Vizada News

Marlink has moved to a new office in Singapore in order to meet the growing demand for delivery and support of its portfolio of multi-band, business critical communication solutions for maritime customers operating in Southeast Asia. The original Marlink Singapore office was opened in 1998. The new Marlink Singapore office adds new facilities and potential while continuing to be a vital resource for local and international vessels through delivery of sales, installation and support services. The new office managed by Eric Jan Bakker, Head of Sales Asia in Marlink, includes a fully equipped support center operating seven days a week, in addition to live test, demonstration and training facilities, covering all of Marlink’s core connectivity services and solutions.

The 4th Edition of the COMSYS Maritime VSAT Report confirms Intellian as the leading company within the stabilised antenna market, with a 35.6% share of the market. “Intellian now leads the market under a single brand having achieved spectacular results since 2012,” the report comments. Stabilised antenna systems are the critical hardware component of all marine VSAT services but the market has proved cautious over new products, based on expectations of associated high cost and reliability risks. Overcoming these doubts vindicates Intellian’s commitment to innovation and intelligent design, supported by a rigorous testing regime to document durability and reliability, supported by a three year warranty.

Transformation in the maritime communication sector continues, as Airbus Defense and Space announces plans to sell its commercial satellite communications business. MR spoke with Erik Ceuppens, SVP, Satellite Communications, Airbus Defense & Space Communications, Intelligence & Security (CIS), to help put the development in perspective. The maritime communications sector has been in near continual flux for nearly two decades, with merger and acquisition activity a constant. In tandem with development of innovative software solutions…

Astrium and Inmarsat have reached a strategic distribution partnership agreement which will see Global Xpress services made available to Astrium Services’ large partner and customer base. Astrium Services will deliver Global Xpress high-speed broadband services through its worldwide distribution channels. The strategic agreement will cover key vertical markets, including the maritime as well as the government and defense sector, initially in Europe. In due course the Astrium Services Global Xpress offering will encompass all service types – packaged services…

As maritime markets continue to recover and interest and investment in advanced communication systems picks up steam, Tore Morten Olsen, Head of Maritime Services at Astrium Services, says the focus now shifts now from simple connectivity to providing specific business solutions at sea. While the evolution of communications at sea has had its fair share of starts and stops, largely driven by overriding economic conditions of the day as well as the stale notion that communications costs are an expense versus an investment…

Marlink bundles WaveCall Ku-band, Inmarsat FleetBroadband and XChange for seamless communications and full control on board De Poli Tankers. Marlink has completed a series of new VSAT installations aboard De Poli Tankers BV vessels. The recent communications upgrade project was carried out in close co-operation with Maritime Performances BV and started with the installation of Marlink WaveCall Ku-band VSAT services aboard the chemical tanker Miro D. Based near Rotterdam, De Poli Tankers BV is the commercial operator of a fleet of six sophisticated IMO 2 chemical tankers, two LPG tankers and one Ice classed 1A chemical/ethylene tanker. Vessel management is the responsibility of Maritime Performances BV, De Poli's in-house affiliate.

Telemar Group through its German subsidiary Telemar GmbH to provide broadband satellite communication for the 37-strong fleet. The Essberger Group, operating a fleet of35 vessels currently, is a diversified group with activities in t shipowning and shipmanagement, liner shipping and maritime related services. The contract encompasses satellite airtime through Telemar’s partner Vizada until 2015. Moreover, Telemar will - in a turnkey approach - deliver and install a customized hardware solution including FB250 terminals as per Essberger specifications (for 21 vessels)…

In partnership with PRO NAUTAS and Vizada, Thrane & Thrane has completed delivery of its sophisticated SAILOR 900 VSAT and SAILOR 500 FleetBroadband systems as part of a total communications solution for Hansa Heavy Lift’s entire fleet of 21 multipurpose heavy-lift vessels. Installation and commissioning is expected to be completed on all vessels in July 2012. Based on the Vizada XChange platform with project implementation by PRO-NAUTAS, the SAILOR 900 VSAT and SAILOR 500 FleetBroadband together ensure fully redundant global broadband connectivity and voice services.

