Amos Connect News

Inmarsat say that MOL Ship Management has commenced migrating over 100 vessels to the FleetBroadband 6 gigabyte (GB) plan for the primary purpose of enhancing both crew welfare and business operations. The decision to upgrade was made following a trial period on several selected vessels. “Any FleetBroadband user can quickly and easily upgrade their plans without additional capital investment and data usage can be shared across vessels,” said Frank Coles, President of Inmarsat Maritime. Since rolling out FleetBroadband, MOL Ship Management Co.

Inmarsat, a provider of global mobile satellite communications services, has announced that global shipping company MOL Ship Management Co. Ltd. have commenced migrating over 100 vessels to the FleetBroadband 6 gigabyte (GB) plan for the primary purpose of enhancing both crew welfare and business operations. The decision to upgrade was made following a trial period on several selected vessels. MOL Ship Management Co. Ltd. has deployed Inmarsat services on its vessel fleet for more than ten years and has been using FleetBroadband since April 2010, gradually increasing its usage since the initial installation. “Any FleetBroadband user can quickly and easily upgrade their plans without additional capital investment and data usage can be shared across vessels…

Sandigan reports improved applications performance and crew productivity. Stratos Global, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, today announced it has been selected by Sandigan Ship Services, Inc. to deploy the Inmarsat FleetBroadband satellite communications service on Sandigan’s fleet of commercial vessels. Based in The Philippines, Sandigan manages a global fleet that includes bulk carriers and car carriers. FleetBroadband from Stratos already has been successfully deployed on 12 Sandigan vessels.

New Centers provide complete managed-communications services worldwide. Stratos Global, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, today announced it has expanded its maritime service-delivery capabilities by opening Global Installation & Service Centers (GIS Centers) in four major maritime regions. The Stratos GIS Centers in Rotterdam, Hong Kong, Singapore and Lafayette, Louisiana provide complete managed-communications services for ship owners and ship-management companies worldwide.

Stratos Global, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, announced it has been selected by Reederei Claus-Peter Offen (CP Offen) to provide Inmarsat FleetBroadband airtime services for its entire fleet of 122 commercial vessels. CP Offen, based in Hamburg, is one of the world’s largest suppliers of modern commercial ships, including 122 container vessels, tankers and bulkers. CP Offen vessels are chartered by all of the world’s largest operators.

Stratos Global is deploying the Inmarsat FleetBroadband satellite communications service on six deep-sea tugboats in Fairplay Towage’s fleet. Deployment on four of the vessels already has been completed. Based in Hamburg, Fairplay Towage is a tugboat operators in the ports of Hamburg, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Rostock, Wismar, Szczecin and Swinoujscie. Its fleet includes 27 modern vessels for harbor, coastal and deep-sea towage. Stratos has activated more than 6,700 FleetBroadband terminals and was recognized as the Inmarsat Distribution Partner making the greatest contribution to FleetBroadband global sales growth in 2010. Fairplay Towage is also deploying Stratos’ AmosConnect Crew CommCenter.

The iFly Industrial Package from Delta Wave was designed for quick and easy deployment. It is a turnkey package which incorporates Beam’s IsatPhone Pro Dock, and external antenna which also incorporates GPS. All is contained in a watertight NEMA enclosure with handle for ease of transport and quick installation in indoor or outdoor environments. The unit also works with Inmarsat’s 505 emergency alert service, providing location data. A 30-ft coax cable set is Included, which should satisfy most installation requirements.

Stratos Global Corporation, provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, announced it has successfully deployed an integrated, broadband crew communications solution for SE Ship Management Pte. Ltd. (SESM), one of Singapore’s leading ship operators and managers. SESM is a subsidiary of SE Shipping Lines Pte. Ltd. (SESL). The Stratos solution includes the deployment of its AmosConnect Crew communications application on the Inmarsat FleetBroadband 150 (FB150) mobile satellite platform. The solution is installed on the SESL vessels SE Pelagica and SE Potentia – both of which are heavy-lift, multipurpose dry cargo vessels that operate worldwide. Inmarsat’s entry-level FB150 service combines a telephone connection with simultaneous IP data at up to 150kbps.

