Inmarsat Maritime News

A ‘Connected Future’ seminar, organized by Inmarsat in collaboration with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News and moderated by Greg Trauthwein, encapsulated the critical roles technology and data sharing play in enabling more efficient and sustainable workboat operations, and in improving conditions for crew.Insights from leading Offshore Supply Vessel owners and operators capture the extent to which technology and data sharing are driving greater efficiency, sustainability and…

Danish offshore vessel owner Maersk Supply Service has selected the Fleet Data IoT platform from Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, to help optimize the performance of its first vessel battery installation onboard the Maersk Minder anchor handler.The solution will also allow Maersk Supply Service to evaluate how best to optimize the use of zero-emission energy storage systems across its fleet. According to Inmarsat, an end-user API gathers data from onboard equipment, automatically organizes it with time-stamps…

Intellian Technologies and Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the development of a next generation GMDSS safety terminal, designed for operation over Inmarsat’s ELERA L-band network.The new safety terminals will become the standard Inmarsat Maritime product for the next generation Fleet Safety service and will fulfil the requirements and performance standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as part of a range of maritime SOLAS approved ship borne equipment including Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS)…

Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, won the 2023 International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) Award for Innovation and Technology in Maritime Search and Rescue after a highly respected judging panel led by former IMRF Chair Michael Vlasto selected its entry from a shortlist of 10 individuals and organisations.Acknowledging “volunteer and professional search-and-rescue (SAR) personnel from around the world”, the prestigious award highlights “those who have shown excellence in their field…

The International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) has announced the winners of this year’s IMRF Awards, which recognize all those involved in global maritime search and rescue (SAR) efforts.The IMRF Awards acknowledge those that have shown excellence in their field, developed innovative technology and equipment, or acted as a role model to inspire others. The awards also shine a light on those colleagues who offer the tireless support, training, and planning that enables SAR crews to do what they do…

Realizing the full value of digital solutions far exceeds the capability of technology. The technology exists today to help offshore energy and maritime operators radically improve efficiency and cut costs in equal measure. The real trick to driving efficiencies is to take advantage of the latest technologies while at the same time negotiating the necessary culture change within individual organizations, to really reap the benefits.Harvest Technology Group is a relatively young and small Australian company that has caught the attention of a number of offshore and subsea industry heavyweights…

The 2023 edition of The Future of Maritime Safety Report from Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, reveals that the number of distress calls from ships at sea remains high, despite a continuing decline in vessel losses. The new report, which analyses Global Maritime Distress and Safety System information captured by Inmarsat, registered 853 distress calls from January to December 2022 – up from 794 in 2021.With the number of losses of vessels over 100 gross tonnage (GT) falling by 65% in the last decade…

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…

Norwegian offshore services provider Atlantic Offshore has agreed to a fleet-wide roll-out of Inmarsat’s all-in-one Fleet LTE service to ensure continuous connectivity in the North Sea.Inmarsat Maritime, a Viasat business, said the commitment will ensure Atlantic Offshore's vessels maintain continuous access to high-speed, low-latency connectivity in the North Sea during their offshore supply, seismic support and oil recovery duties.Fleet LTE will allow the vessels to connect to 4G offshore fiber networks when in range and Inmarsat’s Ka-band service…

Inmarsat, a mobile satellite communications services provider, will roll out an Internet-of-Things (IoT) solution to more than 60 of Saudi-based Zamil Offshore's vessels in the Gulf area.The solution - powered by Fleet Connect and Fleet Data delivered through Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress - will allow Zamil to identify, trial and select the best solutions to meet vessel performance expectations set by its charterer, Saudi Aramco. The news of the deal between Inmarsat and Zamil Offshore follows a successful trial on the fleet’s anchor tug, Zamil 57.

Ship management services provider Anglo-Eastern Ship Management has selected maritime communications provider Inmarsat to connect its crew.Anglo-Eastern, which uses Inmarsat's Fleet Xpress services, in 2019 became one of the first companies to sign up for Inmarsat’s crew internet solution, Fleet Hotspot, which, Inmarsat says, provides its seafarers "with reliable, high-speed connectivity and the  freedom to use their devices on board." According to Inmarsat, Anglo-Eastern doubled the free internet allowance for its crew in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on crew welfare.

