Is it time for integrated communications?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chong CheeWah on August 10, 2008 at 10:10

Unlike the cruise ships which have many people onboard, merchant ships usually have an average of about 25 persons onboard do not provide the economof scale for such a requirement.
Not until there is a need of a need of huge transfers of data to/fro ship/shore, we do not see such things will happen on a wide scale.

Permalink Reply by Dean Last on August 12, 2008 at 1:17

This is happening now, the company I am employed by (Caprock Communications) has already started installing "Welfare" systems for the merchant ships. This allows crew calling and email/ Internet. This also allows for the integration of software for many applications as well as monitoring the ships health.

Permalink Reply by Chong CheeWah on August 12, 2008 at 5:57

Thank you for the info.

This is more for retaining the crew/officers such that they continue to serve the company due the the worldwide shortage of marine staff. Maybe it is one of the incentive to retain staff.

Permalink Reply by Miguel A. Fernández Espadas on August 25, 2008 at 16:08

yes, i think so, is time for les people on board ships, but may be we have to change and every one on board have to be ready to work in e-navigation.

Permalink Reply by Efthymios Chaldeakis on October 8, 2008 at 9:16

Communication convergence is happening since the last 3-5 years in all areas.
Even GSM is going to change gradually to a pure IP solution.
We see this change affecting Maritime Industry even now.

Nevertheless, integration as you describe it is up and running even as we speak.
Simple and remotely managed devices can integrate all existing satcom terminals on board a vessel to a "least-cost-routing" solution.

We have delivered more than 10 vessels since April 2008 and going steadily to reach 25 by the end of the year.
If you need more info just give me a buzz.

Permalink Reply by Gordon Wendlandt on January 13, 2011 at 17:09

This era has already begun some time ago. We are using and distributing these systems already for abt. 3 years now.

Unfortuantely many shipowners prefer to stick with old fashioned systems and paying bills at an average of 2000 dollars/month instead of validating the cost efficiency of least cost networking.

Unlike the assumption that there has to be the need of high volume data applications the savings for the email system only can be easily at abt. 10k $/ year. Considering an one time investment of  3k $ this would be a value being worth to  be investigated.

 

One of our customers is spending abt. 300$/month while using regular email, crew email, internet and file transfers. These low costs are being achieved by a least routing via UMTS and FBB, communication policy and network policy. of course the amount of savings is tied to the trading area of each ship and the availabilty of low costs networks.