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Radio Communications News

29 Dec 2022

The More ‘Eyes On The Water’, The Better

An Ocean Aero Triton unmanned surface vessel operates alongside U.S. Coast Guard fast response cutter USCGC Emlen Tunnell (WPC 1145) in the Arabian Gulf, November 29, during Digital Horizon 2022. (Credit: Brandon Murphy / U.S. Army)

Manama, Bahrain -- Advancing maritime domain awareness in the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. Fifth Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) is a challenging task. Yet keeping the sea lanes open is critical for the region, for the U.S. and the world.U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), U.S. Fifth Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) are all headquartered here in Bahrain, under the command of Vice Admiral Brad Cooper. U.S. Fifth Fleet oversees the operations for all U.S. naval forces in the Middle East.

23 Nov 2022

US Kicks Off Unmanned & AI Systems Integration Event in Bahrain

Various unmanned systems sit on display in Manama, Bahrain, Nov. 19, prior to exercise Digital Horizon 2022. (Photo: Brandon Murphy / U.S. Army)

U.S. 5th Fleet began a three-week unmanned and artificial intelligence integration event in Bahrain, Nov. 23, that will involve employing new platforms in the region for the first time.The event, called Digital Horizon, will advance the command’s efforts to integrate new unmanned technologies while establishing the world’s first unmanned surface vessel fleet by end of next summer. U.S. 5th Fleet’s efforts are focused on improving what U.S. and regional navies are able to see above, on and below the water.“I am excited about the direction we are headed,” said Vice Adm.

15 Apr 2022

NTSB Publishes Report on New Orleans Tanker Grounding

CCTV footage looking downriver at 1522:26 shows the Bow Tribute when it struck the spud barge protecting the New River water intake pipes. (Photo: Crosby Dredging)

The decision to overtake a tow in a large river bend occupied by multiple vessels during high-river conditions led to the grounding of a tanker and contact with river intake fender systems in New Orleans, La., the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said.Marine Investigation Report 22/11 details the NTSB’s investigation into the March 16, 2021, grounding of the tanker Bow Tribute and subsequent contact with the fender systems protecting two river intakes owned by the city’s sewerage and water board.

07 Apr 2022

Sleepy Captain Piloted Tow that Struck a Lock Gate -NTSB

Ava Claire underway before the casualty. (Photo: General Marine Services​)

A captain assuming a watch immediately after waking led to a tow striking a lock gate in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said in its Marine Investigation Report released Tuesday.On March 22, 2021, the towing vessel Ava Claire was transiting westbound pushing two fully loaded tank barges in the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway near Intracoastal City, La. After entering the Leland Bowman Lock, the bow of the lead barge struck a closed lock gate, damaging and disabling the gate. No injuries or pollution were reported.

28 Feb 2022

Thuraya Launches Push-to-talk Comms Solution with Cobham SATCOM

(Image: Thuraya)

Thuraya Telecommunications Company, the mobile satellite services subsidiary of the UAE’s flagship satellite solutions provider, Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC, announced it has launched its new IP-based radio communications solution, Thuraya Push-to-Talk (PTT).Thuraya PTT has been developed with Cobham SATCOM, a provider of satellite communications solutions to the maritime and land markets. The solution will enable users to extend the range of their voice communications…

13 Jan 2021

Maritime Security: Neo-colonialism in the Gulf of Guinea

© Lucia / Adobe Stock

Is neo-colonialism in the Gulf of Guinea the answer to West Africa’s maritime crime crisis?In October 2020, China’s transport ministry established an ad hoc workgroup to lay down precautionary measures for ships and seafarers passing through high piracy risk West African waters.The move came as China told its vessels to up vigilance and implement a series of precautionary measures to ensure the security of ocea-going vessels and seafarers amid rising attacks and a surge in kidnaps in the Gulf of Guinea.Plans outlined by Wu Chungeng…

10 Oct 2020

Maritime Resilience and the Human Element at MRS2020

Register now for the 2020 Maritime Risk Symposium
https://ciri.illinois.edu/events/11th-maritime-risk-symposium-2020. © George Dolgikh/AdobeStock

Has the age of maritime discovery and exploration actually ended? Perhaps not exactly. As the history of maritime resilience and the human element shows, as far back as the 1500s and earlier, from using new navigational aids and improved ship designs, to coastal and inland route sailing, to navigating on open seas with uncertain charts, wayward icebergs, dense fog and luckily at times, clear starry nights, mariners have faced human element and maritime resiliency challenges. "Short of food and water…

02 Jul 2020

Fincantieri Acquires Comms Equipment Supplier

(File photo: Fincantieri)

Fincantieri said it has acquired a majority share in communications equipment supplier Support Logistic Services (SLS) as the Italian shipbuilding group continues its push to diversify and expand its product and service portfolio.Rome-based SLS, which produces, installs and maintens radar, satellite and radio communications systems for military and civil applications, will be added under Fincantieri's information technology and electronics subsidiary INSIS, part of the group's newborn Electronics, Systems & Software Division.

