Satellite Communication Use News

Scientists aboard Britain's high-tech polar research vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough are headed to the Weddell Sea to investigate how carbon dioxide moves and transforms in the Southern Ocean.The ship departed Tuesday from Punta Arenas, Chile for the 30-day scientific expedition.As the carbon in the seawater rises to the surface near Antarctica, it interacts with the atmosphere, ice, and microscopic plants and animals, called phytoplankton and zooplankton, near the ocean surface, before descending to the ocean depths.

Applied Satellite Technology Ltd (AST) has officially been awarded the Intellian OneWeb Certification, authorizing the company to carry out installations of Intellian parabolic antennas.The certification, issued by Intellian, a provider of satellite communication and antenna systems, makes AST authorized to install and maintain Intellian's parabolic antennas. In addition, AST will offer certified training for Intellian OneWeb solutions, covering all modules including installation…

On October 23, NYK held its annual roundtable discussion on current conditions and issues on board vessels, highlighting the role of communications in ship safety.The meeting was held at the NYK head office in Tokyo in a hybrid format and attended by more than 150 participants, including three captains and three chief engineers on leave, the captain and chief engineer on board the car carrier Iris Leader, the captain aboard the crude oil tanker Tensho, 22 executive officers, and…

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.

Maritime communications and connectivity company Navarino and radio and satellite communication (satcom) solutions provider Cobham Satcom have extended their strategic partnership based on integration of next generation SAILOR XTR antennas with Navarino’s global connectivity services.Navarino, the world’s largest Inmarsat Fleet Xpress Value Added Reseller, also offers a full portfolio of Ku-Band solutions leveraging networks from Intelsat and SES. With Cobham Satcom as a partner…

Maritime satellite communications company Marlink, the smart network solutions company, has completed the acquisition of the satellite communications business of Hellenic Radio Services (HRS).Marlink said that the acquisition strengthened significantly its position and footprint in the strategic Greek market and enabled the company to further expand its service and support operations to meet the growing requirements of Greek shipowners."Through this transaction Marlink has acquired the satellite communication assets…

Singapore based shipping company Pacific International Lines (PIL) is installing satellite communication, or VSAT, on its entire fleet as part of its digitalization efforts to enhance seafarer wellbeing and improve productivity on board its ships. Communications technology group Singtel said it is one of the partners providing PIL with communications and cybersecurity solutions for 33 vessels in PIL’s fleet.“As a progressive company, PIL is constantly looking for ways to achieve business excellence and optimize operational efficiency.

Global maritime communications powerhouse Inmarsat earlier this year announced a pair of new tech offerings – ORCHESTRA and ELERA – that are touted as ‘the communications network of the future.’ We caught up with Ronald Spithout, President, Inmarsat Maritime, for additional insights on how these services will power the future of maritime IoT.As digitalization and IoT continues to drive innovation across the maritime sector, satellite communication will serve as the conduit, and smaller, faster and cheaper is the mantra.

A group of maritime industry and technology experts in Germany is working on a project to unlock remote control capabilities for safer and more efficient harbor tug operations.Backed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), the project is being led by Voith in partnership with the Hamburg University of Technology, the Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics and Services, the Federal Office for Hydraulic Engineering, winch and crane manufacturer McGregor…

Wärtsilä Voyage has signed a contract to deliver radio and integrated navigation systems for 10 icebreaking liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers to be constructed for the Arctic LNG-2 project.The order was placed in January 2021 and is now in process of execution, in partnership with South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd shipyard. The new contract is an extension of the announcement made last summer, where Wärtsilä Voyage equipped five LNG carriers with integrated bridge systems under the same project.

Ocean Infinity, a U.S. based marine survey firm developing the world's largest fleet of unmanned surface vessels - Armada - has ordered Sonardyne sensors for its robotic vessels.As reported previously, Ocean Infinity in February launched Armada, a marine technology and data company boasting the industry's largest fleet of unmanned surface vehicles (USV).Sonardyne said Wednesday it would provide the first wave of Ocean Infinity’s new Armada fleet with key sensor technologies for underwater platform navigation…

Gregory Darling and Applied Satellite Technology (AST) works with shipowners to help them use their bandwidth more efficiently for ship business and crew needs.When Gregory Darling, Group MD, AST, worked in the marine industry in the 1980s with a marine survey company, he needed to get word to one of his ships off of West Africa to recalibrate its course and head off to a new job. But the ship had left port, and radio calls to the ship went unanswered, resulting in two days of lost time and revenue.“That was frustrating and costly…

Finland-based marine engine and technology provider Wärtsilä said it has been contracted to deliver a complete bridge systems installation for five icebreaking liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled tankers to be constructed for the Arctic LNG-2 project. The navigational systems are delivered by Wärtsilä Voyage, the new business responsible for digital solutions and decision support tools to enhance safety and reliability of shipping operations.The order with Wärtsilä Voyage was placed in the first quarter of 2020 and now is in process of execution…

