Why is STM happening now?
“The digital transformation of the maritime sector is already on its way,” says Michael. “The maritime communication market is predicted to double in the next 10 years, communication bandwidth will significantly increase and communication costs will decrease. Experts also believe that international seaborne trade will increase with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4%, and cruise shipping with a CAGR of 6.55%.” Innovative ICT systems and services that share maritime information across all stakeholders along the maritime logistics chain are key enablers of this growth,” Michael continues. “Interoperability of these ICT systems and services is essential to reduce operational costs substantially and increase shipping safety. Interoperability of maritime ICT systems does not only mean the ability to communicate but also to speak the same language concerning maritime information. This is as relevant for existing standards like AIS, route exchange and IVEF for information exchange between VTS centres, as it is for other data like trade data, hydrological data, and bathymetric data. The digital transformation will federate all this information into a global maritime service market. ”
How will your part of the project contribute?
“We will develop a Maritime Service Infrastructure as one of the enablers of the digital transformation. That means a federated, interoperable, decentralised data sharing and service-provisioning ecosystem for the maritime market. First we’ll demonstrate and validate interoperable maritime services with a prototype implementation of selected components of the maritime service infrastructure. We’ll do this on 300 ships, in thirteen ports and in five service centres, in the Nordic region and the Mediterranean sea. Then we will do the technical specifications of the full Maritime Service Infrastructure that will provide important input for standardisation and commercialization”, summarises Michael.
Could you compare a maritime service infrastructure to something that has been developed in another sector?
“E.g. the SWIFT network that enables financial institutions worldwide to send and receive information about financial transactions using a secure, standardized and reliable infrastructure.”
What is the key to success?
“Making use of existing, proven best-practice industry solutions and standards where available”
What is the most fun in the project?
“In many markets even the biggest players have failed to set interoperability standards on their own. Alliances and joint efforts are necessary. That is why I love to see the commitment of more than seventy maritime participants in STM Validation and in the sister project, EfficienSea2, all working to make STM come true in the world of shipping.”
Maritime Service Infrastructure in short:
Standardised information exchange is at the heart of STM. Validation of a common Maritime Service Infrastructure using System Wide Information Management (SeaSWIM) will facilitate data sharing in the validation test beds using a common information environment and structure (e.g. the Maritime Cloud). This ensures interoperability of STM and other services.