Communication Networks News

Marlink and SES have signed a multi-year, multi-million-euro deal enabling Marlink’s customers to access SES’s next-generation medium earth orbit constellation (MEO) -- O3b mPOWER.Under the agreement, Marlink will offer the high-throughput and low-latency O3b mPOWER dedicated connectivity services to its customers with data-intensive requirements. These include its humanitarian, energy, enterprise, mining, government, maritime and OmniAccess’ superyacht customers who require robust…

As the shipping industry undergoes major transformation, with operations becomingly increasingly automated, maritime companies need to consider more than just efficiency and safety when it comes to operations. The current global situation has resulted in a growing demand for crew communication, for both work and social purposes, alongside the ongoing need for optimization. All of this causes higher levels of traffic on maritime networks, forcing shipping operators to place an…

As the demand for goods continues to rise, the need to move a higher number of containers quicker and more efficiently is also increasing with this. As a result, port operators are proactively seeking new ways to boost productivity, all while reducing costs to meet this demand.The emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a significant factor in convincing ports to adopt new technologies to help them overcome the day-to-day complexities they face and not miss a beat in a fast-paced industry.

As autonomy gains a foothold in the maritime world, dredging appears next in line to transition to operations without direct human control.A new design concept unveiled by a prominent Dutch ship design and engineering company aims to deliver major power savings and a larger working window for port maintenance dredging operations.The Autonomous Underwater Maintenance Dredger (AUMD) design developed by C-Job Naval Architects is a completely submerged dredging vessel specifically created for maintenance in port environments.According to C-Job…

Naval Group has just joined b<>com, a European innovation center based in France. This partnership brings together the European leader in naval defense and the researchers and engineers of the innovation center with a wide range of expertise.It will help to accelerate technological advances in the field of new digital and communication technologies. The two partners will work together on breakthrough solutions and innovations to reinvent digital solutions for naval defense solutions.The global naval defense market, estimated to have received €40 billion in available revenue in 2018, is growing steadily by about 4% each year. Nonetheless, there is fierce competition between European, Chinese, Russian, and South Korean companies.

Network Innovations and its inland waterways connectivity solution eliminates “dead spot” coverage woes. And, not a moment too soon.The bane of inland operators – or at least one of many – has always been the dearth of reliable and economical vessel-to-shore communications. Even in America’s heartland where cellular coverage is routinely billed as seamless, so-called ‘dead spots’ persist. Sometimes, this happens at the worst possible moment for an operator who has myriad far flung assets on dozens of remote inland waterways. For a long time, satellite service has not been deemed economically feasible for inland operators. Beyond that, unlike blue water deep sea operators, there was little need to download data or employ software solutions in every day operations.

Portugal’s Blue Atlantic has released new plans for an 800 meter quay to berth two Panamax vessels showcasing its maritime trade potential. The 96-hectare site for sale in one of Europe’s leading maritime industrial zones is being primed for maritime, ports and logistics investors targeting the Iberian Peninsula and mainland Europe. Blue Atlantic project lead Fernando Fernandes said it offers one of the fastest and most efficient routes in and out of Europe, bypassing the congested Mediterranean.

Unreliable communication networks may render logistics businesses unable to capture full value from the Internet of Things (IoT), says Inmarsat. Top three challenges to successful IoT deployments in transportation sector: IoT skills (54 per cent), integrating IoT with existing systems (43%) and connectivity (40%). The research by the global mobile satellite company for its ‘The Future of IoT in Enterprise – 2017’ report suggests that while 96 per cent of transportation and logistics organisations believe that the success of their IoT deployments is based on reliable ubiquitous connectivity, many businesses are still struggling to access the connectivity they need.

Cobham SATCOM has unveiled its first Iridium Certus Connected terminal at Nor-Shipping 2017, the SAILOR 4300. Due to go live in the first half of 2018, Iridium Certus is a new portfolio of global satellite services powered by Iridium NEXT, a second-generation L-band global satellite constellation established to deliver an uncompromising solution for the future of global maritime communications. The SAILOR 4300 is a Broadband Core Transceiver (BCX) type terminal, offering a highly reliable link over the Iridium NEXT satellite network with speeds suitable for data-heavy applications including…

Classification society DNV GL teamed up with innovative Greek owner Consolidated Marine Management (CMM) for a test on the health of a control and communication network on board seagoing vessels. The pilot project, conducted on one of CMM’s state-of-the-art chemical tankers, investigated exactly what it takes to carry out a successful test of a vessel’s communication and control systems, in order to strengthen their overall robustness and resilience. “On-board communication networks have become the ‘nervous system’ of vessels’ integrated machinery,” says Mate J.

Frank Coles, Transas CEO, has delivered a keynote speech calling for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to set standards of compliance for the communication connections between ship and shore or else create a significant cyber security risk. The speech on Connected Ships & Cybersecurity was delivered at the Shipping Insight Fleet Optimization Conference which took place in Stamford, CT. on October 18-19. Cybersecurity is without a doubt a highly-debated topic in the maritime industry.

The Hamburg headquartered John T. Essberger (JTE) Group will migrate the primary communication systems of its entire fleet to Sealink, Marlink’s global maritime broadband VSAT service. The Installation on 22 chemical tankers and nine dry cargo vessels is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Essberger was founded in 1924 as Atlantic Tank Reederei by tank ship pioneer John T. Essberger. The Essberger Tankers division fleet consists of chemical vessels, while JTE Dry Cargo operates a fleet of bulk carriers, multipurpose tonnage and container vessels, as well as cement tankers.

