Satellite Communications Equipment News

The U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) is advising vessel operators to exercise extra caution and safe navigation practices after multiple instances of significant GPS interference have been reported over the last year by vessels in port and underway in the eastern and central Mediterranean Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Port of Shanghai, China.The incidents have resulted in lost or inaccurate GPS signals affecting bridge navigation, GPS-based timing, and communications equipment…

MarineNews showcases the ten best of North America’s 2018 workboat deliveries. Domestic shipyard production is robust, innovative and getting greener. And, that translates into two kinds of ‘green.’As the domestic offshore energy support sector slowly awakens, other sectors have been happy to take the spotlight in its absence. As always, and if a hull was delivered in 2018, we took a look at it, with several areas as a focus for inclusion into this edition. For my part, I’m always excited when the U.S. boatbuilding sector can deliver for a foreign buyer. We’ve checked that box here. And, that’s because we can compete on price, quality and when we do…

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.

Satlink Satellite Communications has entered into a new agreement with Inmarsat to integrate Fleet Xpress into Satlink’s existing service portfolio. Through the agreement, Satlink will bring more than 1,500 vessels to the Fleet Xpress service over a five-year period. Fleet Xpress, the Global Xpress maritime solution, sets a new standard for maritime global communications with crew welfare, regulatory and operational efficiency at its heart. The service, which is facilitating innovative ‘connected ship’ applications, delivers the highest levels of reliable, high-speed broadband connectivity and exceptional performance across all of the world’s oceans, with continuous connectivity and guaranteed performance.

Beam Communications, leading global manufacturer of satellite communications equipment for Iridium and Inmarsat services has recently announced changes to the Oceana and Terra range of terminals. Going forward, all Oceana 400 and Oceana 800 terminals will be able to use any standard Inmarsat GSPS (for IsatPhone 2), IsatPhone Link or FleetPhone SIM cards, when previously they were only available for use with the FleetPhone service. Removing the profiling of the SIM will allow customers to utilise the Oceana terminals in different market sectors without restriction, and not just at sea. Reiny Gajewski, Vice President of Global Sales at Beam Communications said, ‘We want to assist the channel in making these products less confusing.

Delta Wave announced it will host an emergency preparedness mobile satellite equipment roundup on Thursday, September 4 at its office in Morgan City at 10 a.m. Delta Wave will showcase the latest in mobile satellite communications equipment such as the Iridium GO!, Inmarsat IsatHub and Globalstar Sat-Fi, and also test attendees’ phones. Lunch will be served. Industry representatives will also be at hand to answer any questions. Along with live demonstrations, We will also have at hand other types of field equipment and latest technologies that we offer which may be of interest, including thermal camera devices, wireless communications, etc. There is no cost for this seminar. All emergency responders are welcome. deltawavecomm.com

Team Springs into Immediate Action with Successful Rescue and Salvage of Two Stricken Vessels in Waters Surrounding Australia. To meet the needs of changing market conditions and increased commercial vessel traffic in and around the Great Barrier Reef, TITAN Salvage has established a new office and equipment depot in Cairns, Australia. The presence in the Pacific Southeast enhances the company’s marine salvage, wreck removal and emergency response capabilities in the region. With this new depot, also comes the region’s introduction to new subsidiary TITAN Maritime (Australia) Pty.

In its latest initiative to advance the quality, speed, and affordability of broadband data connectivity at sea, KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq:KVHI) introduces a new onboard terminal for its mini-VSAT Broadband(SM) service, the TracPhone(R) V7-IP. Representing a new generation of enterprise-grade onboard satellite communications equipment, the TracPhone V7-IP features a robust, 3-axis, gyro-stabilized antenna and a completely integrated belowdecks unit that includes an ArcLight(R)…

Carrying an estimated 90% of world trade and billions of passengers every year, international shipping represents the life blood of the global economy. Safety, always a major concern for seafarers, has made huge advances in the last century. However, the massive increase in traffic in recent decades requires, among other things, new or better global communication and navigation solutions resting on internationally-agreed standards to maintain and improve safety levels. Shipping was among the very first industries to adopt widely implemented international safety standards.

