Maritime Network News

Speakers from the vanguard of maritime digitalization will be joined by the first British astronaut and science communicator Helen Sharman at the Connected Future Conference during London International Shipping Week (LISW) 2023.Moving from smart talk to practical solutions and bringing stakeholders together will be the key themes of an industry event organized by Inmarsat, a Viasat business, in partnership with Smart Maritime Network. Staged at Inmarsat headquarters on September 12…

Wilhelmsen Ships Service announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire tank and cargo hold cleaning company Navadan.Wilhelmsen Ships Service will take 100% control of Navadan, which will retain its brand and operate as a fully owned subsidiary for the first period after the completion of the agreement. Completion of the transaction is subject to predetermined conditions and is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2023.“Navadan have built a strong position as experts within their field.

During the Maritime Awards Gala in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Kommer Damen was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his achievements, methods and contribution to the Dutch maritime industry. Damen (78) is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Damen Shipyards Group and is still internationally active in the company that he took over from his father and uncle in 1969.Kommer Damen is a member of the (Dutch) Maritime Council and Honorary Consul of Mexico. From 1988 to 2020 he was a board member of maritime industry association NMT (formerly VNSI).

Finnish shipbuilder Meyer Turku on Wednesday delivered the liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueled cruise ship Carnival Celebration to Carnival Cruise Line.Tim Meyer, CEO of Meyer Turku, describes this ship's handover as special in many ways: "First of all, the ship is dedicated to the 50 years of Carnival Cruise Line. Second, Carnival Celebration will begin service immediately after the handover, which tells us that the demand for cruises, and therefore for cruise ships, is truly…

Wilhelmsen Port Services has entered into an agreement with Vopak to acquire 100% of maritime services provider Vopak Agencies and 50% of Diize. "Vopak Agencies and Diize are highly complementary and a perfect match for the global reach of Wilhelmsen Port Services’ maritime network of 2 200 ports," Wilhelmsen Port Services said.Wilhelmsen said that Vopak Agencies had a strong track record within both hub services and port agency within the tanker segments in Europe and extensive experience within their field.

The City of Brest, on France’s Atlantic coast, calls itself the Capital of the Oceans and it is surely living up to that moniker this week as the city hosts the international Sea Tech Week, held every two years, with a programmatic focus on “Maritime Transport: Towards Smarter & Greener Solutions.”New Wave Media was honored to join a small international press group invited to attend Sea Tech as well as a chance to participate in expanded activities at some of the related and extensive maritime resources within and around Brest.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that Rear Admiral (Rear Adm.) Ann Phillips, USN, Ret., has been confirmed and sworn in as the 20th Administrator of the Maritime Administration (MARAD). Nominated by President Biden on October 21, 2021, Rear Adm. Phillips was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 10, 2022. She is the first woman to lead MARAD as administrator.“From her distinguished naval service to her leadership on coastal infrastructure, Rear Admiral Ann Phillips has championed America’s maritime sector throughout her career,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

International maritime network Stella Maris has teamed up with tech start-up FrontM to develop a new crew collaboration and wellbeing platform and super-app designed to give seafarers and fishers across the world quick access to Stella Maris's global chaplaincy directory, media content and faith resources.Stella Maris, formerly known as Apostleship of the Sea, is a ship-visiting network with more than 1,000 chaplains and volunteers in 330 ports across 60 countries. Its team makes 70…

Maritime innovator KVH has announced it has joined the Smart Maritime Network (SMN) as one of the founding members of the initiative dedicated to supporting collaboration and standardization in the development of IT systems for the shipping sector. As a founding member, KVH will participate in Smart Maritime Council meetings with a select group of maritime technology developers, systems integrators, and vessel operators to discuss issues relating to the compatibility, standardization…

The satellite communications provider Marlink is introducing an all-encompassing new hybrid communication service, called Sealink Global 4GThe Sealink Global 4G, as a turnkey solution it provides everything needed to leverage fast, low-latency mobile services when in network range while complementing VSAT connectivity when in regulated regions.Devised as a single global capability with full predictability on performance and costs, Sealink Global 4G is a ready-to-go solution bringing a new dimension of low-latency and flexible connectivity to Marlink’s global multi-band maritime network.The subscription is part of Marlink’s suite of 4G…

Vessels in Asia Pacific, U.S. Pacific Northwest, and other key shipping areas benefit from the latest satellite technology by using KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband HTS network.KVH Industries announced that it has expanded its mini-VSAT Broadbandsm HTS network to the Pacific Ocean via the Horizons 3e satellite, which is jointly owned by Intelsat and SKY Perfect JSAT. The high-performance Horizons 3e satellite immediately adds to the global coverage and capacity of KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband HTS network, which provides connectivity to vessels worldwide.

