Holistic Vessel Monitoring Streamlines Operations
Crew transfer vessels for the offshore wind industry benefit from BareFLEET’s ability to optimize operations, reduce environmental impact and enhance crew welfare.
By Chris Huxley-Reynard
The maritime industry stands as the backbone of global trade, facilitating the transportation of more than 80 percent of the world’s goods. The sector grapples with a host of challenges: volatile fuel prices, stringent environmental regulations, rising operational costs, and ensuring the safety and well-being of seafarers. Against this backdrop, innovative technologies have become indispensable—not just for maintaining operational efficiency but also for safeguarding the environment and supporting those who power the industry.
At the forefront of this process is AST Reygar, a pioneer in maritime monitoring and reporting solutions. Its flagship vessel monitoring system (VMS), BareFLEET, exemplifies the power of cutting-edge technology to address these challenges. Combining real-time data insights, predictive analytics, and user-centric design, BareFLEET empowers maritime operators by enhancing safety, efficiency, and sustainability in operations.
AST Reygar is more than just a technology provider; it is a trusted partner in the maritime industry’s modernization journey. With years of experience designing solutions for a range of vessels—from workboats and offshore support ships to passenger ferries—AST Reygar has established itself as a leader in asset monitoring systems. Its commitment to innovation and collaboration ensures that products meet the practical needs of operators and crews alike with the core values of innovation, customer-centricity, and sustainability. Through BareFLEET, AST Reygar demonstrates these values, delivering a product that is as transformative for seafarers as it is for vessel owners and operators.
The Challenges Facing Modern Maritime Operations
Before delving deeper into BareFLEET’s transformative impact, it is important to understand the pressing challenges faced by the maritime industry today. These challenges underscore the need for innovative solutions, such as BareFLEET.
Operational costs are rising. Fuel accounts for a significant portion of maritime expenses, and fluctuating oil prices add uncertainty to budgeting and operations. Effective fuel management and efficient vessel operation are critical for maintaining profitability and reducing environmental impact.
Environmental regulations are also pressuring operators. Global efforts to combat climate change have led to stricter regulations, such as the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) greenhouse gas reduction targets. Compliance requires sophisticated monitoring and reporting tools.
Crew safety and welfare continue to be important. Seafarers face harsh working conditions, from rough seas to long hours, and ensuring their safety and well-being is both morally and operationally imperative. Maintenance and downtime also affect operations. Unplanned machinery breakdowns disrupt schedules and result in costly repairs. Predictive maintenance is essential to minimize downtime and ensure smooth operations.
BareFLEET’s real-time monitoring of vessel movement maintains the comfort and safety of passengers.
Introducing BareFLEET
BareFLEET is an all-encompassing remote monitoring system, designed to provide real-time, accurate insights into vessel performance. By integrating advanced sensors with powerful analytics, the system consolidates critical data—from fuel usage and motion monitoring to machinery health and environmental metrics—into an intuitive dashboard. This empowers operators to make informed decisions, based on real data, enabling crews to focus on their core responsibilities.
The key features of BareFLEET are: real-time monitoring of fuel consumption, engine load, vessel motion, and environmental impact with precision; predictive maintenance via data analytics to identify machinery wear and tear early, reducing unexpected breakdowns; user-friendly dashboards that simplify complex data, presenting actionable insights in an accessible format; and environmental reporting to support compliance with stringent global regulations by tracking emissions and operational efficiency.
While these features offer clear benefits for vessel operators, the transformative impact on seafarers is equally profound.
Enhancing Crew Safety
Safety is the cornerstone of maritime operations. For seafarers, who often work in some of the world’s most challenging and dangerous environments, advanced safety systems such as BareFLEET are invaluable.
The system offers real-time impact force monitoring. Operating in rough seas or crowded ports exposes vessels to impacts that can jeopardize both crew safety and structural integrity. BareFLEET’s sensors measure these impacts in real time, notifying vessel operators of potential risks. By addressing issues promptly, operators can prevent minor incidents from escalating into major hazards.
BareFLEET provides whole-body vibration monitoring. Continuous exposure to high vibration levels poses a significant health risk to seafarers, potentially leading to fatigue, musculoskeletal problems, and long-term health issues. BareFLEET tracks these vibrations in detail, enabling operators to implement adjustments that reduce strain on the crew. Over time, this contributes to a safer and more comfortable working environment.
