NAVTOR and ScanReach connect ship and shore like never before
Member news | 9 September 2019
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NAVTOR and ScanReach, two innovative
players within the maritime technology arena, have signed a landmark agreement
that paves the way for shipowners to have a connected, comprehensive and
real-time view of vessel and fleet operations.
The collaboration will connect a
revolutionary onboard wireless IoT platform to a secure channel for sharing
data between ship and shore. The result is a seamless stream of information
running from onboard sensors (which can be fixed to almost any piece of
equipment, system, or individual) to land-based facilities, and back, enabling
optimal decision-making, 24/7.
Complete connection
NAVTOR is a world leader within
e-navigation, providing innovative digital solutions that make life simpler,
safer and more efficient for both navigators and entire shipping businesses.
ScanReach officially launched to the industry at Nor-Shipping 2019, having
devised and thoroughly tested a plug and play solution that, for the first
time, creates a robust onboard network capable of transmitting data throughout
complex and confined steel environments, with no need for expensive
cabling.
Their collaboration makes, according to
NAVTOR Chief Commercial Officer Børge Hetland, perfect sense.
Unique awareness
“Both ScanReach and NAVTOR share the
vision of utilizing technology to enable smarter shipping, and by that I mean
safer, more efficient, more environmentally friendly and, at the end of the
day, more cost effective maritime operations for shipowners and society
itself,” he explains.
“With our advanced ENC-based services as
the foundation we have built an infrastructure that allows the seamless sharing
of data between vessels and shore, giving bridge officers the very latest
information (for example, up to date charts, weather data and regulatory
alerts) while owners and operators access vital fleet management information.
ScanReach have created a breakthrough onboard infrastructure whereby sensors
share real-time information from equipment, systems and even personnel with the
bridge, giving the crew genuine insight of current vessel operations.
“This agreement puts those two
infrastructures together. So suddenly it’s not just the bridge officer that
knows the latest performance data from ‘sensor x’ in the engine room, it’s the
team in the office on shore. This gives close to real-time 360-degree awareness
like never before. The potential is really only limited by the ambition and
imagination of this industry. This is the definition of a game changer.”
Addressing industry demand
The technology is currently undergoing
full scale testing onboard North Sea Shipping’s North Sea Giant subsea
construction vessel, with a view of launching to market later this year.
ScanReach’s system will connect with NAVTOR’s communication and pre-processing
hub, NavBox, with all information relayed to land securely through this DNV GL
certified cyber secure gateway.
Jacob Grieg Eide, Chief Business
Development Officer, ScanReach, believes the agreement will fire the starting
gun for a new age of maritime service innovation.
“When you have two breakthrough
technologies coming together in this way the possibilities are huge,” he
states. “Suddenly we have the ability to develop a wide range of services, and
quickly, directly addressing client needs and effectively switching vessels
from ‘analogue’ to smart, connected, digital empowered ships – without having
to install expensive cabling.”
Unlimited potential
Eide mentions numerous possibilities. In
terms of performance, efficiency and cost control he talks of the ability of
ship and land-based teams to see real-time vessel operational data, combining
it with other data streams to fine-tune performance for optimal results. In
this way immediate action can be enabled – for example saving fuel and reducing
green house gases (in line with IMO targets) – rather than waiting for the
results of office-based analysis potentially months later.
In addition, automated and on demand
reports of emissions and fuel consumption could be produced for complete
regulatory compliance. Weather data could also be captured from weather
stations on each ship (NAVTOR services a fleet of several thousand vessels) and
streamed to land, providing real-time weather reports from exact vessel
locations – calibrating existing weather models and helping other ships adjust
routes and optimize performance and safety.
On the subject of safety, Eide sees
immediate gains.
“We’ve already launched In:Range,
allowing those on vessel bridges to see the exact location of all personnel
onboard in emergency situations,” he says. “With NAVTOR’s infrastructure that
information can be combined with their data, for example on routing, weather
and navigation, to enable a new generation of emergency response services, both
onboard and onshore.
“Everything becomes connected – ship
visibility is brought to shore,” he concludes, adding: “The implications of
that for the industry are truly staggering.”
Established expertise
ScanReach’s low power, plug and play
microsensor technology is simple to install while ships are operating, with no
need for cabling. NAVTOR is the market leader in e-navigation innovation. The
firm was the first to introduce Pay as You Sail (PAYS) ENC services to the
market, launched the first digital chart table and currently offers a unique
Passage Planning (PP) module, slashing average PP administration time from
three hours to under 30 minutes (per voyage, per vessel).
Both businesses are based in Norway with
global client bases. NAVTOR also has offices in Sweden, Japan, UK, Singapore
and the US.
