Wta News

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…

For the fourth consecutive year, Harris CapRock Communications has been ranked number one on The Independent Top Twenty listing by the World Teleport Association (WTA). The company also ranked fifth on The Global Top Twenty in 2014 based on total revenue and year-over-year growth. “The WTA’s annual December announcement serves as a definitive marker of the state of the industry and the direction of its leading service providers in the year to come,” said Tracey Haslam, president, Harris CapRock Communications. “With teleports on six continents, we provide service coverage to nearly any point on the globe. Harris CapRock’s teleports consistently meet the highest requirements for Department of Defense and National Institute of Standards and Technology compliance for confidentiality…

Operator of riverboats and small cruise ships in the United States, American Cruise Lines, has been voted this year’s leading North American cruise line by travel excellence organization, World Travel Awards. (Referred to as “the Oscar’s of the travel industry” by the Wall Street Journal). Long established in cruise travel, American Cruise Lines has most recently received world-wide attention as the first to revive paddlewheel river cruising in America, particularly on the Mississippi River, a cruising region that had been dormant for several years.

MTN Government Services CTO Richard Hadsall appointed to World Teleport Association (WTA) Board. Hadsall founded MTN more than 30 years ago and today serves as the chief technology officer for MTN Government Services (MTNGS). Richard Hadsall’s teams drove the first full-motion satellite video broadcasts at sea for a military vessel, for a research vessel and for a cruise ship. Hadsall led key engineering advancements to help main networks such as ABC, NBC and CNN report on major live events around the world. He has driven delivery of critical content for the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. embassies, and major heads of government, including U.S. presidents.

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority ordered two more passenger ferries, continuing its mission of expanding ferry service in the San Francisco Bay area, using ferries that are 10 times cleaner than the existing vessels in the bay. The new ferries, each with a capacity of 199 passengers and capable of speeds up to 25 knots will be built by Kvichak Marine Industries, Inc. in Seattle Washington. In the past year, WTA has awarded four new vessel contracts, more than have been built for the Bay Area in the previous 10 years. Charlene Haught-Johnson, President of the WTA Board of Directors, is pleased with WTA’s progress. “We already have two vessels under construction in Seattle, Washington that are planned for late 2008 delivery.

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority (WTA), a regional transit agency, announced that Governor Davis signed Senate Bill (SB) 915 (D-Perata, Oakland) giving the WTA the green light to develop seven new Bay Area ferry routes, expand existing ferry routes, and build 31 new boats. The new law, signed on October 10, 2003, makes the WTA a permanent transit agency. The WTA is authorized to operate a comprehensive San Francisco Bay area regional public water transit system. “We are on the brink of a new and exciting future for ferries on San Francisco Bay. The State’s approval is a significant step towards delivering more boats, new routes and good landside connections,” said Charlene Haught Johnson, President, WTA Board of Directors. “We thank the Governor and Legislature.

On October 30, the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority Board of Directors appointed Steve Castleberry as the WTA’s new Chief Executive Officer. He will take the helm on January 1, 2004. Castleberry has been serving as the WTA’s manager of System Planning since shortly after the inception of the organization. Prior to joining the WTA, he served as deputy director of the Alameda County Transportation Authority. (ACTA) As Chief Executive, Castleberry will be responsible for implementing the ferry expansion plan recently approved by the California State Legislature.

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority (WTA) announced that the recently signed Senate Bill (SB) 915 (D-Perata, Oakland) gives it the go ahead to develop seven new Bay Area ferry routes, expand existing ferry routes, and build 31 new boats. Signed October 10, 2003, the bill makes the WTA a permanent transit agency. "We are on the brink of a new and exciting future for ferries on San Francisco Bay. The State's approval is a significant step towards delivering more boats, new routes and good landside connections," said Charlene Haught Johnson, President, WTA Board of Directors. "We thank the Governor and Legislature. This new law brings to fruition the work of hundreds of people who've advocated for enhancing our region's public transit system with water-transit," added Ms.

process for its first two ferryboats. capacity. various WTA service routes. sonar to minimize any possibility of a whale strike. passengers and more than 25 bikes.

Ferry service between South San Francisco and Oakland just moved one step closer to reality. The Board of Directors of the San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority (WTA) approved construction phasing plans for the South Francisco Ferry Terminal at Oyster Point, contingent upon successful lease negotiations with the property owner (the San Mateo County Harbor District). If all goes according to plan, construction could start as early as this Fall. To expedite construction and maximize contractor participation, the WTA would build the terminal in two construction packages: One covering the float and gangway and another for the terminal. Award of the float construction contract is scheduled for this November. It will be built off-site and delivered to Oyster Point in September 2008.

Shipyards submitted construction bids in October for the first two Bay Area Water Transit Authority (WTA) vessels. The contract will be awarded in the summer of 2006, with the first boat delivered by late 2007. The vessels will be used as spares until the South San Francisco to East Bay Service is ready for operation in 2008.

The San Francisco Bay Area Water Transit Authority is starting to build boats, issuing a Letter of Intent to Award a contract to Nichols Brothers Boat Builders to construct two new 149 passenger vessels. Vessel construction will start this summer, and the first boats will be delivered by 2007. “We’re proud to be leading the way with regional ferry service,” says Charlene Haught-Johnson, chair of the Board of Directors of the Authority. “We’ve promised to deliver a reliable, cost-effective, convenient and environmentally friendly water transit system. These boats are the first of 10 new boats that the Authority expects to build over the next 10 years. Mary Frances Culnane, the Authority’s Manager of Marine Engineering, will manage the construction contract for the Authority.

Two recent European initiatives, both involving power systems supplier Wärtsilä Corporation, have given fresh impetus to the development and application of fuel cell technology aboard ship. The Finnish organization has entered into a pact with Danish firm Haldor Topsoe aimed at bringing cost-competitive fuel cell powering solutions to the market. It has also thrown its weight behind a major new, industry-wide European research program focusing on the technology for commercial shipping. Increased European efforts to make the concept a cost-acceptable reality in waterborne transportation follow an early take-up in the naval field. A 250…