17 Jun 2020

BAE Systems Builds RIBs for Trinidad and Tobago Patrol Ships

(Photo: BAE Systems)

BAE Systems has been awarded a contract worth almost £2 million ($2.5 million) to provide six Pacific 24 (P24) rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) to Austal, based in Australia. The RIBs, built and customized in BAE Systems’ Boats factory in Portsmouth, U.K. are being supplied to Austal to equip two Cape-class Patrol Boats under construction for the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard.The P24 is a small and agile boat that can be deployed for a variety of tasks from counter-piracy and counter-narcotics missions, to force protection, rescue and logistics operations.

03 Feb 2020

BAE Systems Wins Navy Contract

British multinational BAE Systems was awarded a pair of contracts worth $300 million that will support the Navy in digital endeavors.The first is a $212 million contract from the Navy’s Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division to integrate and sustain critical communications systems. As per contract, BAE will design, acquire, integrate and test radio systems for new guided missile destroyers specifically, as well as other unspecified Navy and Coast Guard ships.Additionally, the company was awarded a separate $104.7 million contract by NAWCAD to provide engineering and technical services to support production, lifetime-support, and in-service engineering for the radio communications C5ISR (command…

05 Nov 2019

Thuraya Launches MarineStar

Photo: Thuraya

Thuraya has responded to strong demand from the maritime sector and distributors by launching the MarineStar, an affordable maritime voice solution with advanced two-way tracking and monitoring capabilities.Designed by the world’s most innovative provider of mobile satellite communications, the MarineStar is Thuraya’s new flagship voice terminal for entry-level maritime users. It is based on the same successful platform as other Thuraya voice hardware that have sold in excess of 1 million units to date.

29 Oct 2019

IMO Focus on SatCom

Terrestrial and satellite radio-communications are essential for routine communications and navigation and for ensuring the effective operation of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), to protect lives at sea.International Maritime Organization (IMO)  is at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) World Radio-communication Conference (WRC-19), in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, (28 October - 22 November) with the message that the integrity of maritime radio-communication services needs to be protected.The use of radio spectrum allocated to existing (and future) maritime radio-communication services must be safeguarded.An important item on the WRC-19 agenda is to support the introduction of the Iridium satellite system in the GMDSS…

26 Jun 2019

New Indictments in Table Rock Duck Boat Sinking

File Image: The Duck Boat salvage operation underway (CREDIT: USCG)

Two more employees of Ripley Entertainment, Inc. – the company that operated duck boat rides in Branson, Missouri – along with the captain of the duck boat that sank at Table Rock Lake last summer, resulting in the deaths of 17 people, have been indicted by a federal grand jury.Curtis P. Lanham, 36, of Galena, Missouri, and Charles V. Baltzell, 76, of Kirbyville, Missouri, were charged in a 47-count superseding indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield on Thursday, June 13.

18 Apr 2019

Design: RNLI’s Shannon Class Lifeboat

The RNLI has also introduced a new launch and recovery tractor, designed in conjunction with high-mobility-vehicles specialist Supacat Ltd, specifically for use with the Shannon. It acts as a mobile slipway.  Pictured is the Hoylake, UK Shannon class lifeboat being recovered from the sea. (Photo: RNLI/Dave James)

The latest lifeboat to join the fleet of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the main sea rescue service in the UK and Ireland, is the waterjet-propelled Shannon class, which the organization says is its most agile and maneuverable all-weather lifeboat yet to be deployed. Designed entirely in-house by RNLI engineers, cutting-edge technology has been used in this new boat to meet modern-day rescue service demands following the lead taken with the RNLI’s introduction of the Shannon’s sister lifeboat class…

31 Jul 2018

UN says Migrants' Return to Libya by Italian Boat Could be Illegal

A rescue operation in which an Italian towboat rescued more than 100 migrants and returned them to Libya earlier this week may have been in breach of international law, the United Nations said on Tuesday.A spokesman for the U.N. migration agency said it could not establish the location of the rescue, which is key to establishing migrants' rights, although some other parties involved in the case have made contradictory assertions about the incident including where it took place.The rescue coincides with a growing perception among human rights groups that some European countries are taking an increasingly hard line in their efforts to cut the number of migrants arriving on their shores…

04 May 2018

USCG Restores Radio Communications Along NC Coast

U.S. Coast Guard Sector North Carolina has restored radio communication capability Friday.Repairs were completed at approximately 4 a.m. after communications went down Thursday evening, leaving the Coast Guard unable to monitor radio traffic offshoreThe Coast Guard said HC-130 Hercules airplane had been launched Thursday night to monitor communications in the area on a temporary basis.

