A floating office requires seamless integration of systems, people, and processes. This concept sees a move away from operating and managing vessels in isolation and instead integrates systems and processes with onshore and cloud-based infrastructure to enable a seamless, high-speed, uninterrupted flow of information. The main challenge today is that achieving this 400nm offshore isn’t always that easy. It requires low latency bandwidth to eliminate lag time and enable real-time data transfer between ship and shore, which is essential for rapid decision-making.
Today, compression and Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) technologies are available that can significantly reduce latency over GEO and in multi-orbit environments. This is a game-changer for vessels as they become floating offices, as it facilitates network resilience and maximises uptime, improving the performance of applications such as video conferencing and cloud access. SD-WAN optimises and prioritises business-critical traffic. What this means is that while data may take different routes, their journeys will be optimised to start and finish at the same point.
This is a critical development for the ship-as-a-floating office concept. It enables data to rapidly find the best and most efficient route and also enables businesses to access their network applications from various physical and remote locations. The demand for digital tools and applications is on the rise, and this demand intensifies as ships approach the shore. In fact, a staggering 67% of owners and operators surveyed confirmed this increasing reliance on digital tools and applications as vessels near the shore, underlining the urgency of adapting to these digital demands.
The respondents cited various reasons for this, largely the increasing use of data-heavy applications. Congestion tends to heighten as ships get closer to shore, increasing the risk to vessel and cargo safety. To ensure safe and collision-free sailing, ships rely more on navigational applications that use accurate and reliable real-time data transmitted between vessels and the port.
As ships approach shore, the information exchanged between vessels, port authorities, and terminal operating systems (TOS) is heightened to ensure accurate berth planning, pilotage, tug assistance, and efficient arrangement of cargo handling requirements.
Three clear trends have emerged relating to cost, operations, and crew psychology:
- Cost—The closer to shore ships get, the lower the cost of cellular networks and VSAT connectivity compared with satellite connections used in the open ocean.
- Operations—As vessels sail closer to shore, communication between ship and shore becomes more critical for coordinating port calls, cargo handling, and logistics. Specialised applications can streamline these processes, but they often require high data consumption in an open ocean environment.
- Crew psychology – our seafarer survey indicated that as ships get closer to shore, crew rely on the internet to download entertainment tools, which are critical for morale and well-being.
While this latest research suggests that the demand for “office-related” connectivity increases as ships get closer to shore, the available capacity isn’t always enough to meet demand. This leads to competition between applications and sometimes connectivity blind spots. One ship operator told us that blind spots occur in congested waters near ports where vessel performance often deteriorates. This leads to operational inefficiencies and increases stress for the crew onboard as it becomes difficult for them to exchange information with the port.
For a more detailed insight and understanding of the topics briefly discussed in this article, please refer to our thought leadership report commissioned in partnership with Inmarsat, The Digital Wave. To find out more download your copy of the full report below:
