SAFETY4SEA is pleased to announce that Marlink has received the 2019 SMART4SEA Connectivity Award, sponsored by Vessel Performance Solutions, at a prestigious award ceremony which successfully concluded on January the 29th at Yacht Club of Greece in Athens, the evening ahead of the 2019 SMART4SEA Conference.
Marlink received the award for the continuous growth of its global satellite network ‘XChange Cloud’, a digital business optimization tool providing a secure platform for the optimized transfer and synchronization of files between ship and shore, and for its Cyber Guard Suite, the company’s fully integrated Cyber Guard portfolio. Other short-listed nominees for this category were: Cobham SATCOM, NSSLGlobal and Speedcast.
Presenting the award Mr. Soren Vinther Hansen, COO, Vessel Performance Solutions, said “To be able to leverage Big Data technology and analyses, we need access to the data streams through reliable connections. We also have a need to have this implemented more in the Shipping Industry. One of the obstacles have been the price of communication and as this is going down, the number of connected vessels is going up. Marlink is a company with an impressive portfolio of solutions that can support all these, optimizing vessel operations for enhanced crew welfare and safety.”
Accepting the award on behalf of Marlink, Mr. Tore Morten Olsen, President Maritime, stated “Connectivity is the key enabler for Greek and global ship owners to operate smarter and more efficiently. Critically though, satcom can support crews, making their life at sea safer and more comfortable through better leisure facilities, on board training and even health and safety through telemedicine. And fortunately, as the industry continues its path to digitalisation, we are now at the stage where technology is becoming so relevant and useful that shipowners can finally see a real return on their investment.”
Unveiled during SMM 2018, Marlink’s XChange Cloud is a digital business optimization tool providing a secure platform for the transfer and synchronization of files between ship and shore, and vice versa. With this solution, Marlink aims to introduce more efficient business practices across the board, supporting maritime users who wish to implement a more digital approach to their fleet operations management. Application scenarios include storing and sharing status reports from on board engine monitoring systems. Once transferred, the customer’s on shore ERP system can access the reports and take the necessary actions, such as ordering spare parts for the next port call or automatically warning the fleet manager about any technical issues. XChange Cloud is designed to enable optimal file transfer and synchronisation over a satellite link, ensuring data integrity at all times and best use of available bandwidth through advanced file compression. XChange Cloud is easy to set-up while shipping companies can be confident in the security of any data shared within the closed-ecosystem, which is accessible only with approved credentials. Users can also be confident in reliability, through Marlink’s own File Transfer Protocols, developed in house and already used for sharing data in the established SkyFile AFT and XChange Content tools.
Marlink attracted the most votes by the end of the voting period which held online during a two-month period. SMART4SEA Awards are held annually within the scope of awarding industry’s outstanding practices for e-navigation, connectivity, energy efficiency, cyber security, training and smart shipping technology. Other winners of the 2019 SMART4SEA Awards are: NAVTOR for the e-Navigation Award, d’Amico Group for the Energy Efficiency Award, ABS for the Cyber Security Award, Magsaysay Maritime Corporation for the Training Award, StealthGas for the Technology Award, Mr. Peter Broadhurst, Inmarsat for the Personality Award and Mr. Mark O’Neil, Columbia Shipmanagement for the Leadership Award.
Find photos from the awards ceremony at Flickr and explore more about the nomination & voting procedure and the winners of 2019 SMART4SEA Awards at https://events.safety4sea.com/2019-smart4sea-awards/
