Communications Capabilities News

In the last week of April, with little fanfare, the U.S. Coast Guard released a much-anticipated opportunity to build up to 27 Waterways Commerce Cutters. After the detailed design and construction contract is awarded in Spring of 2022, a lucky shipbuilder will begin replacing the Coast Guard’s eclectic fleet of 18 venerable river buoy tenders (WLR) and 13 inland construction tenders (WLIC).The Coast Guard’s inland waterways maintenance fleet has been ignored for far too long.

Iridium Communications announced the first seven companies it has authorized to provide its Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) services, planned for commercial introduction in the first half of 2020. The seven companies, Arion Communications, AST, Marlink, Marsat, NSSLGlobal, Satcom Global and Speedcast will be the first in the industry to provide truly global satellite GMDSS service to mariners, and the first to offer a new choice in satellite network and equipment.

Real-time fisheries management and governance to ensure robust quota compliance and safeguard sustainable fishing.Inmarsat, along with its partners Addvalue Innovation Pte Ltd (Addvalue) and Network Innovations, have launched a type-approved IP-based terminal and Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) for fishing vessels operating in United States (U.S.) waters. The Addvalue iFleetONE communications terminal and proprietary VMS have been type-approved in four of the five U.S. Fisheries Management regions, as required by the U.S.

European spaceflight services company Telespazio and the shipping company Grimaldi Group have recently signed two contracts to strengthen the satellite communications capabilities of the Neapolitan shipping group on its fleet of cargo and passenger ships.Telespazio, a joint venture between Leonardo and Thales, said in a press release that the first agreement provides for managing on-board communications for RO/RO, RO/RO multi-purpose and PCTC (Pure Car & Truck Carrier) vessels in the Grimaldi Fleet that operate between Northern Europe, North and South America, West Africa, and the Mediterranean.Specifically, Telespazio will take care of the design and supply of on-board systems for satellite communications and related broadband services, including backup, on a multi-regional scale.

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.

Dubai-based Topaz Energy and Marine has signed an agreement with Orange Business Services for a Maritime Connect solution that connects its fleet at sea and supports the corporate network. Topaz is an offshore support vessel company for the global energy industry. The Orange integrated communications platform increases the efficiency of the fleet, lowers cost and improves the onboard experience for crew. Under a three-year agreement Orange is initially connecting 39 vessels from the Topaz fleet…

Live network testing conducted by Marlink over the newest Intelsat EpicNG High Throughput Ku-band satellite demonstrates that the v65 system will enable users to achieve high throughput connectivity for vessels of all sizes. Maritime satellite antenna systems provider Intellian Technologies said its v65 Ku/Ka band convertible satellite communications system has been independently tested by satellite communications service provider Marlink and exceeds all expectations in terms of performance efficiency on the company’s newly launched 60cm global network.

The U.S. Navy has a balanced fleet, but it wants to grow bigger and better. Will the budget allow both? Maritime Reporter's March 2017 cover story on the U.S. Navy was all about the numbers. There exists several plans to grow the fleet beyond the current number of 308 ships, the Mitre recommendation of 414 ships, the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment 340-ship proposal, and the Navy’s decision to grow the fleet to 355 ships, and the Trump administration’s 350. With so many numbers being bandied about, there are even more suggestions on how to get there.

The Navy's fifth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite has reached operational orbit and has successfully deployed its arrays and antennas. On Oct. 22, the MUOS team raised the MUOS-5 satellite to an operationally-suitable orbit. The team completed a series of deployments of the satellite's solar arrays and antennas, with the last occurring successfully Oct. 30. MUOS-5 launched June 24 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and experienced a failure of its orbit raising propulsion system that halted the satellite's transfer orbit maneuver to its geosynchronous test orbit. The MUOS team ensured the satellite remained stable, safe, and under positive control while it investigated the issue and examined options.

Navy Unveils Firefighting Robot Prototype at Naval Tech EXPO. Scientists unveiled a firefighting robot prototype Feb. 4 at the Naval Future Force Science & Technology EXPO, revealing details about its successful demonstrations last fall. The Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR), sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), walked across uneven floors, used thermal imaging to identify overheated equipment, and used a hose to extinguish a small fire in a series of experiments Nov. 3-5, 2014 aboard the USS Shadwell, a decommissioned Navy vessel.

Scientists unveiled a firefighting robot prototype Feb. 4 at the Naval Future Force Science & Technology EXPO, revealing details about its successful demonstrations last fall. The Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR), sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), walked across uneven floors, used thermal imaging to identify overheated equipment, and used a hose to extinguish a small fire in a series of experiments Nov. 3-5, 2014 aboard the USS Shadwell, a decommissioned Navy vessel. Developed by researchers at Virginia Tech, the two-legged, or bipedal, humanoid robot is helping ONR evaluate the applications of unmanned systems in damage control and inspections aboard naval vessels…

General Dynamics C4 Systems’ cyber-defense products team recently delivered the 100,000th TACLANE®-Micro (KG-175D) in-line network encryptor to the U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR). SPAWAR develops, delivers and sustains communications capabilities for warfighters, keeping them connected wherever they are around the world. Introduced in 2007, the rugged TACLANE-Micro is one of the most popular in-line network encryptor certified by the National Security Agency (NSA) to protect information classified Top Secret and below. The TACLANE-Micro provides cyber defense for networks operating in U.S. government agencies, embassies and military command and operation centers worldwide.

