Inmarsat and ABB Marine & Ports sign agreement to enable digitalisation via Fleet Data platform
Inmarsat and ABB Marine & Ports, two driving forces behind maritime digitalisation, have signed a milestone Master Supply Agreement. The implementation of the agreement tackles an obstacle identified by ship owners themselves which has stopped them using IoT (Internet of Things) technology.
A recent 2018 Inmarsat survey of 125 owners found 51% identifying an inability to get data off ships in real-time as their obstacle to IoT adoption.
The agreement recognises ABB as a certified application provider to work with Fleet Data, the IoT platform developed by Inmarsat and Danelec Marine which collects information from onboard sensors, pre-processes it, and uploads it to a secure cloud-based database.
The new Certified Application Provider (CAP) agreement means analytics, monitoring and decision-support software, developed by ABB Marine & Ports to benchmark fleet performance as well as enhance ship efficiency and safety, can seamlessly integrate with a database via the Fleet Data Application Programming Interface (API).
“As respective leaders in the field of mobile satellite communications and marine power, control and automation technologies, Inmarsat and ABB combine connectivity and enabling applications at a scale that can be truly transformative,” said Stefano Poli, Vice President Business Development, Inmarsat Maritime.
“This deal provides further evidence of the power of Fleet Data to rise to the challenge. As a digital enabler, Fleet Data can support a myriad of applications so it is no coincidence that Inmarsat has signed agreements with digital technology majors as well as start-ups intending to shake up the industry,” he said. “Both groups recognise that developing a digital culture is about downloading and updating, not expensive ship visits and installation time.”
With many years of experience in creating value from the data it collects, ABB’s electric, digital and connected solutions for the maritime industry are bringing new levels of reliability, efficiency and sustainability to shipping. A first candidate to exploit the bandwidth available for Fleet Data in the merchant shipping space is expected to be the ABB vessel management software ABB Ability™ Marine Advisory System – OCTOPUS.
“Collaborative operations that put our cumulative engineering knowledge, leading-edge products and remote support at the disposal of those at sea and ashore are core to the ABB Marine & Ports Service offering across a wide range of vessel types,” said Antto Shemeikka, Vice President Digital Services ABB Marine & Ports. “We see the potential for faster digitalisation enabled by continuously evolving connectivity.”
About Inmarsat
Inmarsat is the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications. It owns and operates the world’s most diverse global portfolio of mobile telecommunications satellite networks, and holds a multi-layered, global spectrum portfolio, covering L-band, Ka-band and S-band, enabling unparalleled breadth and diversity in the solutions it provides. Inmarsat’s long-established global distribution network includes not only the world’s leading channel partners but also its own strong direct retail capabilities, enabling end to end customer service assurance.
The company has an unrivalled track record of operating the world’s most reliable global mobile satellite telecommunications networks, sustaining business and mission critical safety & operational applications for 40 years. It is also a major driving force behind technological innovation in mobile satellite communications, sustaining its leadership through a substantial investment and a powerful network of technology and manufacturing partners.
Inmarsat operates across a diversified portfolio of sectors with the financial resources to fund its business strategy and holds leading positions in the Maritime, Government, Aviation and Enterprise satcoms markets, operating consistently as a trusted, responsive and high-quality partner to its customers across the globe.
