IoT opportunities in the smart shipping era

Recent research conducted by the 2018 SAFETY4SEA Technology Award winner, Inmarsat, finds maritime industry more amenable to adopting analytic, management and operational tools applied through IoT than many commentators have supposed. But how IoT-based solutions can offer the maritime industry a way of solving problems in response to rising future challenges and especially to environmental concerns?

IoT in maritime: An Overview

Maritime industry is heading towards a digitalized, data-driven world, with the challenge being to find the right long-term technologies and link terrestrial locations with vessels at sea in an efficient way. Embracing IoT is said to help organizations’ applications and crew traffic run seamlessly across the entire network.

Maritime IoT adoption higher than other sectors?

Part of a wider research initiative set to continue, Inmarsat Report – Industrial IoT: Maritime – delves into the adoption of IoT solutions – and prevailing attitudes towards them – across the maritime, transport and logistics, energy, mining, and agriculture sectors. The maritime insights themselves are based on responses from 125 ship owners around the world. According to the report, a high number of maritime companies already fully using IoT-based solution due to the main opportunities that the technology offers.

5  key opportunities of IoT

#1 Improves transport and logistics

Thanks to IoT cargo handling and preemptive maintenance are becoming easier. This technology can improve the cargo handling based on satellite coverage, common sensor technology and the power of cloud computing, collecting data including voyage, weather, maintenance, machinery and state of cargo.

#2 Reduces the administrative costs of regulatory compliance

Lower costs, mainly those of regulatory compliance are expected due to the robust connections allowing an ever-increasing amount of data to be used in operational decision-making.

#3 Advances safety

IoT also provides remote technical diagnostics to improving safety for crew and passengers. Ship owners and managers can quickly and easily identify equipment issues and failures and seamlessly link third party applications to monitor vessel both performance and fuel efficiency.

#4 Reduces fuel consumption

65% of Inmarsat report respondents say they already use IoT-based solutions to monitor fuel consumption, rising to the 100% by 2023. It is estimated that around 2/3 of a ship’s operating cost is its fuel. Therefore, an active IoT system on board coupled with a fuel optimization application can collect data and send them to the shore in order to get the most energy efficient route.

#5 Increases efficient ships

With IoT technology, shipping companies including IT managers, captains and crew members can control access to data and voice services not only board ships, but also remotely from the shore. Subsequently, IoT is supposed to further help the industry become more competitive.