Maritime Business Unit News

AXESS Networks (AXESS) has created a new business unit: AXESS Networks Maritime; a specialized business unit established to respond to the growing and sophisticated demands within the maritime sector.“The maritime business initiative is a major step within AXESS’ growth and diversification strategy,” said Guido Neumann, President AXESS EMEA and Chief Development Officer AXESS. “AXESS will present tailored connectivity solutions to the commercial shipping and yachting markets, whilst focusing on their specific requirements. We are very happy and excited to attract highly experienced professionals of the maritime ecosystem to join our team. The new business unit will be led by Athina Vezyri, a major respected figurehead within the maritime sector.

With its “Film Instead of Paint” concept RENOLIT is exploring new horizons in the maritime sector, as the company now plans to enter the renewable energy market with its films. The first step has been made with the use of the flock-film RENOLIT SEAL for an innovative enterprise in Denmark, where the company Wavepiston has developed at similarly-named wave-powered energy generation project. A steel cable is stretched between two anchored buoys. Energy collectors developed by Wavepiston are attached to this cable at intervals of five to six meters.

Satellite 2018 marks the launch of Cobham SATCOM’s Sea Tel 9711 Triband maritime antenna system, which leverages unique technology and capabilities from global communications company Viasat Inc. The Sea Tel 9711 Triband is the world’s first and only 2.4m maritime stabilized antenna capable of delivering full 2.4m gain performance across any C-, Ku-, or Ka-band network to maximize high-speed, high-quality broadband connectivity for high-demand maritime segments, such as Cruise, Energy and Government. The triband antenna system leverages radio frequency (RF) technology provided by Viasat to enable compatibility across any Ka-band satellite network operating in any orbit.

Liebherr Maritime said it will establish full service, spares and sales activities in Australia, New Zealand and the Oceania region to create better support for maritime customers using factory trained and locally recruited engineers. Additionally, Liebherr representative Morrow Equipment Australia will focus on the purchase and rental of tower cranes in the future. Liebherr has been present in Australia since the early ’70s, leasing its first premises in Kilkenny in 1983. Over the years Liebherr invested in the Australian subsidiary…

DNV GL held it’s traditional press conference at the Nor-Shipping trade fair today. This year, the event took place on the Vision of the Fjords, a DNV GL-classed carbon fiber hybrid ferry. The content showcased DNV GL’s innovative vision, with attendees taking part in a virtual reality (VR) presentation, which showed how DNV GL is pushing ahead with a digital transformation to improve the quality and efficiency of its services, as well as the emerging solutions which will take class into the future. The VR experience took viewers on a tour of the Shanghai Express, a modern container ship, to demonstrate how advanced sensor technology, powerful satellite connections, and the digital data being created and transmitted from vessels was opening up a new range of possibilities for shipping.

Inmarsat has appointed Mark Warner as Head of Marketing Communications for its Maritime business unit. Reporting to Inmarsat Chief Marketing Officer Chris McLaughlin, Warner will take responsibility for maritime marketing communications activities, with the objective of opening up the full potential of high-speed connectivity at sea across vertical markets including merchant shipping, small boat, fishing and leisure. With over 18 years’ experience in the maritime industry, Warner’s track record includes digital platform development and marketing program creation for ship owners…

Autonomous ships, smart on-board systems: At the Maritime Future Summit on September 5, industry leaders will discuss the future of shipping. For the first time SMM hosts a conference dedicated to digital shipping. Cyber Ships: What may sound like a word from a science fiction novel to some is a hot topic in the maritime business world today. Low-crew and no-crew concepts are buzzwords in the shipping sector, and some initial trials with unmanned ships are already being undertaken. “Visionary ideas drive the evolution of humanity, and the maritime industry is no exception.

Ross Wilkinson has joined Survitec Group to play a role in promoting worldwide sales growth and developing and maintaining an effective sales distribution and service network for the Crewsaver Commercial and Leisure ranges. Wilkinson joins Survitec from Orolia Limited, where he was General Manager and Maritime Business Unit Manager. Ross also spent twelve years with Navimo, firstly as Director of Sales and then as General Manager of Navimo UK. survitecgroup.com

Inmarsat inform that the US$45-million deal to buy Globe Wireless, the Florida-based provider of value-added maritime communications services to the shipping market, has been finalised. Inmarsat has confirmed that it has completed regulatory and other approvals in relation to its purchase of Globe Wireless, which included the business and substantially all of the assets of Globe Wireless, which in the twelve months ended June 30, 2013,  generated revenues of US$91 million and currently has an installed customer base of over 6,000 ships.

Inmarsat, a provider of global mobile satellite communications services, announced the acquisition of the business and substantially all of the assets of Globe Wireless LLC. Headquartered in Palm Bay, Florida, Globe Wireless is a leading provider of value-added maritime communications services to the shipping market. Significant operational synergies identified through immediate integration with Inmarsat’s maritime business unit, and which are expected to deliver a material improvement in profitability within the first year. Pearce highlighted a range of important strategic benefits associated with the acquisition. These included the opportunity to swiftly deliver significantly improved financial performance through synergies.

