The ship-to-shore connectivity is getting more and more important in respect of efficiency for shipowners. Christoph Werner, Nautical Director at German company E.R. Schiffahrt, describes a communications strategy of balance
According to Werner, ever since the advent of satellite communications, the group has been »trying to keep the right balance[ds_preview] between what is technically possible and what is really reasonable.« Over the last decade, he has witnessed a transformation in connectivity ship/shore. Starting from a mix of plain text/fax messaging and »seldom and expensive phone calls«, services have developed to take in full exchange of e-mails with or without attachments and frequent phone conversations, and pushed on to recent demand for internet connectivity.
The company is in the process of changing its entire fleet from dial up connections using Inmarsat Maritime’s SAT-B and Fleet 77 to Fleet BroadBand, also from Inmarsat. The upgrade to Inmarsat’s i250 offer builds on 2011 commitment by ERS to »iFUSION« as its favoured enabling platform covering 87 ships. Under the new arrangement ERS will be able to take advantage of iW, a pre-paid web-browser service available to crew members.
»We undertook several surveys to establish how best to achieve a solution that is both technically well-advanced and cost efficient,« says Werner. »Ultimately, we decided to upgrade the i250 by adding the iW solution to cope with the increasing demand for connectivity between ship and shore in all respects. The requirement was that the solution had to be cost effective but demonstrate that it could extend data collection, increase general communications and improve crew welfare by offering pre-paid web browsing, as well as fulfilling national and international requirements.«
Three years after the commitment to iFusion, Werner says that, in general, the expectations prompting the decision have been met. »From our point of view our present satellite communication setup concept is the best solution with regards to our own demands, the demands of our clients, but also in respect of crew welfare and external requirements (port authorities, agents, etc.). We definitely need a worldwide and reliable satellite coverage for all of our vessels.«
Werner does not downplay the practical challenges that surfaced after its over-arching 2011 commitment. »It took considerable effort to select the right hardware (both above and below deck).« However, he adds: »We have been able to lower our communication expenses by approximately 50% and increase the data volume being transferred at the same time.«
According to the Nautical Director, the outlay on connectivity has amounted to around one per cent of the owner’s operational expenses, anticipating a slight
increase in the period ahead to possibly 1.5–2%. By contrast, he suggests the potential for operational returns are significant. »Collecting and analyzing vessel performance data is an essential part of the E.R. Schiffahrt strategy to maintain and extend its leading position as a ship owner and manager operating each ship in the most efficient way.« M
