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Satellite Connection News

20 Sep 2023

Remote Operations: Challenges & Opportunities

Image courtesy Harvest Technology Group

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.

15 Nov 2021

ClassNK grants Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to SEAHARMONY’s “SEAWALKER web platform”

ClassNK has granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to “SEAWALKER web platform”, the software solution for remote assistance and complex maintenance operations developed by SEAHARMONY LP.In July 2020, to promote the spread and development of innovative technologies, the Society launched Innovation Endorsement as a swift certification service in cooperation with technological front runners to establish appropriate evaluation criteria. Among the certification categories, "Products & Solutions" covers digital equipment and software technology installed for use on vessels.SEAWALKER web platform is a software solution for remote assistance and complex maintenance operations.

25 Feb 2021

Smart Ship Hub to Offer KVH Watch Services

© Naypong Studio / Adobe Stock

Remote vessel and voyage management platform Smart Ship Hub will offer KVH Watch connectivity to enable actionable insights for vessels.KVH Industries announced Thursday that Smart Ship Hub is now a KVH Watch Solution Partner and will offer KVH Watch services as part of its range of remote technical and operational management solutions. The Smart Ship Hub platform provides performance advisory and predictive diagnostics for vessel performance optimization as well as remote video…

21 Oct 2020

Bandwidth Efficiency will Drive Maritime Digitalization

Applied Satellite Technology (AST)

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…

08 Jul 2020

SCG Opts for Castor 4G Package on 30 Ships

SCG Longdijk (Photo: Flying Focus)

Shipping Company Groningen (SCG) has contracted offshore internet services provider Castor Marine to install its Global 4G Connectivity package on all 30 of its vessels. With this, the coasters will have a fast, global 4G-LTE internet connection for its crews. On its fleet, SCG offers its personnel a Crew Welfare Zone with free internet within the 12-mile (4G) zone. To realize this, SCG wanted a plug-and-play, cost-efficient system that is always operational and doesn’t interfere with the crew’s activities.To make this happen…

28 Jul 2020

Hydrographic Survey Vessel to be Converted for Unmanned Operations

Deep will upgrade one of its survey vessels with a Sea Machines SM300 autonomous control system. This system enables remote command of the vessel, including navigation and positioning, the control of on-board auxiliaries and sensors, and ship-to-shore data flow. The vessel, operating in multiple areas of the Wadden Sea, will be commanded by personnel in the Amsterdam office. (Photo: © Deep BV)

A hydrographic survey vessel will operate in multiple areas of the Wadden Sea, commanded from shore by personnel in an office in Amersterdam.U.S.-based Sea Machines Robotics, a developer of autonomous command and advanced perception systems, said Thursday that Dutch company Deep BV will equip one of its vessels with a Sea Machines SM300 autonomous control system to enable remote command of the vessel, including navigation and positioning, the control of on-board auxiliaries and sensors, and ship-to-shore data flow.

27 Mar 2020

Opinion: Getting Ahead of the Reality

Frank Coles, CEO, Wallem Group

In a few short months, the mayhem wrought by coronavirus has changed the world. Our response to the epidemic [more than the virus itself] has the potential to permanently alter the balance of the global economy. But it might be the kind of Black Swan event that we need to trigger real change in the shipping industry – and in particular its approach to digitalization of vessel operation.Like the worldview bubbles created by social media algorithms and fake news, the maritime industry is living in its own digitalization fantasyland - one fueled by vendor delusion and media misinformation.

01 Oct 2019

Bureau Veritas Aproves IoT Platform Fleet Data

Fleet Data from Inmarsat has received Approval in Principle (AiP) from leading classification society Bureau Veritas.This is a major milestone for the maritime industry’s leading secure sensor data and Internet of Things (IoT) platform. Conditions of approval by Bureau Veritas verify that Fleet Data can be installed safely on board without its operation affecting existing navigation, safety and radio communication systems.The bandwidth-inclusive platform allows ship owners and managers to take control of sensor data collected on board, pre-process, extract and aggregate it in cloud-based storage to be exploited by the operator’s own decision-making software or third party applications.

