Digital Network News

Digital network provider Marlink has completed the integration of internet services on Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot to provide three LEO solutions for the ship’s polar itineraries.The installation is the first in the maritime sector to combine Marlink’s Sealink GEO VSAT, with Starlink, Eutelsat OneWeb and Iridium LEO services. The agreement with Ponant reflects Marlink’s ability to provide guaranteed throughput VSAT services with emerging high speed, low latency LEO services.The…

Marlink renewed its agreement with Intelsat for supply of Ku-band capacity. Via the deal, Marlink will deliver the capacity to users within its hybrid digital network, available to customers across maritime, energy and enterprise sectors. The agreement includes the future use of satellites with a software-defined operating system, improving precision of signal delivery and a highly stable quality of service.The agreement covers global distribution of capacity within the network provided by Marlink and joint development initiatives to prepare users for software-defined satellite (SDS) services.

Mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat said JRC (Japan Radio Company Co. Ltd.) has joined its group of Certified Application Providers (CAP) offering applications via Inmarsat’s dedicated Fleet Connect bandwidth.The announcement follows the trial of JRC’s Smart Ship Viewer (SSV) bridge solution onboard Taiwan Navigation’s Handymax bulk carrier Tai Splendor. As a result of the trial, Taiwan Navigation has now contracted to use Fleet Connect and JRC’s Smart Ship Viewer across its eight newbuildings and eight existing vessels.“The SSV is a networked bridge and communications management solution with capabilities including ship monitoring…

MAN Energy Solutions and Samsung sign strategic digitization agreement MAN Energy Solutions and Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. have signed a strategic cooperation agreement for the digitization of marine engines. Together the companies want to define a framework for a long term strategic cooperation in order to develop technologies and systems for the digitization of marine engines.“Digital technologies and the business models based on these technologies will transform the maritime industry.

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.

Resilience planning, Info Sharing Take Spotlight“Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” That old chestnut gets turned on its head when it comes to port cyber security. It’s more like “Oh what a tangled web we’ve woven, so much harder to stop data stolen.”Ports today have the physical aspect of security pretty well nailed shut - gates, locks, fencing, alarms, cameras, drones, etc. As Chris Mason, Rajant Corp.’s director of sales for EMEA, notes, “Every…

Norwegian digital navigation specialists Nautisk have announced a partnership that will make its products available via Kongsberg Digital’s Kognifai platform.Kongsberg Digital, part of the Norwegian Kongsberg Group of companies, will offer Nautisk’s range of digital navigation and bridge management products to members of its existing Kognifai community as part of its end-to-end digital service.Kongsberg Digital provides software and digital solutions to the maritime, oil and gas, renewables and utilities markets through Kognifai, its digital network platform.

In a new whitepaper -- Blueprint 2032: How Technology Transforms Ocean Container Shipping - INTTRA, the ocean container shipping industry's largest neutral electronic transaction platform, reports that the pace of technology innovation is accelerating as businesses seek new and more efficient ways to optimize. "Digitization is now a competitive necessity," said John Fay, CEO of INTTRA. "We've reached a tipping point in the global shipping industry when information technology is now the primary means for CEOs and their companies to achieve and increase long-term profitability.

On a warm summer morning last July, boat owners and passersby were drawn to a craft not often seen in the sleepy harbor of Wickford, Rhode Island. Tied up at the dock was the new, 37-foot, Multi-Mission Interceptor (MMI) recently produced by SAFE Boats International, where it was making a stop along its promotional run down the east coast. The craft features a sleek, state of the art design and is fully equipped with best-of-breed technology and products from a variety leading marine companies, including Mercury Verado outboard engines, Raymarine navigation system, SHOXS Shock Mitigating Seating and FLIR gyro-stabilized multi-sensor imaging systems, to name just a few. For critical communications, SAFE Boats partnered with David Clark Company of Worcester, Massachusetts.

With the threats facing shipping become ever more complex and diverse,  Dryad Maritime's COO, Ian Millen speaks to CSO Alliance, a global digital network dedicated to serving Company Security Officers (CSOs),  about the big threats CSOs should be focusing their attention on in 2016 and what regions they should be most concerned about from a security perspective. Maritime terrorism is obviously something that needs to be continually accessed at the moment. Currently, we [Dryad] are not as concerned as some media commentators, but this is not to say our evaluation of the threat won’t change. "We know that terrorists use maritime routes for logistical purposes – moving fighters and weapons – so there is an obvious maritime link there that needs to be closely monitored," he says.

The commercial satellite communication division of Airbus Defence and Space has been rebranded as Marlink, now grouping all maritime and enterprise satcom activities under one brand. Marlink’s communication solutions for maritime and land customers are now offered through its established direct and indirect sales channels. Marlink said it will deploy a segment-based approach, ensuring expert focus, best-fit connectivity technology and solutions for its maritime customers in shipping…

Network will facilitate a coordinated response to a major problem, utilizing the latest interactive web-based tools to offer the maritime sector “security through community”. CSO Alliance, a global digital network dedicated to serving Company Security Officers (CSOs), has been launched to provide a ‘real time’ coordinated approach to the increasingly multi-faceted fight against maritime crime. The community is designed to utilize the latest online and interactive tools to enable maritime CSOs to meet, share market intelligence, and assess the mutual risks their crews and assets face on a daily basis in multiple regions. CSO Alliance shares valuable human insight and transposes it within a private and secure platform where over 12…

Kongsberg Maritime presented a new solution for the distribution of Radar data on board ships during Nor-Shipping 2013. Utilization of an Ethernet based LAN (Local Area Network) is a significant addition to Kongsberg Maritime’s K-Bridge Integrated Bridge System and is capable of improving safety and navigation through enhanced Radar functionality whilst offering significant installation benefits. The system is currently undergoing Type Approval testing at DNV, with first customer delivery in Autumn 2013.

