Collaboration is important in many industries and operations today, but for shipping, it’s critical. It’s easy to think that a ship operates in isolation, miles away from land or other industries. In reality, it’s far from that. Today, a vessel’s physical location is irrelevant as software, data, and connectivity enable it to connect with virtually anyone at any time.
Many stakeholders are involved in a vessel’s voyage, and information is flowing constantly between ship and shore. Collaborative software can provide a single source of truth and ultimately close the communication gap between ship and shore. Both ship and shore-based teams must have access to information in real-time for the software to be truly collaborative. Examples of collaborative software include, but are not limited to:
- Email – charterers, operators, brokers, agents, and whoever needs to see what’s going on with a vessel and why can do so via collaborative email platforms.
- Crewing tools – provide all relevant stakeholders with information on crew schedules and performance.
- eLearning – collaborative eLearning platforms enable organisations and their crew to access training tools from wherever they are, even offline.
- Ship and voyage management tools – enable invested stakeholders to understand why a vessel is operating the way it is and provide visibility of why certain decisions have been made.
- Maintenance and technical management – collaborative software enables crew to log maintenance tasks, report issues, and share information about equipment status.
The Role of Collaborative Software
Collaborative software requires a reliable network. For example, data on propeller performance or equipment status is collected by sensors and stored by onboard systems. It’s then transferred to other systems onboard the ship, such as the bridge. Or it might be transferred to shore-based teams for expert analysis. Either way, the storage and transfer of data are facilitated by a combination of the vessel’s network and collaborative software. This supports operational transparency and increases visibility between relevant stakeholders.
This enables mission-critical decision-making that improves the efficiency, performance, and safety of a voyage. Shared networks drive real-time data exchange to facilitate the tasks previously discussed, while cloud-based solutions allow both ship and shore-based teams to access the same systems and data in real-time. SDWAN-enabled solutions are important for a shared network, particularly where traffic demands are high, such as when the vessel nears shore.
With multiple applications such as ECDIS, AIS, and radar all relying on the same network, reliable, secure, and good signal strength and coverage are essential to ensure all critical systems that are relying on it, can. The offshore sector, in particular, heavily relies on low latency for remote inspection and surveys, which are increasingly being deployed to minimise travel and other costs associated with the physical presence of an engineer onboard.
It is important to note that this growing flow of data opens up the vessel and its network to increased cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Research by Thetius found that in the shipping sector alone, companies are now forking out, on average, $3.2 million in ransom payouts. But this risk runs deeper than the financial and operational concerns. There is widespread worry that reputation will be impacted and the effects will be long-term. Protecting systems from unwanted infiltration is critical, but often, there’s a long list of actions to complete. Integrating cyber security measures into systems as they are built, a concept known as cyber security by design ensures a proactive approach to cyber security management.
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:
