Satellite Terminals News

Applied Satellite Technology (AST) Ltd announced it is now offering Intelsat’s FlexMaritime service, a reliable, secure, high-speed global connectivity solution. Designed specifically for global commercial maritime trade routes, the service also supports multiple antenna sizes and new service options to meet the growing global bandwidth needs of fishing, leisure and workboats.Intelsat FlexMaritime leverages Intelsat’s global fleet of multi-layered, high-throughput satellites (HTS)…

Marine services firm Bourbon has signed a contract committing more than 100 offshore support vessels (OSVs) to Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress, the maritime broadband service that combines the speed of Ka-band with continuous back up from Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband operating on L-band.The deal represents a breakthrough offshore contract for Fleet Xpress, which is already installed on some 7,000 vessels - mainly seagoing merchant ships, the company said.“This contract is substantial in…

Growing options emerge for ever-increasing data and Comms demand. In the United States alone, 625 million tons of cargo is transported along the more than 12,000 miles of commercially navigable waterways each year, moving vital commodities to and from 38 of the nation’s 50 states. The advent of subchapter M has raised the bar significantly for as many as 5,000 inland vessels, both in terms of safety and the need to document and more closely control this tonnage. At the same time, domestic coastal transport and offshore energy support vessels also face growing communications requirements.

Marine technologies and system integrator Elcome International has signed fleet service agreements with two major ship operators in the Middle East, the company announced today. Elcome will provide shore-based maintenance and service for navigation, automation and electrical systems for 45 crude and product tankers operated by a Dubai-based shipping company under a three-year contract. The scope of work will include periodic inspections, performance and health checks, routine overhauling and repairs. In addition, Elcome has signed an annual maintenance agreement for navigation and communication systems for 20 ships operated by an Abu Dhabi-based shipping company.

Inmarsat announced a new partnership with EM Solutions to develop the world’s first combined MilSatCom/Global Xpress (GX) maritime satcom terminal. The new terminal is scheduled to receive full Inmarsat accreditation during Q2 2016 and will be submitted for Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) certification. The new terminal, which is initially being created for an Australian Government customer, will contain a number of innovative features, including tracking via monopulse technology and easy switching between GX and MilSatCom systems, Inmarsat said, adding that the terminal will also be substantially lighter, lower cost and faster than any comparable MilSatCom device.

Honeywell unveils the TAM-442 satellite terminal for asset tracking and monitoring. This battery-powered terminal from Honeywell Global Tracking, a division of Honeywell Scanning and Mobility, is rugged, versatile and ideally suited for tracking a wide range of mobile and fixed assets, including trucks, vehicles, containers, rail cars and other heavy equipment. The new terminal offers a number of features, including Over-The-Air (OTA) configuration, a vehicle charger that allows users to operate the terminal even when charging, two general purpose input/output ports for connecting external equipment like door sensors and panic buttons…

Intellian, a global provider of stabilized marine satellite antenna systems, is partnering with Kymeta corporation to commercialize next generation Ku-band maritime satellite terminals. Intellian announced the partnership today at the SATELLITE 2015 conference in Washington, D.C. The terminals, built by Intellian, will integrate Kymeta’s thin, flat, lightweight, electronically beam-steered mTenna satellite antennas, which are built on metamaterial-based technology. “Intellian is very pleased to be partnering with Kymeta to bring to market the next generation of VSAT technology…

Airbus Defense and Space has added new features to its XChange communications management platform with the release of version 3.1 at SMM 2014. Headlining the new version is a unique system that provides Universal Remote Access to any device connected to on board networks or the IT network itself and new functionality that builds on the recently released BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) solution for XChange. Universal Remote Access as a new option for XChange provides secure remote access to computers on board a vessel from anywhere. It meets the growing need from ship-owners, communications equipment manufacturers, satcom service providers and maritime service companies to easily access IT networks on board from shore for maintenance and troubleshooting.

Over the past couple of decades, natural gas (NG) has become a fuel of choice for power generation. One way of increasing the availability of NG is through the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG). Global LNG trade is expected to grow by 30% in the coming few years. In connection to LNG production growth, receiving and re-gasification capacity must grow as well. A substantial part of this growth will come from the development of small-mid scale LNG receiving and re-gas terminals.

Intelsat S.A., a provider of satellite services, has provided an update on its satellite capacity and other critical connectivities being used in a number of restoration initiatives in the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan. Immediately after the disaster occurred, Intelsat began working with customers and partners to ensure that the necessary infrastructure and satellite capacity were in place to accelerate the restoration of vital communications for relief workers and businesses in the Philippines.

NSR's Maritime Satellite Markets report projects the market is entering the next phase of development aided by higher bandwidth offerings, increased regulations and a more demanding addressable market. In total, NSR forecasts the maritime satcom market to generate almost $4 Billion in revenues, demand for 200 transponders of FSS capacity and 28 Gbps of HTS capacity, and over 1 Million In-service Units by 2022. "With the launch of GEO-HTS maritime services just on the horizon and MEO-HTS not far behind, maritime markets are on the cusp of a bandwidth revolution -- yet, more data can also come in small bytes," explains Senior Analyst and report author, Brad Grady.

Clatsop Community College (Astoria, Ore.) recently purchased a series of Virtual Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (VGMDSS) simulators from Buffalo Computer Graphics. The system replaces an older BCG GMDSS simulator and is comprised of six student stations and one instructor station (GMDSSGUI). The simulator supports voice communication using VHF and MH/HF radios, along with text communication using radio telex and Inmarsat satellite terminals. Additionally, the VGMDSS package support NAVTEX, SART and EPIRB capabilities.

