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Satellite Navigation News

05 Dec 2023

Sails and Satellite Navigation Could Cut Shipping Industry’s Emissions By Up to a Third

A cargo vessel with Flettner rotors – a modern equivalent to sails. Flettner rotors are smooth cylinders with discs that spin as wind passes at right angles across it. (Photo: Norsepower)

In the vast expanse of the world’s oceans, a transformation is underway.The international shipping sector, made up of thousands of massive cargo ships laden with many of the goods we buy, emits carbon dioxide (COâ‚‚) roughly equivalent to the entire country of Germany.Our research emphasises the need for immediate action. Reducing shipping emissions by 34% by 2030 is necessary to stay on course with the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal. But with low-carbon fuel pipelines unlikely to be available at the necessary scale until at least the 2030s…

27 Nov 2023

ASGARD: Developing an Anti-Spoofing Weapon

Image courtesy ASGARD

Saab and GMV are collaborating in ASGARD, an EU-funded project that aims to improve maritime security when using GNSS and OSNMA. The project addresses the growing threat of GNSS spoofing and other cyberattacks on navigation systems used in the maritime industry.The ASGARD project, run by Saab and GMV, is an ambitious European Union (EU) initiative that aims to develop advanced technologies to improve Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) security in maritime environments.

11 Apr 2023

European Space Agency to Support Uptake of Autonomous Shipping

The European Space Agency (ESA) has signedon to help the One Sea Association in a callaborative effort promoting the development of new space-enabled services which will support the maritime sector’s transition towards autonomous shipping.Satellite communications and satellite navigation play a key role in the adoption of autonomous shipping technologies and operations. During offshore passages, ships are often further from land than satellites which can offer invaluable secure and resilient communication channels for monitoring, command, and control of autonomous ships.

18 Jul 2018

Marlink's €622m Dividend Recapitalization Loan Pulled

A €622m-equivalent dividend recapitalization and refinancing loan for Norwegian satellite navigation group Marlink has been withdrawn from the market, sources familiar with the situation said.The leveraged loan for Marlink, which is owed by private equity firm Apax Partners, has run into the turbulence that has hit the European market in the last month, as investors call for better terms and conditions.A combination of increased dealflow and poor secondary trading levels on loans signed earlier this year is helping investors to push for higher pricing and stronger documentation."Several deals have struggled recently. We've seen terms changing and ultimately the market was simply not in a receptive place for this one (Marlink)…

07 Aug 2017

Cyber Threats Prompt Return of Radio for Ship Navigation

© donvictori0 / Adobe Stock

The risk of cyber attacks targeting ships' satellite navigation is pushing nations to delve back through history and develop back-up systems with roots in World War Two radio technology. Ships use GPS (Global Positioning System) and other similar devices that rely on sending and receiving satellite signals, which many experts say are vulnerable to jamming by hackers. About 90 percent of world trade is transported by sea and the stakes are high in increasingly crowded shipping lanes.

06 Nov 2016

European Debuts for Garmin at METS Trade 2016

Garmin, the global leader in satellite navigation, is set to premiere a range of its new 2017 marine products to the European market, at METS Trade 2016. Experience Garmin’s strengthened marine product portfolio in Amsterdam this year – featuring the compact GPSMAP 722/922 and 1022/1222 series’ and the powerful VHF 110i/210i AIS radios, to mention but a few. With a wide variety of products on show, from GPS mapping devices, to solid-state pulse compression radars, to transducers; the Garmin stand is certainly not one to be missed this year. Experience an advanced navigation solution with the compact GPSMAP 722/922 series,  available as 7 and 9-inch sunlight-readable touchscreen chartplotters or combo units (xs series).

19 May 2016

Automated Skill Erosion

The U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 2015 reinstituted a course of instruction in celestial navigation after abandoning it a number of years ago. Senior Chief Quarter Master Jonathan Myers teaches Command Master Chief April Beldo how to use a marine sextant during a demonstration of celestial navigation aboard the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). (U.S. Navy photo by Travis K. Mendoza)

The increasing automation of vessels is causing some mariners to lose basic maritime skills. During dinner on June 10, 1995, the last night before the cruise ship Royal Majesty was due to arrive in Boston from its voyage to Bermuda, the master bragged to the passengers at his table that his ship could never run aground because it had all the latest electronic equipment, including a navigation system that integrated the GPS signals and other information. At 2225 that night the ship grounded on the Rose and Crown Shoal near Nantucket. It was 17 miles west of its planned trackline.

