Klaveness picks Marlink for integrated satcom and IT management

JANUARY 16, 2019 — Marlink and its inhouse IT specialist unit, Palantir. are to be the preferred supplier for vessels managed by Klaveness Ship Management AS.

Vessels in the fleet will be equipped with an advanced solution, combining KeepUp@Sea remote IT service with Sealink VSAT connectivity, as well as XChange centralized communications management and global L-band back-up. This supports Torvald Klaveness’ ambition of becoming the leading digital bulk operator while optimizing its business operations through sophisticated IT and connectivity solutions.

KeepUp@Sea’s automated and standardized framework for servers and computers enables fleetwide control on board and ashore, also meeting Torvald Klaveness’ commitment to improving the nature of shipping with an emphasis on the importance of standardization in all areas of operation. The KeepUp@Sea dashboard is designed to fulfill critical monitoring tasks in a simple and intuitive way. It provides a complete overview of the health status for critical components on board – verifying that backup is performed and that antivirus protection is up to date – all in one place, through a single click, for the whole fleet.

KeepUp@Sea also enables shore staff to maintain a transparent overview of the operational status of a fleet, while enabling on board staff with limited IT competence to deal with error situations in a straightforward way, while enjoying the full support of Palantir personnel with extensive experience in working at sea.

“Standardization is a key pillar of our improvement and digital strategy,” said Lars Erik Luthman, Head of IT & Development, Torvald Klaveness. “With Marlink’s VSAT connectivity as a backbone, the scalable KeepUp@Sea solution will allow us to consolidate our IT operations on a single platform, reducing complexity, simplifying troubleshooting and ensuring that our software, licenses and anti-virus are always up to date. Through this we are looking to optimize IT management on board and ashore, improve stability and availability across our fleet of 23 owned and managed ships, and ultimately reduce overall operational expenditure.”

“The convergence of IT and connectivity can unlock cost and operational efficiencies for the shipping industry, and together with our Marlink Group sister companies we are well positioned to enable this,” said Tore Morten Olsen, President Maritime, Marlink. “While connectivity provides the foundation for digitalization, solutions like KeepUp@Sea are leading the way in standardizing complex processes and in doing so, opening the door for forward thinking companies like Torvald Klaveness to transform their operations by leveraging the power of technology.”