The system also enables incident reporting. Every voyage comes with lessons to be learned and BareFLEET generates detailed reports on vessel activity and safety incidents, providing actionable insights to improve future operations. This proactive approach fosters a culture of safety, benefiting both individual seafarers and entire fleets.
Streamlining Operations
Efficiency isn’t just about reducing costs; it’s about creating a seamless workflow for crew, minimizing stress and maximizing productivity. BareFLEET excels in optimizing operational processes.
Fuel is the lifeblood of maritime operations, but managing it efficiently is often a challenge. BareFLEET provides real-time insights into fuel consumption, enabling crews to adjust speeds, optimize routes and fine-tune engine performance. These small adjustments can lead to significant savings, reduced emissions and a lighter workload for the crew.
Unplanned maintenance is one of the biggest disruptors to maritime schedules. BareFLEET’s predictive maintenance tools monitor machinery health continuously, identifying wear and tear before it leads to failure. For crew members, this means fewer breakdowns, more predictable schedules and enhanced confidence in their equipment.
The maritime industry’s reliance on complex data often leaves crews overwhelmed. BareFLEET simplifies this process by consolidating critical information into one intuitive dashboard. Operators and crew can make quick, informed decisions, without the need to parse through dense data sets.
Sustainability: A Shared Responsibility
With the maritime sector facing mounting pressure to reduce its environmental footprint, sustainability is no longer optional. BareFLEET helps operators and crew meet their environmental goals without compromising operational efficiency.
By providing real-time emissions data, BareFLEET empowers crews to adjust operations to minimize greenhouse gas output. This ensures compliance with international standards, such as the IMO’s decarbonization targets, while contributing to a greener future.
Environmental regulations often require extensive documentation, and BareFLEET automates this process, generating accurate reports to satisfy various stakeholders. For crew, this reduces administrative burdens and frees up time for other tasks.
BareFLEET’s focus on fuel efficiency and emissions reduction directly supports global decarbonization efforts. By integrating sustainability into everyday operations, the system ensures that crews and operators can work together toward a cleaner maritime industry.
BareFLEET in Action
Farra Marine, a Dublin-based specialist in crew transfer vessels (CTVs) for the offshore wind sector, has significantly enhanced its fleet’s performance and client trust through the implementation of AST Reygar’s BareFLEET VMS.
By analyzing fuel consumption patterns via BareFLEET, Farra Marine has optimized engine performance and operational procedures, leading to reduced fuel usage and lower emissions. Monitoring vessel motion data allows for adjustments that minimize vibrations and movements, ensuring a smoother ride for both passengers and crew. The transparency offered by BareFLEET has been pivotal in building trust with Farra Marine’s customers. Farra Marine can showcase the capabilities of the WindFlex CTV design through real-time data, reinforcing confidence among clients worldwide. Detailed performance data ensure that Farra Marine meets customer expectations and contractual obligations, fostering stronger partnerships.
Continuous monitoring of vessel motions and machinery health ensures operations are conducted within safe parameters, reducing the risk of accidents. Crew members take pride in operating vessels that are optimized for fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, aligning with global sustainability goals.
The successful integration of BareFLEET across Farra Marine’s fleet has not only optimized operations and reduced environmental impact, it has also strengthened customer relations and enhanced crew welfare, positioning Farra Marine as a trusted and efficient operator in the offshore wind sector.
In another customer example, continuous monitoring of engine health indicators facilitated early detection of potential issues. AST Networks’ IRAMS telemetry software, integrated with AST Reygar’s BareFLEET, helped Gardline detect turbocharger fault early, avoiding a £50,000 engine rebuild and preventing extended downtime.
The Broader Impact
BareFLEET’s benefits extend beyond individual vessels or fleets. By enhancing safety, efficiency, and sustainability, the system is shaping the future of maritime operations. This transformation is especially significant for seafarers, whose work is often unnoticed and goes underappreciated—despite being vital to global commerce.
With BareFLEET, crews are no longer burdened by inefficient processes, unexpected machinery failures, or unclear environmental regulations. Instead, they are empowered by a system that prioritizes their safety, simplifies their workflows, and aligns their daily tasks with the industry’s sustainability goals.
The maritime industry is on the brink of a digital revolution, with technologies such as AST Reygar’s BareFLEET leading the charge. By addressing critical challenges, such as operational efficiency, environmental sustainability, and crew welfare, BareFLEET is transforming the way vessels are managed and operated. It offers a vision of a greener, safer future for maritime operations with practical tools that make that vision achievable today. The future of maritime operations lies in embracing innovative solutions that balance performance with responsibility.