23 Feb 2018

France Ratifies Fishing Vessel Safety Treaty

Efforts to increase global fishing vessel safety have received a boost with France becoming the ninth State to ratify International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s Cape Town Agreement.    The treaty covers various important safety requirements including radiocommunications, life-saving appliances and arrangements, emergency procedures, musters and drills.   The Cape Town Agreement will enter into force 12 months after it has been ratified by 22 States which, collectively, have 3,600 or more fishing vessels of at least 24 metres in length operating on the high seas.   Ambassador Nicole Taillefer, Permanent Representative of France to IMO, presented the instrument of ratification to IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim at IMO Headquarters, London (23 February).

07 Nov 2017

Voices: Paul Smulders, CEO, Radio Holland

Paul Smulders (Photo: Radio Holland)

As Radio Holland Group (Rotterdam) finishes its ‘100th anniversary’ celebration in the maritime shipping industry, we caught up with Paul Smulders, CEO, Radio Holland, to discuss a century of accomplishment and the path ahead. Paul Smulders, CEO of Radio Holland since 2016, offers has a wealth of maritime experience and an in-depth perspective on Radio Holland, as this is actually his second run with the company, the first stretching from 1989 to 2012. “If you look at my tenure with the company…

03 Jan 2017

Carmanah Acquires EKTA Marine Aids

Carmanah Technologies Corporation  has completed the acquisition of the EKTA marine aids to navigation assets from Cybernetica AS of Estonia. The company had previously announced its intention to acquire the EKTA branded products and contracts on November 29th, 2016. "The acquisition accomplishes two important steps in our growth strategy," said John Simmons, Carmanah CEO. "The ETKA products will strengthen our worldwide product portfolio and allow us to provide more comprehensive single-source solutions for our marine customers. Under the terms of the agreement the purchase price will be EUR1.35 million and will be paid by way of EUR1 million in cash on closing and EUR0.35 million on the first anniversary of closing.

28 Mar 2017

Simulation: The Centre for Marine Simulation

Photo: The Centre for Marine Simulation

St. CMS operates a range of marine simulation equipment that covers a broad range of marine and offshore activities. Much of the equipment is highly specialized and unique including fully motion capable simulators. The center also provides technical management and support of simulation equipment that is used by other parts of the Marine Institute. CMS simulation activities can be divided into three main areas; Training, Industrial Response, and Applied Research. To support these…

03 Apr 2017

Seized Indian Dhow in Vicinity of Hobyo, Somalia

An Indian registered cargo dhow that was hijacked by suspected Somali pirates on April 1 is now in the vicinity of Hobyo, a major meeting point of pirates when they were most active in 2011, the EU Naval Force said on Monday, giving a location for the vessel for the first time. "An EU Naval Force maritime patrol aircraft has confirmed the exact location of the dhow and has attempted to establish radio communications but without success," it said in a statement on its website. "Investigations and operations are ongoing."   Reporting by George Obulutsa

08 Jun 2017

Cobham Comms for Six Newbuild CBO OSVs

CBO Bossa Nova and five other newbuilds will operate with Cobham SATCOM VSAT and Satellite TV (TVRO) antennas in addition to radio communication equipment  (Photo: Cobham Satellite)

Companhia Brasileira de Offshore (CBO) has chosen Cobham SATCOM VSAT and Satellite TV (TVRO) antennas in addition to radio communication equipment for installation on six new Offshore Support Vessels (OSV). CBO’s state-of-the-art new OSVs have been commissioned to fulfil development contracts offshore Brazil and will be entering service during 2017 and 2018. The Cobham SATCOM equipment has been installed and is already supporting operations on the first of the new OSVs, with installation aboard the second vessel scheduled this month.

14 Aug 2017

Fight Fatigue

© Anatoly Menzhiliy / Adobe Stock

Fatigue is a well known factor as a cause numerous maritime and non-maritime accidents worldwide. In fact driving while fatigued is considered just as bad as driving while under the influence. The requirements under the new Manilla amendments call for vessels and seafarers to log their work or rest hours to meet the standards set out under STCW 2010 or the MLC 2006. Anyone who has ever gone to sea however can tell you that these measures, although a step in the right direction do not necessarily mitigate fatigue anywhere near as well as the IMO and ILO lawmakers expect.