UK classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) and mobile satellite communications giant Inmarsat have unveiled a new partnership to address the challenges of doing remote surveys.
The two organisations have developed an application for remote inspection that enables crew members to livestream video, photos and audio aboard a ship via Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress platform.
The system is currently being piloted by LR and Inmarsat with clients specialising in gas carriers and bulkers.
The collaboration follows increased uptake in remote services throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the two said, as access to ships and assets became more challenging.
The LR Remote app will use Inmarsat’s Certified Application Provider-dedicated bandwidth service called Fleet Connect in what they describe as “an industry-first collaboration between a satellite communications provider and classification society to provide a connectivity solution”.
LR has offered remote survey capability for several years, and now, one in three of the 30,000-plus surveys it performs each year is completed remotely.
In May 2020, it also introduced a dedicated team to support remote surveys within the marine and offshore industries.
LR said the move is another step towards digital class, “opening opportunities for future uses of vessel data in demonstrating compliance and driving deeper insight into vessel efficiency and fleet optimisation”.
Fleet Connect promises an uninterrupted dedicated satellite link between vessels and seafarers, offering users function-specific bandwidth that is independent of critical vessel operations or crew communications, Inmarsat said.
