Maritime Connectivity Platform
A decentralised platform facilitating secure and reliable information exchange
within the maritime domain and beyond
Fairway to a Connected Maritime World:
The Future of Maritime Digitalization with MCP
NEWS
IALA Endorses MCP Test Instance to Accelerate Maritime Digitalisation
(March, 2025)
In order to support digitalisation efforts, IALA has decided to endorse an MCP instance that will be freely available for testing purposes by IALA members and other relevant maritime stakeholders. The MCP offers means of authentication, service discoverability and seamless communication over various physical communication channels. This supports multiple digitalisation efforts, not least the development of SECOM based Technical Services, which require the authentication and service discoverability capabilities of the MCP.
IALA members are encouraged to make use of this instance, which will thus be an important enabler of digitalisation and driver for the realisation of e-Navigation.
The newly elected secretary general of the MCP consortium, Juho Pitkänen from Fintraffic states: “The IALA endorsement is an important step forward in the process of making the international community adopting the MCP as a means to support the realisation of e-navigation. When this becomes widely acknowledged, the barrier for digitalisation in the maritime domain at large – would be lowered significantly!”.
The instance is operated by host members of the MCP consortium, KRISO and GLA, and is purely for testing. No performance guarantees are given, and it must therefore not be used for operational purposes.
IALA has created a topical matter web-page for the instance, which is available here: MCP test instance – IALA AISM
Harmonised delivery of S-100 data facilitated by MCP Showcased at IALA DTEC 3 (September, 2024)
During the session of the IALA DTEC 3, the MMS demonstration underscored the system’s advancements in security and efficiency in maritime connectivity.
Julius Moeller from AMSA, Christopher Saarnak from DMA and Thomas Christensen from AIVeNautics led the session, showcasing harmonised solutions for distributing navigational warnings within the e-navigation framework. The demonstration emphasized real-time data exchange and the implementation of a public key infrastructure (PKI) to ensure secure communications among maritime entities.
Key features included the integration of the IHO’s S-124 product specification for standardized navigational warning datasets and a prototype user interface, NavUI, which allows users to visualize warnings on digital charts, enhancing situational awareness. The MMS is designed to be carrier agnostic, allowing flexibility to use various communication methods, including standard internet and non-IP options like VDES.
Live Navigational warning data from Australia, Korea, Denmark and Canada was demonstrated.
The event highlighted the collaborative efforts among various organizations under the umbrella of the Open Digital Incubator, to modernize maritime services, paving the way for safer and more efficient navigation at sea.
For more detailed information, please refer to the link below; MMS Demonstration on IALA DTEC 3
The MCP
The information exchanged can be almost of any nature, ranging from private confidential information between a vessel and the shore office of the shipowner, to public information provided by authorities, such as the provision of navigational warnings.
– Endorsing organisations to be MCP service providers