Marlink announced today that it has signed a new agreement with Höegh Autoliners to supply the international transport and logistics company's 38 car and truck carriers with the industry-leading maritime-optimised IT solution, KeepUp@Sea, which is part of Marlink's new ITLink portfolio.

Marlink will provide managed services designed to ensure the resilience and compliance of the vessel IT networks on Höegh vessels. Onboard implementation of the service is estimated to start in September, after hardware delivery and shore tests have been completed.

As an integral platform within Marlink's advanced ITLink portfolio of IT solutions, KeepUp@Sea has been specifically designed to efficiently deploy and manage IT infrastructure and software across an entire fleet of vessels.

Through standardisation, automation and remote network management, KeepUp@Sea will enable Höegh to keep its IT systems always available, updated and secured, and to achieve material cost savings in operations. Over-the-air (OTA) applications and file distribution will limit the risk of human error, and dramatically reduce the resources and time required for updating software and antivirus manually.

By replacing the outdated process of using physical media to upgrade onboard networks, Marlink is also assisting Höegh Autoliners to improve IT compliance, ensuring readiness for new regulations and guidelines, including the IMO 2021 Cyber Security section. Marlink's ITLink solutions portfolio is also future-proofed to accommodate fleet expansion and processes of controlled change.

Tore Morten Olsen, President Maritime, Marlink said: "Our comprehensive, integrated ITLink portfolio of IT solutions is a bespoke means of enabling an efficient, cost-effective vessel ICT environment that requires less human interaction on board and by the customer's IT team. We are confident that Höegh Autoliners will see significant value of moving towards a maritime IT environment optimised for 'floating offices' including over-the-air file deployment, software updates or changes, to stay fully compliant towards both regulatory bodies and industry best practice."

Marlink