KSS Line signs up 15 ships for smart solution

Photo: KSS Line kss.jpg
South Korea’s KSS Line has signed up for Hyundai Global Services’ (HGS) smart ship solution which will be powered by Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress and digital solution Fleet Connect.

The Smart Ship and Satellite Communications package is a combination of the Integrated Smart Ship (ISS) solution, developed by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Group to support vessel operation and device optimisation, and supported by Inmarsat’s dedicated bandwidth service.

This is the first time that the ISS solution from HHI will be delivered as a single package with a satellite communications service.

“This is a breakthrough for our Integrated Smart Ship and Satellite Communications solution and a milestone for maritime digitalisation, delivering always-on IoT in a single package with dedicated bandwidth that can be installed on existing ships or embedded at newbuild,” said Ahn Kyoungsoo Ahn, director of HGS.

A total of 15 KSS Line ships are covered by the contract, including five new vessels and 10 already in operation. The five new ships will be equipped with ISS from build, allowing their operators to manage assets more economically and efficiently. The 10 existing vessels will be provided with separate supporting web services to relay weather conditions and ship locations.

“Our plan is for our entire fleet to be operating using the Integrated Smart Ship and Satellite Communications solutions by 2021,” said a spokesman for KSS Line. “KSS Line is committed to continuous enhancement of its Information Communication Technology (ICT) environment to maximise fleet efficiency and reinvest the resulting savings into its business expansion.”

The package will allow large volumes of measured data to be transmitted between ship and shore quickly and easily, facilitating remote operations and vessel management, monitoring and analysis services, through Fleet Connect dedicated bandwidth. This is separate from the vessel’s Fleet Xpress connection that will be used for day-to-day business traffic and crew internet use.

Inmarsat Maritime President Ronald Spithout commented: “It is especially pleasing to see that our new digital solution, Fleet Connect will be a vital part of the service which highlights how Fleet Xpress is so much more than just a VSAT connectivity pipe.”