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56 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ? AUGUST 2014 prove crew welfare by offering pre-paid web browsing, as well as fulÞ lling na- tional and international requirements.?In 2011, ERS commented that its commitment to iFUSION was based on plans to improve its ability to support shipboard IT systems remotely, and to lower costs as trafÞ c increased. When the commitment was made, a premium was placed on ease of use and ease of maintenance. Fast forward three years and Werner said that, in general, the expectations prompting the decision to install the iFUSION solution on board ERS vessels have been met. ?From our point of view our present satellite communication setup concept is the best solution with regards to our own demands, the demands of our cli-ents, but also in respect of crew welfare and external requirements (port authori-ties, agents, etc.). We need a worldwide and reliable satellite coverage for all of our vessels. Our IT Support Fleet team was involved in the iFUSION project right from the start. We de Þ ned our re- quirements and then looked at the alter- natives,? said Werner. ?iFUSION turned out to be the best solution in terms of performance versus cost for us. Since there is no external third party hardware (such as a Þ rewall) to be connected, in- stallation and equipment support of the equipment is straightforward.?Werner does not downplay the practi- cal challenges that popped up along the way. ?It took considerable effort to se- lect the right hardware (both above and below deck) before we started to put that equipment on board. We did that with the clear intention of minimizing the time needed for trouble shooting and replacement. But, we have been able to lower our communication expenses by approximately 50% and increase the data volume being transferred at the same time. Our IT Support Fleet staff is able to connect to the vessels for trouble shooting on the IT network.? A Look Ahead With the new iW capability going live, Werner said that technological possibili- ties have not been the sole factors deter- mining connectivity choices over the last decade. In that time, shipping has been exposed to turbulent market conditions, for example, while the connectivity needs for different sectors have matured in different ways, he says. ?Each type of shipping company, from their different points of view, tries to Þ nd the best balance between costs and ben-eÞ ts, and the needs of a container ship operator are not the same as those of an offshore vessel owner, for example. It is also fair to say that there has been a common skepticism amongst ship own-ers and managers, at least in Germany, on the adoption of new technologies, and that has included FleetBroadband.?However, Werner said that outlay on connectivity has amounted to around one per cent of the owner?s operational expenses, anticipating a increase in the period ahead to ?possibly? 1.5-2%. By contrast, he suggests the potential for operational returns are signiÞ cant. ?Collecting and analyzing vessel per- formance data is an essential part of the E.R. Schiffahrt strategy to maintain and extend its leading position as a ship owner and manager operating each ship in the most efÞ cient way. We expect that we will need a higher data speed and more data volume in the near future,? he said. Indeed, such is the priority placed by ERS on the data its ships generate: ?Data storage is still under discussion but it looks like that we will adopt an in-house data warehouse solution rather to keep them with a service provider.? Today the company is even consider- ing whether connectivity should be con-sidered at the newbuild stage. While it has no solid plans ?we will deÞ nitely include the pre-installation of sensors, cabling, access points etc. in a planning of a future newbuilding project,? Werner said.?ERS is one of the leading companies worldwide in monitoring the vessel´s efÞ ciency and performance but also in connecting other relevant systems like maintenance, warehouse- and reporting tools permanently between the ofÞ ce and a ship,? said Werner. ?Most of the tools are tailor-made solutions which suit our needs and those of our custom-ers. Without going into detail we are, for example, able to permanently and ac-curately monitor all engine and nautical parameters.?Also in the future, is the potential of-fered by Inmarsat?s new generation sat- ellites, and speciÞ cally availability of faster data transfer promised after the launch of Inmarsat Maritime?s Global Xpress service in early 2015. ?Global Xpress might be one of the solutions to cover the future needs for connectiv-ity, because they will require permanent connection with a sufÞ cient speed and bandwidth,? said Werner. ?The expecta- tions from the crew side deÞ nitely cover areas which are presently restricted for internet use on board - Skype, Youtube and video streaming in general.?GERMANYStaying Connected ...(Photo: Christian Schmid)(Photo: Christian Schmid)?We expect that the demand for such connectivity will increase on both sides in the near future ... while crew members want a higher band- width to use modern communication software or for downloading videos, the same might be expected from the business side to allow a very close connection between vessel and ofÞ ce.Ó Christoph Werner, Nautical Director, E.R. SCHIFFAHRT GmbH & Cie. KGMR #8 (50-57).indd 56MR #8 (50-57).indd 568/4/2014 10:20:31 AM8/4/2014 10:20:31 AM