The Smart Communication Solution for the Maritime Industry

Written by Wendy Züffle | November 16^th, 2022

Digitization offers many opportunities to the maritime market. With the digital transformation of this industry, there is growing need for a reliable, stable and fast infrastructure that makes real-time data exchange possible.

Maritime facilities, oil rigs and ships are exposed to harsh environmental conditions that are fundamentally different from those on land and very challenging, namely large temperature fluctuations, high humidity and high salinity in the air. Explosive environments and constant vibrations also place very great demands on technical products, which must be robust enough to withstand these conditions over a longer period of time.

innovaphone: Certified for Use in Maritime Environments

DNV (Det Norske Veritas)¹ is one of several organisations which carries out offshore certifications. A device that has been approved by DNV is suitable for use in such environments and can withstand shocks, moisture and vibrations.
 
Certain innovaphone products, which have been granted the globally recognised DNV approval, formerly DNV GL, can be used without reservations on high seas. innovaphone thus fully meets and guarantees the high standards required for operational safety and functionality in the maritime industry.

The innovaphone VoIP gateway IP811 and the analog adapter IP29-8 underwent a rigorous test procedure for certification. In addition, the all-round IP111 telephone and the IPVA can be used as long as the servers are suitable for use in the maritime sector.

innovaphone Offers Solutions for all Maritime Sectors:

• (Industrial) shipping
• Offshore sites such as oil rigs and wind turbines
• Onshore sites such as ship docks or lighthouses
• Ferries
• Cruise ships
• Fishing boats
• Hospital ships
• Navy operations
• Coastal departments to keep in touch with the ships

The innovaphone myApps collaboration platform enables users to make their own applications, such as cruise shipping tools, e.g., wake up calls or entertainment programs, engine room monitoring apps, and much more.

innovaphone also has a unique master-slave concept for shipping companies with fleets. Each boat has its own local innovaphone gateway which handles internal communication. And, the shipping companies are also connected to a common cloud solution. The PBX connects the local switchboards to enable internal calls between the ships and to the shipping company to be made via VoIP. The PBX is used for configuration and maintenance purposes, thus ensuring all local switchboards are up to date.

Alarm in Case of Distress at Sea – the Most Important Function on High Seas

It is essential, especially in extreme situations where there is no mobile phone connection, to be able to fall back on a reliable communication solution. In certain emergencies, such as if there is a fire or “man overboard” emergency, crew members and passengers can be reached via desktop phone (passengers), cordless solutions or in-house antennas. In the event that a boat capsizes, rescue teams can be called via satellite link.
It is crucial that there is good accessibility in all areas of a ship. This applies to emergency scenarios as well as to steering and manoeuvring the ship – for telephones in the engine room, amongst different players (for example when entering a harbour) or for the telephones on deck.

Examples of innovaphone Installations

• The IP111 and IP150 IP telephones – the latter in the control and engine room – have been in use for many years on cruise and ferry ships belonging to the Grimaldi shipping company, such as Motonave Barcelona or Roma.  The IP111 has also been in use on Italian merchant ships for a few years.
    
• Together with Vcom, Tafjord K has developed a solution which combines all internal audio communication in one IP system on the innovaphone Voice Server. The IP111 IP telephones and DECT telephones are used on the bridge, in the cabins and wherever a wireless telephone is needed. The waterproof, robust IP160 telephone and 2N horn loudspeakers are used in engine rooms, on trawl decks, etc.

Summary

In summary, it is crucial to invest in reliable, secure and robust VoIP phones to ensure communication is possible in emergency situations – be it diseases and pandemics, accidents or other emergency scenarios.

innovaphone maritime communication systems provide high availability, scalability, reliability and cyber security.

Benefits of VoIP Telephony in the Maritime Industry

• Cost effective solution
• Simple and effective solution to inter-connect company sites on land & at sea
• Crew can maintain contact with colleagues, family & friends -> higher motivation and increased quality of life

If you are interested in this topic, check out my colleague Cecilia’s recent blog post on Rio Gas & Oil, one of the biggest oil industry events in Rio de Janeiro.

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[1] About DNV