PROPULSION

© Thordon Bearings Coming up with propulsion systems that meet the new requirements for low emissions and high performance is a challenge. However, there are a number of new products on the market that not only meet commercial shipping industry needs, but also require low maintenance, at a time when yard time is at a premium

MEETING THE CHALLENGE

MAN Energy Solutions has been pushing dual fuel retrofits of low-speed engines as a move towards decarbonisation. The company says that dual-fuel retrofits have already been effective on MAN & B&W low-speed engines and offer substantial energy savings when fuelled by carbon neutral products.

The company is offering a number of options for the retrofit conversion of conventionally- fuelled engines including the use of ethane, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas and methanol variants and is working towards being able to offer a retrofit option using ammonia as fuel in order to meet vessels’ five year dry-docking options after the first quarter of 2025.

According to Klaus Rasmussen, head of projects at MAN PrimeServe: “A massive number of vessels in the current, ocean-going fleet have the potential for conversion, and our broad and continuously expanding portfolio of dual fuel engines offers extensive options when it comes to retrofitting”. Conversion to methanol is particularly attractive.

PrimeServ recently retrofitted what the company says was the greenest ever selective catalytic reduction system for a German cruise ship, which the company says adapts to limited space and meets Norwegian emissions standards.

SAFE RETURN TO PORT

Thordon Bearings has unveiled the BlueWater Seal, a new propeller shaft seal with a unique safe-return-to-port (SRTP) design that specifically meets commercial shipping industry needs for low maintenance and robust shaft seal.

The Thordon BlueWater Seal completes the Compac open seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearing system.

Taking the company’s TG100 and SeaThigor seal products as the technical benchmark, the Thordon BlueWater Seal is a cost effective, commercial grade axial lip seal specifically designed for merchant shipping fleets, the company says.

While retaining many of the key features associated with the company’s existing seal portfolio, the new, more commercially focused BlueWater Seal is a low-maintenance, highperformance product.

The BlueWater Seal also incorporates Thordon’s emergency SRTP capability. This ground-breaking technology, first used in the company’s TG100 and SeaThigor – designed for the workboat and specialised naval vessel markets respectively – represents the first SRTP seal designed for the merchant fleet.

Commenting on the development, Thordon Bearings’ technical director, Anthony Hamilton, says: “The BlueWater Seal meets growing market demand for a complete propeller shaft line solution from a single source. Although we can offer the seal as an individual component, it forms a fundamental part of the Thordon Compac open seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearing system.”

The Compac system includes Thordon’s proprietary seawater lubricated Compac bearings, shaft liners, ThorShield anti-corrosion shaft coating, a Thordon water quality package, a Thordon bearing condition monitoring system, and, now, the new BlueWater Seal.

The seal can be installed in all vessels with shaft diameters between 300mm to 1000mm (11.8in to 39.4in) and is simple to install, operate and maintain.

“At first glance the Thordon BlueWater Seal may look like any other axial lip face seal out there,” says Hamilton. “But what makes this seal unique is its SRTP capability and revolutionary Renform main seal ring.”

This technology, developed in-house by chief research engineer Gary Ren, allows the facing elements of the seal to operate almost without any friction. In practical terms, it means the seal is much better suited to variable and low draught conditions – a key benefit to a globally-operating merchant ship.

During comparative trials on Thordon’s full-scale test rig in Burlington, Ontario, Canada, the seal operated without friction spikes and considerably less friction than similar seals leading to reduced wear, longer life and less maintenance.

“This seal minimises water leakage and dramatically improves hydrodynamic and lubrication efficiency,” explains Hamilton. “The development is a real boon to those shipowners and operators looking to adopt an open seawater lubricated shaft line arrangement as the entire propeller shaft line system can now be sourced from one company.”

Thordon’s chief research engineer, Gary Ren, pictured with the BlueWater Seal featuring the newly developed Renform main seal ring CARBON CAPTURING

The Korean Register has awarded Approval in Principle to Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Panasia for their onboard carbon capture and storage system, an eco-friendly technology that captures the carbon dioxide emitted in the exhaust gases generated from the internal combustion engines of ships.

As a result of efforts to reduce emissions, many shipowners are considering installing carbon capture devices and adopting eco-friendly alternative fuels such as ammonia, hydrogen, and methanol in order to comply with the Carbon Intensity Indicator regulations.

