Communications Infrastructure News

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) announced over $653 million to fund 41 port improvement projects across the nation under the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP).The investments—part of the largest dedicated funding for ports and waterways in history, nearly $17 billion through the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—are intended to help grow capacity and increase efficiency at coastal seaports, Great Lakes ports and inland…

Yokogawa Electric Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd (MHI) have been selected by the Nippon Foundation, a private, non-profit grant-making organization, to develop an automatic robotic inspection system to predict hazards on offshore oil and gas facilities, and improve the safety of inspection work on offshore platforms."The use of a wide variety of robots to enable unmanned operations and thereby reduce the risk of performing inspections on offshore platforms has long been considered…

Intellian Technologies and SES have unveiled two new user terminals approved for O3b mPOWER, the mP130 for fixed enterprise and the X130D PM for government vessels.This follows on from the multi-year agreement that was signed in October 2021, for Intellian to supply user terminals for SES's O3b mPOWER communications system. These user terminals are the first to be unveiled from the portfolio Intellian is developing, ranging from 85cm to 2.4m.According to Intellian, the mP130 and X130D PM have been engineered in close collaboration with SES and optimized for O3b mPOWER usage…

The master of a containership has been charged in Australia after his vessel allegedly dragged anchor through a protected zone and damaged a subsea communications cable off the West Australian coast. The Ukrainian national is facing up to three years imprisonment.A section of the Australia Singapore Cable in the Perth Submarine Cable Protection Zone, approximately 10 kilometers offshore from City Beach, was disabled early on August 1, 2021, and allegations that a passing vessel had damaged the cable were reported to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) on August 3.According to the AFP, the Maersk Surabaya had been anchored approximately 500 meters from the protection zone…

GTMaritime has seen exceptional growth in the use of its secure, maritime optimized email software and other cyber-security solutions as vessel owners and operators step up a gear to harden onboard networks and protect their ships from digital threats. Many have been spurred into action by IMO’s decision to bring cyber-security under the remit of the ISM code from 2021.Some 5,677 vessels are now employing solutions from GTMaritime’s portfolio – an increase of more than one-third over the past year.

The provider of global mobile satellite communications Inmarsat has joined forces with two start-up programmes including Rainmaking’s Trade and Transport Impact (T&TI) and Bluetech Accelerator.The purpose is to create initiatives that directly support start-ups focused on IoT and big data innovation for improved safety, efficiency and sustainability in the maritime, ports and logistics supply chain.The programmes will fund, support and mentor start-up’s developing applications that aim to harness the power of IoT and big data to enhance safety, efficiency and sustainability. Inmarsat will collaborate with those start-ups to find a route to market via its global…

The 5,000th ship installation of Inmarsat Fleet Xpress, the world’s only high-speed, globally-available Ka-band VSAT service designed for mobility and available from a single operator, is set to be completed by the close of the month.Following its launch in March 2016, Fleet Xpress has emerged as the market-leading pathway to digital transformation as shipping companies seek to deliver improved vessel and fleet efficiency, boost profitability and enhance seafarer wellbeing.The latest data compiled by the respected, specialist market analyst, Euroconsult, indicates that six out of ten VSAT installations undertaken in the  first half of…

Iridium Communications Inc. announced that the seventh Iridium(r) NEXT mission has been targeted by SpaceX for launch on July 20, 2018, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.The Falcon 9 rocket will launch 10 Iridium NEXT satellites to low Earth orbit (LEO) from Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB) in California at approximately 5:12 am PDT (12:12 UTC). An exact instantaneous launch window time will be available closer to the launch date. As the second-to-last launch of the planned Iridium NEXT program…

Inmarsat said it has reached an agreement with Campbell Shipping, a ship management company headquartered in Nassau, The Bahamas, to migrate its fleet of dry bulk carriers to Fleet Xpress. The commitment will involve a migration and upgrade from Inmarsat’s XpressLink services to Fleet Xpress, in a move to ensure ships managed by Campbell ships will continue to have the best satellite connectivity service available on the market, according to Capt. Anindya Dasgupta, VP Human Capital, Campbell Shipping.

Iridium Communications Inc. announced that the fifth Iridium NEXT launch has been targeted by SpaceX for March 18, 2018 at 8:19 a.m. PDT from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The first of four launches planned for 2018, Iridium-5 will deliver 10 more Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit, bringing the total number of new satellites deployed to 50. This launch will use the same Falcon 9 first stage as the Iridium-3 launch that took place in October 2017 and begin a rapid-cadence launch schedule targeting completion of the Iridium manifest by mid-2018. "We are entering the home stretch," said Matt Desch, chief executive officer, at Iridium. "This is going to be a monumental year for us as we complete our constellation refresh.

Iridium Communications announced that, SpaceX successfully launched the fourth set of 10 Iridium NEXT satellites into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The launch marks the midway point of the Iridium NEXT launch program, and was the first Iridium launch to use a SpaceX flight-proven rocket. The first stage booster for Iridium-4 was previously used for Iridium-2, making Iridium the first company to reuse the same rocket booster. Each launch strategically delivers new satellites to specific orbital planes, so that the complete Iridium NEXT constellation will be operational as soon as possible after all launches are complete.