The ever changing face of ship classification has received perhaps its biggest makeover yet, with the announcement this morning (December 20, 2012) that Norway’s Det Norke Veritas (DNV) and Germany’s Germanischer Lloyd (GL) have signed a deal to merge. While the deal is termed a merger, considering that the DNV Foundation will hold 63.5 %, and GL’s owner Mayfair SE will hold 36.5%, and the fact that the new company, to be called DNV GL Group with a combined turnover of approximately $3.3 billion…

In partnership with PRO NAUTAS and Vizada, Thrane & Thrane has completed delivery of its sophisticated SAILOR 900 VSAT and SAILOR 500 FleetBroadband systems as part of a total communications solution for Hansa Heavy Lift’s entire fleet of 21 multipurpose heavy-lift vessels. Installation and commissioning is expected to be completed on all vessels in July 2012. Based on the Vizada XChange platform with project implementation by PRO-NAUTAS, the SAILOR 900 VSAT and SAILOR 500 FleetBroadband together ensure fully redundant global broadband connectivity and voice services.

Enhanced voice calling and new tracking functions for terminals. Thrane & Thrane demonstrated commitment to the growth of its SAILOR FleetBroadband offering yesterday at Inmarsat’s annual partner conference in Barcelona. The FleetBroadband terminal manufacturer announced that Inmarsat’s new service enhancements, Multi-Voice Service and Dynamic Telemetry Service, will be available on SAILOR FleetBroadband terminals when the services go live in Q1 and Q2 2012. The new Inmarsat FleetBroadband…

Global maritime satellite TV has become a reality with the launch of the new Thrane & Thrane SAILOR 90 Satellite TV World. An extensive internal development program has resulted in a number of ground-breaking upgrades for Thrane & Thrane’s already popular flagship satellite TV antenna that enables it to provide satellite TV reception for vessels sailing globally, without the need for reconfiguration or manual intervention. The new SAILOR 90 Satellite TV World will be available from 7th November 2011. “A key challenge for maritime satellite TV has always been the differing signal and polarisation types used around the world. The various signals require different hardware and software…

New technologies enable cost-effective satellite TV for vessels sailing globally. Global maritime satellite TV has become a reality with the launch of the new Thrane & Thrane SAILOR 90 Satellite TV World. An extensive internal development program has resulted in a number of ground-breaking upgrades for Thrane & Thrane’s already popular flagship satellite TV antenna that enables it to provide satellite TV reception for vessels sailing globally, without the need for reconfiguration or manual intervention. The new SAILOR 90 Satellite TV World will be available from 7th November 2011.

Marlink and Thrane & Thrane have come to an agreement for the introduction of the brand new Thrane & Thrane SAILOR 900 VSAT antenna, which is commercially released in September 2011. Marlink will add the innovative new Ku-band antenna to its VSAT portfolio and offer it to its extensive global customer network. SAILOR 900 VSAT is a powerful, quick and easy-to-install four-axis stabilized Ku-band VSAT antenna, featuring a low-profile and high performance RF design. It can be easily integrated with all leading VSAT modem units and the sophisticated Antenna Control Unit (ACU) features multiple LAN and diagnostics ports, and Built-in Test Equipment (BITE).

The SAILOR 900 VSAT, a new Ku-band VSAT antenna, will be launched by Thrane & Thrane at the forthcoming SMM 2010 exhibition in Hamburg this September. Designed in-house by Thrane & Thrane's experienced engineers, SAILOR 900 VSAT represents a leap-forward in VSAT antenna performance and benefits from the high reliability, build quality and functionality that has made SAILOR the leading name in the world of maritime communications. "SAILOR 900 VSAT is an important milestone in our strategy to support the maritime broadband market with high quality products," comments Casper Jensen, Vice-President Maritime Business Unit, Thrane & Thrane.

Rapid-fire change is the only thing that stays the same in today's increasingly regulation-heavy, litigious maritime industry. Norway's Det Norske Veritas is there to help smooth out the curves. It is no overstatement to say that the marine business is undergoing one of the most dramatic wholesale changes in a generation. With political pressure mounting from disasters such as Prestige and security concerns heightened due to the threat of terrorism, no stone has been left unturned. Classification societies in particular are under increasing pressure to perform, as they are often the first ones in the eye of the maelstrom of public opinion when an accident occurs. Norway's Det Norske Veritas is one of the world's leading classification societies.

Advances in communication services for ships and boats is expanding rapidly, keeping pace with development cycles of landside installations. Last autumn, Inmarsat unveiled Fleet F55 and Fleet F33, the two new members of the Fleet family designed to meet the communication needs of small to medium-sized vessels. Earlier this year, EMS SATCOM, a division of EMS Technologies, Inc., entered the maritime market with it pedigree of land-based communication solution expertise. At NorShipping in Oslo, the company announced that it has received full Inmarsat type-approval for its new Fleet 55 Maritime satellite terminal. EMS Technologies is a $310 million company with 1,800 employees worldwide. In 1968, Dr. John E.