Self-labelling of tugboat operation using unsupervised machine learning and intensity indicator

Abstract

The actual operational data, such as a time sequence of fuel consumption and speed, is usually unlabeled or not associated with a specific activity like tugging or cruising. The operation type is critical for further analysis, as tugging and cruising operations require different fuel and navigation profiles. This paper aims to develop a self-labelling framework for tugboat operation by using unsupervised machine learning and a proposed intensity indicator. The framework considers two sets of data: the positional data and the fuel consumption rate data. The fuel consumption data is obtained from mass flowmeters installed on tugboats, while the positional data are navigational data purchased from marine data aggregators. The developed self-labelling enables ship operators in identifying operations and locations that require heavy fuel consumption andcan be used for further big data analytics and machine learning for fuel consumption prediction when vessel speeds are known.