Shore Communications News

Rovco, a UK-based subsea robotics and survey firm, has added a second hull mounted survey vessel to its fleet with the long-term charter of the DP2 vessel Glomar Worker. The four-year charter with Glomar comes in response to client demand for innovative geophysical and geotechnical survey solutions, according to the company.Rovco has started the conversion of the sister vessel to the already contracted Glomar Supporter, already under long-term charter.After completion of these role specific upgrades…

On October 23, NYK held its annual roundtable discussion on current conditions and issues on board vessels, highlighting the role of communications in ship safety.The meeting was held at the NYK head office in Tokyo in a hybrid format and attended by more than 150 participants, including three captains and three chief engineers on leave, the captain and chief engineer on board the car carrier Iris Leader, the captain aboard the crude oil tanker Tensho, 22 executive officers, and…

Wärtsilä Voyage has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to further strengthen their collaboration in smart port innovation and digitalization. The main objectives of this strategic partnership are to initiate, develop and promote innovative solutions that accelerate digitalization; foster interoperability in e-navigation and ship-to-shore secure data communications to enable port-to-port optimization and establish reliable…

The commercial shipping world can benefit from greater range of communications and reduced satellite costs. Domestic brown water operators know all too well that’s easier said; than done. Until now.In the fast moving world of blue water, deep draft shipping, the availability of reliable ship-to-shore communications has been a non-issue for at least two decades. More than ever, they need it. These longtime users of so-called ship management software and now, sophisticated remote monitoring systems that watch over even the most obscure minutia on board far flung 1,000 foot ocean liners, need (and get) robust and reliable communications.On the domestic, brown water side of the equation? Not so much.

The United States Coast Guard Marine Safety Alert 06-19 (USCG MSA 06-19) outlines a February 2019 incident aboard a deep draft commercial vessel that called on the Port of New York / New Jersey after experiencing a significant cyber incident that impacted their shipboard network. The Safety Alert stated in part:“An interagency team of cyber experts, led by the Coast Guard, responded and conducted an analysis of the vessel’s network and essential control systems. The team concluded that although the malware significantly degraded the functionality of the onboard computer system…

Network Innovations and its inland waterways connectivity solution eliminates “dead spot” coverage woes. And, not a moment too soon.The bane of inland operators – or at least one of many – has always been the dearth of reliable and economical vessel-to-shore communications. Even in America’s heartland where cellular coverage is routinely billed as seamless, so-called ‘dead spots’ persist. Sometimes, this happens at the worst possible moment for an operator who has myriad far flung assets on dozens of remote inland waterways. For a long time, satellite service has not been deemed economically feasible for inland operators. Beyond that, unlike blue water deep sea operators, there was little need to download data or employ software solutions in every day operations.

The  maritime technology company Global Navigation Solutions (GNS) and the supplier of navigation and telecommunications equipment and services SIRM have announced a new strategic partnership.The new partnership will combine GNS’s expertise in data intelligence, back of bridge software and navigation with SIRM’s cloud-based services and telecommunications capability to deliver a new generation of ship-shore technology solutions and enhance office-based situational awareness."Agreement will leverage GNS’s unique data and software capabilities and SIRM’s cloud computing and ship-shore communications expertise," said a press release from…

The 5,000th ship installation of Inmarsat Fleet Xpress, the world’s only high-speed, globally-available Ka-band VSAT service designed for mobility and available from a single operator, is set to be completed by the close of the month.Following its launch in March 2016, Fleet Xpress has emerged as the market-leading pathway to digital transformation as shipping companies seek to deliver improved vessel and fleet efficiency, boost profitability and enhance seafarer wellbeing.The latest data compiled by the respected, specialist market analyst, Euroconsult, indicates that six out of ten VSAT installations undertaken in the  first half of…

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.

d’Amico Group will build a new fleet digital operating center in Rome, Italy that will help the dry cargo and tanker shipping company to boost efficiency and safety across its fleet through increased collection of performance details and data from its ships.The new center, which is being created through a partnership with RINA and Telemar, is part of the trend toward increasing digitalization within the maritime industry. In addition to providing d’Amico Group with intelligence about operations on which to base strategic business decisions and operational improvements…

Harley Marine, like many maritime companies, required a solution for simple, fast and reliable network connectivity to ensure daily tasks such as invoice processing, navigation, marine-mapping and more could be completed seamlessly, and that its employees could deliver consistent customer service. The full-service maritime company chose Cradlepoint for a cost-effective solution that would augment VSAT (satellite) and replace outdated technology to securely connect management to the vessels deployed in waterways all over the globe.

