. Knowing where a complex structure suffers — and what its signal means — cannot.
Predictive maintenance already protects every machine on board. Hull Forecast brings it to the hull.
Who it serves
Built for high-value, complex structures.
Offshore rigs
Platforms and floating units under continuous wave, wind and operational load.
Cruise ships
Large, complex hulls where an unplanned drydock costs a season.
Naval & defence
Military programmes where structural availability is operational readiness.
Superyachts
Exceptional hulls whose owners expect certainty, not surprises.
Floating docks
Pontoon structures stressed through every docking and ballast cycle.
Class & insurers
Condition evidence between surveys, built on continuous data.
Retrofit-first, vendor-agnostic
Designed for existing hulls, fitted alongside or during a refit, with open-market sensors and interrogators. No hardware lock-in.
Forecast, not raw data
Load, fatigue consumption and maintenance advice — not strain curves to decipher.
Next step
Put a hull under watch.
Pilot programmes, partnerships with yards and class societies, technical discussions.