Vizada and Vizada Elite Partner SRH Marine Electronics S.A. have signed a 24-month agreement with Danaos Shipping Co. Ltd to equip the company’s fleet of vessels with a full broadband communications system. The partners will provide 1 GB connectivity over Inmarsat FleetBroadband terminals, connectivity will be further enhanced by Vizada XChange and the Vizada Crew PC for optimal internet usage. Danaos Shipping Co. Ltd is a Greece based ship manager which provides ship management services to one of the world’s largest fleets of containerships…

Astrium completes the  acquisition of Vizada after receiving the necessary regulatory approvals. Vizada is a leading independent provider of global satellite communications services and will be integrated into Astrium Services. This acquisition represents a total consideration of € 673 million and contributes to EADS' strategic Vision 2020. “We are happy to welcome Vizada into the EADS Group, which concludes a successful year for us in terms of acquisitions”, said Marwan Lahoud, Head of EADS Corporate Strategy and Marketing Organisation. According to Eric Béranger, CEO of Astrium Services: “Combining the skills and capabilities of everyone in Vizada and Astrium Services creates a world leading provider of satellite services.

Vizada will showcase some of its newest updates and innovations in communications solutions for crew and optimization of business data at this year’s Marintec show in Shanghai (29 November - 2 December). Vizada and partner MCN-UK will be available at booth 3E 31-7, Hall W3 for the duration of the event. Eric Jan Bakker, Vizada’s Vice President of Sales for Asia-Pacific, shares a little about Vizada’s strategic presence at this tradeshow in China: “China is an integral part of Vizada’s intensified approach to the Asia market, which has important growth potential for Vizada’s services. During this international maritime show, several maritime crew solutions will be highlighted including the recently-released Crew PC.

Crew PC, new versions of Vizada XChange and SkyFile Mail optimize crew comms and business data management. Vizada, an independent provider of global satellite-based mobility services, will showcase some of its newest updates and innovations in communications solutions for crew and optimization of business data at this year’s Europort in Rotterdam (November 8-11). Vizada and partner Marlink will be available at booth 3117 for the duration of the event. The recently-released Crew PC will be highlighted during the international maritime show. The Crew PC is a pre-configured onboard PC which connects to a satellite data terminal to provide instant plug-&-play access to data communications such as email, chat and internet access.

Vizada launched SkyFile C Store & Push to offer customers highly-reliable data reporting and polling services, including VMS (Vessel Monitoring System), LRIT (Long Range Identification & Tracking) and FleetNet. This new development enables shipping companies to adhere strictly to international maritime law: International Maritime Organisation regulations stipulate that a vessel must send a position report every six hours, and that this report must in turn be delivered to the data center in less than 15 minutes (or seven minutes in European countries). SkyFile-C Store & Push runs over a dedicated platform, developed by Vizada at its teleport in Aussaguel, France as part of a major upgrade to its Inmarsat-C infrastructure.

Marlink, the largest provider of maritime satellite communications, has announced it will provide a major benefit to customers taking its Inmarsat FleetPhone service, Inmarsat’s latest satellite voice, circuit switched data and SMS messaging system. Marlink will provide a terminal at no cost with each one year subscription to the Universal Card, Vizada’s prepaid solution for private calls and crew data. The system will also have a free crew handset and call blocker which restricts crew to the prepaid traffic.

Satellite-based mobility company Vizada will provide the new Inmarsat FleetPhone maritime handset with email and data transfer capabilities to its extensive network of service provider partners. Vizada will add several Vizada SolutionsTM - including SkyFile® Mail, Universal CardTM and Satellite Direct® - to the existing package. Vizada’s FleetPhone is also packaged with a crew calling promotion. Inmarsat’s new entry-level voice service will feature voice calls and voicemail in addition to text and email messaging capabilities. A supplemental voice line enables the captain to benefit from private communications while the crew maintains separate lines for personal or professional calling. The PBX integration allows for simple calling between the different phones located on the ship.