Marlink entered an agreement with Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.) to supply its satellite voice and data connectivity services for use on five adventure cruise ships in the O.A.T. fleet.Marlink will provide the O.A.T. Small Ships with a suite of solutions; equipment, bandwidth and operations to reliably meet and exceed guest voice and data requirements; uninterrupted voice and corporate connectivity to facilitate ship management tasks; and flexible connectivity services to…

KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI),  unveiled the TracPhone V3-HTS at the Fort Lauderdale (FL) International Boat Show. Measuring just 37 cm (14.5 inches) diameter and weighing 11 kg (25 lbs.), the TracPhone V3-HTS is smaller in physical size than any other Ku-band marine satellite communications antenna on the market and is designed to provide faster data speeds (5 Mbps download/2 Mbps upload) than larger marine satellite antennas.The TracPhone V3-HTS’s fast data speeds, combined with its diminutive size…

Intelsat announced that APT Mobile Satcom (APSATCOM) will become the first maritime solution partner to offer, in China, IntelsatOne Flex for Maritime services.This agreement will deliver a seamless global maritime network for APSATCOM’s customers, providing unparalleled throughput, improved economics, and easier access to broadband services.Under the new, multi-year agreement, Intelsat will provide IntelsatOne Flex for Maritime services, interconnection, and backhaul to APSATCOM’s data centers. The award-winning IntelsatOne Flex for Maritime platform is a seamlessly integrated managed service that offers multi-layered global coverage…

Intelsat S.A. announced  that APT Mobile Satcom Ltd. (APSATCOM) will become the first maritime solution partner to offer, in China, IntelsatOne Flex for Maritime services. This agreement will deliver a seamless global maritime network for APSATCOM’s customers, providing unparalleled throughput, improved economics, and easier access to broadband services, the company said.Under the new, multi-year agreement, Intelsat will provide IntelsatOne Flex for Maritime services, interconnection, and backhaul to APSATCOM’s data centers. The award-winning IntelsatOne Flex for Maritime platform is a seamlessly integrated managed service that offers…

The Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) has welcome Portugal to the global network of executive women in shipping.The launch of WISTA Portugal was announced today by Ana Paula Vitorino, Portugal’s Minister of the Sea at Portugal Shipping. WISTA Portugal joins 44 other National WISTA Associations (NWAs).“WISTA International has had a strong relationship with Portugal’s women in shipping,” said WISTA International President Despina Panayiotou Theodosiou. “We are proud to formally include Portugal in the WISTA family. Portugal’s significance among maritime countries, especially in Europe, brings new avenues for business to WISTA…

The CMA CGM Group, a leader in maritime transport, announced the start of its commercial operations at the Kribi Container Terminal. On this occasion, the CMA CGM BIANCA, 8721 TEUs and 335 meters long, became the largest container ship to call in Cameroon on 2 March 2018. The CMA CGM Group is deploying four new weekly direct services in Kribi to northern Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia. West Feeder Service, connecting Kribi, Port Gentil, Boma, Matadi and Libreville. Thanks to its strategic positioning, the Kribi hub will also significantly reduce transit times. Located in Cameroon, a growing market, the Kribi terminal aims to act…

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.

Central and Latin America celebrated the launch of a new women in the maritime network in Valparaíso, Chile (13-15 December), which joins the International Maritime Organization (IMO)  family of regional Women in Maritime Associations (WIMAs), giving visibility and recognition to the role women play as key resources for the maritime sector. Sixty two women from 18 countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela) came together to set up a framework for the newly formed network as well as share ideas and knowledge about the industry.

The port State control regimes which carry out inspections on ships to monitor and enforce compliance with international regulations have pledged to strengthen their collaboration with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and amongst themselves. A recent workshop (24-26 October) for port State control (PSC) MoU/Agreement Secretaries and Database Managers and Member States, the seventh of its kind, was held at IMO headquarters in London, United Kingdom. Participants shared experiences, highlighted new projects and approved a wide range of recommendations, which are aimed at further collaboration, harmonization and information sharing. The recommendations will be forwarded for review by IMO and the regional governing bodies of PSC regimes.

KVH Industries announced the launch of its next-generation, advanced maritime broadband network, joined by service partner, Intelsat. Slated for commercial availability next month, KVH’s high-speed overlay to its current mini-VSAT Broadbandsm service is expected to triple, and in some cases increase by a multiple of six, the data speeds for its maritime customers. At the core of its capabilities, KVH’s advanced maritime broadband network will incorporate Intelsat Epic satellite services and the award-winning IntelsatOne Flex platform, a global managed service designed to optimize bandwidth allocations and provide flexible coverage where it is needed. KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband network is also expected to benefit from increased Asian satellite capacity from SKY Perfect JSAT.

Speedcast International Limited, the provider of remote communication and IT solutions, and Danaos Peripherals announced a strategic alliance agreement under which the two companies will combine maritime communications with advanced application management developed by Danaos. Within 2017, the two companies will jointly release a remote and autonomous IT system on board a vessel, leveraging key technologies such as big data analytics, internet of things (IoT) and cyber security. The system will enable the remote deployment of third party services and applications, allowing for the swift and simple implementation of new capabilities to a ship.

CMA CGM Otello has arrived Indonesia as the largest container vessel to call the country at the Jakarta International Container Terminal. The occasion also celebrated her impending maiden voyage for the industry’s first direct service from Indonesia to the United States (U.S.) on 24 April. Officiating the event was Minister of Transportation, Mr. Budi Karya Sumadi. He joined some 350 guests including various government officials as well as industry stakeholders at the milestone celebration. The 8,238-TEU vessel is deployed for the Java Sea Express (JAX) service and Pendulum Loop 1 (PE1) service by CMA CGM and APL respectively – two operating brands of the CMA CGM Group.