The Tsakos Group of Companies has selected DNV GL to assist in preparing a cybersecurity management system for its fleet and onshore facilities – the first such management system developed by a shipping company in cooperation with DNV GL’s Advisory Services. The Greek shipping organization will implement a comprehensive system of safeguards and procedures to protect their assets from cyber risks. DNV GL is the first classification society to put this kind of cybersecurity service into practice. “We wanted to assure our charterers and customers that our systems would be adequately protected from cyber risks by implementing the highest standards of cybersecurity on board our vessels and on shore.

Choosing next generation communication systems for professional marine operations can be a daunting task. Not to worry: John Haynes provides a primer. Over the past decade we have come to expect fast, seamless global communications from a single device that fits in our pocket. The age of the smart phone and tablet enables multiple voices talking in a conference call and real time transfer of data, ranging from documents to photos and videos. In the modern bridge, most crew members have a GPS in their pocket which can identify where that person is on the planet.

While the true uptake of broadband across the maritime sector has been slow to develop, a number of market conditions are conspiring to drive the service mainstream. Intelsat’s Kurt Riegelman discusses the matter with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News. While the advent of full broadband in the maritime sector is the exception rather than the norm, the tides are changing as companies increasingly deploy fast, modern ‘land-like’ comms in an effort to achieve everything from attracting and retaining crew, to streamlining business operations at sea and enhancing safety.

Thuraya Displays Full Suite of Satellite Telecom Solutions at Malaysian Defense Show. Commercial satellite communications is increasingly becoming an essential tool for government users as the need to dispatch crucial information rapidly, reliably and securely is fundamental to coordinating command and control. Requirements for high data speeds, highly portable and versatile data terminals as well as reliable handheld phones continue to grow in demand within the military sector.

The directors of SHIPPINGInsight today announced that U.S. Merchant Marine Academy professor Capt. David Moskoff has agreed to be a special guest speaker at the 2015 Fleet Optimization Conference & Exhibition. The annual event takes place Oct. 13-14, at the Marriott Hotel & Spa in Stamford, Conn. A special area of focus for this year’s SHIPPINGInsight event is ship telematics, and Capt. Moskoff, an acclaimed expert on cyber security in the maritime industry, will kick-off a roundtable Oct. Capt. Moskoff is a professor in the Marine Transportation Department - Nautical Sciences at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. A recognized expert in maritime cyber security…

CapRock Communications, a global provider of satellite communications to remote environments, has expanded its presence in Asia Pacific by opening a new regional office in Singapore. The expansion increases CapRock’s capability to provide systems integration (SI) services and turnkey satellite communication solutions to energy, maritime and mining clients operating in the region. “CapRock’s clients are continuing to strengthen their operations in Asia,” said CapRock Vice President and General Manager, Southeast Asia, Ian Ford. Today CapRock owns and operates an international teleport and support center in Jakarta, Indonesia that serves the Far East, Asia and Pacific Basin.

ABB announce the Tropos 1410-HAZ wireless mesh router and wireless bridge, certified for use in hazardous environments. Tropos 1410 wireless mesh routers and wireless bridges create secure, IP-based field area communication networks serving thousands of automation endpoints such as intelligent electrical devices, industrial process controllers and SCADA devices. Designed to provide wireless communications for field automation applications, the Tropos 1410-HAZ is certified for use in Class I, Division 2 (US) and Class I, Zone 2 (US and Canada) hazardous locations. The certification allows, amongst others, the Tropos® 1410-HAZ to be deployed in locations such as the wellheads of oil and gas wells, oil and natural gas storage and processing facilities.

G4S Technology LLC wins Washington State Department of Transportation, Ferries Division contract to upgrade security systems. G4S Technology LLC (formerly Adesta), a systems integrator and project management company for electronic security systems and communication networks, has been awarded a $3.8M contract from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Ferries Division to provide security system upgrades. They will install new Milestone XProtect® Corporate Video Management Software (VMS).

Industry experts and U.S. Navy leadership will gather next month at a workshop conducted by the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE) to discuss how the U.S. Navy can afford, resource, acquire and deliver “state of the shelf” C4I technologies to ensure deploying naval forces are equipped with the latest yet most dependable capabilities. Industry participants will have an opportunity to hear first hand, from the Navy’s top level C4I leadership, about the Navy’s C4I strategy and requirements and the challenges they face in rapidly transitioning the best available C4I technologies to the Fleet. Industry participants will then develop ideas and recommendations that they will present to the Navy C4I leaders. The two-day workshop, sponsored by the U.S.

Adesta, LLC, a systems integrator and project management company for communication networks and electronic security systems, has been awarded a $958,000 contract to install a waterside video surveillance system for the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department along the Sabine/Neches Rivers. The system will effectively manage and monitor surveillance video at strategic locations along the waterway between Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas. Adesta will engineer, install, test and turn up a fully integrated wireless video surveillance network. The project includes a network of cameras from remote locations along the Rivers, with video management from the United States Coast Guard Vessel Tracking Station and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.

Communication Networks of Danbury, Connecticut, doing business as ComNet, has named Andrew Acquarulo Jr., as its President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). Acquarulo will be responsible for ComNet’s worldwide strategic vision, operations and sales for the ComNet fiber optic and Ethernet product lines. Acquarulo will report to George Lichtblau, ComNet Chairman and CEO. In his role as ComNet President, Acquarulo will direct all the functional areas of the company with the goal of advancing market share.