Communications Management News

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…

Maritime connectivity and IT solutions provider Marlink said it has signed a new service agreement with Stolt Tankers, extending a partnership between the two companies that began in 2011.Under the new agreement, Marlink will provide Stolt Tankers’ fleet of 83 chemical and parcel tankers with a bandwidth upgrade, enabling even greater digitalization of its operations. The package includes version 5.0 of Marlink’s XChange communications management system, which will deliver greater efficiency in IT management processes as well as reinforced cyber security…

Leonhardt & Blumberg (L&B), Germany’s largest independent charter owner of 15,000-35,000 DWT container ships and ship management company, has renewed its long-standing partnership with Marlink for the provision of quality  global VSAT connectivity."Marlink’s managed connectivity service excellence and digital solutions are recognized as a strong foundation for the ship management company L&B’s on-going fleet digitization, which will deliver more efficient and greener maritime operations," said a press release."Marlink has established a firm position of trust through its existing partnership with L&B, thanks to consistently high quality of service and an active…

Rotterdam based ship management company Misuga Kaiun Holland B.V. selected Marlink to provide unlimited global Sealink VSAT connectivity for its dry bulk, multipurpose and wood chip carrier vessel fleet. Marlink will install one meter Ku-band antennas and integrate a package of solutions and applications designed to provide secure connectivity for business and operations as well as crew welfare.Misuga Kaiun Holland B.V. is the European subsidiary of Japan headquartered Misuga Kaiun Co., Ltd.

Marlink has announced the launch of ITLink, a complete portfolio of IT solutions for standardizing, simplifying and automating IT operations at sea and delivering substantial time and cost savings related to on board network IT administration and management through advanced dashboard and intelligent applications.The ITLink suite is designed to service the maritime industry as a standalone service with fleet wide standardization and digitalization for ship owners. This is more important than ever to ensure to take all the advantages of remote IT intervention onboard…

Marlink and its inhouse IT specialist unit Palantir are to be the preferred supplier for vessels managed by Klaveness Ship Management AS.Vessels in the fleet will be equipped with an advanced solution, combining KeepUp@Sea remote IT service with Sealink VSAT connectivity, as well as XChange centralized communications management and global L-band back-up. This supports Torvald Klaveness’ ambition of becoming the leading digital bulk operator while optimizing their business operations…

Maritime software specialist GTMaritime has appointed maritime satellite veteran Mike McNally as Sales and Marketing Director, as it sets about expanding into new territories.McNally has more than 25 years’ experience working in the industry both at sea and in senior maritime communications management positions. His appointment reflects GTMaritime’s desire to further develop partnerships with its existing customers and resellers, while extending its reach and presence in new territories.As McNally takes up his new role overseeing GTMaritime’s sales and marketing strategy and teams…

Marlink has boosted satellite capacity in the Indian Ocean and around the Falkland Islands with specific focus on delivering reliable, high bandwidth VSAT services to commercial fishing vessels.The new capacity is already enabling improved vessel and fleet operations and providing greater access to voice calling and Internet for crews on a number of Spanish tuna vessels in the Indian Ocean serviced by Marlink partner Nautical, while the extra bandwidth around the Falkland Islands has been put in place to meet a predicted spike in demand as more companies look for new fishing grounds.While delivering services direct to the end-user, Marlink also partners with leading satcom providers globally, such as Nautical, to deliver multi-band services to fishing fleets.

Dutch ship owner De Poli Tankers BV has extended its contract with Marlink, securing high-bandwidth global communication using the Sealink Plus service for its fleet of eight chemical tankers and two gas tankers. De Poli Tankers' in-house ITC company, Maritime Performances BV, chose to retain the Sealink Plus service for the future as it combines high-bandwidth VSAT with unlimited L-band back-up in a single easy to manage bundle, Marlink said. De Poli Tankers first migrated to Marlink VSAT from L-band only communications in 2013…

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.

Marlink said it has migrated Aker BioMarine’s Antarctic krill harvester fleet support ship, La Manche, to Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress service. The system provides a boost to crew communication facilities on board as well as enables vessels to benefit from improved business intelligence and remote access to the vessel’s IT network. The service uses the XChange Universal Remote Access (URA) solution, one of Marlink’s many Value Added Services available on Fleet Xpress. “Fleet Xpress has transformed our communication capabilities aboard La Manche.

Orbit Communications Systems Ltd., a provider of precision tracking-based communications solutions and airborne communications management systems, announced that a global NGSO (Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit) satellite operator placed a repeat order worth $645,000 for its OceanTRx 7-500 Ka-band maritime satellite communications platform. Delivery of the system, which will provide continuous broadband connectivity via satellite aboard cruise ships, is expected in 2017. “We put a lot into our relationships and deals like this prove it,” commented Eitan Livneh, Orbit’s CEO. OceanTRx 7 is a maritime satcom platform supporting a variety of 2.2-meter stabilized antenna system configurations in C, Ku, X and Ka bands.

