Satellite communications company Inmarsat has opened a new office at the Norwegian Maritime Competence Center (NMCC) based in Ålesund, Norway, to continue to drive the digitalization of the shipping industry.
The opening of the facility in the heart of Norway’s leading edge maritime community, signals Inmarsat’s intention to intensify work with third party innovators and digital disrupters to exploit high-speed broadband via Fleet Xpress through its Certified Applications Provider (CAP) program, the company said.
The maritime hub at NMCC, which is part of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology campus is recognized for its technical excellence, and is home to the Blue Maritime Cluster, whose members are leading the drive in remote monitoring equipment on board vessels and the use of data analytics for real-time decision making.
Inmarsat CEO, Rupert Pearce, said, “Inmarsat Maritime is driving digital best practice across tens of thousands of ships. The future of the connected ship lies in networks such as Fleet Xpress, brought to market at scale. Fleet Xpress enables application-triggered bandwidth, which will be key to converting today’s smart and connected ship into tomorrow’s ‘smart fleet’.”
Inmarsat recently signed a Letter of Intent to enable the Rolls-Royce Energy Management System (EMS) via Fleet Xpress. Rolls-Royce is also based at the Ålesund NMCC, where it oversees its remote monitoring, data analysis, and ship performance strategy. Using the always-on connectivity of Fleet Xpress, EMS data is logged in real time so that its management software can optimize operational efficiency via its built-in verifiable reporting capability.