NAVTOR is steering fleet monitoring and management towards new horizons with the introduction of AIS streaming to the NavFleet platform. In doing so, the Norwegian-headquartered company is “inventing something unique” – using its own digital ecosystem to capture live vessel AIS data so management teams can see exactly where ships are, and what they’re doing, in real-time. Or, as NAVTOR describes it, “in real-real-time”.

Proactive power

The latest release of NavFleet, version 2.7.1, is a landmark upgrade. It integrates a series of new map layers – including IMMA, WCZ, PCA and IMO SA – to help teams understand vessel operational environments without switching from system to system, as well as easier file sharing, and further refinements to bridge the gap between ship- and shore-based teams.

The AIS development, says Tor Håkon Svanes, NAVTOR’s NavFleet Platform Manager, takes centre stage.

He explains: “This creates a new level of awareness for fleet managers, enabling not just better, more informed decision-making, but proactive decision-making. All of a sudden you can see exactly where any vessel is, within the context of its environment and the surrounding vessel traffic, with, compared to current AIS data providers, minimal latency.

“You can zoom in on your ship, or any ship, and check, for example, its speed, heading and position in ‘now-time’, instead of relying on updates every few minutes, hours or more. What’s more, you don’t pay to access every vessel’s information, which can be extremely expensive when using providers that deliver high frequency AIS data via satellite. It’s simply there, ready and waiting for every NavFleet user that wants greater control over their assets.”

Unique perspective

Svanes says the value of this for any shipping company is immense: “Users can see their vessels in operation, with visualisations of their correct size, length and current situation, as easily as if they were looking at them from the shore. They can spot potential issues before crews do, give advice in emergency situations, and assess other traffic and marine infrastructure, from a truly unique perspective. We believe this is a watershed moment in fleet monitoring.”

It’s a development that only NAVTOR could have made. As the world’s leading maritime technology company, NAVTOR supplies products and services to over 18,000 vessels in the world fleet. In doing so, it has established an integrated digital ecosystem that spans the globe.

NavBox, the secure gateway for sharing data to and from vessels across that customer base, has what Svanes calls a “secret superpower” – it can be used to capture, package and transmit AIS data, creating its own proprietary, low-bandwidth network. As highlighted, that enables a new level of awareness now and, as with all NAVTOR offerings, is under constant development to add further value in the future.

Simple solutions to complex challenges

Svanes reveals that an upcoming release of NavFleet will also offer users the ability to ‘replay’ streams to see not just what vessels are doing, but what they did. As such, he describes the live AIS display as “just the starting point”.

“Say a ship had an incident in port, for example,” Svanes states. “Perhaps there was only one tug, the stern of the ship hit the jetty, or damaged a crane… Well, you could use NavFleet’s AIS data stream, together with associated and detailed contextual data, to show the documented angle of approach, the speed, the direction of the wind and so on, unlocking a new level of historical insight. That could be invaluable not just for owners, but for a broad spectrum of stakeholders.”

Alongside the AIS and additional map layer functionalities, NavFleet already offers users an array of solutions to simplify fleet monitoring and management. These include voyage tracking, port information, advanced Passage Plan management, Digital Logbook tracking and analysis, map layers, event logs, and much more. Additional emission & compliance and performance subscription levels are also available.

NavFleet 2.7.1 is available now as an automatic upgrade to existing NavFleet monitoring subscribers. NavFleet customers will also be able to access AIS streaming in the NavFleet App from December.