ABS granted engineering company GTT approval in principle (AIP) for a 32,000 m capacity LNG carrier design. "While a few membrane LNG carriers in the 20,000 m capacity range were built in the 1990s, this is the first new design to be introduced since that time," said ABS Vice President, LNG, Patrick Janssens. The reason for this innovation, Janssens says, is the development of new markets that have led to a keen interest in smaller LNG carrier designs. According to Philippe Berterottière, GTT Chairman and CEO, this state-of-the-art membrane vessel combines high cargo capacity with flexibility.

Beam Communications Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of World Reach Limited, has entered into an agreement with Beijing Marine Communications & Navigation Company (MCN) for the supply of an initial $1M of Beam Inmarsat marine satellite terminals. This initial order follows the trial and now acceptance of the Beam terminals after MCN committed in July 2012 to undertake a trial deploying 200 Beam Oceana 400 and Oceana 800 marine communications terminals on fishing vessels in China, using the Inmarsat FleetPhone Service.

Solution that increases efficiency of ship’s operations fits in Imtech Marine’s life cycle management strategy. A  global maritime company Imtech Marine (Rotterdam) and satellite communications specialist Navarino (Piraeus) have announced a partnership. Imtech Marine has become global supplier of Infinity, an advanced maritime bandwidth management and optimisation solution that can be used onboard ships equipped with IP-based satellite terminals (such as Fleet BroadBand or VSAT). Imtech Marine chose Infinity for its ability to support Imtech Marine’s Global VSAT network and various connectivity solutions. Imtech Marine offices that will be offering Infinity include Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, China, Singapore and USA.

Inmarsat signs contracts with initial land satellite terminal manufacturing partners for its forthcoming Global Xpress® service. Cobham Satcom, Paradigm Comm and Skyware Global will manufacture 0.6 to 2.4 metre aperture terminals to deliver up to 50Mbps downlink speeds. The range will cover fixed, transportable, 'fly-away' and 'manpack' terminal types. The terminals have been specifically designed for operation in the Ka-band and will utilise a new core module developed by VT iDirect to provide state-of-the-art capabilities. Scheduled for service introduction in 2014, Global Xpress will offer unprecedented high data rate (HDR) bandwidth and global coverage.

Connectivity and Communications Complete the Package. The complex task of operating any marine enterprise isn’t getting any easier. Financial, regulatory, operational, environmental and human resource pressures all increase over time. In the brown water, workboat world, these problems are exacerbated by the sheer number of smaller operators struggling to catch up with business requirements that have become increasingly sophisticated, and over a very short period of time. Keeping track of the new subchapter “M” rules…

Broadband for applications at sea is an area that is experiencing rapid growth and one that demands increasingly fast data transfer speeds. Levels of use are blossoming as communication, control and monitoring are increasingly being carried via onshore operative nodes. Inmarsat and Iridium, the two transmission systems currently in use, have reached their saturation point, and the next generation of satellite communication for the maritime industry is now starting to take shape. Several satellite operators are on the verge of launching global capacity to cover the world's seas.

MTN Satellite Communications (MTN) announced that it has been selected by German project- and heavy-lift carrier Beluga Shipping to install a broadband VSAT system on the new MV Beluga Shanghai. Beluga Shanghai is one of Beluga’s new P-class series of super heavy-lift vessels, which offers crane capacities between 800 and 1,400 tons and loading capacities of up to 20,000 deadweight tons. The shipboard VSAT’s will use MTN’s Ku-band network, which provides coverage over most of the major sea lanes around the world. The ship will also be equipped with Inmarsat Fleet Broadband 500 satellite terminals, which will be used as a secondary satellite connection with automatic switchover when out of Ku-band coverage area.

Delta Wave Communications, Inc. announced their new web based dTrac asset tracking solution. dTrac supports a variety of  satellite communications technologies for global asset tracking requirements. dTrac allows  assets and personnel to be tracked and managed through one login, or user defined groups, from any internet-connected PC or smart phone. Customers may track assets using their existing Inmarsat and Iridium satellite terminals, or any of Delta Wave's line of tracking products. End users are given more direct control over mapping options, such as grouping of assets and geo-fencing, which reduces support costs. Most recently, dTrac has become compatible with the NAL Research Iridium Shout Product…

France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications designed new features for its free SkyFile software package, making e-mailing at sea even easier and more practical and providing seafarers with communications solutions as efficient and rapid as those used on land. SkyFile is France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications’ proprietary software solution enabling the transfer of e-mails, faxes and SMS via Inmarsat and Iridium mobile satellite terminals. The new version compresses data sent by up to 90%, speeding up transfer times and reducing communications costs. The software also includes a SPAM filter and a black & white list option for better management of incoming e-mails.

United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) is installing Iridium satellite terminals on 29 ships, as well as at its home office in Dubai, U.A.E. in a move to reduce monthly satellite communication costs. World-Link Communications, Inc. is supplying and installing the Iridium satellite systems which will be serviced by Stratos, the leading global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions.

Iridium Satellite announced an expansion of its global network of value-added developers (VADs) program with the appointment of three new companies in key market sectors. The three companies are AirSatCom of Toulouse, France; MailASail of London; and Remote Equipment Monitoring and Assessment Services (REMAS) of Englewood, Colo. “By partnering with these global communications companies, Iridium is able to continue bringing innovative, new solutions based on emerging technologies to a broad base of customers all over the world,” said Greg Ewert, executive vice president of Iridium Satellite. AirSatCom provides customized satellite communications solutions and accessories for a variety of communication and fleet tracking applications for both the civilian and military sectors.