The optimised wet absorption type CO2 capture device developed by SHI and Panasia is the result of three years of joint research and development and seeks to address the need for additional carbon reduction technology to realise carbon neutrality in the mid- to long-term. The system is the very first of its kind to be developed in Korea and KR conducted the HAZID analysis to assess the system’s risk factors.

KR executive vice president KIM Daeheon says: “This AIP is an extremely important step to help shipping companies stay compliant with the stringent decarbonisation regulations. KR is committed to actively supporting the application of these ecotechnologies, and to helping shipping companies meet their environmental obligations for the good of the industry and society as a whole.”

RESISTANCE TO CHANGE

Shipowners, operators and managers responding to an environmental survey carried out by Canadabased McMaster University’s

DeGroote School of Business have acknowledged the need to reduce operational oil leakage from propeller shafts. But a lack of understanding about cleaner alternatives is preventing any meaningful technological change.

Researchers questioned more than 1,000 marine industry professionals last year to better understand why the majority of newbuild ships continue to be fitted with outdated oil lubricated propeller shafts when proven, cleaner technology is widely available.

Ken Deal, professor of marketing, at DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, says: “The DeGroote School of Business works closely with organisations to provide practical experiential learning for students. The survey, designed to better educate the shipping industry’s decision makers, provides a good example of how academia and business can work together to help different industries achieve their environmental goals.”

McMaster University, part of the U15 Group of Canadian Research Universities, identified a large gap in knowledge about seawater lubricated systems.

According to the findings, while 74% of the respondents believed “oil leaking from the stern tube negatively affects the environment”, responses indicated a lack of knowledge about the costs, benefits, reliability, technical equivalence, and performance realities of an open seawater lubricated propeller shaft bearing system.

Of all the 25 questions posed, the most telling indication as to why shipowners continue to specify oil-lubricated systems was gleaned from question six: “How important are the following factors when choosing an oil lubricated system over a seawater lubricated system for your fleet?”. Variations of “it works, so why change it,” made up the majority of answers.

Jeff Tennebaum, marketing manager at Thordon Bearings, who instigated the study, says: “Many of the respondents were not fully aware of the problem. They obviously care about the environment, but the results suggest they may not consider a stern tube oil leak to be a significant source of pollution.”

In responses to the survey, there appeared to be a misconception that seawater-lubricated propeller shafts were not as proven as oillubricated systems. Respondents were unaware of the technical advancements seawater-lubricated propeller shaft bearing systems have made over the years.

“The problem with seawaterlubricated shafts is that we have to withdraw them every five-to-six years. If that is solved, then I would prefer them over the oil lubricated shaft,” said another respondent.

“This [oil lubrication] is the industry standard”. “Mostly due to what’s offered by the yard”. “It was never proposed by any newbuilding shipyard”. “Shipyards are reluctant to change to a water lubricated arrangement”, were just some of the survey responses.

Craig Carter, vice president of business development at Thordon Bearings, says: “An immediate increase in shipowners demanding water-lubricated systems would slowly pivot the direction of the global shipping industry towards a much more environmentally sustainable, zero pollution future; one that’s in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #14 and with the IMO’s World Maritime Theme for 2022 - New technologies for greener shipping.

“We are disappointed, of course, that the ‘if it works, why change it’ mentality persists but we will address these issues through a series of educational videos, seminars and workshops.”

WIND PROPULSION FIRST

An automated wind propulsion system developed by French technology pioneer Airseas has been installed for the first time on a commercial ship to significantly reduce carbon emissions, following Bureau Veritas approval to begin operations at sea.

Airseas has completed the first installation of its automated kite Seawing on a commercial vessel, marking an important milestone in the deployment of wind-assisted technologies to curb emissions from shipping.

The first Seawing system has been installed on the vessel Ville de Bordeaux, chartered by Airbus and operated by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs. The ro-ro, which transports major aircraft components between France and the US, is deploying the 500m2 Seawing on its monthly transatlantic journeys.

Airseas has received formal approval from leading classification society Bureau Veritas to begin operations at sea, following three years of close collaboration on the development and early trials of the Seawing.

Founded by former Airbus engineers, Airseas integrates expertise from the aeronautical sector, including digital twin and automation technology, with the maritime industry.

Airseas’ full-size Seawing is a 1,000m2 parafoil which flies at an altitude of 300m, capturing the strength of the wind to propel the vessel. Based on modelling and preliminary testing on land, Airseas estimates that the Seawing system will enable an average 20% reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Vincent Bernatets, chief executive of Airseas says: “A decade ago, we embarked on the ambitious project of channelling our unique aviation expertise towards creating a cleaner and more sustainable shipping industry.

