Technology Roadmap News

Inmarsat has launched its latest I-6 F2 spacecraft from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.According to the mobile satellite communications specialist, which offers communications services in the air, at sea, and on land, the satellite launch saw I-6 F2 lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, reaching a top speed of almost 40,000km/h as it left Earth above central Africa. The satellite will now spend several months traveling to its geostationary orbit, 36,000km above the Equator, using its onboard electric propulsion system.

Armach Robotics said on Tuesday that it had reached a major milestone by operating its hull cleaning robot successfully in full over-the-horizon (OTH) mode.In the water in Norfolk, VA, Armach’s hull service robot, was earlier this month monitored and controlled by staff at Armach’s command center in Plymouth, MA, using a 4G modem providing over-the-air connectivity.Once the communications connection was made between Norfolk and Plymouth, the vehicle was able to complete its pre-dive checks on the pier.

With a rapid evolution of communication connectitivity need, Inmarsat launched I-6 F1, the first of seven new Inmarsat satellites to be launched by 2024, a key piece of the satcom giant's platform to deliver enhanced ELERA (L-band) and Global Xpress (Ka-band) for Indo-Pacific.Inmarsat confirmed the successful launch of its first Inmarsat-6 satellite (I-6 F1) by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) from the JAXA Tanegashima Space Center in Japan.The Inmarsat-6s (I-6) are Inmarsat’s first ever hybrid L- and Ka-band satellites…

Ship data consumption is booming, and as digitalization and data trends increasingly drive the maritime world, Inmarsat celebrated a pair of milestones, hitting the 10,000 vessel mark on Fleet Xpress installations and launching its "Fleet Data Academy."Traffic DoublesAccording to Inmarsat, the growth in Fleet Xpress now includes the world’s leading container ship and tanker owners, such as MOL, K-Line and Hapag-Lloyd, offshore support giants like Bourbon, Tidewater and Maersk Supply, as well as growing numbers of yachts, passenger ships and fishing boats.

Proserv Controls signed a strategic alliance with software engineering firm Intelligent Plant, a deal aimed to deliver advanced control systems and data analysis to provide operators with digital solutions tailored to their needs and feedback. The announcement follows a broader industry trend toward leveraging true digitalization to help rationalize efficiencies in the offshore industry. Ultimately the tie-up with Proserv and Intelligent plan will integrate improved visibility of system information…

Mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat confirmed commercial service introduction (CSI) of its newest, most powerful geostationary satellite to date. GX5 is the 14th satellite currently in service with Inmarsat and provides additional capacity to Europe and the Middle East on the Fleet Xpress (GX) Ka-band high-speed satellite broadband service designed for the maritime industry.The satellite, launched in November 2019, delivers approximately double the combined capacity of the entire existing GX fleet (GX1-GX4).

The UK Government has tasked the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult and the Workboat Association (WA) with the development of a Technology Roadmap, outlining a route to the decarbonization of North Sea offshore wind operations and maintenance (O&M) vessels.The roadmap will consider key areas such as vessels, ports, and alternative fuels. As part of this engagement, ORE Catapult and the WA will undertake one-to-one interviews and focus groups with a wide range of stakeholders…

ChartCo and Marine Press, both leaders in global digital navigation solutions, have announced their merger. The move will result in the creation of a new company called OneOcean which will offer the largest range of navigation and compliance solutions into the maritime sector.Martin Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of ChartCo, announced the merger, saying: “Following the success of three recent acquisitions, we have been looking to further expand our business. We identified Marine…

Downhole sensing technology specialist, Well-SENSE, has launched a miniature optical pressure-temperature gauge, as part of its FiberLine Intervention (FLI) system.The Well-SENSE optical gauge widens the well surveillance application envelope for FLI, both on and offshore, and offers operators a low-cost and disposable alternative to both permanent downhole sensors and more traditional electronic logging devices.Combined with FLI’s other features and benefits, including a simple deployment mechanism and distributed sensing, it can deliver savings in the region of 50-90% compared to conventional logging methods.The fiber Bragg grating based device is a robust optical gauge with no electronics, batteries, external connections or power supply required.

Soil Machine Dynamics & Seebyte announce successful integration of SeeTrack CoPilot to SMD's work-class ROV system. The integration and trials, which took place in Fort William, Scotland, in mid-January, saw SeeByte’s SeeTrack CoPilot Software system for dynamic positioning and real-time monitoring of work class ROVs, successfully carry out a number of survey missions using the software’s easy to use, point-and-click interface. The software provides advanced features such as flight-modes…