Insight | Case study: Mitsubishi Ore Transport

Case study: Mitsubishi Ore Transport

Summary
  • One of the largest Japanese ship owners and managers meets its communication and digitalisation requirements with Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress.
  • The adoption of Fleet Xpress provided the continuous connectivity Mitsubishi Ore Transport needed to deliver high-quality services to its customers while advancing its digital transformation strategy.
Related services: Fleet Xpress Fleet Data

From its foundation in 1959, Mitsubishi Ore Transport (MOT) has been committed to upholding the highest standards in maritime safety and security, and to delivering premium-quality marine transport services using advanced ship management technologies. 

Now, as part of NYK, the future-oriented organisation operates a fleet of 17 vessels and seeks to harness the vast potential of an increasingly connected maritime ecosystem to realise its digitalisation and decarbonisation objectives. 

Simple, convenient and fast communication

Combining the high speeds of Inmarsat’s Global Xpress Ka-band network with unlimited backup from its FleetBroadband L-band service, Fleet Xpress provides the continuous connectivity MOT needs to deliver high-quality services to its customers while advancing its digital transformation strategy.

Captain Gregario C. Ogatis, Master of the MOT-managed bulk carrier Santa Isabel, described Inmarsat’s connectivity solution as “very simple, convenient and fast”, adding that it allows onboard personnel to “communicate easily with shore”.

Building on Ogatis’s remarks, Tesuro Ideguci, Chief Engineer, MOT, commented: “Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress has allowed us to communicate with external parties and receive information very quickly, which is extremely beneficial. Thanks to Fleet Xpress, I believe the way we work on land and sea will change significantly in the future, and we will see improvements in all aspects of information exchange.”

As well as supporting fast and seamless business communications, Fleet Xpress helps crew members make the most of their free time by keeping in touch with family and friends and enjoying online entertainment on their own devices – without interfering with mission-critical connectivity.

Using synthetic virtual networks, Fleet Xpress delivers bandwidth in segregated pipelines, with each essential service allocated its own dedicated route to the user. The bandwidth used outside of these essential services also receives its own pipeline, ensuring connectivity for both, business and leisure, and achieves the highest standards in speed, reliability, and security.

 

Enhanced efficiency, reduced fuel consumption

Santa Isabel also benefits from Inmarsat’s Fleet Data, a maritime Internet-of-Things (IoT) platform that provides full data ownership and access from a single customisable dashboard.  Fleet Data transforms the way ship owners and managers collect, transfer, analyse, store, and share vessel data for quick performance-based and historical benchmarking across the fleet. These insights support enhanced decision-making for more efficient and sustainable operations.  Fleet Data is available on the Fleet Edge platform – a versatile, fully integrated modular solution giving Santa Isabel a path to operational efficiency, decarbonisation, and enhanced crew welfare over the Fleet Xpress network.

Shunsuke Miyazaki, General Manager, Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) Shipping, which owns Santa Isabel among other MOT-chartered or managed ships, commented: “In the trend towards global decarbonisation, the key is how to operate vessels more efficiently to reduce fuel consumption. We use Fleet Data to send information from the ship in real-time, and we leverage these insights to improve operational efficiency.”

For the two MC-owned vessels already deploying Fleet Data, Miyazaki added, the IoT platform has reduced fuel consumption and helped to ensure operations run according to schedule.

 

Connectivity with certainty

As the maritime industry becomes increasingly digitalised, more and more shipping companies are embracing new technologies and upgrading their satellite communications services to enable digitalisation, decarbonisation, and crew connectivity. This is why so many shipping companies rely on the Fleet Xpress suite of services – all delivered through our world-leading satellite network.

“We are delighted to support Mitsubishi Ore Transport solutions in driving the adoption of digital services on board, said Gert-Jan Panken, Vice President Sales, Inmarsat. Inmarsat’s services are built to deliver control over the entire connectivity ecosystem. With Fleet Xpress, shipping companies like MOT gain access to a host of opportunities to optimise and drive efficiency, the ability to attract and retain the most talented crew, and the capacity to future-proof operations and build in competitive advantages. By providing a clear view of what satellite communications mean to your business today and tomorrow, Inmarsat offers connectivity with certainty.”