“Today, I am proud to see that vision becoming reality, with our first Seawing ready to make a tangible difference for our planet. This first installation marks a significant milestone not only for Airseas, but also for wind and other renewable propulsion technologies in general. Given the urgency of the climate crisis, the world needs to see a drastic reduction in carbon emissions now. In shipping, we can achieve this by using the full set of tools we have available to us today. Wind propulsion is one of these and will play an essential role in helping shipping achieve its much-needed decarbonisation transition.”

Ville de Bordeaux, chartered by Airbus and operated by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs

The first Seawing system has been installed on the vessel Ville de Bordeaux

AI can be a game changer so far as shipping is concerned. Roberto

Coustas of DeepSea

Technologies talks to Clean Shipping International about weather routing

Roberto Coustas CEO & Co-Founder, DeepSea Technologies

PREDICTING THE UNPREDICTABLE

Q You mentioned divisiveness in shipping as far as AI is concerned. Do you feel that this continues to be a major concern for the industry which has often been accused of being behind the times?

A Deep fragmentation continues to delay adoption of data-driven technology. The industry has so far been unable to reach a consensus on which efficiency enhancements to choose, delaying not only the digital maturation of individual companies, but also the ongoing development of potentially gamechanging solutions.

To meet environmental regulations as rapidly as possible, a data-driven approach needs to be accessible and advantageous to all. Standardisation across the global fleet will be key to unlocking the full potential of data and AI in shipping – and accelerating the decarbonisation of the sector.

Frustratingly, a split incentive also exists, dividing responsibility for fuel costs between shipowners, operators, and charterers. The value proposition for owners to invest in ecoefficiency technologies is therefore unclear, preventing investment in increasing vessel efficiency. Charterers, on the other hand, often face rising fuel bills and may lack the additional budget to invest in new datadriven solutions – perceiving both costs and risk to be too high.

Addressing this split incentive will be challenging. Antiquated contractual structures – on which international maritime trade has been built over 150 years – often directly counter decarbonisation efforts. Efficiency measures such as speed reduction, route optimisation and cargo intake limits can breach existing charter party terms, putting charterers in dispute with owners. The long-established “rush to wait” mentality is also a factor, complicated by the potential profit shipowners can generate through demurrage. Unfortunately, this combination of dynamics results in efficiency sacrifices, rather than prioritisation of environmental performance.

Resolving these issues will require an industry-wide shift in thinking. Improving

access to data-driven technologies can accelerate this process. With new AI-driven technologies bringing down the cost of these solutions, the number of industry players realising significant financial and environmental benefits from adopting a data-driven approach is rapidly increasing. At DeepSea, our aim is to maintain this momentum, further increasing understanding of the value these investments offer when buying or chartering specific vessels.

Q Can you give me a view of what the major selling points of your products are, as opposed to those already on the market?

A Weather routing is a well-known concept, having been used in shipping for years to optimise voyages by analysing existing weather forecasts, and plot the most time- and emissionsefficient way of getting from point A to point B. The technology behind DeepSea’s latest product, Pythia, is far more than just weather routing.

Pythia is an industry-first, next generation weather-routing and voyage- optimisation platform. The solution is tailored to the exact performance of individual vessels, under all conditions, using AI performance models based on highly detailed real-time data.

By using real-time data, Pythia obtains a highly accurate understanding of a vessel – it’s DNA, so to speak. This allows for the development of dynamic, tailor-made performance models for each ship. Analysing 19 different parameters, these models accurately track how a vessel performs over time, and under any condition, including those relating to weather and the physical state of the vessel, such as fouling levels.

Taking into consideration a vessel’s DNA, Pythia sets itself apart from traditional weather-routing technology by adding layers of accuracy to weather-routing capability.

This essentially offers operators a crystal ball, predicting what a voyage will look like before it has even begun. Without the intelligence gained from understanding a vessel’s performance prior to disembarkation, this level of real-time management is unreachable – effectively meaning that weather routing data, used as a standalone technology, only provides part of the solution.

Q Is it possible to say that you can predict with 99% accuracy what a vessel voyage will look like? Is this not being over-optimistic in view of the potential for things to go wrong that were not predicted?

A Before it even leaves port, AIpowered modelling provides a critical foundation for understanding a vessel’s performance. This level of predictability means that, even accounting for uncertainties in weather, a voyage can be predicted – with 99% accuracy – before it begins. Furthermore, the modelling is able to offer energy efficiency improvements well beyond monitoring – it can power a system that adapts in real-time to the changing conditions.

