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CONFERENCE DIGITALIZATION of priorities – even ahead of alternative fuels,” he said. “If we In his opening speech to the seminar, Eric Griffn, Vice do decide to adopt alternative fuels, we need to know how President, Offshore Energy & Fishing, Inmarsat Mari- to use them effciently.” Data, here, will be crucial. time, described connectivity as “the oxygen that gives life

For Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO), data analytics to these digitalisation initiatives”. Yet the role of connec- is a familiar practice. In 2022, the company established tivity extends beyond enabling data-backed digitalisation

Marine Technologies to provide customers with complete and decarbonisation; it also helps companies to promote a vessel control solutions. Drawing on experience gained happy, healthy working environment for mariners, he said.

collecting and analysing data to improve its systems, ECO With each of the panellists drawing on personal expe- applied a similar data-driven approach to monitor emis- rience to stress the importance of fast and reliable crew sions and support remote service across its feet. internet, Welles recalled a fuel resupply run to Antarctica.

Joining the ‘Connected Future’ panel was Ron Welles, “Before the mission, we received a call saying we couldn’t

C-Comm Manager, Marine Technologies. He described get crew on board unless we could provide them with the the “centralization of management and organization” as a facility to keep in touch with their families,” he explained. priority for the ECO feet. Referring to a “central manage- “We installed Inmarsat connectivity on the vessel, and two ment system” that makes the same information available to and a half years later, this is one of the most successful jobs every vessel, allowing personnel to learn from incidents in we’ve ever done in Antarctica.” the feet, he said: “We’re looking at how we can use this to In a concluding recommendation, Welles added: “If you cut down on administrative overheads, support information don’t provide crew with the means to connect, you’ll have sharing, and get all the vessels running as a single unit.” a diffcult time in today’s world.” january/february 2024 OFFSHORE ENGINEER 17