MIAMI, May 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Cruise
Line today previewed its new Fleet Operations Center (FOC) in
Miami, the largest and most
advanced in the cruise industry. The 35,000-square-foot facility is
custom-designed for hands-on, around-the-clock monitoring and
support of the line's 26 cruise ships.
The Carnival Cruise Line FOC is the first facility of its kind
in South Florida and features a
state-of-the-art tracking and data-analysis platform that enables
real-time information sharing between Carnival ships and
specialized shoreside teams designed to support fleet
operations.
It was unveiled during a ribbon cutting ceremony and interactive
demonstration of its most innovative new high-tech features, which
is anchored by a 74-foot-long video wall composed of 57 LED
screens. The high-definition wall displays the status of all ships,
including weather, itinerary updates, safety, engine and
environmental updates. Additionally the status of ports, ships
logistics, guest operations and a host of other functions are also
monitored. The 24/7/365 system will support the work of
cross-functional teams, including technical, nautical, port and
guest operations, environmental operations and compliance,
occupational safety, technical services, and other key areas.
Seating is arranged in open "pods" aligned with Carnival's
ship classes, to invite constant collaboration, integration and
streamlined communication between these and other departments,
bringing together all areas of expertise into shared spaces.
"In designing the FOC, we combined best practices from the
military, government and industry to achieve a generational leap in
facility design, sophisticated technology and utilization, creating
the largest and most advanced fleet operations center in the
industry," said Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy. "Nothing is more important than
the safety of our guests and crew, and this new facility enhances
our already comprehensive approach to safety and operational
excellence."
Carnival built custom tools for use and integration into the
FOC, such as the proprietary software applications "Neptune" and
"Argos." Developed in-house, Argos is an always-awake knowledge
management tool which harnesses information from thousands of data
points and overlays rules-based decision making, predictive
alerting and queuing into one visual dashboard. The result is
at-a-glance situational awareness across the fleet which
significantly improves communication from ship to shore, enhances
safe passage of ships, improves operational efficiencies and
supports overall environmental initiatives.
Neptune captures and provides analytics for dozens of distinct
parameters for navigational safety from each ship, focusing on the
following strategic areas to optimize safety, efficiency and
overall fleet performance:
- Nautical Operations & Safety – including the capability to
see current radar visuals, stability conditions, automation, the
Safety Management and Command System, and webcams from each ship,
along with GPS location, routing, ship conditions and weather
data.
- Procedural Optimization & Efficiency – including speeds,
navigational data and engine conditions.
- Sustainability – including fuel and energy usage, emissions
levels, water and waste management.
"The FOC brings together real-time information for decision
making. Integrated shoreside teams support our shipboard officers
to act quickly and decisively while significantly increasing the
operational efficiency of our ships," said Gus Antorcha, Carnival Cruise Line's chief
operating officer.
Carnival partnered with Constant Technologies, Inc., a design
firm that specializes in building operations centers in the public
and private sectors. The design includes an open concept floor plan
with sustainable furnishings and ergonomic features such as the
ceiling's blue lighting which minimizes eye fatigue, all sit/stand
desks and carpeting made from recycled fish nets. There are also
multiple conference rooms that are linked via video screens to the
main LED wall and are intended to be utilized by support teams that
would assist during any incidents.
The South Florida-based
facility is the third and largest in Carnival Corporation's global
FOC network, complementing those in Seattle, Washington, and Hamburg, Germany, where Neptune was first
piloted. While the new location primarily is dedicated to Carnival
Cruise Line, it includes the ability to monitor the entire 103-ship
fleet among parent company Carnival Corporation's nine operating
lines and it can act as the FOC for any of them at a moment's
notice.
About Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line, part
of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is
"The World's Most Popular Cruise Line®" with 26 ships operating
three- to 16-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, New England, Bermuda, Europe, Cuba,
Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. The line
currently has three new ships on order – Carnival Panorama set to
debut in 2019 and two new 180,000-ton ships in 2020 and 2022.
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SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line