Stratos Global Corporation, global provider of mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, announced it is upgrading Zakher Marine International Inc. (ZMI) vessels to Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband 150 (FB150) mobile broadband satellite service. With each FB150 system ZMI is deploying the popular AmosConnect from Stratos messaging service, which integrates vessel and shore-based office applications. Working with its channel partner Monarch Telecom, Stratos has already activated FB150 service onboard six ZMI vessels: Zakher Duty; Zakher Pelican; Zakher Eagle; Zakher Supplier; Zakher Atlanta and Zakher Emperor. ZMI vessels provide anchor handling, supply and towage for the merchant marine and offshore oil & gas industries in the Middle East.

Stratos Global Corporation announced it has been selected by its long-time customer MISC Berhad to provide a customized crew-communications solution for its entire fleet of more than 100 merchant vessels. Stratos is deploying an MISC-branded version of its AmosConnect Crew communications solution to serve thousands of crewmembers, as part of MISC’s “We Care” crew-retention program. The custom solution provides MISC crewmembers with new “MISC Crew Comm” cards to enjoy free private email, low-cost SMS and voice calling. AmosConnect Crew is an all-in-one communication solution for crewmembers. Combining AmosConnect and ChatCard, two of Stratos’ successful services, AmosConnect Crew enables personnel at sea to stay in contact with home via phone, email and SMS at low cost rates.

Stratos Global Corp., a global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, introduced ChatCard Online 5.0 to improve the order-processing performance of its ChatCard and eChatCard maritime crew calling services. In the coming weeks, Stratos will migrate all ChatCard Online customers to ChatCard Online 5.0. Stratos ChatCard is a way for shipping companies to enable crewmembers to stay in touch with family and friends while at sea - via voice, email, SMS and now prepaid Internet access via the recent introduction of ChatCard Data on emerging Inmarsat technologies. A prepaid calling card that can be reloaded online, ChatCard can be used on all Inmarsat and Iridium terminals, including FleetBroadband.

The trial led to the RNLN's purchase of the FleetBroadband from Stratos service, which it will use to manage its daily operations at sea. RNLN is the first organization to commercially deploy the FleetBroadband service. The three-month field trial was conducted onboard the RNLN Van Kinsbergen in Western European waters, including the Western Baltic. Radio managed the installation of a Thrane & Thrane SAILOR 500 FleetBroadband terminal onboard the vessel. FleetBroadband also was successfully integrated with AmosConnect to manage all email traffic. Other applications successfully tested during the trial included web browsing, instant messaging, video chat, digital faxing via eFax, and weather forecasting via MeteoConsult's SPOS.

In December 2007 Radio Holland installed and commissioned the first Fleet Broadband terminal on MOV Van Kinsbergen. Radio Holland Netherlands was contacted by Stratos to arrange the installation of a Thrane & Thrane SAILOR-500 Fleet Broadband terminal on board this vessel of the Royal Netherlands Navy. The installation is part of a field test into the new maritime broadband service. The Royal Netherlands Navy was selected by the Inmarsat distribution partner Stratos as one of the first customers in a worldwide test of the new maritime broadband service.

Xantic has announced that the basic version of AMOS Connect is now capable of working over the Iridium platform. A free of charge CD of this premium quality email service can be ordered from Xantic’s website or the software can be directly downloaded and installed. By optimally handling ship/shore satellite communication, AMOS Connect basic offers substantial cost savings of up to 85%, both Ship-to-Shore and Shore-to-Ship. It provides an ultra-efficient satellite communications protocol, including error correction, which is specifically designed for ship-to-shore communication. Use of the AMOS Connect basic version with Iridium shows data throughput rates on the Iridium network of up to 4.8 kbps.

Xantic has announced the signing of a contract with Turbo Service International Limited to provide both airtime and a custom-made combination of value added services. This bundled solution is set to pave the way for shipowners to see the benefits of the internet on board ship by offering them single click access to Turbo's "lite" diagnostic webtool via Inmarsat-A, -B, mini-M and Fleet. No additional software is required on board the vessel. Moreover, by offering its customers an even more efficient turbocharger operation, Turbo SI will further improve the safety and reliability of vessels at sea. Turbo SI has offices in Southampton (UK), Antwerp (Belgium), Dubai and Hong Kong, with more expected to be opened in the near future.

Xantic announced an exclusive three-year contract with Petrobras Transportes in Brazil, one of the world’s premier oil and gas companies. Xantic will be the single-source supplier for a complete voice and data communication system accommodating the entire Petrobras fleet. Under the terms of the agreement signed with Xantic, some 43 Petrobras vessels will use Xantic’s AMOS Connect messaging application and Xantic Fleet 77 airtime for data transfer via satellite. Moreover, 50 vessels will use mini-M terminals for Voice and data communications, again with AMOS Connect software. A full service management system includes various added value services from Xantic: Traffic and Billing Explorer (TaB), Firewall and Easy Accelerator.

