REMOVING IT BURDEN FROM THE CREW AND INCREASING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY

Transcription

1 REMOVING IT BURDEN FROM THE CREW AND INCREASING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY Rob Frenks Group ICT Manager Vroon Digital Ship Conference May 22-23, 2012 Singapore 1

2 AGENDA Vroon at a glance ICT Shipboard standards at Vroon Why did we have to improve? Our approach and the choices we made Status and our experiences to-date Key Learning s Q&A 2

3 VROON AT A GLANCE Vroon manages and operates vessels in a number of specialised and commodity-type markets: Livestock Dry Cargo Tankers Containers Car Carriers Offshore Platform Supply Anchor Handling Tug Supply Emergency Response and Rescue Subsea Support Windmill installation 150 vessels, of which 75% are internally managed 3,800 Seafarers 300 Office staff Head office in Breskens, The Netherlands, with 8 Management Companies geographically spread around the world. 3

4 ICT SHIPBOARD STANDARDS AT VROON In order to remove the IT burden from the crew, but also to improve the operational efficiencies in Vroon, we have started three simultaneous, inter-dependent, initiatives: IT Networks Satellite Communications Maintenance & Procurement AMOS Business Suite For the purpose of this presentation, we will focus on IT Networks & Satellite Communications 4

5 WHY DID WE HAVE TO IMPROVE? IT Networks on board Satellite Communications Lot s of virus infections No proactive monitoring and remote support, hence required to attend the vessels regularly Unapproved changes No IT standards throughout the fleet No ability to implement new capabilities (e.g. AMOS Maintenance) Diversity in solutions Multiple solution providers High and unpredictable costs Unmanaged VSAT solutions Increasing business demands:. Vessel-Office integration. Condition based monitoring. Crew welfare We decided to focus first on fixing the IT Networks, followed by Satellite Communications. 5

6 OUR APPROACH As oppose to continue managing it ourselves (trial and error), we have decided to search the market and to take advantage of proven and tested maritime solutions. Specifications & Requirements Tendering Process Design & Development Pilot and commence roll-out Cross functional workgroup, facilitated by ICT Group-wide and market-specific requirements High level solution architecture From long list (20-25 companies) To short list (3 companies) To Vendor presentations To Decision and Contract Negotiation Detailed requirements Standardised on Tools and Systems Scripting of applications Security, Firewalls, VLAN s, etc. Project Management (Reporting, Meetings and Change Management) Piloted the solutions on 3 vessels Adjusted design and processes based on key learning s Commence roll-out to the fleet 2 months effort 4-6 months effort 2-4 months effort 2-4 months effort 6

7 OBJECTIVES OF THE TWO PROJECTS IT Networks on board Cost Effective IT Infrastructure Standardised solution to maximise economies of scale. Short implementation timeframe. Reduce support travel costs (remote monitoring and support). Single service provider. Secure and reliable solution Closed system. Automated updates. Separate VLANs for Business, Crew, Customer and Condition Based Monitoring. Easy to use for the crew Limited IT skills onboard. Ability to re-install applications or PC. Satellite Communications Ensure consistent, flexible and high quality Satellite Communication services. Reduce, optimize and manage our Satellite Communication costs. Standardise on the services and move to a single service provider (now 10+ providers). Ability to implement additional processes (QHSE content distribution, Condition based monitoring, on-line IT systems,...). Enable and support Group-wide Crew Welfare policy: Telephony Personal Internet 7

8 THE CHOICES WE MADE - PARTNERS Palantir was the only company we came across that had a proven and tested IT network solution. As a Company, Palantir is easy to work with. Automated build & deployment process, assuring rapid and trouble-free rollout. KeepUp@Sea Easy process to apply software patches, antivirus, etc. including onshore dashboard to monitor status of the services and hardware onboard. Support being carried-out remotely (also w/o VSAT), hence hardly any need to travel to vessels once implemented. Limited IT skills needed from end-users, including automated client rebuild via simple F12-key. 8

9 THE CHOICES WE MADE - PARTNERS KVH was the only company we came across that designs, manufactures, owns and operates the endto-end solution. Strong focus on Quality Assurance whilst maintaining flexibility. Reduced installation costs and shortened time to install due to minimal size of the dome and preconfigured BDE rack. KVH-owned comprehensive network and data management tools (CommBox). Global Care (24/7 support and 5 years warranty). Global coverage to support our diverse businesses (Regional: TracPhone V7 & Global: TracPhone V11). 9

10 THE CHOICES WE MADE SOLUTION & DESIGN We decided on a fully managed service for both, from managing the logistics, implementation onboard untill ongoing support & maintenance. Standardised on Hardware Windows-based Client-Server architecture Locked-down USB, except for the Master Standardised on Software AMOS Maintenance & Procurement Watchkeeper, SPOS, etc. V7 for Offshore ; V11 for Deep Sea and Iridium Open Port as backup. Commbox for all vessels Business Telephony & Data Cisco VoIP vessel office integration, incl. access to the Corporate Directory Business Internet restricted through white lists Metered plan with the possibility to migrate to fixed data plans Seamless integration due to aligned VLANs MS Office, Autocad and image viewers, etc Crew perspective Free, individual with web-based access both onboard and ashore Prepaid crew calling cards Prepaid internet cards 10

11 STATUS WE ARE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS 11

12 OUR EXPERIENCES TO-DATE Knowledgeable and Accountable people Cost Effective IT Infrastructure It has proven to be an enabler for standardised roll-outs and this in a very short timeframe (for example Watchkeeper or AMOS patches). Secure and reliable solution The anti-virus solution, in combination with the USB lock-down, proves to work. We had 1 virus infection, which was automatically cleaned, over a period of more than 2 year. Travelling due to IT issues onboard has been reduced to 1 occasion (not related to KeepUp@Sea) Easy to use for the crew The KeepUp@Sea solution from Palantir is in demand The Company Strong Vision, Leadership & passionate people Focused on Quality and Continuous Improvement. Easy to work with; striving for win-win. Secure and reliable solution Good network performance Good up-time / availability Easy to install Crew perspective Good feedback on performance, free and quality / costs of telephony Some of our markets are expecting free internet 12

13 KEY LEARNING S People & Cooperation Engage the business & operational levels of the respective organizations early on in the process; ensure that the people who have to actually do the jobs are fully on-board. Assign qualified, dedicated resources, specifically during the RFP, Design & Pilot phase. It is a long-term cooperation; therefore, get to know each other s businesses, organisations and people; be open and clear about challenges and difficulties (it is better to be aware & understand). Processes Develop end-to-end processes prior to roll-out, including RASCI charts and communication / escalation protocols. Apply Project Management and discipline during the implementation process (e.g. installation process of the IT Network on board improved from 2 weeks (pilot vessel) to one long day ). Technology Use these type of initiatives to consolidate on the tools and systems being used on board. It will save you a lot of money later on in the process. Good preparation (cabling, site surveys or evidence based) is % of the work and avoids high, additional costs / rework during installation. Locked down systems works, i.e. no administrator rights and USB. 13

14 REMOVING IT BURDEN FROM THE CREW AND INCREASING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY Rob Frenks Group ICT Manager Digital Ship Conference May 22-23, 2012 Singapore 14