29 Jan 2019

NSSLGlobal, Teekay Sign Four-Year Satcom Contract

The global satcom provider NSSLGlobal has announced a four year, multi-million enhanced contract for communication and entertainment services with Teekay Shipping Corporation, the marine energy transportation, storage and production company.According to a release, the latest contract will provide an upgraded bandwidth capability across the Teekay fleet alongside the installation of NSSLGlobal’s new virtualised Cruise Control+ appliance and the rollout of CrewVision, its crew entertainment service.The new contract cements the longstanding relationship between NSSLGlobal and Teekay dating back to 2004. The winning formula stems from NSSLGlobal’s…

31 Jul 2018

Augmented Reality Creates a New Dimension in Marine Maintenance

Photo: Wärtsilä Seals & Bearings

Digitalization and the rapid development of new technologies is fundamentally transforming the marine industry. New innovations increase efficiency and flexibility. However, these innovations are no longer confined to products and systems. They will also revolutionize marine maintenance services. Wärtsilä Seals & Bearings is introducing augmented reality and smart glasses in stern tube seals & bearings services, creating a whole new dimension in repair and maintenance operations.The augmented reality technology does not only have one specific application.

19 Jul 2017

IT Package Ordered for Australian Arctic Research Ship

Artist impression Antarctic Supply Research Vessel (ASRV) for the Australian Antarctic Division.  (Photo: Radio Holland)

Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS, Vlissingen) has awarded Radio Holland a contract to supply the IT systems on board the state-of-the-art Antarctic Supply Research Vessel (ASRV) newbuild for the Australian Antarctic Division. The 160m ASRV is a survey vessel which combines icebreaking, survey and supply activities. The vessel will be able to break ice up to 1.65 meters at a speed of 3 knots and will supply Australia’s permanent research stations in Antarctica and Macquarie Island with cargo, equipment and personnel.

02 May 2017

AlphaBridge Consoles Delivered to Egbert Wagenborg

Wagenborg bridge (Photo: Alphatron Marine)

Alphatron Marine has announced to have delivered a state-of-the-art premium design AlphaBridge to the vessel Egbert Wagenborg, a modern, multi-purpose open-top ice strengthened vessel, named after the company’s founder. The ergonomically designed AlphaBridge with four 46-inch wide screens include remote support and an onboard information system. The Egbert Wagenborg navigation system contributes of a new level of onboard safety with JRC’s latest multi-function radar, ECDIS and conning which is operated on four large phenomenally bright displays that can be seen from nearly every angle.

07 Jun 2016

EMC Unveils New Suite of Global Marine VSAT Services

EMC today announced a new global Ku-band VSAT package of connectivity and content for ships at sea, optimized for the next-generation high-throughput satellite (HTS) networks that are now being deployed. “Designed with crew welfare as a top priority, the new EMC VSAT platform offers a combination of services and capabilities never before available from a single marine VSAT supplier,” said Gilles Gillesen, president of EMC’s commercial shipping business unit. EMC’s patented SpeedNet technology solves the age-old problem of latency in web access at sea. Using a proprietary intelligent protocol and global backbone, SpeedNet predictively fetches, compresses and pushes multiple layers of websites at once to local servers.

01 Feb 2016

Cyber Security In Shipping & Offshore Ops

Sources: DNV The amount of communication options is growing for  shipping and offshore installations. Communication broker solutions  from Maritime Communication Partner (MCP) is shown at left and Inmarsat Plc at right.  GL, MCP, Inmarsat Plc

Global shipping and offshore oil and gas operations are increasingly dependent on integrated networks, based on various software and data transfer solutions. Systems and equipment onboard are interconnected, monitored and controlled through an onboard automation network. Onboard systems are increasingly also connected ashore to the owners’ or technology providers’ control centers. Equipment manufacturers want to remotely upgrade the software of their systems and monitor their use to be able to optimize operations and to scheduled needed maintenance service.

12 May 2014

Loss of MH370: Inmarsat Offer Free Global Tracking

In advance of the conference on aircraft tracking currently being hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Montreal, Inmarsat has confirmed that it has proposed to ICAO a free global airline tracking service over the Inmarsat network, as part of the anticipated adoption of further aviation safety service measures by the world’s airlines following the loss of flight MH370. This service is being offered to all 11,000 commercial passenger aircraft, which are already equipped with an Inmarsat satellite connection, virtually 100 per cent of the world’s long haul commercial fleet. In addition to this free global airline tracking service…

19 Feb 2014

traveltronic Goes to UAE

Level421 GmbH developed mobile communication solutions in the past few years and introduced these into the market 2013 under the label traveltronic. The company today develops, produces and provides mobile communication solutions for vehicles and ships, and also offers airtime services. The developments for this, especially for the ALL.in.ONE System, have been performed in Ulm, Germany. ALL.IN.ONE combines GSM mobile communication with satellite internet capacity solutions to one very compact ALL.in.ONE solution. Whenever the vehicles or ships got a connection to the GSM network, it uses the fast 3G UMTS or even faster 4G LTE networks. Just if there is no GSM network available the solution switches to satellite connection.

