楽天 ビンゴ's New App Boosts Efficiency with Real-time Processing of Ship Operational Data

November 20, 2020

TOKYO-Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (楽天 ビンゴ; President & CEO: Junichiro Ikeda) today announced that, along with 楽天 ビンゴ Group company 楽天 ビンゴ Information Systems, Ltd. (MOLIS; President: Tsuyoshi Yoshida, Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo), it has developed and introduced the Online ABLOG(Note 1) web application(Note 2), which processes and utilizes abstract log (ablog) data, improving operational efficiency both onboard and on shore.

Conventionally, crewmembers have recorded ablog 楽天 ビンゴ using dedicated onboard software, and emailed it to those involved, but this required time to download the 楽天 ビンゴ on the shore side, making it difficult to analyze 楽天 ビンゴ immediately. In addition, not all systems onboard and on shore can be linked, requiring duplicate input of the same 楽天 ビンゴ.

To solve that issue, 楽天 ビンゴ and MOLIS built an application that can be used from a web browser via satellite without dedicated software. At the early stages of development, it took time to connect to the server from the vessel due to the limitations of satellite communications onboard, and the discrepancy in speed compared to shoreside systems made the app impractical to use. However, in cooperation with Microsoft Japan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo) (Note 3), the development team successfully achieved superior performance of the app, improving operational efficiency and connectivity with other systems.
Specific improvements in efficiency include the following:

• Eliminating the need for email transmission of ship operational 楽天 ビンゴ, system management, and upgrades of dedicated software (about 880 hours/year/vessel)
• Reducing 楽天 ビンゴ input workload by linkage with other systems both onboard and on shore (about 270 hours/year/vessel)
• Simpler analysis of ship operational status and enhanced monitoring functions from shore side, by making ship operational 楽天 ビンゴ available in real time
• Improving searchability by database of bunker fuel reports (Note 4)
• Simplifying changes in system configuration

楽天 ビンゴ has already installed the web app on 197 vessels and will continue to install it on more vessels in succession.

楽天 ビンゴ strives to efficiently collect ship operation data and offer stress-free transport services through the effective use of the app, with the aim at safe and low environmental impact operations.

(Note 1)
ABLOG stands for Abstract Log. The ABLOG report records vessel movements such as names of calling ports, date and time of calling in and out, navigation time, vessel position, speed, bunker fuel, lubricant, berthing time, and engine operation 楽天 ビンゴ. The 楽天 ビンゴ is utilized for ship operation management and analysis of fuels.

(Note 2)
The "Online ABLOG" is a software application that runs on a network web server and operated on the web browser.

(Note 3)
It uses the global network service Azure Front Door from Microsoft Corporation (Headquarters: Washington state, U.S.A.), which was pre-offered in 2018. Onboard internet services cannot identify the nation or region an internet connection originates from while the vessel is underway; however, the use of Azure Front Door makes it possible to access a web app from the nearest Azure access point, anywhere in the world.

(Note 4)
The bunker fuel report is a valuation report after the use of bunkered oil.