Network Infrastructure News

Realizing the full value of digital solutions far exceeds the capability of technology. The technology exists today to help offshore energy and maritime operators radically improve efficiency and cut costs in equal measure. The real trick to driving efficiencies is to take advantage of the latest technologies while at the same time negotiating the necessary culture change within individual organizations, to really reap the benefits.Harvest Technology Group is a relatively young and small Australian company that has caught the attention of a number of offshore and subsea industry heavyweights…

Damien Oliver has been appointed as the interim Chief Executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Damien will begin his new role on Monday 17 October, which follows the current MCA Chief Executive Brian Johnson’s retirement.Chairman and board member Christopher Rodrigues said, “Damien has had a number of high-profile roles within the MCA since joining in 2001 and he will bring a wealth of maritime experience and knowledge. Damien has been responsible for major projects and programs…

ABS’ support for the development of autonomous technology at sea took another step forward with the granting of approval in principle (AIP) to Hyundai Heavy Industries Group (HHI Group) for four areas of autonomous functions: navigation, machinery health management, fire fighting management and network infrastructure.“ABS is leading the industry in supporting autonomous projects and assisting pioneers like HHI Group. ABS understands that autonomous technologies are not stand-alone…

Classification society ABS said it has awarded AET the SMART (INF) Notation for the 152,700 DWT DP2 shuttle tanker Eagle Passos, which was built and delivered by South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (SHI).The first shuttle tanker to be granted an ABS Smart Notation, which recognizes the vessel’s data communication and network infrastructure, Eagle Passos will also be granted the Operational Performance Management (OPM) and Crew Assistance and Augmentation (CAA) class record comments in recognition of the optimization…

Touting strong RF performance, Intellian said its newly launched C700 Iridium Certus maritime terminal can deliver out-of-the-box uplink speeds of 352kbps and downlink speeds of 704kbps by default, with equally impressive low-elevation-angle RF efficiency thanks to its unique 12-patch phased array antenna technology. It will support three high-quality, low-latency phone lines simultaneously; and as a solid-state antenna with no moving parts inside, the C700 is especially robust…

As the demand for goods continues to rise, the need to move a higher number of containers quicker and more efficiently is also increasing with this. As a result, port operators are proactively seeking new ways to boost productivity, all while reducing costs to meet this demand.The emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a significant factor in convincing ports to adopt new technologies to help them overcome the day-to-day complexities they face and not miss a beat in a fast-paced industry.

Marlink has unveiled BridgeLink, a technology agnostic solutions portfolio designed to interconnect on board Operational Technology (OT) within a standardized data structure.BridgeLink addresses compatibility and interfacing challenges by providing an open, technology agnostic platform for unifying on board equipment and sensors with network infrastructure and satellite IP connectivity, so that data from any system can be accessed, collected and shared in a single interface at sea or ashore.Providing access to data from OT such as radar…

To recreational boaters, Aids to Navigation (ATON) are the familiar red and green buoys (and day markers) that line our inland waterways. What they might not be aware of is that buoys have been around since the days of the Roman and Egyptian empires. In the decades following the creation of our country, buoys in every shape and color began appearing in our waterways. It wasn’t until 1850 that Congress harmonized their deployment, thereby encouraging the familiar “Red, Right, Returning” mantra.

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…

Combat, patrol and first responder craft of all types are increasingly in need of state-of-the-art equipment to get the job done. That’s where FLIR and Raymarine come in.Raymarine products are known around the world for their rugged reliability and tactical advantage. From best-in-class sensors to integrated navigation displays, Raymarine systems enhance multi-agency interoperability for military, law enforcement and first responders. As a trusted supplier to myriad coastal and response vessels, Raymarine offers a comprehensive suite of professional tools. That mission is about to get bigger still.In April of 2017, FLIR was awarded a $50 million contract from the U.S. Coast Guard for integrated navigation electronics under the U.S.

Hamburg Port Authority has joined forces with Deutsche Telekom and Nokia to test 5G applications at the Port of Hamburg. "Testing of 5G is to commence in an industrial environment in the Port of Hamburg, with the Hamburg Port Authority, Deutsche Telekom and Nokia commissioning an 8000-hectare area with which to carry out key tests of various aspects of 5G functionality, including network slicing," said a press release. 5G will be tested with use cases like traffic lights management, data processing from mobile sensors and virtual reality. To provide connectivity, an antenna has already been installed on the Hamburg television tower at a height of more than 150 meters. The primary focus of the project is on testing 5G applications in an industrial setting in the Port of Hamburg.