30 Aug 2013

Caribbean Pirates Loot Message-in-the-Bottle

Bottle on the beach: Photo courtesy of Solo/Arjuna Maciel Camargo

In a page straight out of the next Pirates of the Caribbean-script, a well-known promotional campaign involving a 26 feet long message-in-a-bottle, has been robbed by aquatic pirates somewhere east of Barbados. Solo, a Norwegian soft drink company, released the 2.5 tons replica soda bottle outfitted with solar panels, a camera, and tracking technology to the ocean currents of Tenerife back in March, 2013. Some 145 days later they lost satellite connection with the bottle and the GPS-tracking stopped working.

15 Feb 2013

Buzz Marine Adds Switchbox to HubbaX

Photo: Buzz Marine

UK based Buzz Marine, the suppliers of HubbaX mobile broadband for maritime applications, has developed a new system for its mini dome to allow automatic switch from a vessel’s VSAT communications system to its land-based mobile system on which the HubbaX operates. The changeover is delivered through an intelligent ‘switchbox’ which prefers the 3G signal, when no 3G signal is available VSAT connection continues. With the signal strength benefits of the HubbaX (up to four times more powerful and more stable than a mobile phone) connection can be achieved up to 20 miles offshore…

23 Oct 2012

Information Edge

The need for ship-to-shore information exchange has never been greater. Lawrence Poynter product director at iOra explores the sophisticated connectivity solutions that can keep the fleet afloat. For armchair sports fans, 2012 has been a bumper summer of wall-to-wall media coverage. For naval crews, getting the latest NASCAR results, football scores or Olympic record times is more difficult – but not impossible. Many shipping firms recognize that making sports reports available to their crews is an important way to remove the sense of isolation often felt onboard.

13 Aug 2010

MTN Satellite for MV Beluga Shanghai

MTN Satellite Communications (MTN) announced that it has been selected by German project- and heavy-lift carrier Beluga Shipping to install a broadband VSAT system on the new MV Beluga Shanghai. Beluga Shanghai is one of Beluga’s new P-class series of super heavy-lift vessels, which offers crane capacities between 800 and 1,400 tons and loading capacities of up to 20,000 deadweight tons. The shipboard VSAT’s will use MTN’s Ku-band network, which provides coverage over most of the major sea lanes around the world. The ship will also be equipped with Inmarsat Fleet Broadband 500 satellite terminals, which will be used as a secondary satellite connection with automatic switchover when out of Ku-band coverage area.

03 Feb 2009

New MarineCam System, Live Video Feed

With the introduction of the M2sat MarineCam shipping companies can use live video streams and still images for commercial and operational efficiency. Hub Urlings, general manager of M2sat said, “The first applications we see running over the MarineCam system are purely commercial. One shipping company uses the MarineCam for corporate promotions and sends still images from its ship directly to the companies` homepage on the Internet. A special cargo shipping company uses the system to provide their customers direct access to the MarineCams on board of their ships to follow and watch their special cargo transport. The transportation of special cargo always brings a lot of uncertainty with the customer and project participants waiting for the delivery of these often unique goods.

03 Feb 2009

Blue Ocean, Ip.access Provide GSM Coverage

Ip.access, developer of picocell and femtocell solutions, announced that Blue Ocean Wireless, the world’s first global GSM provider for the deep sea merchant maritime sector, is using their nanoGSM system to provide mobile phone service to merchant seafarers. Blue Ocean Wireless’ global service enables seafarers to use their existing mobile phones while at sea in exactly the same way that they would in port or on land. Using the cellular signal generated by the ip.access nanoGSM picocell, crew members can use their own standard GSM phones to make and receive calls and SMS messages while on board. The nanoGSM picocell is typically installed in the accommodation areas.

08 Oct 2001

New Technology to Debut at Europort

Europort 2001 — the 30th edition of the exhibition — scheduled for November 13 to 17 at the Amsterdam RAI, is traditionally an event where companies from around the globe debut innovative new marine equipment and technology. While the exhibition is often considered a regional affair, the event indeed fulfills its international billing with a roster of more than 550 companies from around the globe, and halls filled with ship owners and operators with an equal international distribution. In 1999 exhibition management stated that the event drew more than 30,000 visitors from 88 countries. This year's event will offer a few extras, including a special focus on inland shipping.