09 Feb 2016

EU Pulls Plug on Back-Up Nav System

A British-led initiative to create a back-up to satellite navigation systems for ships has been pulled after failing to garner interest from other European countries, despite its proponents pointing to the growing risk of disasters at sea. Vessels increasingly rely on devices that employ satellite signals to find a location or keep exact time, including the Global Positioning System (GPS). Paper charts are used less frequently due to a loss of traditional skills among seafarers. Experts say GPS is vulnerable to signal loss from solar weather effects or radio and satellite interference or deliberate jamming, which South Korea experienced from North Korea in recent years.

07 Dec 2015

Ejde Loran Station Shut Down on Faroe Islands

Photo: Danish Maritime Authority

The Ejde Loran station on the Faroe Islands will be shut down on December 31, 2015, after having been in operation since 1959. At the end of the year, the entire European Loran system will be discontinued. The Loran-C station on Ejde is a part of the Northwest European Loran system, consisting of four stations in Norway, two in France, one in England, one stationin Germany as well as the station on the Faroe Islands. Loran-C is a radio navigation system that can be used for navigation and the receipt of time information if you have a Loran-C receiver.

26 May 2015

Threats to Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Location and coverage of proposed Phase 1 South Korean eLoran transmitter					 (Inside GNSS News January 2015

Originally developed to guide Allied convoys safely across the Atlantic, the use of synchronized low frequency radio signals as a navigational aid revolutionized modern maritime navigation in the 1940s. Faced with operating ships and aircraft over vast areas, researchers pioneered the use of radio signals to aid navigation in regions where poor weather conditions made traditional methods—such as dead reckoning and celestial navigation—exceptionally difficult. This system was eventually named LORAN.

10 Jul 2014

Sovcomflot & Sakhalin Energy to Provide 3 Icebreakers for Sakhalin-2

SCF Group (Sovcomflot) and Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. (Sakhalin Energy) have signed a contract for the construction and long-term operation of three multifunctional icebreaking standby vessels to serve the Sakhalin-2 offshore energy platforms. The contract covers a 20 year term, during which the vessels will provide safe and reliable services for Sakhalin Energy’s platforms in the Sea of Okhotsk. The vessels will also assist with accommodation of the offshore facilities personnel. In an emergency, the vessels will help evacuate personnel from the offshore platforms and will provide oil spill response services when necessary.

07 Jul 2014

Sovcomflot Extends Cooperation with Sakhalin Energy

Companies sign agreements for long-term operation of three vessels for the Sakhalin-2 project. SCF Group (Sovcomflot) and Sakhalin Energy Investment Company Ltd. have signed a contract for the construction and long-term operation of three multifunctional icebreaking standby vessels to serve the Sakhalin-2 offshore energy platforms. The contract covers a 20 year term, during which the vessels will provide safe and reliable services for Sakhalin Energy’s platforms in the Sea of Okhotsk. The vessels will also assist with accommodation of the offshore facilities personnel. In an emergency, the vessels will help evacuate personnel from the offshore platforms and will provide oil spill response services when necessary.

13 May 2014

Europe Grapples with Threat of Ships Sailing Blind

Europe has yet to fully wake up to the danger of maritime disasters caused by signal jamming and blackouts of satellite navigation devices, say the proponents of a back up system on trial in British and Dutch ports. Ships increasingly rely on systems that employ satellite signals to find a location or keep exact time including the Global Positioning System (GPS) and GLONASS. But experts say such systems are vulnerable to signal loss from solar weather effects or radio and satellite interference and can also be affected by intentional jamming by criminal gangs, nation states or potentially from militant groups. The General Lighthouse Authorities of the UK and Ireland (GLA) is pioneering a radio-based back-up prototype called eLoran.

29 Jan 2014

European GPS Slated for 2014 Launch

Galileo, the EU satellite navigation program (the European GPS) and Copernicus, the EU Earth monitoring program, are in decisive phases this year. With the launch of six additional Galileo satellites, Europeans will soon be able to enjoy their own satellite navigation system. The first Copernicus satellite launch in March will also enable considerable progress in improving maritime security, climate change monitoring and providing support in emergency and crisis situations. The progress in both European space programs - Galileo and Copernicus - was announced by Vice President Antonio Tajani following a meeting with Jean Jacques Dordain…

05 Nov 2013

TeamSurv Ocean Survey Project Boosted

TeamSurv logo

TeamSurv, the crowd sourcing project to create better nautical charts, has won support and endorsement from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC). TeamSurv has won a call by ESA to enter their Business Incubation Centre (BIC) at Harwell, Oxford. This provides TeamSurv with finance, with business and technical support, and with office space for the next year to enable a plan for a sustainable future, and to grow with the number of vessels and the amount of data produced.