Continual automated monitoring of a vessel’s existing data sources and third-party data means that the correct actions can be taken when unpredicted weather conditions inevitably occur. For example, an optimal change in speed can be suggested if an unexpected seastate is encountered – thereby turning the unpredictable into something that can be intelligently managed.

We understand that modelling vessel performance with 99% accuracy seems like a bold claim, which is why we’ve compiled a collection of real-life examples to prove it. In one comparison of Pythia versus a traditional weather routing provider, a vessel sailing from Shanghai to Singapore saved 12.1m tonnes of bunker fuel, equating to a cost and CO2 saving of more than $6,000 and around 35 tonnes, respectively.

Both approaches reacted to the same weather information. However, without integrated hull modelling, the traditional weather routing provider made major overadjustments for currents, leading to a significant negative impact on fuel consumption. This led to a greater overall fuel consumption than if the ship had foregone the routing process completely and instead simply stuck to a constant speed.

Q How do you eliminate the dangers of user error as a cause of accidents or, alternatively, users relying so heavily on technology that they forget to look out the window?

A Technology is not a complete replacement for human intervention when it comes to safety and so, of course, we expect that you will still need to look out of the window in certain circumstances.

Human failure and technical/ machine failure require separate management and should always be accounted for. However what DeepSea can provide is a 99% predictability that maximises time and efficiency to ultimately enhance the safety of a vessel based on data that we can be certain of.

Q Given that some vessels – fewer these days – have been converted from one use to another, that is changes to DNA that have to be taken into account. How do you cater for this in calculating how vessels will react in extreme weather conditions?

A DeepSea has a database based on the modelling of more than 300 vessels, ranging from tankers, bulk carriers and container ships to ro-ro vessels and liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas carriers. We’re able to pull information about how each type of vessel should behave and use this as the foundation for our vessel blueprint. We then install sensors to gather specific vessel data, and taking into account any conversions made to a vessel, utilise an algorithm to filter out any anomalies.

Q What benefits do you feel the family’s far-reaching experience in the industry bring to the table?

A My family’s strong ties to shipping certainly allowed me the space to nurture my interest in the industry. Back when we were younger, DeepSea’s co-founder, Konstantinos Kyriakopoulos, and I would board my father’s ships to test various technology.

It was these experiences that truly cemented my passion for the development of technology that would change shipping for the better.

IT has a vital role to play in making operations more efficient and hopefully reducing emissions. Darren

Shelton and Jonathan Arneault of Fuel Trust

look at digitising transparency and trust in fuel supply

Darren Shelton Chief Product Officer, Fuel Trust

Jonathan Arneault, Chief Executive, Fuel Trust

TACKLING

TRANSPARENCY

The shipping industry, and particularly the bunker market, faces a serious challenge in addressing the climate emergency and meeting its decarbonisation and wider sustainability commitments. Currently, however, vessel operators lack the accurate and reliable information needed to take the corrective actions necessary to see impactful results.

At the same time as regulators and authorities are accelerating emissions reduction schedules, they are planning to drive compliance by imposing carbon levies on vessel operators proportionate to their vessel emissions. Additionally, stakeholders in sectors along the value chain, such as manufacturing and agriculture, are pressing for shipping to pay more attention to environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria and be more environmentally conscious. To meet all these challenges, the shipping industry, and more particularly the bunker sector, needs a more transparent, traceable and truthful approach to measuring and reporting emissions from its vessels. This includes having an accurate understanding of what is happening to fuel along its journey, from source to combustion to emission.

DEFICIENT DATA LOWERS TRUST

Quality and fraud issues are well known in the bunker industry and frequently accepted by vessel operators as an unavoidable cost of doing business. Discrepancies in the quantity of fuel delivered during bunkering are often overlooked, being up to 3% less than that stated on the bunker delivery note (BDN). These low-transparency transactions add up to billions of dollars lost by shipping each year. This lack of transparency is symptomatic of the wider challenge the industry faces. There is also a serious blind spot when it comes to what exactly is in the fuel being purchased and how that fuel performs in terms of efficiency, emissions and ESG values.

The current, generally accepted standards for measuring and accounting for vessel

emissions and their environmental impact are based on generalized calculations created by governments – which can’t account for the wide variety of engine types, efficiencies, operational decisions, and levels of maintenance. greenhouse gas and particulate emissions are calculated on a vesselby-vessel basis using specifications laid down by manufacturers when the vessel is built and commissioned and estimates of emissions that are classified for particular types and grades of marine fuel.

