New virtual structural health monitoring solution offers an accessible, cost-effective entry point to essential vessel insights with a clear path to future upgrades

 Light Structures , the global leader in structural monitoring technology for maritime and offshore industries, has introduced a virtual Structural Health Monitoring solution developed to support compliance with ABS SMART Tier 1 notation. ARGUS-VM offers a practical and cost-effective route to reduce lifecycle costs across vessels and fleets, while also enhancing condition-based maintenance systems and broader vessel performance initiatives.

As smarter, more connected vessel operations become mainstream, Tier 1 of the ABS SMART(SHM) framework introduces a sensor-free approach to structural health monitoring. ARGUS-VM delivers on this by combining real-world AIS data and hindcast wave models with vessel-specific digital models to generate reliable estimates of structural stress and fatigue, enabling shipowners and operators to gain valuable insight into hull integrity without physical sensors.

Powered by Light Structures’ proprietary virtual monitoring engine, the system transforms vessel position, speed, and environmental data into structural health indicators and fatigue trends in near real time. Insights are delivered via onboard or shore-based interfaces, while an integrated API enables seamless connection to class-approved smart technologies and broader digital platforms—offering a scalable, cost-efficient route to fleet-wide structural insight.

ARGUS-VM also provides a clear upgrade path to full sensor-based monitoring, including alignment with Tier 3 of the ABS SMART(SHM) notation, which involves onboard sensing using Light Structures’ SENSFIB platform. Tier 3 features real-time safety alerts and high-fidelity data on local and global stress, fatigue accumulation, slamming events, vibration effects, and structural responses at critical points across the vessel. This sensor-based insight supports proactive maintenance, risk-based inspection strategies, and real-time data for digital twin and vessel modelling.

With ABS Approval in Principle for ARGUS-VM already issued, Light Structures has taken an important step in making structural monitoring more accessible and actionable. The system offers an efficient entry point to class-supported SHM that helps improve safety, reduce unplanned downtime, and extend vessel lifespan.