Equipment suppliers can use IoT to troubleshoot onboard problems before owners realise there is an issue
Equipment suppliers can use IoT to troubleshoot onboard problems before owners realise there is an issue
Monitoring onboard machinery in real-time enables manufacturers to support shipowners by recognising issues and finding solutions before they lead to faults and failures using need dedicated, low-cost, two-way connectivity for data transmissions, remote diagnostics and interventions.
KVH Industries introduced dedicated connectivity for maritime internet-of-things (IoT) in June this year to provide a cost-effective solution for equipment manufacturers. In its analysis of IoT requirements in the shipping industry, KVH discovered onboard system manufacturers were crying out for dedicated broadband to transfer performance and condition data.
KVH executive vice president for mobility connectivity Mark Woodhead explains to Maritime Digitalisation & Communications why maritime machinery manufacturers want dedicated, low-cost IoT connectivity.
“We identified that IoT will be very important for shipping, so we needed to have our own solution for that market,” he explains. “We saw the main requirements for data from ships is from the manufacturer side.”
With increasing numbers of sensors installed on onboard systems, such as engines, generators, boilers and pumps, there is more data to be transferred, analysed and integrated into manufacturers’ own analytics.
Connectivity has been the weak link in the process. It is costly to manufacturers or subject to negotiation between suppliers and shipowners. KVH’s IoT service overcomes these challenges.
“KVH Watch is a seamless low-entry level model for engine manufacturers that have data requirements and equipment with sensors on vessels,” says Mr Woodhead. “The costs for manufacturers to organise their own connectivity is prohibitive. Therefore, we provide the connectivity for them.”
KVH Watch was designed for remote equipment monitoring and intervention by equipment manufacturers and IoT application providers. It provides real-time data transmissions, bandwidth for remote diagnostics and problem-solving, and condition-based maintenance.
KVH Watch is available with two modes of service connectivity: Watch Flow, for daily data delivery and Watch Intervention, for on-demand high-speed sessions for shore support and remote equipment access.
“Watch Flow is for 24/7, 365 days-a-year machine-to-machine data delivery with dedicated ship-to-shore bandwidth from a voyage data recorder or manufacturers’ own devices to the manufacturers’ own platform,” says Mr Woodhead.
“Manufacturers can use video intervention, voice calls and high-speed bandwidth for remote diagnostics of equipment and troubleshooting”
“Watch Intervention allows manufacturers to use video intervention, voice calls, high-speed bandwidth for remote diagnostics of equipment and troubleshooting.”
An important aspect for assurance and security of the service is that it does not use a ship’s own satellite communications equipment.
The complete KVH Watch service comes with a TracPhone V7-HTS antenna that connects with the new generation of high-throughput satellites with data speeds of 10 Mbps on the downlink and 3 Mbps upwards using Ku-band.
“It is important that this service is conducted through a separate antenna,” says Mr Woodhead. “It is important for cyber security as KVH Watch uses a separate network and hardware from the ship’s communications. It is also important that manufacturers have no need to negotiate with shipowners over access to ship-to-shore broadband.”
KVH Watch includes a dedicated local area network, support for manufacturer virtual private networks and multi-factor authentication for remote-controlled access.
This all-inclusive service starts at US$99 per month. “There are no costs for installation, hardware or servicing, as we will install the antenna for KVH Watch,” Mr Woodhead continues.
IoT in action
KVH has worked with partners to trial connectivity to different IoT platforms and for machine-to-machine applications. It has used the service itself for many years using Ku-band connectivity to monitor and fix issues on its own antennas.
“We run 150 checks on all of our antennas each day and run these through algorithms on onboard servers,” Mr Woodhead explains. “We send the information back to our shore offices each night. This generates daily reports of vessels where the communications are not operating as expected.”
Mr Woodhead demonstrated these daily reports to Maritime Digitalisation & Communications on a mobile device in London. He describes how these reports provide feedback on VSAT performance and highlight any issues to managers.
“Our technical team can work to resolve any problems,” he says. “They are troubleshooting before the customer even knows about the issue.”
This results in better communications continuity for shipowners and their seafarers and reduces costs for KVH as it minimises the need to send service engineers to ships to fix faults.
“With our IoT service, we can do predictive maintenance,” says Mr Woodhead. “We have antennas that are more than six years old and still operating. With IoT, we can analyse when to do corrective maintenance on them as we have a history of antenna performance.” KVH also uses the data for product improvements.
“IoT makes a massive difference on our services, so that is why we have made this product available for other manufacturers to use.”
“It can cost up to US$5,000 for each service engineer visit”
He says one of the biggest benefits is reducing servicing costs. “It can cost up to US$5,000 for each service engineer visit,” Mr Woodhead says. “And when engineers are sent out, many find that problems could be solved remotely.”
Apart from remote monitoring, KVH Watch enables manufacturers to conduct predictive maintenance and product improvements through analysing performance indicators. “The data also helps to resolve warranty disputes,” says Mr Woodhead.
Kongsberg Digital’s Vessel Insight solution is the first application to be introduced on KVH Watch. Vessel Insight is hosted on Kongsberg’s Kognifai digital ecosystem.
Kongsberg Digital senior vice president for maritime digital solutions Vigleik Takle says VSAT connectivity is required for both daily monitoring and rapid remote support.
“KVH provides Vessel Insight users with connectivity options for end-to-end solutions that deliver the real-time monitoring and intervention benefits of machine-to-machine IoT,” he says.
“It provides dedicated IoT connectivity with tight integration for monitoring and options for full video bandwidth. In periods of remote support it will provide customers with higher performance and reliability,” Mr Takle says.
KVH has been testing its IoT connectivity with other companies. “We have done sea trials with other partners,” says Mr Woodhead. “Most of the IoT solutions provide platforms or ecosystems. But we provide the connectivity to those with their own platforms.”
KVH Watch benefits
Spares tracking and valve monitoring in a steel environment
Maritime IoT specialist ScanReach is working with two companies to develop onboard applications for its wireless connectivity. In June, ScanReach agreed with Intspo to test wireless equipment tracking in steel environments on board vessels and drilling rigs.
Together they will develop intelligent tracking by integrating two sensor technologies into one solution. This will be adapted to track spare parts and tools on vessels.
In a separate arrangement, ScanReach has partnered with Trisense to offer IoT sensors for valve and environmental monitoring. Trisense wireless IoT sensors will be connected to In:Connect together with sensors from other suppliers.
Trisense’s wireless sensors for valve monitoring are already used in the process industry in Europe and US. Its co-operation with ScanReach extends the business into the maritime and offshore industries.
Snapshot CV Mark Woodhead
Mark Woodhead has 20-years’ experience in maritime and media. Starting as commercial manager at IMS in January 1999, he has risen to executive vice president for mobility connectivity at KVH Industries. After positions at TeamTalk Media and 365Media, Mr Woodhead became managing director of media companies including Headland Media, that eventually became part of KVH in 2008. He was senior vice president for EMEA from 2016 to December 2018 when he was promoted to his current position.
© 2023 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd.