There are enormous benefits to the maritime industry through adopting 4G and 5G communications technologies
These mobile phone technologies, along with long-term evolution (LTE) networks, offer high-speed, reliable cellular connectivity when in port or navigating near shore for shipping companies and seafarers.
An expert panel provided advice on current and future applications during Riviera Maritime Media’s 4G/5G/LTE: what vessel operators need to know on hybrid connectivity webinar, held 15 March 2022 during Riviera’s Maritime Communications Webinar Week.
On the panel were Mission to Seafarers secretary general Andrew Wright, One Sea - Autonomous Maritime Ecosystem senior ecosystem lead Paivi Haikkola and Inmarsat sector development director Audra Drablos.
Mr Wright explained how these networks can be used for crew welfare services on ships and in ports. The charity provides seafarers with free SIM cards for mobile phones to enable them to phone home when in port and supports seafarers on ships.
“Communications are important to seafarers and having internet on board is becoming vital,” said Mr Wright. “Having online access means having happier crews and giving them the ability to speak with family and friends.”
These lines of communications became more important during the Covid-19 pandemic when some seafarers remained on ships for up to 17 months. Others were on board for nine months to a year, without shore leave and with fewer colleagues.
“There are increasing welfare problems. With smaller crews, the dangers of isolation become more real,” said Mr Wright. “With smaller crews, quicker turnaround times and limited shore leave, it has become important to have wifi,” he said.
More ships are fitted with onboard wifi enabling crew to access online services using their own devices through the ship’s satellite communications and 4G/LTE link.
“Online access has increased, but there is a clear divide between ships providing free or cheap access to online and those where seafarers have higher costs.” Some shipowners charge US$25 per 100 MB, which is not enough for regular social media access.
On ships with high communications costs, seafarers are driven to use mobile phones and search for 4G and 5G connectivity, which could put ships in danger of grounding close to shore.
The grounding of bulk carrier Wakashio on Mauritius in July 2020 was caused by crew sailing the ship close to the shore for mobile phone coverage, according to accident investigators.
“There should be generous and free access to internet,” said Mr Wright. “Seafarers will demand this from shipowners.” Owners who provide satisfactory levels of connectivity see benefits from crew efficiency gains and retention levels.
“It can be positive on crew moral,” he continued. “We support high-quality, universal and free access to the internet as a human right.”
Mr Wright expects demand for 4G/LTE and eventually 5G will rise as more ship operations and documentation are digitalised. “Maritime work will need to be done digitally. We are expecting further developments in technology.”
These developments enable Mission to Seafarers to provide more digital services to crew, but there is still room for face-to-face support. “It is hybrid, with digital and face-to-face approaches to provide holistic welfare tools,” said Mr Wright.
The benefits to operating ships now and more autonomous vessels in the future were described by Ms Haikkola. She said more ships operating this year are fitted out with 4G/LTE connectivity for crew welfare. But in future, vessels will become more autonomous and connectivity will be needed for remote monitoring and control.
“When these vessels are close to shore, they will need 4G and 5G,” she said. “There have been autonomous pilots and tests using terrestrial networks for data transfer and remote operations.”
These terrestrial networks stretch out to 10 km or 20 km in some cases, providing lower costs and higher broadband than satellite communications. But outside these ranges, vessels need to return to satellite coverage.
Ms Haikkola provided some examples of autonomous vessel testing.
Project Svan, involving Kongsberg, was the first demonstration of autonomous operations on a ferry in the archipelago of Turku, Finland; ABB has demonstrated remote operation on Suomenlinna ferry just outside Helsinki; and Wärtsilä is demonstrating autonomous operations, pier to pier, with Folgefonn in Norway. Also in Norway, Yara Birkeland is the first feeder container ship ready for autonomous operations. “There are three networks servicing this ship, including two terrestrial networks,” said Ms Haikkola. “In the future, there should be no need for these multiple networks. 5G and slicing would be interesting in these cases.”
4G and 5G could be used for smart shipping fairways with data sent from and to ships from buoys along the route. A project in Lake Saimaa in Finland is the first smart fairway for an inland waterway.
Another application could be remote pilotage, which is being developed and tested in Finland by One Sea’s S4V Fairway project. “This would be close to shore and can utilise a combination of networks with interesting possibilities for terrestrial networks,” said Ms Haikkola.
Further development of autonomous vessels and their need for lower latency and fast broadband communications has led Inmarsat to diversify its connectivity technologies.
Ms Drablos said autonomous vessels are a potential application for its Orchestra network, which will add 4G/5G and LTE to existing geostationary satellite coverage.
Another driver for this investment is providing faster and higher-capacity connectivity to ships and seafarers in ports.
“We will need multidimensional networks as one technology,” she said. “5G will alleviate hot spots in ports, which is why we are looking at layering satellite services with terrestrial 5G, for ultra-high capacity. This could be made wider with mesh network capabilities.”
Ms Drablos said this would involve adding repeater stations on ships to extend the 5G coverage further away from coastlines in targeted areas adding to existing Global Xpress Ka-band satellites and Elera L band services, which is useful for internet-of-ships, redundancy and network management.
Inmarsat also intends to introduce payloads on two satellites on highly elliptical orbits (HEO) for stronger broadband connectivity in Arctic seas and low earth orbit (LEO) satellites in the future.
“We will have HEO satellites in 2023 and will add a targeted LEO constellation for high capacity and low latency in hot spots and extreme latitudes,” said Ms Drablos.
The biggest challenge our organisation faces in implementing digital solutions is:
Risk of cyber attacks: 13%
Lack of data standardisation: 17%
Bandwidth availability and cost: 49%
High latency: 9%
Lack of or little evidence of value for money: 13%
4G/5G/LTE biggest contribution will be seen in the following area:
Crew welfare: 37%
Fuel optimisation: 3%
Vessel operations performance monitoring and analysis: 47%
Emissions monitoring and analysis: 2%
Engine performance monitoring and analysis: 9%
Other equipment condition monitoring and analysis: 2%
How much are you expecting to save in operating costs over the next 12 months from the adoption of digital solutions?
30% or more: 5%
20 – 29%: 8%
10 – 19%: 27%
5 – 9%: 38%
1 – 4%: 14%
None: 8%
Unrestricted access to the internet for seafarers adversely impacts their mental health
Agreed. 48%
Disagree: 52%
Free, universal, high-quality access to internet for seafarers is a basic human right
Agreed : 42%
Disagree: 4%
Agreed - but not unfettered access... emails home yes but not streaming films: 54%
Which sector will see the greatest uptake in automation through to 2027?
Harbours: 47%
Inland waterways: 7%
Shortsea shipping: 33%
Road ferries: 13%
Hybrid connections in maritime will...
Be the preferred choice in five years: 42%
Be the preferred choice in 10 years: 39%
Will grow but not the preferred choice: 19%
On Riviera’s 4G/5G/LTE: what vessel operators need to know on hybrid connectivity webinar panel were (left to right) Mission to Seafarers secretary general Andrew Wright, One Sea - Autonomous Maritime Ecosystem senior ecosystem lead Paivi Haikkola and Inmarsat sector development director Audra Drablos.
© 2023 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd.