Operations Centre News

Subrosa Group (SRG) announced it is rolling out a new Maritime Security (MarSec) division, SRG Maritime Security, to deliver security services globally to the commercial shipping and offshore industries, private vessels and superyachts.SRG's CEO, Niall Burns, said, "The establishment of our Maritime Security division is a direct response to the critical need for elite armed protection for large vessels navigating increasingly perilous waters worldwide. Incidents of maritime attacks are alarmingly on the rise…

A Spanish navy ship is sailing at full speed towards a Maltese-flagged commercial vessel that may have been hijacked by pirates off Somalia, the European Union's Somali counter piracy force said on Friday.If confirmed, it would be the first successful hijacking involving Somali pirates since 2017 when a crackdown by international navies stopped a rash of seizures in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.EUNAVFOR's joint operations centre in Spain said it received an alert on Thursday about the "alleged pirate-hijacked vessel" Ruen, which was approximately 500 nautical miles east of Socotra Isl

Marlink has further strengthened its cyber security portfolio with the addition of CyberGuard Unified Threat Management (CyberGuard UTM) to secure its customers’ digital transformation strategies.CyberGuard UTM reflects the growth of cyber threats in the maritime industry and the need to protect people and assets across a broader range of digital solutions. In particular, the growth of new LEO and 4G/5G services with greater bandwidth speed and lower latency require increased…

The president of Cyprus outlined a proposal on Thursday to open a maritime corridor to help deliver more aid to Gaza, a plan which he said could be operational quickly but which diplomats said faced challenges.Under the plan presented by President Nikos Christodoulides at a humanitarian conference in Paris, aid would be sent by sea to Gaza from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, the closet European Union member state about 370 km (230 miles) away."We hope immediately to implement it…

As Europe turns to renewable sources to diversify energy supplies away from Russian oil and gas, a peaceful marine scene conceals a billion-dollar security headache.Rising above the Baltic Sea less than 10 km (6 miles) off the coast of Denmark, 161 wind turbines spin slowly. They supply around 4% of the country's power, sent to shore through two cable connections.The turbines have no barriers or surveillance."Our technicians are only here until five o'clock in the afternoon, then they go home…

The 2023 Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) will be held Nov. 14-16, 2023, as an in-person event, hosted by Maritime College, State University of New York (SUNY) at the Maritime Academic Center. The theme of the 14th annual event is “Managing Impacts of Supply Chain Disruptors, Renewable Energy, Emerging Technology on the Maritime Transportation System (MTS)” with a focus on offshore infrastructure risk and disruptors. Founded in 1874, Maritime College is the oldest maritime college in the United States, providing mariner training for 150 years.

Norway's Kongsberg Maritime said Friday it had successfully demonstrated a range of remote and autonomous technologies on a cargo vessel operating off the coast of Norway.The test cruise has been named one of the most complex autonomous journeys at sea so far, Kongsberg Maritime said.The Eidsvaag Pioner is one of the two vessels that are equipped for remote-operated and autonomous transport demonstrations for the AUTOSHIP project, which is part of Horizon 2020, an EU research program.Owned by the Eidsvaag shipping company…

Singapore-based offshore support vessel owner Vallianz Holdings is working to speed up the digitalization of its fleet of offshore support vessels (OSV) with a comprehensive package of connectivity services from Inmarsat.According to Inmarsat, its Fleet Xpress solution supports a variety of Internet of Things (IoT) applications for crew welfare, cyber security, data capture and analysis, and more. Through Fleet Data, provided on the Fleet Edge platform, Vallianz can collect, transfer…

Having recently reopened its Guam office after a three-year hiatus using a partner agent, Inchcape Shipping Services resumed direct control over all operational matters on the Pacific island.Inchcape had a permanent presence in Guam since the 1990s but opted to close its office on the Pacific island in 2018. “Given the volume of business in Guam at that time, it made better financial sense to use a partner agent instead. However, the uptick in volumes after the pandemic justified the move to reopen.

Uniwise Offshore, a Thailand-based offshore support vessel (OSV) company, has boosted cyber-security standards across its OSV fleet by adopting technology from Inmarsat, a mobile satellite communications specialist."With reliable connectivity delivered by Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress, Fleet Secure Unified Threat Management (UTM) provides Uniwise with end-to-end functionality to protect its network from cyber-attacks and intrusion via infected devices," Inmarsat said."In the busy Gulf of Thailand, where a majority of Uniwise’s OSVs operate, connectivity is a key requirement.

Smart network company Marlink has extended its service provision to France-based tanker company Socatra providing high-speed connectivity as well as secure IT management.Socatra provides solutions for deep-sea and inland oil transportation."[Socatra] recognized the need to improve the performance and quality of IT systems, which posed a risk to compliance and operational performance and required a comprehensive approach to upgrading hardware and software on board the vessel," Marlink said.According to Marlink…

Two Danish crew members of a capsized barge were missing in the freezing Baltic Sea on Monday after an overnight collision with a British vessel in a busy maritime route off Sweden.With the pair unlikely to survive long in water temperatures around 4 Celsius, rescue boats and a helicopter hunted for hours. There was also hope they might still be inside an air pocket within the hull of the overturned Karin Hoj.The 55-meter Danish barge and 90-meter Scot Carrier were sailing in the same direction off the island of Bornholm when they crashed in fog and darkness at 3.30 a.m.

Dutch seabed survey services firm Fugro has won a subsea inspection contract with the oil and gas company Neptune Energy at the Cygnus gas field in the UK North Sea.As part of the contract, Fugro will employ its specialized survey technology to inspect the subsea infrastructure, including pipelines and structures, and to undertake survey activities in advance of future drilling campaigns on the Cygnus field. It will use the Atlantis Dweller vessel as part of the operations."Traditionally…

British multinational defence technology company Qinetiq collaborates with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to investigate how drone technology can strengthen their Search and Rescue (SAR) missions.Small unmanned air systems are delivering disruptive change across the industry. Ten years ago what was predominantly a niche hobby, or military technology, has now found wide commercial success. Anyone can easily have an eye in the sky and recent publicity is changing the way organisations view their problems.The Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) oversees search and rescue operations in the UK. Their volunteer Coastguard Rescue Teams respond to time-critical calls and work tirelessly to save lives.Funded by QinetiQ’s Internal Research and Development…

Niam Chiang Meng, Chairman of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), opened a new 24/7 Maritime Cybersecurity Operations Centre (MSOC) yesterday (May 16). The MSOC will be operated by ST Engineering in its Hub.According to a press release from MPA, MSOC will conduct 24/7 monitoring and correlate data activities across all maritime Critical Information Infrastructure (CII). It will have the capability to (a) detect and monitor cyber-attacks by analysing activities in the IT environment; (b) detect anomalies and threats; and (c) respond to the cybersecurity incidents using available technology solutions.The objective of MSOC is to strengthen Singapore’s maritime cybersecurity posture through early detection…

Three one-day workshops - Southampton, U.K. - April 2-4, 2019NEXT GEN 2019 is a series of specialist one-day workshops run back-to-back on April 2-4, 2019. The program combines hot topics and international maritime experts with dynamic panel discussions. The Grand Harbor is a conference venue overlooking the historic port of Southampton, U.K. Workshop Lead John Haynes said, "In recent years less people are expected to do more work and time is becoming scarce for everyone in the marine industry.

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has confirmed the successful launch of two satellites, NovaSAR-1, a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite, and SSTL S1-4, a high resolution optical Earth Observation satellite. The two satellites were launched into a 580km sun-synchronous orbit on board the PSLV launch vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, India on 16 September at UTC 16:38 by Antrix Corporation Limited, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation.Sir Martin Sweeting, Executive Chairman of SSTL, said “I am pleased to confirm that successful contact has been made with both satellites and they are in good health.

Ship management firm OSM said it is in the final stages of completing a Singapore-based Maritime Operations Center that will help transform decision-making, efficiency and performance for its global customer base.The facility, developed in partnership with Singapore based analytics company Azendian Solutions, will initially allow OSM to connect all its data sources around the world. In the near future, the operations center will not only be the main pillar of OSM’s Technical Management offerings…

According to marine navigation software firm Nobeltec, part of FURUNO Group, its new TZ Coastal Monitoring ready-made packages provide the advantages of a standard system that covers most business requirements at a fraction of what it would cost to have such a system custom-developed. The solution allows users to monitoring and identify vessels and other navigational objects, optimize port infrastructure utilization, detect illegal activity (terrorism, piracy, illegal immigration…

Statoil awards Simon Møkster Shipping AS contracts for three emergency response and rescue vessels (ERRV), and Havila Shipping ASA for one ERRV. The contacts have a total value, included options, of NOK 2.7 billion. The vessels will be part of Statoil’s area-wide emergency response on the Norwegian continental shelf (NCS). The emergency response vessels play an important role in addressing government authorities’ and the company’s own requirements for rescue, hospital, fire-fighting, emergency towing and oil spill preparedness. “Statoil has an extensive emergency preparedness system on the NCS, and through the contracts we have secured four vessels that are tailored to our waters.

One of Australia’s most important economic gateways will soon house a state-of-the-art shipping management control system to be installed at Port Hedland, the world’s largest bulk export port. The system includes a command and control system integrated with advanced radar, long-range closed circuit TV and voice radio technology to safely manage and guide thousands of ship movements in and out of the tidally constrained port with pinpoint precision. The Vessel Traffic Service (VTS)…

Dr Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Health, launched the Sea Transport Industry Transformation Map (ITM) at the annual Singapore Maritime Foundation New Year Cocktail Reception. Developed by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) in partnership with the industry, unions and other government agencies, the Sea Transport ITM builds on MPA’s strategic long term plans to develop Singapore’s next-generation port and strengthen our international maritime centre (IMC). Specific initiatives have been laid out under the Sea Transport ITM to catalyse innovation, drive productivity improvements, as well as enhance the skills of the maritime workforce.

The Port of Felixstowe has taken delivery of its first two remote control ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes. The two new cranes, the 32nd and 33rd at the UK's largest container port, were delivered on the Zhen Hua 23 from ZPMC in Shanghai. "These new cranes are the latest acquisition in our ongoing investment programme to provide the best equipment, infrastructure and systems for our customers. They will further enhance our capability to work multiple mega-vessels simultaneously. "Remote control quay cranes have been pioneered at other Hutchison Ports terminals. In addition to the new cranes, the port is creating an additional 18,000 TEU of container storage capacity…