Internet Access News

ClassNK has granted its Innovation Endorsements for Products & Solutions to an internet payment facility V.Pay, an AI maritime camera surveillance solution V.Sight, and a wearable AR smart-glass solution V.Sion, developed by iO3.ClassNK has verified the functions of V.Pay: crew internet payment facility with user-friendly portal, flexible Wi-Fi plans, payment integration, real-time account management and simplified crew internet access.For V.Sight, ClassNK has reviewed: maritime camera surveillance with AI video analytics…

U.S. shipping company Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) announced it will equip all vessels in its fleet with Space X’s Starlink satellite internet service in a move that aims to enhance onboard connectivity for seafarers.Since the introduction to the market of Starlink’s Global Maritime service earlier this year, OSG’s IT department has worked to substantially complete installation of Starlink equipment on every vessel in the fleet of OSG and ATC, with full installation expected by year end…

Digital solutions company Marlink has partnered with LEO internet operator Eutelsat OneWeb to provide digital connectivity solutions to cruise company Ponant.Ponant will deploy the Eutelsat OneWeb service on its polar exploration icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot, providing guests and crew with high throughput and low latency internet access across the vessel’s itinerary.Leveraging Marlink’s expertise in smart hybrid networks, the bandwidth delivered by Eutelsat OneWeb will enable Ponant’s seamless collaboration between the ship’s bridge, engineering crew and shore teams.

Seafarers’ unions and maritime employers have signed a four-year agreement that will see significant wage increases and dozens of workplace protections and improvements for over 250,000 seafarers’ serving on more than 10,000 vessels.The International Bargaining Forum (IBF), the forum that negotiates the world’s largest global collective bargaining agreement, agreed terms for the 2024-2027 IBF Framework Agreement last week in Berlin.Seafarers covered by the agreement will receive a 6% wage increase over the next two years (4% wage and compensations increase from January 1…

Klaveness Combination Carriers ASA (KCC) announced it is exploring the potential of improved vessel connectivity with a pilot of Starlink, a satellite internet service provisioned by Marlink. The move focuses on improving digital collaboration and data exchange between shore and ship, a key step in reaching KCC’s targets set for crew safety/welfare and carbon emission reductions, the company said.Taking traditional VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) connectivity to the next level…

Digitalization in the maritime industry continues to grow. Technology is constantly evolving, providing organizations with new ways to transform and manage their operations with adoption of technology creating first-mover advantage and future relevancy, and positivity impacting margins. The offshore services industry has been a major driver in the trend towards utilization of remote inspection and monitoring technology for Inspection, Repair, and Maintenance (IRM) of critical assets and infrastructure.

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.

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.

A Dutch-flagged cruise ship will provide a temporary home to some 1,500 Ukrainians who fled their country in the wake of Russia's invasion.Holland America Line said its vessel Volendam will be used to accommodate Ukrainian refugees as part of an agreement announced by Netherlands and City of Rotterdam government officials. The ship will dock at Merwehaven, a cargo port on the north side of the River Maas in Rotterdam, for three months to provide a temporary home for approximately 1,500 Ukrainians, part of a larger commitment from the Netherlands to accommodate 50,000 people who fled the war in their homeland.“We are in a unique position to accommodate the immediate need for food and housing…

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.

Q88 LLC, a provider of software as a service (SaaS) technology to the maritime industry, has launched a new Styrene Monomer Temperature Log and Inhibitor Depletion Tool, available to Milbros Premium Subscribers with ships having Milbros Onboard subscriptions.Styrene Monomer needs to be stowed away from sources of heat during voyages to prevent it from polymerizing. However, during transport on chemical tankers, cooling facilities are not usually available, and there has been an…

President Joe Biden signed into law a $1 trillion infrastructure bill at a White House ceremony on Monday that drew Democrats and Republicans who pushed the legislation through a deeply divided U.S. Congress.The measure is designed to create jobs across the country by dispersing billions of dollars to state and local governments to fix crumbling bridges and roads, and expanding broadband internet access to millions of Americans.The bill-signing ceremony, held in chilly weather on the White House South Lawn to accommodate a big crowd…

It’s home learning, but not as we know it. As children in the UK wave goodbye to home school this World Book Day (March 4), hundreds of pupils in the Philippines are still getting their schoolwork delivered to them – by boat.Schools in the Philippines have been closed and children have been told to stay at home since early 2020 as the islands wait for vaccine rollouts.

The Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) teamed up with Coast Guard Cutter Campbell’s crew this summer to evaluate five technologies as part of the RDC’s annual Arctic Technology Evaluation. The Campbell crew conducted the evaluations during their two-month deployment supporting joint Arctic operations off Greenland’s western coast, returning to their Kittery, Maine, homeport on Sept. 29, 2020.“Testing various technologies by cutter crews for operation in cold and Arctic environments provides highlights on what works and what may need improvement…

Classification society ABS launched a new suite of fleet management and vessel compliance services powered by its smart functionality and advanced analytics which will also be available through a new mobile app.An enhancement to the ABS MyFreedom client portal, the new portal and digital tools are designed to simplify access to operational, technical and compliance fleet intelligence and all ABS Class services to manage fleet operating health and performance.New smart functionality launched today includes:The ABS Smart Scheduler…

The shipping industry is finally embracing technology that is changing how companies operate. Despite lagging behind other industries, the shipping industry is currently experiencing an exciting period of digital transformation, with cloud technology and mobile apps welcomed by leading global shipping companies, changing ship management forever.Companies are increasingly using mobile apps to manage all aspects of their business – to automate tasks, manage their processes, resourcing and to improve the wellbeing of seafarers…

Two decades into the 21st century, we’re seeing a growing and pernicious threat to global information security: ransomware. Even non-technical folk have loosely heard of it, but the broader implications haven’t yet penetrated the public consciousness. In different industries, that general lack of awareness could be a big problem—and the maritime sector is a good example.Ransomware hits at the confluence of two critical trends in modern technology: the ever-increasing integration of IT systems into daily life, and the interconnectedness of those IT systems.

The global provider of mobile satellite communications Inmarsat and the Panasonic Avionics Corp subsidiary ITC Global have announced a five-year strategic collaboration.The partnership enables the organisations to combine their highly complementary, market-leading services to offer broadband connectivity, paired with high-value connectivity solutions to customers in the maritime, yachting and offshore energy sectors.ITC Global will offer Inmarsat’s market-leading Fleet Xpress service, incorporating the Ka-band solution into its existing comprehensive range of Ku-band connectivity services. Fleet Xpress for Offshore is powered by the Global Xpress Ka-band network…

If autonomous vessels are the future of maritime shipping, then cyber threats may be its Achilles heel. Congested shipping, restricted visibility, limited maneuverability, and intensive docking activities all contribute to port hazards – 42 percent of EU reported marine accidents (injury/death/damage to ships) took place in port areas and 44 percent of workboat fatalities occurred on Tugs. Autonomous shipping should provide numerous benefits including increased safety by relieving crewmembers of unsafe and repetitious tasks.

The largest Liquid Ethylene Gas (LEG) ship owner in China has agreed a commitment to install Fleet Xpress connectivity from Inmarsat, the world leader in global, mobile satellite communications on all its vessels. This will also include Inmarsat’s Fleet Secure Endpoint, the new line of defense in the multi-layered strategy to thwart cyber threats.Pacific Gas has committed to the new Fleet Secure Endpoint solution within the terms of its agreement to install Fleet Xpress across…

The internet access for seafarers for personal use on board ships more widespread and available than previously imagined and the positive benefits associated with this access outweigh the feared safety concerns around the technology, said a survey.The responses to the survey carried out by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), with support from the Asian Shipowners’ Association (ASA), indicate that the provision of internet access to seafarers for personal use may have improved the mental health and well-being of seafarers (according to 60% of respondents) and the morale…

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.

Rose Point Navigation Systems is shipping the latest release of it's immensely popular commercial navigation product. Rose Point ECS 4 brings to the commercial customer new Voyage Planning tools to streamline Subchapter M Navigation Assessment workflow, automatically creating river routes showing locks and bridges, as well as updating AIS voyage information including encoded destinations and tow size.Rose Point ECS 4 with Services helps administrators and captains meet the requirement for paperless navigation outlined in the Coast Guard NVIC 01-16 for most inland vessels.