Piraeus Port Authority (PPA) SA and the Huawei Technologies SA are pleased to announce the contract conclusion for the modernization of the PPA network infrastructure. Huawei Technologies SA, after an international open tender, undertook the project of redesigning and replacement of the PPA's network infrastructure. More specifically, Huawei Greece, using optimal international practices and utilizing the latest technology products and solutions of the Group, will replace the existing network infrastructure of PPA, aiming to satisfy the requirements of the biggest port of Greece. PPA SA, by modernizing its network infrastructure, will enjoy network services of guaranteed availability…

Active Shipping is teaming up with Marlink and its regional partner Ozsay Satellite Communications to move into the world of high-speed maritime broadband and ship digitalization. By installing Marlink’s Sealink Global VSAT service combined with the XChange digital solutions platform, the Istanbul, Turkey-based ship manager will experience a significant boost to its operational capabilities on its vessels, which comprise oil tankers and bulk carriers. Active shipping will run…

Raytheon Anschütz has launched its next generation naval navigation and bridge system SYNAPSIS NAVAL. The new technology leverages Raytheon Anschütz’s SYNAPSIS Integrated Navigation System and integrates various military system capabilities including: radar video merging and other tactical radar features, integrated situational awareness, ship self-defense capabilities, military surveillance radars, and cyber security solutions. Andreas Weidner, director of Business Development for Raytheon Anschütz…

SES S.A. has announced  that Satcom Global, a provider of global satellite communications services to the maritime and land sectors, will become a key partner for SES. The differentiated mobility solution will form a crucial part of Satcom Global’s new Ku-band VSAT service, Aura, providing seamless, reliable and high-speed connectivity to hundreds of maritime, offshore and land customers. The agreement provides Satcom Global with seamless access to SES's satellite fleet and upcoming next generation hybrid satellites with high throughput payloads.

Being used to the challenges of ship-borne communications has been an asset to delivering flexible and capable communications networks ashore as Australian Navy sailors are finding in the Middle East. On her first deployment to the  region Able Seaman Communication and Information Systems Bree-ann Garner, worked as part of team developing and enhancing local area network infrastructure. Lieutenant Colonel David Jenkins, was in charge of the team and and said they had spent most of their deployment laying the foundation for updating the Australian Defence Force's communications and information systems. "We spent a great deal of time laying the ground work for the new enhanced Deployable Local Area Network Systems that will be introduced shortly," Lieutenant Colonel Jenkins said.

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.

EMC today announced a new global Ku-band VSAT package of connectivity and content for ships at sea, optimized for the next-generation high-throughput satellite (HTS) networks that are now being deployed. “Designed with crew welfare as a top priority, the new EMC VSAT platform offers a combination of services and capabilities never before available from a single marine VSAT supplier,” said Gilles Gillesen, president of EMC’s commercial shipping business unit. EMC’s patented SpeedNet technology solves the age-old problem of latency in web access at sea. Using a proprietary intelligent protocol and global backbone, SpeedNet predictively fetches, compresses and pushes multiple layers of websites at once to local servers.

Nakilat, the shipping arm of Qatar’s liquefied natural gas sector, has entered into a contract with Global Eagle Entertainment Inc.’s Emerging Markets Communications (EMC) service line to provide marine VSAT services for vessels in its fleet of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carriers. Under the contract, Global Eagle Entertainment’s EMC is supplying global Ku-band VSAT connectivity and content to enable a range of internet, data and voice services for the vessels and crew.

Some 50,000 trade visitors from the whole of the world are expected in Hamburg for the start of SMM in less than two weeks. And once again, it is fully booked – with a total of more than 2,150 exhibitors from 67 countries, presenting their most innovative products and services. “SMM will live up to its reputation as the pacemaker of the industry again, with exhibitors from every part of the maritime value chain and a high-quality conference program,” says Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH.

SES S.A. (Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) today announced the launch of its global SES Maritime+ service that will deliver high-speed connectivity to vessels traversing oceans. SES Maritime+ will enable maritime customers to have easy access to customisable bandwidth and coverage packages, ensuring satellite capacity is effectively utilised. Vessels traversing the oceans will be offered seamless roaming, leveraging SES’s global fleet of over 50 satellites, extensive ground infrastructure of over 20 teleports and more than 6,000 points of presence. The managed connectivity service combines SES’s global network infrastructure and hybrid satellite capacity with the latest technology from VT iDirect…

United Arab Shipping (UASC) has installed Marlink’s news, entertainment and television solution XChange Media on 44 vessels. The product provides on-demand multi-lingual content to crew personal devices in an alternative manner to on-board satellite TV. UASC’s fleet is already equipped with Sealink, Marlink’s global high quality VSAT service, which provides seamless IP connectivity to optimise fleet management and electronic document handling systems, whilst providing significant bandwidth for crew communications. Deployment of XChange Media across the UASC fleet was carried out remotely and completed in less than a week. UASC increases crew satisfaction in a cost-efficient way through the provision of daily updated content on XChange Media.

Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. (“GEE”) (NASDAQ:ENT) and Radiance Communications are deploying marine VSAT services for Nakilat’s fleet of LNG and LPG carriers. GEE’s EMC service line and Radiance Communications, an EMC maritime service partner and reseller, are supplying global Ku-band VSAT connectivity and content to enable a full range of internet, data and voice services for the vessels and crew. It includes a high-quality voice-over-IP (VoIP) system for the corporate network to lower the costs of satellite voice calls, as well as VoIP crew calling and an internet café solution for crew with company access control. To date, eight Nakilat ships have been equipped.