Low Latency Internet and Reducing Emissions at Sea
How can low latency internet onboard vessels improve carbon footprint and reduce emissions to comply with CII and EEXI?
Low latency internet, with a very short delay or lag, can contribute to reducing a vessel’s carbon footprint and emissions by enabling more efficient and sustainable operations. Here are a few ways that low latency connectivity can help:
1. Telemetry and remote monitoring: Low latency connectivity can provide an additional layer of connectivity to allow ship owners and operators to monitor the performance of various systems on the vessel in real-time, enabling them to identify and address inefficiencies and optimise energy use. For example, telemetry data from propulsion and machinery systems can be used to optimise vessel speed and improve fuel efficiency, reducing emissions and saving on operating costs.
2. Digital twins and predictive maintenance: By providing real-time data on the performance of shipboard systems, low latency connectivity can support the use of digital twins, which are virtual replicas of physical assets. This can help to predict when maintenance is required, reducing instances of unplanned downtime and reducing emissions by improving the overall efficiency of the vessel.
3. E-navigation and route optimisation: Conventional GEO connectivity has traditionally been used to update periodic feeds to navigation systems and environmental sensors to optimise vessel routes and reduce emissions. In future, choosing the most efficient routes, monitoring and reducing emissions and improving fuel efficiency will contribute to a more sustainable shipping industry. As the volume and complexity of operational, performance and compliance data increases, low latency systems can provide a close to real time data feed between ship and shore.
4. Compliance with regulations: Until now collection of compliance data has tended to be retrospective, requiring paperwork rather than high volume data transfer. The convergence of compliance and commercial drivers in the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) means that owners can take advantage of lower latency, higher throughput connectivity to access near real-time data on vessel performance and energy use. This does not just demonstrate compliance with regulations but provides previously unavailable commercial performance data that supports bottom line performance.
For an indepth look at CII and EEXI (Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index) regulation, you can find information and guidance on the websites of American Bureau of Shipping and Bureau Veritas. Both organisations have a partnership with Marlink aimed at advancing digital transformation in maritime.
These are just a few examples of how lower latency connectivity, such as new LEO services, can make an additional contribution to more efficient vessel operations. By enabling more informed decision-making and promoting the use of digital technologies, low latency connectivity has the potential to drive significant improvements to compliance and commercial performance.
At Marlink, we are at the forefront of the provision of digital solutions designed and built around customer needs, combining all available networks – including high throughput, low latency options – and blending them to meet user requirements and deliver an optimised service that supports their digital strategies. Our hybrid solution approach allows for new services to be integrated as they come onstream and enables us to deploy advanced tools for network segmentation and priority, application routing and next generation firewalls.
About the Author
Knut Natvig is VP Corporate Press & PR at Marlink and has worked in the maritime industry for over 20 years