Cisco News

For dredging company officials, the first quarter of 2021 was a pretty good start to a new year. In a tough business, challenges and pitfalls are always expected. But from a bigger picture perspective—markets, regulations and policies—company officials couldn’t be faulted if a bit of optimism infused their worldview.There are a number of reasons for this. Many are well known and don’t need to be detailed here. Just quickly, though, WRDA 2020 would be at the top of the list. WRDA…

Digitalisation is the maritime game changer. This is why the digital transformation will be in focus at SMM DIGITAL, which has been given the leitmotif “Driving The Maritime Transition”. As a purely digital event, SMM DIGITAL will feature conferences with top-ranking panelists discussing current trends in Smart Shipping. International experts will report about the challenges facing the maritime industry, and highlight attractive solutions.Complex contractual relationships, the enormous dimensions of ships and routes…

30 companies and institutional investors have signed up to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Sustainable Ocean Principles committing to take action to secure a healthy and productive ocean.UNGC is a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact works with companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with ten universal principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.The signatories to the principles include the container ship and supply vessel operator A.P. Møller – Mærsk, food and beverage company PepsiCo, and Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages one of the world’s largest funds with over US$ 1 trillion in assets.

Dutch Port of Rotterdam has sent the hyper-smart Container 42 on a two-year data-collecting mission around the world.During this journey, the container – which houses an array of sensors and communications equipment – will be measuring changes in parameters like vibration, slope, position, sound, local air pollution, humidity and temperature.The unit has also been fitted with solar panels, which can be used to determine how much power a container can generate during a given journey by ship, train or truck. The container will be making its first stop in early June, in Munich, Germany. Here it will be presented to the public during the…

Dualog has taken shipboard cyber security to a higher level by launching a new service that promises to protect vessels and their onboard IT systems, a literal first line of defense, blocking malware and unwanted data traffic at the DNS level.This extra level is particularly important factor if you consider the findings of a Cisco Security Research paper which claims that 91.3 % of malware uses DNS in attacks.Dualog Protect blocks ransom-ware, trojans and phishing attempts as well as preventing ‘command-and-control call-backs’ and data exfiltration. By operating at the DNS-level, the service protects all computers and devices attached to all onboard networks.

Indian Ports Association (IPA) has appointed Tech Mahindra as the Managed Service Provider for five major ports. This is the first such outsourcing deal in the major ports.Tech Mahindra will build and maintain an enterprise business system (EBS) to modernise and automate port processes at five Central government-owned port  at Mumbai ,Kolkata, Chennai, Deendayal Port  and Paradip Port Trust.This initiative is a major step towards integrating the maritime sector and fostering growth and development of major public sector ports in the country.Tech Mahindra is partnering with world class leading players like SAP, Envision, CISCO, Dell, RTCom and other major players.

New digitization solutions, such as big data, blockchain, automation, drones, and robotics, are enabling the maritime freight industry to introduce game-changing approaches that will significantly reduce or eliminate non-value-added activities. Over the next five years, maritime suppliers across the value chain will increasingly adopt solutions to address security, overcapacity and accurate cost models, according to new research from ABI Research, a market-foresight advisory firm providing strategic guidance on the most compelling transformative technologies. "Along with consolidation and pressures on profits, long-standing players must adapt and work with partners within and outside the industry…

The Port of Rotterdam Authority and IBM has announced their collaboration on a multi-year digitization initiative to transform the port’s operational environment using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in the cloud to benefit the port and those who use it. The initiative will also prepare the Port of Rotterdam’s entire 42-kilometer site to host connected ships in the future. It begins with the development of a centralized dashboard application that will collect and process real-time water (hydro), weather (meteo) sensor data and communications data, analysed through the IBM IoT platform.

Radio Holland Group has signed a strategic agreement with American ICT company Cisco. The aim of the cooperation is to help accelerate digitization in the maritime sector by developing and offering maritime ICT solutions such as remote monitoring and diagnostics services, data management and networks on board. Dennis Mol, Chief Operations Officer at the Radio Holland Group, said, “In a challenging maritime market it is Radio Holland’s drive to keep finding and developing solutions that reduce the ‘cost of ownership’ of vessels and improve the efficiency of ship’s operations.

ABB has appointed Guido Jouret as Chief Digital Officer, reporting to ABB’s CEO Ulrich Spiesshofer, effective October 1, 2016. Jouret, a pioneer of the Internet of Things, will lead the next level of development and deployment of ABB’s digital solutions for customers globally and across all businesses. Jouret is a citizen of both the United States and Belgium, with long experience in Silicon Valley. He served for 20 years at Cisco after obtaining a PhD in Computer Science. His most recent role at Cisco was as General Manager of the Internet of Things division, which aims to connect billions of devices to the internet across a wide range of industries.