Xantic announced an exclusive three-year contract with Petrobras Transportes in Brazil, one of the world’s premier oil and gas companies. Xantic will be the single-source supplier for a complete voice and data communication system accommodating the entire Petrobras fleet. Under the terms of the agreement signed with Xantic, some 43 Petrobras vessels will use Xantic’s AMOS Connect messaging application and Xantic Fleet 77 airtime for data transfer via satellite. Moreover, 50 vessels will use mini-M terminals for Voice and data communications, again with AMOS Connect software. A full service management system includes various added value services from Xantic: Traffic and Billing Explorer (TaB), Firewall and Easy Accelerator.

The evolution of satellite communication use at sea closely mirrors that of land-based communication trends: a never-ending quest for speed, reliability and lower costs. While it is foolhardy to select this or any other single technology as the one with the greatest impact on the maritime industry, a strong case could be made for satellite communication. Prior to the introduction of radio, maritime communication was generally limited to line-of-sight visual signaling during clear weather, plus noise-makers such as bells and foghorns. The advent of radio greatly reduced the isolation of ships during emergencies and was quickly responsible for saving thousands of lives. The first ship-to-shore, two-way radio conversation reportedly occurred in 1922, between Deal Beach, N.J., and the S.S.

Xantic has announced an agreement to provide P&O Nedlloyd with the its AmosConnect messaging service. P&O Nedlloyd Container Line, one of the premier global shipping and international logistics companies, will upgrade its entire fleet with this sophisticated and user-friendly product that is designed especially for the maritime market. Xantic has announced an agreement to provide P&O Nedlloyd with the its AmosConnect messaging service. P&O Nedlloyd Container Line, one of the premier global shipping and international logistics companies, will upgrade its entire fleet with this sophisticated and user-friendly product that is designed especially for the maritime market.

P&O Nedlloyd Container Line is the world's third largest container shipping company, operating 157 vessels, a cumulative 407,000 tons on 84 routes with 235 direct call ports. With a fleet this massive and the growing need to communicate with ships, P&O Nedlloyd was expecting an increase in the volume of data transfers to and from its vessels. In addition to email, it wanted the ability to send and receive electronic updates of navigational charts and file transfers for ship management applications. As it was investigating ways to reduce costs, it also considered updating its existing Inmarsat -A terminals, which forced it to consider: costs involving this project should not exceed the current operational costs…

P&O Nedlloyd has implemented the AMOS Connect e-mail system of Xantic in combination with the SPOS weather system on a selection of vessels. Via a MAPI protocol within AMOS Connect, the SPOS weather system can automatically create e-mail messages and place them in the outbox or check the AMOS mailbox for new weather forecasts. This eliminates the need for onboard staff to transfer files manually and therefore simplifies the work and reduces the risk of mistakes. IT manager of P&O Nedlloyd, Vermeulen said “I am enthusiastic about this combination which is a serious improvement. The weather files containing wind, wave and cyclone forecasts are sent to the vessel on a daily or twice daily basis via Inmarsat.

Xantic has announced the signing of a contract with Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Bhd (MISC). The agreement will see Xantic provide consultancy, training, support, software installation and airtime as part of a major business transformation process currently being implemented by MISC. The contract between Xantic and MISC is worth US$10 million over two years. The catalyst for the agreement was MISC’s decision to refocus its business in line with its vision of becoming “the preferred supplier of world class maritime transportation and logistics services”. Started in 1997, the final phase of this project is now underway in the form of implementing the operational systems within the entire MISC organisation and its fleet.

Stratos Global Corp. announced it has completed deployment of its AmosConnect from Stratos maritime satellite communications solution for 28 commercial vessels managed by Dockendale Shipping Co., Ltd. Dockendale is is a provider of maritime transportation services. Deployed on more than 10,000 vessels worldwide, AmosConnect integrates email, fax, telex and GSM text into a single messaging system for use onboard or in offices onshore. The user-friendly solution can be tailored to meet the mobile connectivity needs of maritime vessels ranging from small yachts to large commercial fleets. Stratos outfitted each of Dockendale’s 28 vessels with one AmosConnect license, installed on an Inmarsat Fleet F77 satellite terminal.