Hand in hand with the digital craze in maritime is the caution of cyber attacks. We live and operate in a complex society. That society would be impossible without modern computers and other information technologies Those technologies have largely been developed piecemeal to address particular issues, and for the most part they have generally achieved their particular goals. Maximum efficiency is gained when multiple technologies are joined to coordinate their work. Computers get smaller and faster, with ever-growing memory. Joining computers together allowed for creation of the internet.

Satellite-based connectivity has always played a critical role for the maritime sector. As the communications expectations of ship owners, passengers and crews continue to grow, maritime service providers are seeing a transformation in the type and quantity of applications that need to be supported at sea. The advent of VSAT broadband services is driving a shift away from traditional, low-level L-band connections that ship operators have relied upon for decades. VSAT services are preferred to respond to the demand for high-speed broadband that can support bandwidth-intensive applications.

Dry bulk shipping company Pacific Basin Shipping Limited has deployed KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband solution on its entire fleet of 99 owned ships as part of its effort to modernize ship-shore communications. “Satellite communications continue to become more cost-effective over time as requirements rapidly grow for bandwidth and speed,” said Capt. Uttam K. Jaiswal, general manager – marine at Pacific Basin, a Hong Kong based owner and operator of Handysize and Supramax dry bulk ships.

Transas CEO Frank Coles delivered a presentation at 2017 SMART4SEA Conference & Awards, where he voiced his views on “smart shipping”, from big data and cyber security to unmanned ships. We live in a world where we hear the words, smart ships, connected ships, unmanned ships, automated ships, etc. We hear statements about a digital shipping world and a forecast of new business models in shipping. It’s a confusing world, a fast moving world. What is the reality and how do we sift through the hype?

Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) Group is not only one of the world’s largest ship owners with a diverse fleet of more than 800 ships, it is a growing global maritime logistics powerhouse. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News visited with Yasuo Tanaka, Senior Managing Corporate Officer, Naval Architect, in Tokyo for his insights on the company’s continued efforts to invest in operational efficiency. The story of NYK cannot start without a look at the numbers, because the numbers tell the story in a most impressive fashion.

The new Ocean Signal E101V float-free EPIRB with integrated voyage data recorder (VDR) memory capsule is designed according to the latest VDR performance standards as a leading solution for commercial vessels of 3000+ gross tonnage. Developed in collaboration with VDR specialist AMI Marine, the E101V is Cospas Sarsat and MED certified and approved to IEC61097-2 as a float-free EPIRB with built-in memory capsule. Enabling ship owners and operators to meet new mandates for VDRs as defined by IMO Resolution MSC.333(90), the Ocean Signal device can be easily integrated with a vessel’s VDR, a vital on-board system which helps to identify the cause of any accident…

NavCom and On Board ICT specialist Radio Holland informs it has booked multiple orders in a challenging newbuild market. The company was awarded contracts to deliver and install the complete NavCom and VSAT packages for four newbuild vessels: two of the Meriaura Group and two of Eureka, part of SMT Shipping, all built at Royal Bodewes in Hoogezand, The Netherlands. “We have completed many successful projects with Radio Holland and are happy to work with them on these four new vessels,” said Johan Schouwenaar from Royal Bodewes.

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…

Spliethoff Group, one of the largest ship management companies in the Netherlands, has awarded Imtech Marine a three-year extension contract for the supply of a broad-ranging Ship to Shore Communications service on the global VSAT network of Radio Holland. Radio Holland is Imtech Marine’s solution brand for Nav/Com and maintenance. Amsterdam-based Spliethoff Bevrachtingskantoor BV and Radio Holland have worked together for decades and 27 vessels are already connected. Following the agreement made on February 17th, a further 22 vessels will be added.

The Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative (AAWA), launched by Rolls-Royce and funded by Tekes (Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation), will bring industry partners together with universities, research institutes, ship owners and other stakeholders to explore the economic, social, legal, regulatory and technological factors which need to be addressed in order to make autonomous ships a reality. Participating in this project is Inmarsat, a provider of global mobile satellite communications services…

There is a global boom in the development of unmanned systems, from below the ocean’s surface to high in the sky to the world’s roads. Add to this list the maritime industry, on both military and civilian vessels. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News examines in depth recent developments taking place in Europe to discover general thoughts and technical trends driving the future of unmanned shipping. The joint European Research Project MUNIN was finalized in August 2015, a project…

I have never been in a hurricane. That’s a fact. Actually, my wife likes to say that whenever there is any kind of natural disaster, I’m typically nowhere to be found. And, when I think about it, I realize that she is right. Whether by accident or by design, that’s exactly how it has played out during the 30+ years that we have been together. Whenever this touchy subject does come up – typically once a quarter – she usually points to one particular event as proof of concept. In August of 1983, long before Katrina left her indelible mark on the U.S. Gulf Coast and the city of New Orleans in particular, there was Alicia. On August 18 of that year…