Bergen headquartered Grieg Star has chosen Marlink’s Sealink VSAT Premium for its entire General Cargo Open Hatch fleet of 33 vessels. Operating on multiple routes worldwide, Grieg Star’s ships will benefit from seamless, high bandwidth global VSAT services with unlimited L-band back up included in the fixed monthly fee, ensuring continuous availability of vessel and fleet efficiency enhancing applications. Grieg Star’s decision to enable its digital operations with Sealink VSAT Premium…

Italian ship owner and long-term Telemar customer d’Amico Group has selected Marlink’s Sealink Premium Plus VSAT service to enhance connectivity across its fleet of over 50 product tankers and dry cargo vessels. Sealink Premium Plus provides global connectivity for d’Amico’s business and vessel operations, in addition to supporting crew welfare. With Sealink Premium Plus, the d’Amico fleet will receive a guaranteed Committed Information Rate (CIR) and completely unlimited Ku-band VSAT data in parallel to unlimited L-band back-up, for a single, fixed monthly fee.

Hamburg-based Leonhardt & Blumberg (L&B), one of Germany’s independent charter owner of handysize containerships, has become the first customer for Marlink’s new Sealink Business VSAT service. With Sealink Business on board, L&B’s fleet will operate using guaranteed minimum bandwidth regardless of the amount of data consumed, ensuring availability for business critical applications at all times. L&B will use its new on board communication capabilities to focus on operational improvements, including more electronic document handling and collaboration between vessels and shore-based personnel. While business processes are L&B’s primary driver for using Sealink Business, the company will also be able to improve its crew communication facilities.

Hamburg headquartered international ship operator NSC-Group has chosen Marlink to move its fleet of about 60 vessels to high bandwidth maritime VSAT. NSC-Group has chosen a 10GB data allowance per month per ship on Marlink’s Sealink VSAT, to ensure sufficient capacity is available across its fleet for all crew welfare and business/operational use. NSC-Group’s diverse fleet, consisting a mix of Container Ships, Multi-Purpose Carriers, Bulkers, Container Bulkers, Car Carriers and Tankers will all experience a significant data speed and capacity boost with Sealink VSAT services, supported by the XChange communications management system and business critical solutions such as SkyFile Mail.

United Arab Shipping (UASC) has installed Marlink’s news, entertainment and television solution XChange Media on 44 vessels. The product provides on-demand multi-lingual content to crew personal devices in an alternative manner to on-board satellite TV. UASC’s fleet is already equipped with Sealink, Marlink’s global high quality VSAT service, which provides seamless IP connectivity to optimise fleet management and electronic document handling systems, whilst providing significant bandwidth for crew communications. Deployment of XChange Media across the UASC fleet was carried out remotely and completed in less than a week. UASC increases crew satisfaction in a cost-efficient way through the provision of daily updated content on XChange Media.

NSB Niederelbe Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG (REEDEREI NSB) has chosen Marlink to supply fully managed VSAT services including connectivity and an extensive business critical solutions roll-out for its entire fleet of 50+ vessels. The contract, signed early in July, positions Marlink as NSB’s primary provider of voice and connectivity services, supporting the leading German shipping company to continue improving its crew welfare and operational communication facilities with fully integrated services and solutions. In addition to the management of containerships, tankers, bulkers and offshore jack-up vessels, REEDEREI NSB, Member of NSB GROUP, is active in crewing of its own ships as well as vessels of other parties.

With Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Zoe’s inaugural voyage completed this summer, the largest containership ever built is now operating with high-speed Marlink Maritime VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) on board. Marlink VSAT services provide connectivity for operational and crew communications on MSC Zoe and 130 other MSC ships. MSC is also saving time and money with a suite of integrated IT solutions designed to reduce network administration on board and provide easy access to communication services for crew, all enabled by the XChange communications management platform from Marlink.

The world’s first 18,800 TEU LNG-ready ultra-large containership, M.V. Barzan, was recently named at a ceremony in South Korea. MV Barzan is one of 17 (11 x 15,000 TEU and 6 x 18,800 TEU) advanced new containerships built by Hyundai Heavy Industries for United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), all of which will start their operational life with IP connectivity using Marlink VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal). With reliable broadband, this new generation of containerships is online and connected to shore 24/7…

Airbus Defence and Space has launched SkyFile Mail Manager, the latest addition to its SkyFile messaging portfolio. Designed to improve management of SkyFile Mail traffic and user accounts, SkyFile Mail Manager, as the latest value added service to work on the Aurora Global network, is a new online tool that provides IT management efficiency on board and ashore. The new tool provides detailed reporting and control of all accounts and features flexible user rights and ship/fleet grouping options, which makes it easier and efficient to manage email traffic.

In early June, the shipping community met in Athens, Greece for Posidonia 2014. While the focus in Athens tends to be skewed more toward the night life and after hour parties, Maritime Reporter was able to dig out some relevant product and service news from the exhibition center. Wilhelmsen Ship Service (www.wilhelmsen.com/shipsservice) introduced its fuel oil treatment range and integrated welding safety products and services at Posidonia. Engineered to maintain vessel performance and engine efficiency even when slow-steaming or burning low sulfur fuel…

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.