The 124 MSC’s vessels will be the first to benefit from AuroraGlobal, the new all-in-one high throughput maritime VSAT offering. MSC Cargo Italy has contracted Marlink to deliver the new WaveCall Plus high-speed Broadband VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) package for its entire fleet of 124 vessels. WaveCall Plus is part of AuroraGlobal, the new multi-band high-speed initiative launched by Airbus Defence and Space in March 2014. Already using VSAT on board its ships, MSC selected…

The U.S. Navy is mapping out how to expand its presence in the Arctic beginning around 2020, given signs that the region's once permanent ice cover is melting faster than expected, which is likely to trigger more traffic, fishing and resource mining. "The Arctic is all about operating forward and being ready. We don't think we're going to have to do war-fighting up there, but we have to be ready," said Rear Admiral Jonathan White, the Navy's top oceanographer and navigator, and director of the Navy's climate change task force. "We don't want to have a demand for the Navy to operate up there, and have to say, 'Sorry, we can't go,'" he said.

The Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, Admiral Bob Papp, Jr. spoke of the Arctic as an emerging frontier during the 2013 State of the Coast Guard Address in February 2013. He said, “… one example of what our future holds can be seen in the emerging frontier of the Arctic, where there is a new ocean appearing. In September 2012, we observed the lowest sea ice extent in recorded history, and there are vast areas of open water where there used to be ice…As the receding ice increasingly gives way to commercial ventures…

Vice Adm. John Miller, U.S. Navy, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), U.S. 5th Fleet, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) , spoke to delegates attending the IQPC Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Middle East 2013 conference just after participating in the 8th International Institute For Strategic Studies (IISS) Manama Dialogue to discuss the development and implementation of regional security and provided a platform for leaders from more than 30 countries to engage in inter-governmental dialogue on sensitive regional issues.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., said it regained normal communications capabilities in the northern Great Lakes region Tuesday, following outages throughout the region as a result of storms. Restored communication capabilities include Rescue 21 coverage throughout northern Lake Michigan, northern Lake Huron and all of Lake Superior. Rescue 21 is the Coast Guard’s advanced command, control and direction-finding communications system. It was created to better locate mariners in distress and to save lives and property at sea. Rescue 21 harnesses state-of-the-market technology, and enables the Coast Guard to execute its search and rescue missions with greater agility and efficiency.

U.S. Coast Guard units assigned to Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., are using alternative methods to monitor marine radio frequencies for possible mariners in distress during extended outages throughout the region. Due to recent storm damage, the Coast Guard is experiencing significantly reduced radio coverage and communications throughout northern Lake Huron, northern Lake Michigan, and all of Lake Superior. The storms knocked out power for many across the Great Lakes…

Optimizing both a fleet of workboats and the business model that makes all of that possible is probably the highest priority item on your plate, every day. And, as you will soon discover within the pages of the latest edition of MarineNews, fleet optimization can mean 10 different things to 10 different operators. The way forward for those that will survive this robust but equally difficult business climate necessarily involves regulatory compliance, a weather eye on new rulemaking efforts that loom large in the center porthole, successfully navigating the need for the Holy Grail of fuel economy and reduced stack emissions and a dozen more goals. I don’t have to list them all; you already know what you are up against.

Inmarsat has announced that Shared Services Canada (SSC) will deploy FleetBroadB & new Assured Access service for 29 Canadian warships. The contract to provide these services to Government of Canada is now under the responsibility of SSC. The Government of Canada established SSC in August 2011 to consolidate its data centers, telecommunications and email systems. Deployment of these services to the Canadian Navy started in October 2012. FleetBroadband will provide the ships with global broadband connectivity while at sea – for email, internet and data services and voice communications. Since Inmarsat introduced FleetBroadband in 2007, it has been deployed on more than 30,000 commercial and government vessels worldwide.

Now in its fourth year, Project Kaisei has come to rely upon satellite communications for effective communication with colleagues ashore as well as its global support base. Mary Crowley talks about how the project’s requirements for communications are continuously evolving. In the digital age it is easy to take for granted the benefits that reliable connectivity provides. In the maritime industry alone, always-on communications are supporting a wealth of applications to improve operational efficiency and crew welfare.

On August 19, the U.S. Coast Guard officially accepted the installation of the Rescue 21 search-and-rescue system that will provide enhanced life-saving communications capabilities to the entire Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River, reaching as far as Washington, D.C. Rescue 21 enables the Coast Guard to quickly respond to and assist distressed mariners, saving lives and property. It also provides a wireless communications network that the Coast Guard can use to communicate with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and other emergency first responders.

Faced with a growing need for reliable connections to shore and increased control over variable and increasingly expensive communications costs, M. H. Simonsen ApS, of Denmark, recently adopted the TracPhone V7 and mini-VSAT Broadband(SM) service from KVH Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:KVHI) as its primary communications solution on six ice class oil/chemical tankers. Communications capabilities are also important factors in strengthening the competitive position for commercial shipping companies through the Ship Inspection Report Programme (SIRE), which tracks safety and quality in the shipping industry and helps fleets with high scores to secure the most lucrative contracts. Simonsen is performing very well in several important SIRE ranking categories, thanks to mini-VSAT Broadband.