Calculating vessel emissions, using these broad-brush methods, could result in vessel owners and operators being charged or taxed too much relative to their actual emissions – even if they’ve taken actions to improve their emissions performance.

A MORE EFFECTIVE MEASURE

At FuelTrust, our goal is to enable a more trusted, transparent, and sustainable global supply chain fuel ecosystem and commercial shipping fleet, and thus a brighter future for our industry and society.

We use real-time data intelligence to provide visibility into the marine fuel ecosystem for vessel operators and bunker suppliers. Our artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchainenabled technologies help the industry validate carbon emissions, mitigate against poor quality marine fuel, identify and differentiate fuel quality, and reduce fraud and errors along the value chain.

We use our patented blockchain technology to provide an indisputable record of fuel transactions throughout the supply chain. FuelTrust uses hybrid blockchain to give suppliers, owners, and all users, permission-dependent access to permissioned data. By creating a decentralised, immutable store of information, FuelTrust customers benefit from a record of information – a single source of truth – that they create and control access to.

Alongside this, we use our AI technology to trace the links recorded in the blockchain of fuel transactions from source, through combustion and emission. We call this the AI Digital Chemist™. The AI Digital Chemist analyses data from laboratory certificates of analysis (COA), BDNs and vessel operations along each step of the journey a batch of fuel takes; as it is bought, sold, blended, and then finally used as fuel.

“Our goal is to enable a more trusted, transparent, and sustainable global supply chain fuel ecosystem and commercial shipping fleet”

SEEING AT A MOLECULAR LEVEL

FuelTrust’s AI technology analyses the data and by creating a chemical digital twin and replicating interactions in the fuel at a molecular level to identify how it has been blended, what reactions would have taken place between molecules, and what occurred during combustion.

This enables us to accurately report on fuel characteristics and emissions. Our experience of tracking, recording, and analysing this data often reveals huge discrepancies in fuel characteristics. Vessel owners and operators need to be aware of these differences to enable them to have accurate information when dealing with regulators and seeking potential carbon credits based on their decarbonisation initiatives.

One issue we have discovered in working with our clients and their counterparties’ data is a stark difference in fuel energy densities. Based on our analysis of data done on 14m barrels of very low sulphur fuel across 28 batches, we identified a difference in performance between batches of fuel of up to 3%. For a fully laden panamax container ship, this would equate to a 50MT saving of fuel on a voyage from Vancouver, Canada to Portsmouth, UK, or the equivalent of up to 469 nautical miles of additional sailing distance on a typical bunker.

For owners and operators, this data is crucial to understanding where and when to buy fuel, and for fuel suppliers, it represents an opportunity to escape commodity selling and market a superior fuel offering.

USING TECHNOLOGY TO TAKE A WIDER VIEW

We can use our technology and our Bunker Insights™ and Carbon Baseline™ products to trace the origin and outcomes of alternative fuels such as green ammonia, or biofuels, or even fuels and materials in other supply chains like chemicals, aviation fuels, or metals.

Our analyses can be used as independent and neutral evidence for vessel owners wanting to demonstrate compliance with fuel regulations and can also be used as an intermediary between counter parties where our permissioned blockchain enables a single source of truth and trust.

Across a range of services built on our AI and blockchain technologies, we help the shipping industry understand what is happening in the fuel supply chain, make informed decisions about when and where to bunker, and accurately measure and report on vessel emissions to demonstrate regulatory compliance to a wide array of stakeholders.

New fuels and new interest from stakeholders will continue to drive the shipping industry and the bunkering sector to increase their understanding of the fuels they use and supply. The industry will need to deliver accountability and value for investors and regulators, customers, and consumers alike.

Achieving this will impose tremendous logistical challenges– but by accurately simulating and analysing the contents of fuel tanks, and engines, we can create a trusted, transparent fuels supply chain that can deliver insight and accountability quickly and cost effectively.

Innovations in IT are streamlining the industry, having a positive effect on everything from training to issuing invoices

SMOOTH

OPERATIONS

The Synergy Marine Group has become the latest corporate customer to join Seably’s digital platform for bespoke maritime training.

Headquartered in Singapore, and spanning a network of 25 offices in 13 countries, Synergy employs more than 18,000 seafarers and manages a fleet of more than 500 vessels, including the most complex LNG, LPG and 20,000 plus TEU container ships, as well as oil and chemical tankers, and bulk carriers.

