High Speed Internet News

NYK Group’s Hokuyo Kaiun has received certifications from ClassNK for the safety management system (SMS) of its crew transport vessel (CTV) for the offshore wind industry.The certifications, ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018, were obtained by combining the experience of Hokuyo Kaiun, which operates and manages the CTV Rera As for the Ishikari Bay New Port offshore wind farm in Hokkaido Prefecture, with the knowledge of NYK.This certification will enable Hokuyo Kaiun, which mainly operates towing vessels in Japan…

U.S. shipping company Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) announced it will equip all vessels in its fleet with Space X’s Starlink satellite internet service in a move that aims to enhance onboard connectivity for seafarers.Since the introduction to the market of Starlink’s Global Maritime service earlier this year, OSG’s IT department has worked to substantially complete installation of Starlink equipment on every vessel in the fleet of OSG and ATC, with full installation expected by year end…

NYK has delivered Rera As, an NYK-owned crew transport vessel (CTV), to Siemens Gamesa for the Ishikari Bay New Port offshore wind farm.The ClassNK certified vessel is the first CTV owned and operated by the NYK Group and is largest gross tonnage CTV currently in operation in Japan (according to NYK research). NYK Group's Hokuyo Kaiun will manage and operate the vessel.The vessel was completed in Singapore in April, and it was reflaged to Japan after equipment modifications, such as fenders and radio equipment…

Ship management services provider Anglo-Eastern Ship Management has selected maritime communications provider Inmarsat to connect its crew.Anglo-Eastern, which uses Inmarsat's Fleet Xpress services, in 2019 became one of the first companies to sign up for Inmarsat’s crew internet solution, Fleet Hotspot, which, Inmarsat says, provides its seafarers "with reliable, high-speed connectivity and the  freedom to use their devices on board." According to Inmarsat, Anglo-Eastern doubled the free internet allowance for its crew in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on crew welfare.

Royal Caribbean Group this week revealed it will be the industry's first cruise ship operator to implement SpaceX’s Starlink for onboard broadband internet service for guests and crew fleetwide.The cruise giant said on Tuesday it will immediately begin installing Starlink high-speed, low-latency connectivity on all Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises ships, along with all new vessels for each of its brands going forward. Initial installations…

Mobile satellite communications provider Inmarsat has reached an integrated connectivity agreement with Norwind Offshore, a Norwegian offshore wind vessel owner established in 2021.The agreement covers connectivity and digitalization needs for three  Service Operation Vessels (SOV) operated by Norwind.The contract includes an existing Platform Supply Vessel undergoing retrofit to become an SOV, with delivery due in May 2022, and a letter of intent covering two newbuilds. All three vessels will have Inmarsat’s Fleet LTE.

President Joe Biden named former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to oversee implementation of the $1 trillion infrastructure plan, the White House said on Sunday.Landrieu, also a Democratic former Louisiana lieutenant governor, led New Orleans from 2010 to 2018. He played a key role in helping the city rebound from the devastating Hurricane Katrina in 2005.Biden, who will sign the infrastructure bill into law on Monday, named Landrieu senior adviser responsible for coordinating implementation of the bill that includes big jumps in spending on roads…

Russia on Friday begins laying its first undersea fiber optic communications cable through the Arctic as part of a state-run project to bring high-speed internet to its remote hydrocarbon-rich north after a private-led initiative stalled.Moscow is aiming to improve patchy communications and infrastructure in its far north where it has expanded its military presence and is developing the Northern Sea Route to become a major shipping lane.The cable link, due to be completed in 2026…

Tore Morten Olsen, President Maritime, Marlink, discusses the pace and direction of high speed comms in maritime.Using metrics of your choice, put in perspective where we are today in terms of getting shipowners to adopt high speed communication solutions.The term broadband has been used in the maritime industry for at least a decade and if we are to follow the FCC’s definition which was upgraded to 25mbps from 4mbps (download) in 2015, then those high speed internet services are nothing of the sort.However, everything is relative.

Recently, Radio Holland received the order to renew the complete IT infrastructure for the JB-115 barge of Jack-Up Barge. The order includes design, installation and commissioning of an IT network. The JB-115 is an existing platform which has an IT structure on board, that is no longer Future Proof.Segmented networkThe JB-115 operates as a “hotel-at-sea” with fixed accommodation up to 110 Persons on Board and is often stationed at wind energy projects. Next to providing hotel accommodation the JB-115 also provides operational support at sea…

Offshore support vessel (OSV) operator Uniwise Offshore Limited has chosen a new high-speed broadband service to enhance the operations of its entire fleet of more than 30 vesselsUniwise Offshore will use Thaicom’s Nava enabled high-speed connectivity and solutions to focus on operational improvements, including optimized electronic document handling, as well as ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications for safer and more cost-effective operations. The company will also be able to improve its onboard communication services including crew welfare and fleet management.

The Ports of Indiana is a statewide port authority, established in 1963, which operates three ports: two on the Ohio River, one on Lake Michigan. Port officials refer to the three as “America’s Premier Inland Port System.” They cite location, location, location, providing access via two critical freight arteries – the Great Lakes and the Inland Waterway System and proximity to the world’s most productive industrial and agricultural regions. The Ports is the only statewide port authority in the Midwest.