TOTE Maritime continues to see an increase in overall productivity at the Port of San Juan as more and more containers leave the terminal for communities around Puerto Rico. Monday the terminal reached 87 percent productivity with more than 330 loads of relief and commercial goods leaving the terminal. TOTE Maritime has been working closely with a number of partners including the Department of Homeland Security, American Red Cross, FEMA, the Puerto Rican government, the Government’s Elderly Support Team and customers to support their needs as they deliver goods to the island. The TOTE Maritime team in San Juan has been working around the clock to ensure that drivers and customers coming to the terminal are able to access their goods.

Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) has announced that the upcoming Iridium NEXT launch has been targeted for September 30, 2017 at 6:30 a.m. PDT. This launch will deliver another 10 Iridium NEXT satellites to orbit on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and will bring the total number of Iridium NEXT satellites deployed to 30. SpaceX selected the September 30th launch date based on rocket and Vandenberg Air Force Base range availability. SpaceX’s targeted launch schedule accommodates completion of the Iridium NEXT constellation as planned in mid-2018.

O3b Networks, technology solutions company RigNet and floating production service provider MODEC, entered an agreement to provide high-throughput, low latency connectivity for MODEC’s Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels off the coast of Brazil. RigNet will integrate the O3b satellite network solution, enabling MODEC to deliver operational decisions in real-time through advanced collaborative environments. Experts at onshore monitoring centers can now work directly with offshore operators, using real-time information to make better and faster decisions, resulting in increased production and enhanced operating efficiency. O3b connectivity significantly contributes to the governance of the Control of the Work required on board.

Semco Maritime, a global provider of communications solutions, telecoms systems integration services and collaborative applications to the offshore oil and gas industry, has won a multi-million dollar contract to deliver communications systems and infrastructure for the production platforms at the new Maersk Oil operated Culzean field in the UK sector of the North Sea. The award of this contract by Singapore based yard Sembcorp Marine Offshore Platform Pte. Lts. continues Semco…

Flirtey, a Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine doctor and the Field Innovation Team showcase humanitarian potential of drones for the United Nations and American Red Cross. Drone delivery service Flirtey and Dr. Timothy Amukele, assistant professor of pathology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, successfully conducted the first ship-to-shore drone delivery in the U.S. on the New Jersey coastline. “Imagine a future where in the event of a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy…

Inmarsat has marked the 25th anniversary of Inmarsat C by revealing that more than 600 distress alerts from vessels in urgent need were broadcast over the service in 2015. The disclosure demonstrates how the decision made by IMO administrations requiring all ships of more than 300 gross tons to be fitted with a Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) remains pivotal in protecting lives at sea. Inmarsat is the only safety services provider in the world approved to deliver GMDSS under the rigorous International Convention for the Safety of Life At Sea requirements. Ronald Spithout, Inmarsat Maritime President, commented: “Over its lifetime, GMDSS has made the biggest single contribution to maritime safety since the advent of radio in 1899.

Dun & Bradstreet nnounced today the appointment of Cindy Christy, president and chief operating officer of Asurion Corporation, to the company's Board of Directors, effective immediately. In this role, Christy will share her broad experience and functional expertise with management in the areas of product development, operations, compliance, market research, management, strategy, and sales. "Cindy is a highly accomplished leader who excels in product strategy and partnership development," said Bob Carrigan, president and CEO of Dun & Bradstreet. "Cindy's current role at Asurion and prior experiences bring to the board a results-oriented approach with broad functional experience in product management, operations, marketing, strategy and sales.

Intelsat S.A., a provider of satellite services, has provided an update on its satellite capacity and other critical connectivities being used in a number of restoration initiatives in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan. Immediately after the disaster occurred, Intelsat began working with customers and partners to ensure that the necessary infrastructure and satellite capacity were in place to accelerate the restoration of vital communications for relief workers and businesses in the Philippines.

Provider of business collaboration and communication solutions, Avaya, says it has signed a major deal with Cairo ICT 2013, which enables the Suez Canal Authority to move their full 15,000 communications ports to Avaya Aura® Communication Manager. In a move towards complete unified communications the Suez Canal Authority will be able to  improve employee mobility, centralizing the communications network with Modular Messaging technology that can 'find' employees and coordinates messaging across sms, email and voice services.

Orolia (NYSE Alternext Paris – FR0010501015 – ALORO), global specialist in critical Global Navigation Satellite System solutions, and Transas Group, global leader in maritime simulation, navigation and surveillance systems, today announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding whereby they will jointly develop new solutions to address the maritime industry’s need for high-end e-maritime systems that integrate the latest in Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and Search and Rescue (SAR) functionality. Under the terms of the agreement, the two groups will leverage complementary products, state-of-the-art technologies and in-depth expertise in vessel management, asset protection and emergency response to create innovative solutions that continue to save lives and improve operations.

An alliance between France's Orolia, and Transas Group, leaders in maritime simulation, navigation and surveillance systems, aims to integrate Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) and Search and Rescue (SAR) functionality into enhanced marine communication solutions. Creating Advanced SAR-enhanced MDA Systems. Adding McMurdo Group’s proven beacon technology and COSPAS-SARSAT/MESOAR satellite-based solutions (including mission control and rescue coordination centers) to Transas’ world-leading vessel traffic management…

Oman to roll out the national maritime communications network along its lengthy coastline soon, says Al-Madakhel Investment that has been tasked with design, construction and operation of the new maritime communications network. A report in Oman Daily Observer says that the Muscat-based Al Madakhel is implementing the ambitious project under a licence issued to the company to build, operate and the upgrade Oman's maritime communications infrastructure. The company has the mandate to establish and operate the requisite infrastructure for the provision of general marine telecommunications services in the Sultanate. A senior company official…