Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2020

1 1 6 In line with its origins as an inter-governmental venture formed by International Maritime Organization administrations, Inmarsat’s focus on safety is integral to company culture P roducts such as Fleet Safety and Fleet Secure reflect Inmarsat’s track record of expertise in maritime safety and security. “Fleet Safety is our next level of safety services for Safety of Life at Sea,” says Peter Broadhurst, senior vice president of yachting and passenger at Inmarsat. Fully approved by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2018 as meeting requirements of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, the Fleet Safety solution includes Distress Alerting, reception of Maritime Safety Information, voice distress and Distress Chat functionality. “This is in our DNA,” says Broadhurst. “We receive and connect six distress calls a day and we deliver 30,000 safety messages a day.” Inmarsat’s approach to safety in 2020 is light years ahead of the traditional safety systems seen on ships, which are limited to simple distress calls. “The old service was ‘Please help’ and hope; whereas we can now put rescue services in touch with the vessel and audio visual is recorded. It’s modern and IP-based, allowing us to provide a lot more than before,” says Broadhurst. “Services such as the new Distress Chat have more in common with Skype or WhatsApp chat than the basic distress messaging that is still the norm on many ships.” Broadhurst acknowledges that the industry has not always been quick to make progress on safety but adds that the digital age brings opportunities for step changes in this regard. “I think the value we’ve added is going to take us forward. Technology has moved so fast and always- on connectivity is the new norm. We offer the next level because we can and we add these features because it makes sense and there will be more to come. It strengthens our connection to search and rescue and puts us at the forefront of safety.” CFR FLEET SAFET Y Maritime safety comes of age Inmarsat recently added its Fleet Secure Endpoint solution to its Fleet Secure portfolio. The Fleet Secure suite of products complies with the International Safety Management (ISM) code revisions which will come into play from 1 January 2021. Underpinning all of Inmarsat’s data solutions is a very high level of attention to the security of data, says Marco Cristoforo Camporeale, head of maritime digital. “By definition, our satellite communications are military grade. Our digital solutions all use segregated bandwidth, with dedicated pipelines to connect to applications providers on Fleet Connect.” The new IMO rules due to come into force in 2021 require shipowners to demonstrate that infrastructure and procedures onboard have been fully risk assessed for cyber security and that a plan is in place to identify, protect against, detect, respond to and recover from cyberthreats. Inmarsat has a suite of cybersecurity products in its Fleet Secure portfolio that assist with scanning and record-keeping meaning that owners can fully document the actions undertaken to comply with the rules. Meanwhile, the Essential Security against Evolving Threats element of the portfolio allows for detection of any attempts at unauthorised access to systems. “Even if only using Fleet Connect both application providers and ship managers are protected by the fact that data traffic is running in completely segregated pipelines,” says Camporeale. “It is one of the safest solutions on the market.” Anticipating cyber threats Fleet Secure ensures ship operators know they can depend on the highest level of protection onboard