Insight | Maritime Connectivity Strategy: generating value and new opportunities
Understanding how to utilise satellite connectivity to meet important business priorities will help ship owners solve a huge range of challenges.
From the ability to attract and retain talented crew to benchmarking fleet performance. From optimising efficiency to gaining control over data to provide valuable insights that reduce running costs. Connectivity can improve profit margins, future-proof operations and provide compelling competitive advantages.
From our report, The Network Effect, we lay out the key benefits of connectivity for shipping companies, including crew welfare, decarbonisation and digitalisation.
Connectivity can deliver time and cost savings by improving vessel performance and facilitating onshore interactions to enable voyage and port call optimisation.
Voyage optimisation platforms can calculate and propose routes, thanks to data gathered directly from vessels, enabling considerable reductions in carbon emissions, whilst improving efficiency and profitability as a result of lower fuel consumption and time savings.
Port call optimisation can be enabled by digital collaboration platforms that ensure the timely sharing of information between trade and supply chain partners during port calls, annihilating port waiting times. These platforms connect key stakeholders in the supply chain, making it possible to easily share data, such as accurate cargo completion times, and improve transparency. This may result in more profitable voyages, satisfied cargo owners enhanced safety, efficiency, and reduced environmental impact.
Research suggests that the digitalisation of ship operations could offer potential reductions in carbon emissions by up to 38%.
The use of connected digital tools to collate data and inform decision-making will help ship operators to meet the ambitious International Maritime Organization (IMO) 2030 target to reduce the carbon intensity of all ships by 40%.
Connected technologies can help to predict failures before they occur, enabling a safer and more cost-effective approach to planned maintenance. Methods such as vibration and lubricant analysis, HD shock pulse monitoring, core sensor technology, and data analytics are already in place, helping ship operators to make preemptive decisions that can save time and money, as well as keep seafarers safe.
Collaborative digital document exchange across the shipping supply chain, supported by a good connectivity strategy, not only refines and speeds up processes but also ensures the secure transfer of information, despite the increased sophistication of cybersecurity threats.
Connectivity allows for the wide range of digital reporting required by the industry, such as the European Union’s monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) and the IMO’s data collection system (DCS) for fuel oil consumption regulations. Online digital reports can be easily shared, as well as externally verified for data accuracy and compliance. Systemised, digitally supplied data for vessel noon reports turns a laborious and time-consuming process into a relatively easy automated one.
Monitoring and tracking solutions, such as real-time tracking devices on standard containers could help improve supply chain transparency and efficiency.
A recent update to the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) has given seafarers the right to mandatory internet access whilst at sea. Besides being mandatory, being connected also improves seafarer health and well-being. A recent study found that it was the most important factor for 33% of seafarers, when they were considering working for a new employer - above pay and leave entitlement.
The same study also found that 87% of seafaring respondents believed that digital transformation would have a beneficial effect on crew retention.
Remote crew training and learning services have increased in frequency since the pandemic, reducing the financial costs of in-person training and allowing the flexibility to conduct training both onshore and offshore.
Beyond condition monitoring and condition-based maintenance, connectivity provides the ability to support onboard crew remotely during troubleshooting and repairs. A reliable, high-quality connectivity pipeline that can enable uninterrupted video and audio streaming for two-way communications between onboard and shoreside technicians is required and ensures that crew can connect at short notice, irrespective of geographic location.
Giving the crew the ability to make repairs reduces the financial risk associated with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) interventions, including logistics, diversions, and delays.
Having onboard connectivity enables remote surveys to take place, facilitated by the crew using tablets and other portable digital devices. A reliable internet connection can support live video streaming for the entire remote survey or the sending of pre-recorded videos and images, helping to ease the costs and logistical challenges of arranging a physical inspection.
A reform of the Pilotage Act in 2019 allowed pilotage to be provided to a vessel remotely for the first time. This means that it’s essential to plan around effective connectivity to make sure it meets the new increased demand for information exchange, which requires a reliable, standardised, and secure solution.
The need for highly reliable connectivity during an incident is paramount and a stable connection should be in place on every vessel to provide prioritised bandwidth when required. This is in line with the International Safety Management Code (ISM) to ensure safety at sea, prevent human injury or loss of life, and minimise adverse environmental impacts.
Telemedicine is also a vital service for vessels, helping to provide preventive care and ongoing care management for the crew. It is dependent on connectivity that enables video calls and even augmented reality medical support.
As we have seen, a good connectivity strategy opens up a world of technological benefits that can help organisations achieve their goals. Our report, The Network Effect, provides the framework for developing and implementing the right connectivity strategy for your business, addressing important questions around bandwidth, latency, network reliability and security, and much more.
Learn how to develop your connectivity strategy here.