Serco Inc wins production & engineering services contract in support of United States Navy's Automated Digital Network Systems (ADNS). The five year contract exercises a one-year base period and four one-year option periods, with a total value of $68 million, if all options are exercised. Under the contract, Serco will perform hardware integration and testing to deliver the Navy's newest ADNS configuration in support of Shore, Ship and Submarine installations. Deployment of the system first began in 1997 to combine Internet Protocol (IP) traffic from different sources across a single radio path. This newest deployment will provide enhancements…

CellAtSea®, the brand name of Maritime Communication Partners (MCP) digital wireless services, enables passengers and crew to remain connected through voice, messaging, MMS, mobile internet and Blackberry services while at sea, and the company states a record 24% growth in its digital wireless service over the past 3 years. MCP's global maritime wireless network provides passengers and crew with superior wireless connectivity, and instant access to onboard information and entertainment applications. Virtually seamless, the service is conveniently billed by the user's home carrier. "We experienced an average of 180% increase in data traffic with record passenger and crew use of mobile internet and smart phone services in 2011.

Last year Germanischer Lloyd and Mühlhan sponsored a Surface Protection Symposium in October in Lübeck, dealing with the topic of value retention in the shipping industry. The outcome was a lively exchange of ideas among shipowners, coating material manufacturers and surface protection experts. Up-to-date findings from research were discussed with the same vitality as problems from workaday practice. This report provides an overview of the events involved. After Dr. Richter from Germanischer Lloyd had welcomed those attending, Mr. Harms — also from Germanischer Lloyd — described both the development and current status of international stipulations for the assessment of corrosion in water ballast tanks…

Marlink, a subsidiary of Telenor Satellite Services, announced that it is extending its "Super Quiet Time" and "Inmarsat A to Fleet" maritime communications programs offered via Telenor. Both programs, first offered in early 2003, are designed to make "at sea" satellite communications more affordable and easier for mariners. Marlink is extending its Super Quiet Time program through March 2005, offering customers substantially reduced prices for prepaid voice calls over Inmarsat-B, -M, Mini-M, GAN, Fleet and Swift services. Marlink has significantly increased the SQT calling hours in all ocean regions, including 24-hours-a-day SQT calling on Saturdays and Sundays.

As technologically advanced as communications have become, the bottom line, particularly for business applications, remains basically the same: the need for clear, reliable and cost-effective means to communicate. Trends in the transmission of data, voice and e-mail from ship-to-shore are much like that of land-based operations. The need for more speed and increased reliability are never ending, and the companies that excel are the ones that not only continually innovate, but those that consistently stay on the front of the curve to deliver real-world technologies that deliver benefits in the unique maritime operational environment. In parallel, price pressures are ubiquitous, as shipowners are keen to exploit every outlet to cut costs and generate revenue.

The Submarine Force achieved a major step toward FORCEnet capability July 1, with the completion of the first of three steps toward full Internet Protocol, or IP-based, communications, achieving forcewide IP connectivity. This is an important step for the Submarine Force and the fleet. “The submarine architecture is a baseline to begin this process,” said Vice Adm. James D. McArthur Jr., commander, Naval Network Warfare Command. A key concept and enabler of FORCEnet is the ability to share and exchange information quickly and easily across diverse platforms and distances. Legacy systems have enabled part of this vision but limit the type of information (usually text) and are point-to-point exchange events.

Satellite Services, has announced that the Fleet service is now available to customers on a global basis. Telenor's Fleet service offers the maritime community the most advanced mobile satellite communications technology available for high-speed commercial communications and enhanced safety at sea. Available to all ocean regions through Telenor's Eik Land Earth Station in Norway and its Santa Paula, Calif. facility in the U.S., Telenor's Fleet service via Inmarsat delivers a wide range of commercial communications needs for voice, fax and data services at speeds of up to 64 kbps, including the rapid mobile Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and the new, resource-efficient Mobile Packet Data Service.

In 2006, Furuno laid the groundwork for new sounders with the introduction of their FCV620 and FCV585 digital fish finders. These units featured FDF (Furuno Digital Filter) Technology. FDF is the latest in digital signal processing technology that delivers noise-free underwater images. In less than a year, Furuno's FDF technology was so well received that it won the National Marine Electronics Associations 2006 Best Fish Finder award for the FCV585. Now, Furuno is bringing this same FDF technology to their NavNet system with the new DFF1 Digital Fish Finder module.

Wireless Maritime Services, a joint venture between Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN), of Miramar, Florida, and Cingular Wireless, the largest wireless carrier in the United States, launched its customer and service driven website, www.cellularatsea.com. Wireless Maritime Services (WMS) currently provides wireless service on 15+ cruise vessels of the world’s major cruise lines. WMS was developed specifically for the cruise line industry and offers unique solutions for complete onboard wireless connectivity. Using a combination of the newest technologies available from the parent companies, including the pioneering voice and data satellite capabilities of MTN and the nation’s largest and fastest digital network from Cingular…

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington, D.C. has granted the Stratos protest of a five-year U.S. Navy SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare) Inmarsat lease contract award to Comsat. The court ruled the contract awarded this past June was legally invalid, and required the U.S. Navy to retender its request for proposal for the five-year $111.9 million contract. The Court directed the Navy to conclude the recompetition by January 28, 2000. Stratos won phase one of the SPAWAR contract in August of 1998, and provided full-time Inmarsat-B 64 Kbps service to all deployed vessels in support of the Chief of Naval Operations' Information Technology for the 21st Century (IT-21) Project through July, 1999. IT-21 provides for the rapid exchange of information between Naval as well as Joint forces.