Problem

Operating a commercial ferry fleet requires balancing schedule reliability with fuel efficiency. However, Seaspan had limited visibility into performance: critical data existed across multiple vessel systems and terminals, with no unified way to correlate engine load, fuel consumption, and on-time service. In many cases, key engineering parameters were not digitized, limiting the ability to trend performance or support proactive maintenance. Without a consolidated data layer, Seaspan Ferries found it difficult to gain actionable insights to improve fleet-wide optimization, particularly during unmanned periods.

This implementation required navigating several technical and operational constraints inherent to a live marine environment. The fleet consists of vessels with varying generations of equipment, from modern digital systems to legacy infrastructure, which introduced complexity in standardizing and integrating telemetry. Seaspan operated vessels on active schedules with limited downtime, which required carefully coordinating installation and commissioning around operations.

From an architectural perspective, the system needed to reliably manage data synchronization between mobile edge systems and a centralized data center, while maintaining performance over constrained and intermittent network connections. Cybersecurity was a key consideration for Seaspan, requiring secure segmentation between OT and IT networks and controlled data flow across vessel, terminal, and enterprise environments.

Successfully implementing the Ignition system meant that East 15 needed to coordinate with multiple third-party vessel integrators to align on data access and ensure compatibility with existing control systems. To standardize over 100,000 data points across disparate systems, East 15 sought detailed stakeholder engagement, site validation, and alignment with terminal infrastructure to support a consistent and scalable data pipeline.

Solution

East 15 built the solution on a standardized edge architecture using Ignition Edge deployed on Opto 22 controllers across the fleet. This provided a repeatable template that could be applied consistently to each vessel while remaining flexible enough to accommodate varying levels of onboard connectivity and system maturity. The system processes telemetry locally and transmits securely to a centralized environment, enabling reliable, near real-time visibility across the fleet.

East 15 designed and implemented a consistent network using Moxa OT firewalls to maintain secure separation between operational technology and enterprise IT systems. This ensured controlled data flow across vessels, terminals, and the data center while meeting cybersecurity requirements in a marine operating environment.

At the application layer, East 15 integrated vessel telemetry with terminal operations data to provide a unified view of performance. This enabled correlation between schedule adherence and fuel consumption on a per-voyage basis, while delivering role-specific visibility for operations, engineering, and dispatch. The system’s centralized alarm management also provided continuous monitoring of vessel health, including during unmanned periods.

Result

The Digital Ship System established a unified operational view across Seaspan’s fleet, replacing fragmented and manual monitoring with a centralized, data-driven approach. Seaspan can now view fleet performance, schedule adherence, and vessel health in a single environment, enabling faster, more consistent decision-making across operations and engineering while reducing reliance on reactive workflows.

By connecting voyage data with fuel consumption and vessel performance, the Ignition platform creates a foundation for improving efficiency and managing operational risk. It is designed to scale, with ongoing expansion to additional vessels, terminal assets, and enterprise systems, alongside integration of external data sources such as weather and metocean conditions. This establishes a long-term data foundation for Seaspan to continue advancing toward more predictive, data-informed operations.

Project Team

East 15 Technologies led the design and implementation of the Digital Ship System in close collaboration with Seaspan Ferries’ operations, engineering, and data teams. The project was delivered through a hybrid model combining hands-on field integration with iterative software development, ensuring alignment between vessel crews, terminal staff, and shore-based stakeholders.

The team worked directly onboard vessels and at terminals to validate telemetry sources, standardize data structures, and deploy edge infrastructure. Weekly sprint cycles with Seaspan’s project champion enabled rapid feedback and continuous refinement of dashboards and KPIs. Coordination with third-party system integrators ensured seamless integration with existing vessel control systems.

This collaborative approach allowed the solution to be grounded in real operational needs while maintaining a high standard of technical execution and scalability.

Project Scope

• Start Date: June 2025

• Deploy Date: Ongoing

• Tags: 100K+

• Screens: ~20

• Clients: 25+

• Alarms: ~20k

• Devices: Opto 22, Siemens, Rockwell, proprietary equipment (Modbus TCP, RTU), ASCII serial

• Architecture: Scale-Out/Hub & Spoke

• Databases: 2 MSSQL (high availability on both)

• Historical data logged: 7 GB/month

• Number of people on team: 1

• Ignition Ecosystem: Opto 22, Moxa