Land Earth Station News

Buffalo Computer Graphics (BCG) Inc. has launched a new Fleet77 Satellite Phone and E-mail Application. BCG said the recently created software will be incorporated into its Virtual Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (VGMDSS) simulator to better mirror existing systems that are in use around the world. Using Sailor’s Fleet77 as a basis for the emulation, BCG engineers created a realistic satellite phone that mirrors the functionality of the actual unit. Users are able to select their operating region…

Dr. Ir. Sluiman, of eXpert ICT, is a naval reserve officer assigned to the Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) organization of the Netherlands. All analyses and views expressed in this article are those of the author. Communication between ship and shore is essential for the efficient operation and management of ships. The wireless systems to communicate from and to ships, however, are not always secure and the confidentiality of the communication may be invaded. Owners, operators, managers of vessels and shipmasters should be aware of this risk when using a communication system. Information theft by competitors may erode competitive advantages and could damage relationships with customers, information theft by pirates and terrorists may lead to attacks on ships.

Despite the critical role of the maritime industry in laying the fiber that connects the world to the Internet, the maritime industry itself relies almost exclusively on satellites for ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship connectivity. However, the networking protocols used to transfer data between computers do not operate efficiently over satellite links. This is especially true at the higher data rates that are starting to become more prevalent for ship-based connectivity, but even at low bandwidths, the noisy links typical of mobile satellite systems prevent the efficient use of expensive satellite time. Fortunately, a new class of products…

Despite the critical role of the maritime industry in laying the fiber that connects the world to the Internet, the maritime industry itself relies almost exclusively on satellites for ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship connectivity. However, the networking protocols used to transfer data between computers do not operate efficiently over satellite links. This is especially true at the higher data rates that are starting to become more prevalent for ship-based connectivity, but even at low bandwidths, the noisy links typical of mobile satellite systems prevent the efficient use of expensive satellite time. Fortunately, a new class of products…

The new Ship Security and Alert Systems (SSAS) regulations were adopted by International Maritime Organization (IMO) to enhance maritime security in response to the increasing threat from terrorism and piracy. After July 1, 2004, most deep-sea passenger and cargo ships must be fitted with a device that can send an alert message containing the ship's ID and position whenever the ship is under threat or has been compromised. The distress message must be activated covertly from a switch on the navigation bridge or other shipboard location, and transmitted only to the designated authority without being received on other ships or raising an alarm on the ship under attack.

France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications is enhancing its range of value-added services with a satellite-based VPN (virtual private network). The VPN solution for the Fleet family (Fleet-33, 55 & 77) enables maritime users to connect securely to their corporate business network on land, via either ISDN or MPDS transmission mode. It is based on a fixed public IP address that the user can request in order to simplify connections with its business network. The VPN connection via Fleet terminals enables the user to transmit data securely at high speeds (up to 64 Kbit/s), as well as access their everyday work applications securely.

Xantic announced the launch of Easy Accelerator, an application designed to make browsing the internet via satellite faster and cheaper than ever before. Available free of charge from Xantic’s website, Easy Accelerator optimizes internet and intranet usage by reducing the size of the selected web page content. A proxy computer located at a Land Earth Station ‘downsizes’ pictures, for example, by up to 80 percent, depending on the settings chosen. Audio files and text can also be reduced. As a result, browsing is much faster and the user’s satellite costs can be decreased by as much as 90 percent. Inmarsat has co-financed the development of this new service.

France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications upgraded its land earth station in Aussaguel, France to ensure that its Inmarsat-C and Mini-C services are SSAS-compatible. The SSAS heightens security on board ship in the event of attack enabling captain or crew to send out a ‘covert’ alert and rapidly obtain assistance. With piracy and attacks at sea becoming increasingly widespread, the IMO (International Maritime Organization) has designated that all ships exceeding 500 tonnes must equip the SSAS by July 1, 2004. The SSAS is a one-way, ship-to-shore security system available with compatible Inmarsat-C and Mini-C terminals. It enables crew on board to trigger an alert without the attackers’ knowledge thanks to a minimum of two activation points placed in strategic positions on the ship.

Satellite Services, has announced that the Fleet service is now available to customers on a global basis. Telenor's Fleet service offers the maritime community the most advanced mobile satellite communications technology available for high-speed commercial communications and enhanced safety at sea. Available to all ocean regions through Telenor's Eik Land Earth Station in Norway and its Santa Paula, Calif. facility in the U.S., Telenor's Fleet service via Inmarsat delivers a wide range of commercial communications needs for voice, fax and data services at speeds of up to 64 kbps, including the rapid mobile Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and the new, resource-efficient Mobile Packet Data Service.

