New facility in Ålesund to demonstrate the power of data

The new facility in Ålesund, set up close by Inmarsat’s new office within the Norwegian Maritime Competence Centre, is likely to be the first in a series of IAM spaces opened by Rolls-Royce around the world.
Real-time component monitoring has been common in the aviation industry where Rolls-Royce has been tracking aero-engine performance for many years. However, restrictions on data transmission have only eased in the maritime sector recently with the introduction of affordable high-throughput broadband systems. For this reason, Rolls-Royce is working in partnership with Inmarsat as one of the satellite communications company’s Certified Application Providers to ensure that its customers have access to the Fleet Xpress high-speed broadband service for high-volume data processing through application-triggered bandwidth.
Rolls-Royce President – Marine, Mikael Makinen, commented: “I am delighted to officially pronounce the Ålesund IAM Experience Space open for business. It is often difficult to convey the many commercial and operational benefits of new cloud-based digital technologies. But now, with the opening of this, the first in a number of planned Ship Intelligence Experience Spaces around the world, we can fully demonstrate for our customers the very tangible benefits of what is often considered an intangible technology.
“The information presented to fleet managers today … is crucial for optimising vessel performance. It can be used to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, extend machinery overhaul intervals and increase system availability. Machinery breakdowns could be a thing of the past.”