Global Satellite News

Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, won the 2023 International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) Award for Innovation and Technology in Maritime Search and Rescue after a highly respected judging panel led by former IMRF Chair Michael Vlasto selected its entry from a shortlist of 10 individuals and organisations.Acknowledging “volunteer and professional search-and-rescue (SAR) personnel from around the world”, the prestigious award highlights “those who have shown excellence in their field…

U.S.-based global communications company Viasat has completed the acquisition of its UK-based rival Inmarsat."The combined company enhances our scale and scope to continue to drive growth in the increasingly dynamic and competitive satellite communications industry. The company’s assets, once fully integrated, are expected to increase the pace and scope of innovation in the global satellite connectivity sector, offering new and improved capabilities to customers that will address the ever-increasing speed…

For decades, the only way to bring global satellite communications onboard a commercial vessel was with a CAPEX-intensive equipment purchase or a long-term lease, inhibiting fleet managers’ ability to adapt to varied operational needs. That changed five years ago when KVH introduced AgilePlans Connectivity as a Service, an innovative, all-inclusive communications subscription service.“We set out to remove the CAPEX barrier and enable accelerated deployment of communications systems aboard vessels around the world,” says Mark Woodhead, KVH executive vice president of mobile connectivity.

Applied Satellite Technology (AST) Ltd announced it is now offering Intelsat’s FlexMaritime service, a reliable, secure, high-speed global connectivity solution. Designed specifically for global commercial maritime trade routes, the service also supports multiple antenna sizes and new service options to meet the growing global bandwidth needs of fishing, leisure and workboats.Intelsat FlexMaritime leverages Intelsat’s global fleet of multi-layered, high-throughput satellites (HTS)…

exactEarth Ltd. has signed an agreement with MDA to provide advanced Satellite-AIS data services as part of MDA's recently announced Dark Vessel Detection (DVD) program for the Government of Canada. The DVD program is intended to detect and identify vessels that have switched off their AIS transponders and are engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.IUU fishing is a global problem that results in significant economic loss—estimated at $23 billion per year…

Maritime connectivity and IT solutions provider Marlink said it has signed a new service agreement with Stolt Tankers, extending a partnership between the two companies that began in 2011.Under the new agreement, Marlink will provide Stolt Tankers’ fleet of 83 chemical and parcel tankers with a bandwidth upgrade, enabling even greater digitalization of its operations. The package includes version 5.0 of Marlink’s XChange communications management system, which will deliver greater efficiency in IT management processes as well as reinforced cyber security…

Iridium Communications announced the first seven companies it has authorized to provide its Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) services, planned for commercial introduction in the first half of 2020. The seven companies, Arion Communications, AST, Marlink, Marsat, NSSLGlobal, Satcom Global and Speedcast will be the first in the industry to provide truly global satellite GMDSS service to mariners, and the first to offer a new choice in satellite network and equipment.

Three 'influencers' in the international maritime sector have joined One Sea,  the industry alliance that brings together leading exponents of autonomous ship technology.Global satellite group Inmarsat and NYK Group research subsidiary MTI (Monohakobi Technology Institute) have joined One Sea as full members, while the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become a One Sea associate member.One Sea members ABB, Kongsberg Maritime and Wärtsilä ran separate autonomous ship trials off the Finnish and Norwegian coasts at the end of 2018.

As Oceanology International celebrates its 50th Anniversary, Marine Technology Reporter explores half a century of subsea technology development and discovery. Oceanology International Americas runs February 25-27, 2019 in San Diego.When Oceanology launched in 1969 in the seaside resort of Brighton the world was a very different place. For a start, Brighton was home to the mods and rockers, who would square off against each other on the town’s elegant seafront. The British currency included shillings and ha’ pennies and man had yet to step foot on the moon.More crucially…

AST Marine Networks, a division of The AST Group (AST), won a contract to supply Dutch shipping company Spliethoff with global VSAT and L-band satellite communications to more than 80 vessels across multiple fleets.Worldwide ocean transport and dry cargo specialists Spliethoff has chosen AST as its supplier of global satellite communications. Together with network partner ITC Global, AST will provide Spliethoff with a global Ku VSAT network, failover L-band services, hardware and bandwidth as well as 24/7 manned support.

Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. (Yang Ming) signed a contract with CSBC CORPORATION, TAIWAN (CSBC) for the construction of a total of ten 2,800 TEU class full container vessels. The contract was signed by Yang Ming’s Chairman Bronson Hsieh and CSBC’s Chairman Cheng Wen-Lon.The new ships are due for delivery starting in the second quarter of 2020 and will help to meet the future demand for medium and long-term vessel deployments, and improve competitiveness, Yang Ming said.In the meantime, Yang Ming will also take delivery of five 14,000 TEU chartered vessels beginning in the fourth quarter 2018 and throughout the first-half of next year.In light of the rapid growth seen in the Asian emerging markets…

Global satellite solutions and projects company, The AST Group, has recently opened new offices in Sydney, Rotterdam, Ecuador and Norwich, U.K. These new locations provide strategic bases for expansion in the maritime and land sectors and increase geographic reach.The company said Australia continues to be a success story, with growth gravitating to the East of the continent with Sydney becoming AST’s third Australian office.AST Marine Networks, a maritime solutions division of AST, has moved into larger premises based in Norwich, Norfolk to accommodate expansion in the maritime VSAT and L-Band sectors as well as opening an office in…

As maritime operators deal with challenging operating conditions, many are embracing digitalization as the most reliable way to lower operational costs and improve vessel efficiency.According to research conducted by Lloyds List Intelligence and Ovum, two-thirds of vessels use digitalization systems onboard. According to the executives surveyed, this is being driven by a desire to improve operating efficiency, with 88 percent already working toward that goal. As part of the process…

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…

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…

Satellite-based connectivity has always played a critical role for the maritime sector. As the communications expectations of ship owners, passengers and crews continue to grow, maritime service providers are seeing a transformation in the type and quantity of applications that need to be supported at sea. The advent of VSAT broadband services is driving a shift away from traditional, low-level L-band connections that ship operators have relied upon for decades. VSAT services are preferred to respond to the demand for high-speed broadband that can support bandwidth-intensive applications.

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.

Speedcast International Limited, the provider of remote communication and IT solutions, and Danaos Peripherals announced a strategic alliance agreement under which the two companies will combine maritime communications with advanced application management developed by Danaos. Within 2017, the two companies will jointly release a remote and autonomous IT system on board a vessel, leveraging key technologies such as big data analytics, internet of things (IoT) and cyber security. The system will enable the remote deployment of third party services and applications, allowing for the swift and simple implementation of new capabilities to a ship.

A collaboration between Orange Business Services and BlueTide Communications aims to deliver comprehensive maritime communications, reaching almost every sea and ocean around the world. The combination of Orange’s global satellite network with BlueTide’s specialized maritime solutions will power the navigation, cyber security, voice and video, corporate applications and asset management for vessels in the workboat industry. Orange said it is providing BlueTide with managed global Ku band VSAT capacity, with the ability to switch to alternative satellite beams  for seamless global coverage. BlueTide can provide vessels with live video surveillance, cyber security and systems monitoring, all high-end solutions delivered on the Orange network for seamless availability on a global scale.

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.

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.

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.

Globecomm has launched Globecomm Roam, providing high throughput, low cost cellular communications in more than 140 countries. Offering 3G, 4G and LTE services at speeds of up to 100 Mbps but at prices much lower than traditional satellite services, Globecomm Roam bundles a cellular modem, global roaming SIM card and maritime antenna to enable connectivity up to 30 miles from shoreside cell towers. “Today’s smarter ship operations call for smarter communications; owners and managers need to stay connected…