On Sunday, December 17, 2000 a raging storm was brewing off the coast of Virginia. Record-breaking waves were measuring anywhere from 30-40 ft. and the wind was gusting at about 70 knots. In the middle of the Atlantic, (220 miles off the coast of Norfolk, Va. to be exact), a 600 ft. (182.8 m), 21,000-ton cruise ship was in trouble, its crewmembers ready to abandon ship into the cold ocean. With only seconds to decide the fate of his vessel, the captain of the Sea Breeze I, placed a mayday call via the vessel's Inmarsat Standard-C distress feature, indicating that the now-defunct Premier Cruise Lines' vessel might sink. By Regina P. The dramatic rescue of SeaBreeze's 34 crewmembers began on that Sunday morning, when Eileen Joyce received an alert at COMSAT Mobile's Southbury, Conn.

Selecting a "Technology-of-the-Year" for the June 2002 Yearbook edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News was no small task, and a decidedly unscientific one, at that. There were no editorial boards, voting slips, gala dinners or plaques. Simply put, the editors of MR/EN arrived on Satellite Communications technology as the centerpiece of its largest edition based on observation, discussion and analysis of the companies that have develop, supply, test and purchase the products and services that fall under its broad category.Words alone cannot summarize the technological revolution that has swept the world during the past decades. Consider for a moment a world without the Internet, e-mail or seamless, high-capacity communication links.

Stratos Global Corp. announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31. Its first quarter results were negatively impacted by non-cash, after-tax write-offs of approximately $23.3m, primarily related to the acquisition of Xantic, which was completed on February 14. These after-tax charges included the write-down of $19.6m of capital assets related to the Goonhilly land earth station as a result of the planned post-acquisition network rationalization; the write-off of $1m of deferred financing costs reflecting the successful financing of the Xantic acquisition; and, the write-off of capital assets of $2.7m related to the breach-of-contract claim recently filed against a provider of business process solutions.

Two employees of the COMSAT Mobile Communications (CMC) Land Earth Station in Southbury, Conn., were recognized recently by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) for coordinating life-saving satellite communications for the Coast Guard, the maritime vessel Ocean Wolf and four rescue ships. The incident began around 6:30 p.m. EST on Monday, October 30, 2000, when the (USCG) Station in San Juan, Puerto Rico, contacted Southbury requesting assistance in communicating with Ocean Wolf, which had suffered an explosion in the engine room and was taking on water. Unknown at the time was the extent of damage and danger to the vessel — it was adrift and Tropical Storm Joyce was bearing down on its location.

At the Rudolf Schepers shipping line based in Elsfleth in the Oldenburg region, shipping is a business with traditions. While the owners' grandfather sailed on inland waterways, 50 years ago their capacity was expanded by the addition of some coastal motor vessels up to 150 tons. Since the 70s, the company's core competence has become the worldwide chartering of container ships to big shippers like Maersk or CSAV. The cargo space is made available and the ships have been subjected to technical refits and the crews increased. Together with the Heinrich Schepers company within the same line, the family concern now operates 12 container vessels of 1,100 to 2,500 TEU. "Our ships are everywhere. North and South America…South Africa…the Near East…the Caribbean.

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.

If you are concerned about the effects of Satellite Communication service provider consolidation, you will like the Telenor/Comsat hook-up. If you care nothing about corporate takeovers, rather are focused on ensuring the availability of a strong satellite communication signal, always, you will like the Telenor/Comsat hook-up. In short, if you use satellite communications services, you will probably like and benefit from the Telenor/Comsat hook-up. Hardly "news," the integration of Comsat into the Telenor family has been evolving for a year, the latest metamorphosis of Comsat, a pioneer in delivering satellite communications for the safety of ships at sea. Upon visiting recently with Guy White, Telenor's Southbury, Conn.

communication services for the maritime market. upgrade program with Nera. operation in April this year. areas. ships. solutions onboard larger ocean going vessels. vessels. maritime Inmarsat services. to benefit of the improved maritime access to data services. are out at sea. solutions," says Terje Ask Henriksen, President Nera SatCom.

Telenor Satellite Services today announced the signing of a business agreement with Anders Utkilens Rederi (AUR) of Norway, one of northern Europe's largest maritime chemical transportation companies. The contract calls for Telenor to provide its Sealink maritime high-speed data communications solution aboard AUR's fleet of 16 chemical tanker vessels. Under the terms of this multi-year agreement, Telenor will provide Ku-Band service for AUR's entire fleet that operates primarily throughout European waters. Sealink's Ku- Band service provides AUR the capability to use high-speed communications applications at sea including LAN and WAN connectivity, video conferencing, and Internet access, while using smaller, less expensive shipboard equipment.

Telenor Satellite Services is delivering Ku-band satellite service into new regions of the world including the Caribbean and the coastal regions of the United States and South America. Telenor's expanded Ku-band service opens the possibility of high-speed data communications, LAN and WAN connectivity, and Internet access via satellite for a variety of smaller vessels and offshore facilities. The service, which is part of the company's extension of its Sealink Ku-band services, became commercially available in the region in mid-May through Telenor's Santa Paula, California land earth station. The service is already providing regional communications to users in the cruise industry operating in the Caribbean.