The cloud is for “device-agnostic young slashers,” said Trond Bjorseth, marketing manager, of Oslo-based cloud consultancy, Tieto. His company offers an information management tool for subsea projects and “repositories” for the shipping sector’s operations. With Tieto you can get “one big happy project room,” although he admits at least three suppliers offer something similar. For its own future “slashers,” Glasgow-based ship manager Norbulk Shipping opted instead for Google Cloud Technology Solutions…

Telecommunications firm Italtel has been selected to renew the communications network of British/American owned Italian cruise shipping company Costa Cruises. Under the contract, Italtel will implement a updated integrated communication system, based on IP protocol and capable of delivering new services. Costa Cruises was previously equipped with a voice-based infrastructure on a different set of local exchanges directly connected to the traditional telephone network. Although these guaranteed basic telephone services…

We are on the brink of an extraordinary revolution that will change our world forever. In this new world everyone, everything and everywhere will be connected in real time. We call this the Networked Society, and it will fundamentally change the way we innovate, collaborate, produce, govern and sustain. The development of integrated fast on-line computer technologies, new satellite link capabilities, and efficient cloud storage capabilities of information have resulted in huge opportunities for utilizing vast amounts of data for optimizing all kinds of operations.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Southeast Asian leaders turned their attention to China on Tuesday on the second day of a summit intended to improve commercial links and provide a united front on maritime disputes with Beijing. After a first day discussing trade and economic issues at the Sunnylands resort in California, Obama and his Association of Southeast Asian Nations counterparts were to try to arrive at a common position on the South China Sea, where China and several ASEAN states have conflicting claims. Not all the 10 ASEAN nations agree on how to handle the disputes and U.S. officials want a statement calling for China to follow international law and handle disputes peacefully.

U.S. President Barack Obama and allies from Southeast Asia will turn their attention to China on Tuesday on the second day of a summit intended to improve commercial links and provide a united front on maritime disputes with Beijing. After a first day focused on trade and economic issues, Obama and his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will try to arrive at a common position on the South China Sea during a second day of talks at Sunnylands, a California resort. China and several ASEAN states have conflicting and overlapping claims in the South China Sea, but not all the Southeast Asian nations agree on how to handle them. U.S. officials want the summit to produce a statement calling for China to follow international law and handle disputes peacefully.

Sea IT has entered a long term ICT agreement with Veritas Tankers. The agreement comprises installation of BlueCORE Generation 4, an ICT platform specifically developed for the marine industry, and BlueCONNECT, a virtualized software which acts as mail server and carrier controller. Veritas Tankers will upgrade and have the installations made on all its vessels: Astina, Astral and Astoria. Sea IT will support Veritas Tankers during a three-year period though the Fixed BlueCORE ICT agreement.

Global shipping and offshore oil and gas operations are increasingly dependent on integrated networks, based on various software and data transfer solutions. Systems and equipment onboard are interconnected, monitored and controlled through an onboard automation network. Onboard systems are increasingly also connected ashore to the owners’ or technology providers’ control centers. Equipment manufacturers want to remotely upgrade the software of their systems and monitor their use to be able to optimize operations and to scheduled needed maintenance service.

Hanjin Group opened its creative economy innovation center in Incheon on Wednesday, hoping to develop the city into a distribution hub of Northeast Asia utilizing advanced shipping technologies. As part of the center, Hanjin created a fund worth 159 billion won ($138 million), with about 94 billion won to be used for loans to companies starting smart distribution businesses. President Park Geun-hye, Hanjin Group Chairman and CEO Cho Yang-ho and Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok attended the opening ceremony, held at the center’s location in Songdo, Incheon. “The government hopes the center will successfully combine Incheon’s excellent distribution…

The maritime industry is at a crossroads, with a dearth of next-generation talent willing and available for a life at sea, yet increasing demands for efficiency and clarity of operations. At this crossroads lies modern communication technology, the connective tissue that can help to cure many of the industry’s ills, as Frank Coles, President of Inmarsat Maritime, contends. Commercial shipping will always remain a pivotal link in the global transport chain, but the very nature…

Held on 23 August 2014, Frost & Sullivan Singapore’s 9th edition of the ‘Frost the Trail’ run saw 165 teams, 95 individuals and over 750 runners gather at the MacRitchie Reservoir Park to run in support of the underprivileged. ‘Frost the Trail’ saw both avid and novice runners hitting the winding trails of MacRitchie in the cool morning air amidst lush greenery. Runners participated in one of two categories – the 5 km team race as well as the 10 km individual race. In total, Frost the Trail Singapore 2014 helped raised more than SGD140k, with 100% of proceeds going directly to this year’s adopted charity, Bright Hill Evergreen Home. Bright Hill Evergreen Home is a 250 bed, accredited, 100 per cent non-profit Nursing Home for the destitute and poor.

So what’s keeping ship operators awake at night these days? Plenty, it seems. Sluggish recovery from a lingering worldwide recession, unsustainable debt loads, endemic overcapacity in most shipping trades, punishing freight rates, rising costs of fuel and regulatory compliance and a lingering sense that ships are not running as efficiently as they could. The last two topics – reducing fuel costs while complying with emission regulations and improving ship operating efficiency – will take center stage at SHIPPINGInsight 2014, scheduled for Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 in Stamford, Conn.

We wish we had a dollar for every time we heard or read the words Big Data at the Nor-Shipping exhibition last month. We might even have collected enough cash to buy a round of expensive Norwegian beers for the gang at the Fridtjof bar. Seriously, Big Data is one of the most talked-about subjects at maritime industry gatherings. At Nor-Shipping there were no fewer than half a dozen panels and conference sessions focusing on the role of Big Data and analytics in commercial shipping.

It’s no coincidence that Class standard bearer DNV GL’s incoming group chief exec, Remi Eriksen, is a former telecoms engineer who knows his way around Houston (IT) and Singapore (yards). After all, the satellite communications industry understands shipping. The reverse should also be true. Speaking ahead of his first day as CEO, Eriksen describes a future of “fast ships and slow growth” — not bandwidth growth, mind you. Satellite operators, network providers and other vendors are eying broadband for Big Data transfers.