REMOVING IT BURDEN FROM THE CREW AND INCREASING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY

Transcription

1 REMOVING IT BURDEN FROM THE CREW AND INCREASING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY Johan Verhegge ICT Infrastructure manager Digital Ship Conference January Bergen, Norway 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 Crew Internet Policy Implementation Process Status and tracking versus our objectives Key Learning s Q&A Vroon, Palantir and KVH. 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 160 vessels, of which 75% are internally managed About 4,000 Seafarers 350 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 Lot s of virus infections No proactive monitoring and remote support, hence required to attend the vessels regularly. Unapproved changes. No IT standards (hardware and software) throughout the fleet. No ability to implement new capabilities (e.g. AMOS Maintenance, Veslink, etc.) Satellite Communications 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 on fixing the IT Networks first, 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 Standardized solution to maximize 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 Improve Quality and Reduce Costs 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). Further Office-Vessel integration Ability to implement additional processes, such as Watchkeeper, HSE forms, Condition based monitoring, on-line IT systems, etc. Enable Crew Welfare policy Provide cost-effective telephony, & internet solutions to the crew. 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. 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 end-toend solution. Process-driven organization with a strong focus on Quality Assurance whilst maintaining flexibility. Reduced installation costs and shortened time to install due to minimal size of the dome and pre-configured 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 KVH and Palantir, from managing the logistics, implementation onboard and ongoing support & maintenance. Standardised on Hardware Windows-based Client-Server architecture. Locked-down USB, except for the Master. V7 for Offshore ; V11 for Deep Sea and Iridium Pilot as backup. Commbox for all vessels. Business Telephony & Data Cisco VoIP vessel office integration, incl. access to the Corporate Directory. Business Internet restricted through whitelists (e.g. weather, suppliers, travel). Evolved from 1GB metered plan to fixed data plan. Aligned VLAN s to ensure seamless integration Standardised on Software & Tools AMOS Maintenance & Procurement. Veslink (Operations), Watchkeeper, etc. MS Office, Autocad, image viewers, etc. Crew perspective Free, individual with web-based access both onboard and ashore. Prepaid crew calling cards. Evolved from prepaid internet cards to free-fair-use crew internet (Kiosk and wireless access). 10

11 FREE-FAIR-USE CREW INTERNET POLICY The objective of this crew welfare policy is to implement a crew internet solution that provides a good user experience without jeopardizing safety on-board. 1~1.5 hours internet browsing Daily 20 MB s added to each individual crew account (approx. 10 GB / month / vessel). Will provide the crew about 1.5 hours free-of-charge internet browsing per day. Daily reset of 20MB counter to avoid accumulation during inactivity of crew members To facilitate a good user experience, we allow maximum 4 concurrent crew internet connections and re-direct to mobile sites. Note : Next phase will allow the crew to buy additional MB s, whereby the maximum duration is 2 ½ hours crew internet browsing per day (free + purchased). Scheduled for end Q1,

12 EFFICIENT IMPLEMENTATIONS REQUIRE GOOD COORDINATION AND DISCIPLINE Port Call 1: all equipment and cabling on-board Port Call 2 (2d) Day 1: am KVH starts Day 1: pm Palantir starts Day 2: am KVH completed Day 2: pm Palantir completed Vessel sails Port Call 3: AMOS business training 4 w 4 w 2 d 1 d 1-5 d KVH Implementation KVH Training Site Survey Order/delivery Manager to prepare vessel AMOS Preparation (Remote) AMOS Training - Confirm # of HW - Confirm hardware locations - Order hardware kit(s) - Determine pedestal location - Determine server rack(s) location - Determine BDE locations - Install / fix server rack(s) - Prepare core cabling - Install BDE cabling - Install pedestal(s) - Install isolation transformer - Inform possible impl. date and location - Travel arrangements - Agent details Evidence-based check & confirm implementation Palantir Implementation KVH Training - On-board upload DB (VSAT) - Installing AMOS Database - Testing replication - Vessel Office - Office Vessel KVH - Mounting of dome(s) - Terminating core cabling - Installation of core hardware - Modem - UPS - Commbox - Iridium Pilot - Installation of BDE - Crew hardware (Wi-Fi / I-kiosk / Crew VoIP) - Business hardware (Business VoIP, Cisco VoIP) - Patching VLAN s (Admin, Voice, Crew and Technical) - Crew training Confirm AMOS implementation on-board Vroon AMOS engineer attends vessel - Enable AMOS E-learning video s - Crew training - Implementation support - AMOS ready to use Palantir - Installation of core hardware - Server - Switch - Server UPS - Installation of workstations - Installation of printers - Testing software / (integration test) - Crew training 12

13 STATUS WE ARE MAKING GOOD PROGRESS 13

14 WE ARE ON TRACK TO MEET OUR OBJECTIVES IT Networks on board Satellite Communications Cost Effective IT Infrastructure It has proven to be an enabler for standardised roll-outs and this in a very short timeframe (e.g. Windows7 / MS Office 2010, Watchkeeper, HSE forms, Veslink or AMOS patches). Improve Quality and Reduce Costs Good performance & availability. Easy to install one long day. Reinvested our savings in Crew Welfare (cost neutral) 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 ½ years. Travelling due to IT issues onboard has been reduced to only 1 occasion. Average of 0.1 open issues per vessel vs. 3-4 per vessel before. Easy to use for the crew The KeepUp@Sea solution from Palantir is in demand Further Office-Vessel integration Have been able to quickly roll-out systems & tools, such as HSE-forms and Watchkeeper. Tests / pilots with Condition Based monitoring and on-line IT systems will be scheduled for Enable Crew Welfare policy Good feedback on performance, free and quality / costs of telephony. Good feedback on Free-Fair-Use Crew Internet Policy. 1 ICT FTE is coordinating the day-to-day efforts for both areas. 14

15 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 Consolidate group-wide business requirements into a solution design that is reliable and secure, cost-effective, scalable, future proof and meets or exceeds customer requirements. 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. 15

16 The product of choice for your vessel IT operations Automated and standardized build & deployment process of servers and clients. Reduced risk and cost. Controlled process of implementing applications, software patches, antivirus, global system changes etc. Fleet flexibility. Onshore dashboard for the management to monitor fleet- and vessel specific status and services. Fleet control. Support being carried-out remotely, hence hardly any need to travel to vessels once implemented. Reduced operational cost. Limited IT skills needed from end-users to operate and maintain the system. Automated client rebuild. Green IT. Reduced cost. Reduced travel. IT MADE EASY SLIDE 16

17 KVH Industries, A Proven Partner

18 Complete One Stop Turn-Key Solution Complete Project Management: Pre-configured, pre-activated, rack solutions for higher efficiencies Collaborative installation planning incl. responsibilities and escalation points (RASCI Chart) Minimized installation times Customer-specific solution documentation Crew training and handover by certified installers Detailed site survey: All pre-work is done and equipment is ready Secure all equipment is compatible Smooth installation: KVH certified, experienced technicians do installations at ports around the globe Fast deployment: Dedicated Project Manager means one point of contact and care

19 REMOVING IT BURDEN FROM THE CREW AND INCREASING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY Ingolf Satrevik Johan Verhegge Svend Lykke Larsen Digital Ship Conference January Bergen, Norway 19