Maersk Supply signs up for fleet wide ship management IoT connectivity

Digital IoT services from Inmarsat will enable a new phase in Maersk Supply Service's strategy for enhancing performance, efficiency and sustainability across 30 offshore vessels.

Satcom giant Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress service agreement with Maersk Supply Service has been extended to include fleet wide IoT-based ship management connectivity on separate, dedicated bandwidths. The extension has enabled Maersk Supply to evaluate new vessel performance tools available through Inmarsat’s Certified Application Provider (CAP) program.

“Software-based digital solutions have a significant advantage over hardware-based counterparts as they can be deployed fleet-wide at the push of a button,” said Kasper Thiesen, head of IT, Maersk Supply Service (MSS). “By having the underlying Fleet Data, Fleet Connect infrastructure and sensor data collectors installed on our vessels, we have unlocked a portfolio of digital services which we can deploy to our fleet and bring to market in little-to-no time. As the digital eco-system develops, more solutions will become available, increasing our ability to remain agile and support our journey to decarbonize, and entry into renewable industries”.

DIGITALIZATION

Fleet Data enables digitalization across the full scope of vessel operations, using cloud-based analytics, which is agnostic of OEM-specific applications or sensor technologies. Owner-operators are free to choose which areas will benefit most from predictive analytics and decision-making.

The new agreement will accommodate rapid scaling up of new IoT-based vessel performance applications fleet wide. Fleet Data and Fleet Connect offer a single IoT-based architecture capable of working with every OEM-supplied or standalone analytics and management software on the market.

Maersk Supply Service used Fleet Xpress in combination with Fleet Data to evaluate a number of fuel emissions and ship performance solutions provided through the Inmarsat CAP program. The trials have resulted in a commercial commitment to SKF One Global Cloud platform that provides condition monitoring and remote diagnostics from SKF Marine and a proof of concept agreement with Yxney Maritime covering the Maress data analytics software for reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

“Maersk Supply Service has been quick to realize that dedicated Fleet Data and Fleet Connect bandwidths satisfy their digital offshore support vessel needs,” said Marco Cristoforo Camporeale, head of maritime digital, Inmarsat Maritime. “Hundreds of data points are monitored on each ship, with Fleet Data covering data acquisition and uploading to the cloud, and Fleet Connect bringing the bi-directional communication to stream data to and from the ship.”

Fleet Connect offers digital solutions providers – including OEMs – the opportunity to take advantage of always-available, dedicated bandwidth for specific vessel management applications.

“We believe that everyone should have access to crucial asset data at any time,” said Frank Hasselbalch – manager condition monitoring, SKF Marine. “SKF’s monitoring solutions provide the foundation for fleet condition-based maintenance strategies to meet and exceed class society recommendations”.

“Maress is a system that unlocks a complete birds-eye view and strategic perspective on fleet and vessel decarbonization efforts and results,” said Sindre Bornstein, CCO, Yxney Maritime. “Building on a successful Maress trial, Maersk Supply Service will be able to use its data in a smart way to maintain a leading role in the ongoing industry transition; in short, providing transparency, accountability and strategic decision support around emissions.”