Wah Kwong and Bureau Veritas deliver first SMART ‘augmented ship’ in newbuild series

Wah Kwong Maritime Transport and Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) celebrated the delivery of the LR2 tanker Frontier Venture this week, the first vessel in Wah Kwong’s new series of SMART-enabled ships, representing a significant milestone in Wah Kwong’s fleet development. Built by Hengli Shipyard in Dalian, the vessel is the first in the series to demonstrate Group 3 ‘augmented ship’ capabilities, integrating advanced on-board digital systems with shore-based support.

Classed by BV, the Frontier Venture has been assigned the SMART (H1,M1,EnE3,MH3) notations, recognising its enhanced capabilities in machinery health monitoring and energy efficiency optimization. The new vessel is the latest example of industry innovation, resulting from the long-standing collaboration between Wah Kwong and BV to advance class-recognised digitalization across its fleet.

The ‘augmented ship’ features expert-in-the-loop services that deliver timely, actionable insights to ship officers. This includes early detection of machinery anomalies and recommendations for more efficient operating profiles, a critical capability in modern maritime operations, where complex variables demand both data-driven analysis and human expertise for sound decision-making.

The Frontier Venture is the first in the series being built at Hengli Shipyard. The delivery of the second LR2 is expected to be in July 2026. The 114,000 DWT LR2 Frontier Venture is 248.8 metres long, with a breadth of 44.0 metres and a depth of 21.5 metres. It is powered by a modern Everllence B&W main engine rated at 10,800 kW SMCR, and meets EEDI Phase III requirements. The LNG-ready vessel has three cargo oil pumps, each with a capacity of 3,000 m³/h, for efficient loading and discharge.

The CROWN+ Ultramax bulk carrier Eastern Venture owned by Wah Kwong was the first newbuild worldwide to be granted the BV SMART (EnE1) notation on delivery in 2023. Since then, the Wah Kwong fleet has progressed from Group 1 foundational onboard digital systems to more advanced Group 3 ‘augmented ship’ capabilities, integrating additional monitoring and decision-support capabilities from shore. This progression reflects Wah Kwong’s commitment to a new generation of vessels equipped with integrated smart technologies supporting advanced analytics, predictive maintenance, and enhanced operational performance. 

The wider SMART-enabled ship program includes seven SMART-enabled vessels across multiple ship types, including LNG carriers under construction at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC) and bulk carriers at New Dayang Shipyard, to be delivered from 2026 to 2027.

The delivery of these SMART notations follows verification, validation, testing and audit protocols. This systematic approach is grounded in a critical principle: digital solutions deliver measurable value only when technical, operational and organizational elements are fully aligned. The objective of this third-party recognition is to reinforce stakeholder confidence in the reliability and integrity of digital capabilities deployed on board and supported from shore.

Hing Chao, Chairman of Wah Kwong Maritime Transport, said: “The SMART notations awarded to our first LR2 mark a key milestone in our long‑term partnership with Bureau Veritas and demonstrate how we translate innovation into fleet‑wide progress. BV continues to set a higher bar for the governance of digital capability, and together we have advanced through the SMART framework in recent years, ensuring that data‑driven insights are effectively embedded in operations onboard and ashore. This supports a future where trusted data and digital technologies enable the sector to collaborate more closely and move faster towards an intelligent, sustainable, maritime world.”

Alex Gregg-Smith, President, Marine & Offshore at Bureau Veritas, said: “The maritime sector is undergoing profound transformation, in which digitalization continues to play a central role. As with any major transition, building trust in new technologies is essential. Bureau Veritas has been a strong and forward‑thinking partner to Wah Kwong in helping advance the deployment of voluntary SMART notations to help build confidence in the digital solutions across the industry. From early advances in energy efficiency monitoring to the integration of sophisticated smart systems across multiple vessel types, this collaboration demonstrates how shipowners, classification societies, and technology providers can work together to enable safer, more efficient operations through data‑driven technologies.”