20 Sep 2013

GNSS Spoofing Test Bed to be Developed

Spirent Communications, has teamed up with Qascom to develop a test tool that reproduces spoofing attacks in a controlled laboratory environment. They say that their collaborative solution will be launched commercially later in 2013. The test bed will concurrently simulate legitimate GNSS constellations and spoofed or hoax signals. It will enable positioning systems manufacturers to improve their products’ resilience to hoax signals. As GNSS becomes increasingly embedded in modern infrastructure for application timing and device positioning, the impact of spoofing attacks becomes greater. From mobile telephony to internet banking, GNSS timing signals are used in many key systems…

12 Nov 2012

Russian GLONASS GPS Designer Fired

The chief designer or Russia’s Glonass satellite navigation system, Yury Urlichich, has been dismissed. The Glonass program has been in the works since the 1970s, but underwent a radical revamp in 2001. The 24 satellites comprising the system were put into orbit by 2010, The program cost 140 billion rubles (US$4.4 billion) to implement, and its budget for 2012-2020 stands at a further 326 billion rubles (US$10 billion). According to RiaNovosti the decision was made by the government’s military-industrial commission, which is headed by Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. Russia’s rival to GPS was rocked by fraud allegations earlier this month, with the Interior Ministry accusing unnamed Glonass officers of embezzling 6.5 billion rubles (US$200-million) of program’s funds.

13 Aug 2012

China Begins Work on its SATNAV Test Network

China to build a test & certification network for its Beidou satellite navigation system over the next three years. An authoritative testing and certification system with uniform standards and legal support will secure the Beidou system's safe operation and accelerate its industrialization, said a statement from the government's Certification and Accreditation Administration. By 2015, a national testing center will be set up in Beijing, while another seven local sub-centers will be established across the nation, it said. The centers will test the safety and accuracy of products designed for use with the system and qualify them for civilian use. China began to construct the Beidou system in 2000 with a goal of breaking its dependence on GPS by 2020.

18 Jul 2012

Russia Offers India GLONASS Deal

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), which was officially launched in 1993, is a Russian counterpart to the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS). It fixes the location and speed of surface, sea and air objects to within an accuracy of one meter. Russia and India have been cooperating on use of GLONASS for more than four years, but Russia has not previously offered equal joint participation in upgrading the system. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who has special responsilibity for Russia's military-industrial complex, said: "We have offered our Indian counterparts not only use of the Glonass system but also participation in upgrading it. We practically see it as a joint effort.

22 Jun 2012

Safer Navigation with International Standards for Electronic Systems

Morand Fachot, a technical writer with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), worked before as a BBC journalist, writing also for the Financial Times Business Group and several international publications

Carrying an estimated 90% of world trade and billions of passengers every year, international shipping represents the life blood of the global economy. Safety, always a major concern for seafarers, has made huge advances in the last century. However, the massive increase in traffic in recent decades requires, among other things, new or better global communication and navigation solutions resting on internationally-agreed standards to maintain and improve safety levels. Shipping was among the very first industries to adopt widely implemented international safety standards.

23 May 2012

Russian Icebreaker to Norway for Upgrade

Head engineer in the Sevmorgeo company, Yuri Kuzmin, confirms that the conventionally powered “Dikson” will spend 15 days in Kirkenes for the upgrade. Another icebreaker, the “Kapitan Dranitsyn” will undergo a similar upgrade in a yard in Murmansk, reports the 'Barents Observer'. While the “Kapitan Dranitsyn” will engage in mapping of the seabed in order to collect data on the extension of the Russian Arctic shelf, it is expected that the “Dikson” will engage first of all in the collection of seismic data from the formerly disputed waters in the region. As previously reported, Russian authorities last year confirmed that Russian seismic studies would start in 2012 . Norway started the mapping of is part of the newly delimited waters in summer 2011.

17 May 2012

China's GPS 'Beidou' to be Enhanced

The Third China Satellite Navigation Conference in progress in Guangzhou, South China’s Guangdong Province, with satellite experts, government officials and business executives from China, the US, Russia, Europe and Japan participating in the event.The Beidou system chief designer, Sun Jiadong, said China will expand the Beidou satellite navigation service across the entire country. Beidou is a satellite navigation system developed by China and has been providing services since the end of 2011. The conference is a key stage for China to exchange knowledge with the world about satellite navigation know-how and to enhance innovation of its own satellite techniques.

12 Jan 2012

Trawlercat Introduces Anti-Piracy (PEV) Design

purpose-designed anti-piracy personal escort vessel (PEV).

Trawlercat Marine Designs of New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada is seeking joint venture partners to join them in building their purpose-designed anti-piracy personal escort vessels (PEV). Trawlercat Marine’s president, Captain Graham Pfister states that “Individual PEV’s can chase pirates away from unarmed and even armed ships. They can prevent groups of pirates from “swarming” and getting close enough to fire their weapons and cause injuries, do damage or even board a ship. Swarming is now “a clear and present danger”, he said.

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