Martin Ackermann, Synergy’s Chief Commercial Officer says: “Continuous learning is at the heart of our culture at Synergy – and our commitment to helping our people upskill and thrive in an everchanging world.

“Our engagement with Seably reflects our joint interests and shared values in putting seafarers first and improving safety at sea. Seably’s exciting new seafarercentric digital training platform is the perfect vehicle for ongoing learning, training and development.”

He continues: “The dynamics of the new digital platform usher in a new way of delivering maritime training and development, providing relevant, content that is easy to understand and digest.

“It also means that our seafarers will have access to an increased amount of personalised learning material that will enhance their safety and overall wellbeing.”

Seably provides affordable and free access to the latest maritime training and development for real-life learning. Created by seafarers for seafarers, it delivers effective immersive learning for the maritime sector in a unique, digitalised, and online format, available virtually anywhere in the world.

Uniquely, it has a shared revenue algorithm for the international community of course providers.

The Seably platform can be accessed online and offline, at any time on land or at sea using apps, PCs and mobile devices.

SOFTWARE PARTNERSHIP

Harbor Lab, an e-disbursements platform for shipowners, ship management companies and charterers, and Veson Nautical, a global market leader for commercial maritime software, have announced a secure, turnkey integration between their two systems.

The product partnership will enable joint clients to intentionally share relevant data between the Veson IMOS Platform (VIP) and Harbor Lab, streamlining engagements with local port agencies to drive time and cost savings.

Harbor Lab provides an endto-end disbursement accounting processing solution designed to give immediate access to vital port and disbursement information and free up valuable resources for disbursements departments.

With more than 8,000 port calls processed to date, the Harbor Lab platform’s Disbursement Accounting Tool brings shipowners and agents together through one online port directory.

The solution brings enhanced visibility and efficiency to the process of selecting, nominating, or appointing a port agent, evaluating disbursement accounts, and checking port costs. Shipowners and operators can allocate the costs associated with each vessel call and make important decisions based on this information, which can result in significant savings.

“Traditional paper-based disbursement accounting is administrative-heavy, involves complex communications chains, and has significant room for error,” says Antonis Malaxianakis, chief executive of Harbor Lab.

“Harbor Lab’s DA Tool entirely streamlines this process and empowers the vessel operator to oversee their expenses in-house through their own Disbursement Accounting teams using technology and algorithms. Accurate port data drives the DA Tool and gives complete visibility of tariffs and other port fees that the operator may otherwise find difficult to clarify.”

Combining Harbor Lab’s powerful disbursement accounting capabilities with the broader operational workflows within the Veson IMOS Platform allows for a truly processdriven workflow. Operators can securely nominate Harbor Lab as the Hub Agent from within VIP, and then seamlessly receive accurate Port Disbursement details directly into VIP, thereby streamlining the process, while ensuring accuracy.

With a more streamlined process, mutual clients can realise operational and financial efficiencies by simplifying communications with their agency hub partners.

Jere Richardson, chief commercial officer of Veson Nautical comments: “Agent activity, document handling, and Port Disbursement management are essential to successful and profitable voyage operations.

“This integration helps unlock a new level of transparency and efficiency for our clients by allowing the secure and automatic exchange of data needed to discharge and invoice their customers as activities progress.

“Our goal is to help facilitate a smoother experience at port.”

SATELLITE LINK

OneWeb, the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communications company, and Marlink, the Smart Network Company, have joined forces to bring OneWeb’s high-speed, low latency connectivity to the maritime, energy, enterprise and humanitarian sectors.

Marlink operates a global industry-leading VSAT network and has unrivalled market access providing remote communications across the maritime, offshore and onshore energy, enterprise and humanitarian sectors. In partnership with OneWeb, Marlink will further enhance the capabilities of its hybrid network solutions and offer its customers truly differentiated, flexible, reliable and secure connectivity solutions, optimised for every application.

The two companies plan to concentrate on the energy sector in regions above the 50th parallel north from January 2022, expanding to the maritime, energy, enterprise and humanitarian sectors on a global scale from January 2023.

Together, OneWeb and Marlink will deploy, test and demonstrate several types of user terminals and LEO connectivity services to customers across these market segments.

OneWeb is making significant progress in building its constellation and currently has 394 satellites in Low Earth Orbit, representing more than 60% of its planned fleet, delivering connectivity to customers in remote regions of Alaska, Canada and the North Sea. Launches will continue during 2022 to enable the company to offer commercial connectivity services globally for maritime in 2023.