How do cruise lines track their ships across the globe? AIDA  and Costa offer insight

With upwards of 350 cruise ships at sea on any given day, and more than more than 1,200 ports around the world at which ships regularly call, it takes an immense amount of data and equipment for the world’s more than 50 major cruise lines to keep track of where their fleets are at any given moment. 

Much like airlines, cruise lines operate an FOC (Fleet Operations Centre) at our near their head office, from which their vessels are tracked in real-time. In the era of the Internet of Things (IoT), where more and more devices are connected to the web, container shipping companies like Maersk are able to track their cargo vessels at the most granular level, even remotely monitoring engine performance and the temperature of individual containers.

AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises are now able to do something similar thanks to the recent upgrades to its modernized Fleet Operations Centre (FOC) in Hamburg. The FOC is part of Carnival Maritime GmbH (CMG), which was established in 2015 as a maritime service unit for AIDA Cruises and Costa Cruises. The embedded FOC, which is available around the clock for cruise ships, plays a central role and serves as a support centre and first point of contact.

“Our Fleet Operations Centre is unique of its kind in Germany. With our extensive investments in new hardware and state-of-the-art software tailored to our specific maritime needs, we are setting new standards in the cruise industry,” said Felix Eichhorn, President of AIDA Cruises. “The FOC team is available to our captains and officers around the clock, providing support with nautical and technical aspects. At the same time, this is a clear investment and a strong commitment to Hamburg as an important international maritime competence centre.”

In the Hamburg FOC, all relevant data from the 31 cruise ships operated by AIDA, Costa, and other European cruise brands within the Carnival Corp group, is collected around the clock on over 250 square meters of screens. This includes data from eleven AIDA ships as well as 20 other ships of Carnival Corporation’s European cruise brands. The FOC uses fully digital ship monitoring technology to capture speed, weather, and navigation data, as well as various technical data from the ships’ engine rooms, via satellites in near real-time. 

This enables the ship crews to better plan and optimise fuel and energy consumption, routes, water management, and various logistics processes in the more than 250 ports worldwide that the cruise lines visit. As a result, fuel consumption and thus the ships’ emissions are significantly reduced. A “Tactical Table,” a kind of digital workbench equipped with software, as well as a modern ship simulator, help to present various scenarios and conduct individual training sessions.

The FOS sees itself as a partner and advisor to the captains and their nautical-technical management teams for all rapidly changing conditions at sea and in ports, 24/7. “The combination of our experienced colleagues and state-of-the-art technologies ensures that we provide our ships with the best possible support around the clock. In addition to supporting regular operations, we can also simulate port entries under unusual weather conditions or ensure the most efficient routing,” says Keith Dowds, Executive Vice President of Carnival Maritime GmbH (CMG). Despite the shoreside support, the ultimate responsibility and decision-making authority for the ship always lies with the captain.

Efficiency and Sustainability

The FOC’s state-of-the-art, satellite-based, and near real-time monitoring system collects millions of data points from the ships daily, which are analysed using digital algorithms. Based on this data, the course of the voyage can be adjusted if necessary to suit the current conditions in the sailing area and optimised for maximum travel and guest comfort. Digital analysis also allows for the identification of potential carbon emission reductions in fuel and energy consumption. Fuel savings from optimal engine operation are just one example of the efficiency gains that can be achieved.

A specially developed software helps to continuously improve environmental management in the interest of protecting sensitive marine ecosystems as effectively as possible. With a global digital environmental sea map installed on all ships, the FOC monitors more than 500 international and national environmental special zones, port regulations, and the company’s own guidelines worldwide. “Compliance with environmental regulations is our top priority. The previous manual approach became increasingly complex and labor-intensive, especially as new regulations were introduced worldwide. With our proprietary software solution, these tasks are automated and optimized, allowing us to effectively address future challenges,” says Eichhorn.

Technical control and analysis, combined with best-practice experiences, offer numerous approaches to developing innovative environmental and resource conservation projects — for example, in freshwater supply, wastewater treatment, and recycling and waste management.

All Data at a Glance

The six-month modernisation incorporated the experiences gathered since the first FOC was established by AIDA Cruises in 2012. Based on this, the entire hardware and software technology was upgraded and brought to the latest state of the art levels, in addition to spatial expansion. 

An 18-meter-wide and nearly 1.5-meter-high video wall displays all relevant information such as weather, planned routes, radar images, protected zones, and current energy consumption. The FOC team uses software and algorithms to evaluate thousands of sources and millions of data points from the cruise ships daily, analyse weather conditions, and provide recommendations for route optimisation. 

The new “Tactical Table” and “Part Task Simulator” enable digital simulations for upcoming manoeuvres or new routes, such as a simulated port entry in strong winds. The ship simulator has 150 port entries in its program. The cruise ships’ bridge can be added at any time. Live video footage of the actual weather conditions from the ports provides additional perspectives. The open concept design also promotes collaboration between different departments, including technical, nautical, port, guest operations, and environmental teams.

Around the Clock, 365 Days a Year

At four operation desks, an international team of 12 nautically trained superintendents supports the smooth operation of the ships around the clock. They analyse, support, provide additional information, offer assistance, and organise solutions for changing weather conditions. In this way, new conditions are recognised early, proactively addressed, and decisions made quickly.

To support the captains effectively and professionally on board, all members of the department have extensive nautical experience and have spent many years at sea themselves. Many of the employees hold a captain’s license and also have certifications for various classes of cruise ships.

The extensive expansion of the FOC represents a significant investment in Hamburg as a maritime centre. Through Carnival Maritime, AIDA Cruises, together with Costa Cruises, has made comprehensive investments in the FOC modernisation. In doing so, the cruise line is committing to Hamburg as one of the most important European maritime competence centres for the shipping industry. 

The investment not only secures and creates jobs but also attracts top international talent to Hamburg. At the same time, it strengthens the local Hamburg economy through close collaboration with partners specialising in maritime technologies and services.