Singapore-based offshore support vessel owner Vallianz Holdings is working to speed up the digitalization of its fleet of offshore support vessels (OSV) with a comprehensive package of connectivity services from Inmarsat.According to Inmarsat, its Fleet Xpress solution supports a variety of Internet of Things (IoT) applications for crew welfare, cyber security, data capture and analysis, and more. Through Fleet Data, provided on the Fleet Edge platform, Vallianz can collect, transfer…

Rotterdam-based gas-shipping company Anthony Veder has renewed its connectivity agreement with Inmarsat to increase its Fleet Xpress bandwidth allowance. The contract applies to every vessel in Anthony Veder’s tanker fleet."The agreement was reached following a successful trial in which Anthony Veder used the upgraded-bandwidth Fleet Xpress plan to run a data-intensive video-conferencing platform in a busy shipping lane," Inmarsat said."As well as supporting Anthony Veder’s increasing use of enterprise applications for more efficient business processes and seamless collaboration…

Mobile satellite communications specialist Inmarsat’s Fleet Hotspot has won the Mission to Seafarers Innovation Award at the Seafarers Awards Singapore 2022.Presented in a ceremony at the Regent Singapore hotel on 6 October, the award recognises Inmarsat for its outstanding contribution to crew welfare."With the well-being of seafarers under heightened scrutiny since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing crew-change crisis, recent amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 have made crew connectivity a requirement for shipowners.

Uniwise Offshore, a Thailand-based offshore support vessel (OSV) company, has boosted cyber-security standards across its OSV fleet by adopting technology from Inmarsat, a mobile satellite communications specialist."With reliable connectivity delivered by Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress, Fleet Secure Unified Threat Management (UTM) provides Uniwise with end-to-end functionality to protect its network from cyber-attacks and intrusion via infected devices," Inmarsat said."In the busy Gulf of Thailand, where a majority of Uniwise’s OSVs operate, connectivity is a key requirement.

Data usage on commercial maritime vessels has jumped more than threefold since 2019, according to new communications analysis by maritime comms specialist Inmarsat.Inmarsat said the study results underline the shipping industry’s reliance on digital connectivity to enhance operating efficiency and safeguard crew welfare during a period of unprecedented disruption to seaborne trade.The internal study undertaken by Inmarsat, which says it connects more vessels than any other provider…

Tankers, fishing vessels and bulk carriers were the three highest sectors for sending distress signals between 2018-2021, Inmarsat's The Future of Maritime Safety Report 2022 reveals.Among the findings from the Inmarsat data was an abrupt spike in GMDSS calls in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, which, according to the report, is likely to have been caused by “issues with crew change, rapid turnaround in ports and fatigue on board”.Peter Broadhurst, Senior Vice President of Safety and Security…

Mobile satellite communications company Inmarsat aid it has made its Fleet Xpress maritime broadband service available to shipyards. Installed during new building, Fleet Xpress for Shipyards eliminates time-consuming and costly installation works in port, offering owners a pre-fitted very small aperture terminal (VSAT) solution included in the initial cost of the vessel, the company said.“Fleet Xpress for Shipyards is a game-changer for shipbuilders and owners alike, streamlining installation…

Maritime satellite communications company Inmarsat now offers a service called 'Fleet Xpress Enhanced', which it says enables digitalization, decarbonization, and crew wellfare for the global shipping sector,."Fleet Xpress, enhanced by Fleet Edge, brings together the best of Inmarsat connectivity solutions to help global shipping companies harness the full power of a connected maritime ecosystem," Inmarsat says."Shipping companies can harness the full power of a digitally connected…

OceanGate Expeditions has announced Inmarsat as the satellite service provider for the 2022 Titanic Survey Expedition. Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress high-speed satellite service will enable OceanGate Expeditions’ at-sea crew to instantly connect with scientific and operational resources anywhere in the world and to share important findings immediately while enhancing safety for the entire operation. Following the tragic loss of life in the sinking of Titanic, the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) was adopted.

Inmarsat now offers Fleet Xpress for Shipyards, which is designed to eliminates time-consuming and costly installation works in port, offering owners a pre-fitted very small aperture terminal (VSAT) solution included in the initial cost of the vessel.“Fleet Xpress for Shipyards is a game-changer for shipbuilders and owners alike, streamlining installation, providing remote connectivity from vessel launch and enabling optimal integration between integral onboard systems,” said Ben Palmer, President, Inmarsat Maritime.

Mobile satellite communications provider Inmarsat has reached an integrated connectivity agreement with Norwind Offshore, a Norwegian offshore wind vessel owner established in 2021.The agreement covers connectivity and digitalization needs for three  Service Operation Vessels (SOV) operated by Norwind.The contract includes an existing Platform Supply Vessel undergoing retrofit to become an SOV, with delivery due in May 2022, and a letter of intent covering two newbuilds. All three vessels will have Inmarsat’s Fleet LTE.

Mobile satellite communications provider Inmarsat has secured a contract with the Norwegian offshore support vessel owner Golden Energy Offshore to provide its three-in-one network service Fleet LTE, to meet the needs of vessel charterers, crew, and operators.Using Fleet LTE, three Golden Energy Offshore support vessels will be able to switch between Fleet Xpress (Ka-band), FleetBroadband (L-band), and 4G coverage, depending on the strongest available signal, and band selection will be made automatically…