Hamburg-based SAM Electronics, in association with its Chinese subsidiary, SAM Taihang Electronics, has been awarded a contract to supply and install NACOS 54-5 integrated navigation command systems featuring radar-controlled trackpilots, Ecdis and other sensors aboard ten 31,000-dwt multi-purpose heavy lift vessels under construction by Huanghai Shipbuilding of Rongcheng for delivery to Columbia Shipmanagement between 2009 and 2012. Under the contract for ships that will be operated by Austral Asia Line (AAL) on its South East Asia and Australasian routes, SAM Electronics will additionally supply compass systems as well as GMDSS and satellite communications equipment together with associated consoles.

Stratos Global Corporation (Stratos) announced that Furono Electric Co., Ltd. (Furuno) and Japan Radio Co., Ltd. (JRC) and have become shareholders in JSAT Mobil Communications Inc. (JSAT Mobile). Furuno and JRC, both marine electronics manufacturers, will each assume a 10 percent share in JSAT Mobile. Stratos formed the joint venture company JSAT Mobile in August with Sky Perfect JSAT Corporation (Sky Perfect JSAT) to serve the Mobile satellite communications needs of Japanese businesses and government agencies. Stratos is a leading global provider of advanced Mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions. Sky Perfect JSAT is a leading satellite operator in the Asia-Pacific region.

Logica, the global solutions company, announced it has secured a GBP 6m contract to help develop future higher bandwidth satellite communications for global mobile satellite communications provider, Inmarsat Limited. This contract forms part of an over GBP 30 million programme with Thrane & Thrane, a leader in the market for satellite communications equipment, to build the satellite interface and other equipment that will allow Inmarsat's Broadband Global Area Network (B-GAN) services due for launch during 2004 to be transmitted to and from terrestrial networks. Currently Inmarsat operates its Global Area Network (GAN) service which supports data speeds of up to 64 kbit/s, almost seven times faster than speeds offered by current GSM networks.

Rydex released of Rydex Express, a new entry-level ship-to-shore email service. "Rydex Express is our answer to the industry's demand for a value oriented email service backed by the high quality technical support and product performance that Rydex is renowned for," said Rydex CEO David Lloyd. This software is fully user installable including automatic recognition of satellite communications equipment, dramatically reducing the cost of installation. "The user-install features of Rydex Express combined with the low-cost of entry-level PC's make reliable email service an affordable option for any vessel equipped with suitable Inmarsat equipment," said Mike Antoniak, Rydex' VP of Customer Service. Rydex communications software allows users to easily manage their ship-shore email activity.

Marlink a supplier of integrated satellite communications equipment and network services previewed VSAT@SEA, the company's a new line of global maritime broadband satellite services enabling "always-on” at sea connectivity at a fixed monthly rate. Marlink's VSAT@SEA will feature three standard service configurations that include a minimum guaranteed committed information rate for IP-based communications providing resource-efficient means for conducting ship's business and enabling free Internet access and calling for crew members and passengers. Option 1 will provide vessels with two Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone lines coupled with a guaranteed 32kbps committed information rate for IP-based communications at sea.

Marlink, a supplier of integrated satellite communications equipment and network services has opened an expanded regional operations center in Houston, Texas to meet growing demand from it's maritime and offshore industry customers. Marlink's expansion of its Houston center follows closely the opening of business facilities and support centers in Oslo, Dubai, and Singapore in the second half of 2006. The new business offices and technical facilities in Houston will also serve as Marlink's regional headquarters responsible for coordinating company business activities throughout North and South America. The new Americas headquarters will provide both North American and Latin American markets with a comprehensive suite of satellite services that will evolve with customer requirements…

Norwegian satellite equipment provider Nera SatCom AS, together with Inmarsat, introduced the new Nera F33 product concept to the maritime market. The Nera F33 will fill the gap between the existing Inmarsat Mini-M service /Nera WorldPhone and the global Inmarsat Fleet 77 service / Nera F77. The new Nera F33 is based on the Inmarsat Fleet F33 service concept, providing the light marine market with improved data communications from equipment suitable for the demands of today’s commercial and leisure fleet. The launch of the service is due to early 2003. Satellite communications are increasingly being used by marine vessels in order to access online connectivity with the onshore world.