Vizada has launched a range of maritime broadband packages integrating Ku-band VSAT and mobile satellite services (MSS), including the newly-launched Vizada XChangeTM. Shipping companies can select the combination of VSAT, MSS hardware and airtime best suited to their needs while being able to upgrade to a higher bandwidth plan or next generation satellite service during or after contract termination. The packages range from unlimited 256kbps VSAT airtime-only starting at $1,500 per month up to an unlimited 1024kbps VSAT plus MSS airtime and hardware back-up, for a monthly fee of $2,750. Customers can choose between a VSAT antenna from Thrane & Thrane…

Vizada, a provider of global satellite-based mobility services, and hardware manufacturer Thrane & Thrane have signed a partnership agreement to launch a new broadband offer to the maritime market. Via their shared distribution channels, the partnership will offer shipping companies a maritime mobile broadband package that combines Thrane & Thrane hardware with Vizada VSAT and MSS services and solutions. The maritime mobile broadband package includes Thrane & Thrane’s SAILOR 900 VSAT and SAILOR FleetBroadband terminals combined with Vizada’s Pharostar VSAT and FleetBroadband service and the recently launched Vizada XChange, a unified platform that provides a secure and controlled communications environment for voice and broadband data.

Hamburg, 9 March 2011 – Vizada, the leading independent satellite communications provider and Telemar, the leading integrated service and maintenance provider, have just signed a 3-party deal with the German IT company Buss Data GmbH, a part of Hermann Buss Group, to provide a high-performance broadband communications solution for the company’s fleet of vessels. The Hermann Buss Group shipping company based in Leer, Germany specializes in commercial shipping and runs a fleet of over 85 vessels.

Vizada, independent satellite communications provider, has launched Pharostar, its proprietary VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) fixed satellite communications service and the latest addition to its maritime broadband portfolio.   Vizada’s new Pharostar VSAT service will help meet increasing market demand for high-performance broadband connectivity at sea. Based on iDirect technology, the service provides standard IP data speeds of 1024 kbps for multiple applications such as internet, email and VoIP.   The connectivity emulates that of corporate networks and an “always on” service permits unlimited data transfer. The service also enables crew on board merchant vessels, tankers and oil & gas platforms to use voice and data services simultaneously with near global coverage.

At their European Partner Conference in London last week Inmarsat announced that it has selected Vizada as the recipient of its 2010 Partner Award in the category “Most Significant Contract.” With this award, Vizada is recognized as a solutions innovator for the merchant shipping market, providing shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk with latest Vizada SolutionsTM to optimize communications. Together with Marlink and Inmarsat, Vizada provides Inmarsat FleetBroadband airtime services to an additional 200 vessels, increasing the total number of AP Moller-Maersk vessels sailing with FleetBroadband airtime to 370. web compression and filtering.

Vizada, independent provider of mobile satellite services, has teamed up with its long-term service provider partner Nautical to provide the Inmarsat FleetBroadband service to more than 300 Spanish fishing vessels, enabling them to comply with new European Union (EU) regulations. The EU regulations came into effect on 1 July 2010 and require all fishing vessels of more than 24-metres (78-ft) to supply reports of catch, trans-shipments, landings and sales electronically to European fishing authorities. Vizada and Nautical have put together a customized communications package based on Inmarsat FleetBroadband to enable fishing companies to easily and cost-effectively transmit this data once recorded.

The Telemar Group through its German subsidiary Telemar GmbH is to provide broadband satellite communication for the entire Rickmers fleet. The Rickmers Group, operating a fleet of 102 vessels, is a diversified group with activities in the business fields of ship owning and ship management, liner shipping, investment and real estate as well as maritime related services. Today, the Rickmers Group employs more than 3,200 crew on board and more than 450 staff ashore worldwide. The contract encompasses satellite airtime through Telemar’s partner Vizada until the end of 2014. Moreover, Telemar will - in a turnkey approach - deliver and install a customized hardware solution including Thrane & Thrane FB500 terminals as per Rickmers’ specifications…

Vizada, an independent satellite communications provider, and Météo-France, ameteorological center, have renewed their agreement to provide digital weather information and software to the maritime community. The partnership signing coincides with the release of a new version of its SkyFile Weather solution, based on Météo-France’s latest Navimail software. The new version of SkyFile Weather delivers meteorological information to crew more rapidly through a direct internet connection established via the mobile satellite terminal. This applies to all new generation IP-based services typically found on board ship including Inmarsat FleetBroadband and Iridium OpenPort.