Satellite connectivity solutions provider COMSAT said it is extending the life of Inmarsat’s existing satellites through the leasing of an additional antenna at COMSAT’s Santa Paula, Calif. Teleport. The newly leased 12.8m antenna is transmitting and receiving in both C-band and L-band frequencies, bolstering capacity for the Tracking, Telemetry and Command (TT&C) and traffic operations of the Inmarsat satellite network. The Santa Paula teleport hosts Inmarsat’s Standard C equipment…

Elbit Systems announced Wednesday it has been awarded a contract valued at approximately $53 million to provide and integrate intelligence suites onboard Navy vessels in a Southeast Asian country. The contract will be performed over a two-year period.Under the contract, Elbit Systems will equip several vessels with suites that provide the capability to perform complex reconnaissance missions, generating an operational picture of the air, surface and underwater domains, it said.

Satellite communication provider Marlink has launched a range of airtime packages and application solutions to support its customers in the maritime, fishing and offshore industries during the COVID-19 pandemic.The ‘StrongerTogether’ initiative includes connectivity packages such as additional data top-ups, increased bandwidth and free or discounted voice minutes for ship operators to keep the crew onboard connected with their families as well as solutions to enhance remote IT…

Norwegian offshore services and supply vessel company Solstad Offshore has renewed its connectivity contract with Marlink, committing 65 offshore vessels to Sealink, Marlink’s high-throughput Ku-band VSAT service. Solstad’s vessels will be provided with Sealink Services and L-band backup to ensure seamless global connectivity.Solstad sought a flexible, customized service to meet the diverse demands of its offshore support vessel (OSV) fleet, Marlink said. Building on more than 10 years of partnership…

Intellian signed a strategic partnership  with Hyundai Global Service (HGS), a subsidiary of the shipbuilding company Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) group, on July 15 at Centum Science Park in Busan, Korea.As the first step of the cooperation, both companies will expand HGS’ innovative ‘Integrated Smart Ship (ISS)’ solution; a digital ecosystem for vessel and fleet management, incorporating a  data analysis platform. This solution supports optimal vessel operation and management and is expected to reduce fuel costs by over 6% per year.

The global leader of mobile satellite communication antenna systems Intellian is introducing the new 1.5m Ku to Ka convertible VSAT terminal, enabling high-speed broadband at sea and network gateways.The world’s first and only 1.5m Ku to Ka convertible VSAT, v150NX, is a future-proof system supporting 2.5GHz Wide Ka-band networks as well as GEO (Geostationary Earth Orbit), MEO (Medium Earth Orbit) and LEO (Low Earth Orbit) constellations.Its design delivers the best RF performance of any 1.5m system on the market today for ship owners, operators and network providers. It is easily converted to Ka-band by changing the RF Assembly and Feed…

The Coast Guard rescued seven people and a dog stranded on a sandbar after a their boat capsized in the Chilkat River near Haines, Saturday.An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Sitka landed on the sandbar approximately 7 miles northwest of Haines, picked up the survivors and brought them to the Haines Airport where they were placed in the care of Haines EMS shortly after midnight.Watchstanders in the Coast Guard 17th District command center in Juneau received the request for helicopter support from the Alaska State Troopers at about 10 p.m.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL)  is to increase the roll-out of Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress Service, across the remainder of its owned and managed fleet. The Japanese shipping company was among the earliest adopters of Fleet Xpress; deploying Inmarsat’s global high-speed broadband connectivity on the majority of its Car-Carriers in 2016, shortly after the launch of the next-generation service. Currently it has over 100 vessels installed. MOL will now install Fleet Xpress across its managed and owned fleet of Bulk carriers…

International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s Polar Code helps ensure that ships operating in the harsh Arctic and Antarctic areas take into account extremes of temperature and make sure critical equipment remains operational.Draft guidance for navigation and communication equipment intended for use on ships operating in polar waters is expected to be finalized by the current session of the Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR 6, 16-25 January).The guidance will include recommendations on temperature and mechanical shock testing, and on how to address ice accretion and battery performance in cold temperatures.The Sub-Committee will also consider the report of the 14th meeting of the Joint IMO/ITU Experts Group on maritime radiocommunication matters.

Maritime security specialist Naval Dome has come up with an innovative approach to managing the cyber security status of all protected systems onboard ships, allowing shipboard and shoreside staff to monitor and evaluate fleet-wide system data, even when they are offline. Until now, only crew members have been able to access a ship’s offline data sets.The Naval Dome Dashboard collects and collates all the data captured by the company’s multi award-winning Endpoint cyber protection…