From humble beginnings KVH has evolved rapidly to become a central player in the maritime world’s global Big Data revolution. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News caught up with Martin Kits van Heyningen in Oslo for his take on KVH’s current position and future direction. “We certainly didn’t envision that we would be in the high-speed satellite broadband business when we started,” is how Kits van Heyningen, President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board, KVH, succinctly summarizes the biggest difference between the company he founded in 1982 versus the one he leads today.

VSAT provider NSSLGlobal has launched its first-ever hybrid cellular/VSAT solution for maritime vessels, the Cellular Marine System. This service will complement NSSLGlobal’s airtime VSAT offering, or other services such as FleetBroadband and Iridium Open Port, allowing seafarers accustomed to land services to transfer from satellite to mobile connectivity, while operating up to 25km offshore. Through NSSLGlobal’s Cellular Marine System, maritime vessels can connect to robust, high-speed internet, with download speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s, for commercial and crew welfare broadband use. It is supported by a cellular roaming service, established through a major global cellular operator…

The International Energy Agency states that 2.5% of global electricity demand is today provided by wind power—and that figure is set to grow by 42% through to 2021. In Europe alone, according to the 2016 report from the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA), 754 new offshore turbines in 15 wind farms were grid-connected from 1 January to 31 December 2015, representing a connected capacity increase of 108% over 2014. By 2020, EWEA expects 192 GW of wind turbines to be installed, representing an investment of between €UR90 billion and €UR124 billion. The leading markets are Germany, France, the UK, Poland and Italy, and by 2020 354,000 people—up from 253,000 today—will be employed in the sector.

In the next few years, demand for bandwidth on the high seas will grow, in no small part due to technology that is making operations more efficient and keeping crews and passengers healthy, happy and connected. Just a few years ago, a cruise-going family might have brought a single laptop computer and maybe a cell phone aboard. Today, cruise companies find that the average family shows up with 10 connected devices. And within the commercial maritime sector: crew members, away at sea for months at a time, are hungry for a robust connectivity experience to stay in touch with family and friends.

Telenor Satellite has announced that its Ka-band satellite capacity packages for land-based services in the Middle East have surpassed initial expectations, reaching more than 200 terminals within the first six months of commercial operation. Telenor Satellite commercially launched its iDirect land-based services for the Middle East and North Africa in Q4, 2015, via its new THOR 7 satellite. Since the launch, more and more customers throughout the Middle East region have contracted our land-based services packages, specifically in countries where there is limited fibre connectivity and satellite is the preferred distribution platform for vital and reliable communication links.

SpeedCast International Limited (SpeedCast), a global satellite telecommunications service provider, announced that it has been awarded a multi-year communications contract by international shipping company, Vroon. The new Ku-band satellite service will facilitate high-performance broadband connectivity with multi-megabit speeds, providing “hotel experience” Internet facilities for Vroon clients aboard specific categories of vessels. These include subsea-support vessels (10-25 passengers)…

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has announced several new initiatives to improve connectivity in the Port of Singapore, including a new 4G mobile network built in collaboration with M1 Limited. The MPA and M1 also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together in promoting this 4G technology to shipping companies operating within Singapore port waters, to increase connectivity in an effort to improve operations and crew welfare. Both organizations have also committed to research and testing of new technologies to improve the network in the future. Dubbed ‘Smart Port’, the initiatives range from the installation of 4G broadband access in Singapore port waters for the maritime community and for vessels in Singapore port waters…

With 2020 in sight, DNV GL looked at the lessons to be learned from the update to the classification society’s “Shipping 2020” report which was published in 2012. Now, three years later, hybrid propulsion systems and connected ship solutions are emerging technologies that are gaining ground faster than expected, outlined Tor E. Svensen, CEO DNV GL – Maritime, at the opening day of Nor-Shipping in Oslo. “While operational efficiency and emissions reductions are the main motivators behind these developments, the update shows that the future fuel mix will be much more diverse,” Svensen said. LNG as a ship fuel was one of the standouts from the last report…

Hybrid propulsion systems and connected ship solutions are emerging technologies that are gaining ground faster than expected, according to Tor E. Svensen, CEO DNV GL – Maritime, giving an update on the classification society's Shipping 2020 report. "While operational efficiency and emissions reductions are the main motivators behind these developments, the update shows that the future fuel mix will be much more diverse," Svensen said. Though LNG as a ship fuel was one of the standouts in the 2012 report, its prediction of up to 1,000 LNG-fueled vessels by 2020 will most likely not be met, due to continuing high investment costs and slower development of infrastructure. However, as more bunkering options come in place, growth could accelerate, he added.

It all adds up to the global effort to strengthen bottom lines, safety margins and the collective environmental footprint. The future for ferries seems to be on fire; both in good ways and bad. The good is always a good place to start. And, that’s because it is ferry fabrication time. The most notable ferry routes in America are jumping into the construction queue for new vessels and soon the next generation of ferry vessels will be hitting the piers (not literally of course).

The Navy's third Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite was launched today at 8:04 p.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 41. This communications satellite will significantly improve capability for Navy and Department of Defense tactical operators. Over the next several days, the satellite will transition to its geosynchronous orbit location 22,000 miles above Earth. Its solar arrays and mesh antennas will then be deployed and on-orbit testing will begin for eventual commissioning into service. Upon acceptance for operational use, MUOS 3 along with MUOS 1 and 2 already on-orbit, will provide communications coverage to more than three-quarters of the globe.