eylül 2013

AA n eventful summer atInmarsat has seen the com-pany mix triumph with trep-idation, as its successful launch of thelatest satellite in its constellation,Alphasat, was preceded by marketworries about the launch provider ithas selected for the introduction ofGlobal Xpress (GX).

To start on a positive note, the I-4A F4 launch of Alphasat, atelecommunications satellite whichwill complement Inmarsats L-bandFleetBroadband network, should provide a significant boost to per-formance and availability ofFleetBroadband services in theEurope, Middle East and Africaregion, where traffic is currentlyheaviest.

An Ariane 5 rocket carrying thespacecraft took off on July 25 from theGuiana Space Centre in Kourou,French Guiana, and a successfulspacecraft separation was achieved27 minutes and 45 seconds into themission. The Alphasat MissionOperations Team confirmed that theyhad taken command of the satelliteshortly afterwards.

I-4A F4 was placed in a temporaryposition in the geostationary ring atthe beginning of August, where itdeployed its 11m-diameter mainantenna. The satellite has also suc-cessfully deployed its twin four-panelsolar wings, spanning 40m.

The solar panels rotate automati-cally, following the Sun, whileAlphasats attitude control systemtracks its position above Earth.

At the time of going to press thesatellite was scheduled to stay in this

slot for several weeks while Inmarsat,together with ESA (European SpaceAgency), continues testing the tele-com payload, the backup units on theAlphabus platform and ESAs fourhosted payloads.

Inmarsat, which owns and oper-ates Alphasat, has invested $350 mil-lion into what it calls one of the mosttechnically advanced telecommunica-tions satellites ever constructed forcivilian applications.

The satellite has previously beencalled an I4-and-a-half, given that itwill be used to augment the existingI4 satellite network used to provideFleetBroadband services since 2009,extending the life of the fleet and pro-viding additional redundancy.

Alphasat will strengthen ourexisting I-4 series satellite constella-tion, providing coverage overEurope, the Middle East and Africa,said Rupert Pearce, CEO of Inmarsat.

The launch demonstratesInmarsats long-term commitment toL-band services, and marks a signifi-cant milestone in the evolution ofInmarsats flagship satellite fleet,bringing new capabilities both interms of performance and resourceavailability.

Alphasat was designed and manu-factured by Astrium, and Inmarsat

IN THIS ISSUE

September 2013

electronics and navigation

continued on page 2

software

satcomsFlat antenna for maritimesatcoms 4

Thuraya delivers MBB in Asia 10

Polar VSAT the next step inArctic broadband 16

Maritime bandwidth full speedahead or steady as she goes? 20

CSCL equips containershipswith ECO-Assistant 22

Maritime technology R&D venture in Japan 29

Steaming into the cloud 30

Satellite launch to extendFleetBroadband capabilities

ECDIS training the reality 40

Getting more from VDR 44

The importance of BNWAS 46

The case for early ECDIS 48

The successful launch of Inmarsats Alphasat satellite will see the company able to extend the capacity of its FleetBroadband network while also providing

a welcome counterpoint to worries over whether a Proton rocket failure couldcause the launch of the companys Global Xpress programme to be delayed

Ishima International Shipmangement in Singapore operates 27 ships in world wide trade. Captain Victorio Velonza has already installed Dualog Connection Suite on all the ships with a clear plan to move forward. Our experience with Dualog is a combination of a user-friendly system and people you can trust. As we are now looking forward to introducing Internet onboard, we know that Dualog Connection Suite will provide exactly what we need to manageand take control in an e ective way, concludes a smiling Captain Velonza.

Ready for the InternetCaptain Victorio Velonza, Q.C. Manager, Ishima Shipmanagement Singapore

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www.dualog.com(+47) 77 62 19 00 or [email protected]

Alphasat was successfully launchedat the end of July

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Digital Ship September 2013 page 2

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says that it is the largest and most sophis-ticated European telecommunicationssatellite ever built. It is also the largestPublic-Private-Partnership space projectin Europe, notes Inmarsat, which hasteamed up with the European SpaceAgency (ESA) to carry it out.

Commercial operations on theAlphasat satellite are expected to beginduring Q4 of this year.

GX delay fearsThe success of the Alphasat launch pro-vided a timely boost to Inmarsat, comingjust a few short weeks after the explosionof a satellite launch attempt by a Proton Mrocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome inKazakhstan had prompted fears that theintroduction of Inmarsats Ka-band GlobalXpress network could be delayed.

International Launch Services (ILS) hasbeen contracted by Inmarsat to providelaunch services for all three launches of itsGX satellites, also using the Proton launchvehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

The first of these GX launches is cur-rently scheduled for the fourth quarter of2013, but the failure of this most recentlaunch has led to renewed concerns overthe viability of the Proton rocket forthese flights.

The launch of the Proton M/BlockDM-03 mission with three Glonass navi-gational satellites for the Russian FederalGovernment resulted in a failure when,about ten seconds after lift-off, the rocketveered off of its flight path and returnedto earth.

This most recent failure is the thirdtroubled launch for the Proton M rocket inthe last twelve months.

In August 2012 a mission to launchIndonesian and Russian telecommunica-tion satellites failed to deliver them intoorbit, while a December 2012 launch ofanother Russian satellite was hamperedby a premature separation of the satellitefrom the rocket.

Inmarsat has said that it is currentlyawaiting the outcome of an investigationinto the failure of the Proton launch vehi-cle, and notes that, while it is too early todetermine any schedule impact of the fail-ure, there is a risk of a short delay to thelaunch of the first Inmarsat-5 satellite, andtherefore, to the start of GX services.

Inmarsat CEO Rupert Pearce expresseddisappointment and obvious concernover the Proton situation, but believes thatthe company can still be positive about itslaunch plans for two main reasons.

(Firstly), Proton has a very good trackrecord of resolving failures and quicklyrestarting operations with the industrialcapacity to minimise delays - indeed, thisis one of the key reasons why we pickedProton in the first place, he said.

After the last failure Proton success-fully returned to flight about three monthslater. If you allow for a normal periodbetween Proton launches then this pointsto a short delay risk for the first satellite ofperhaps a couple of months.

Second, as our satellite manufacturingprogramme is very much on track, a delayto the first launch does not mean the samefor the second and third launches. There isstill the expectation that global coveragefor GX can still be achieved on, or veryclose to, plan.

This uncertainty over the launch of theGX programme led to a drop in Inmarsatsshare price, which had closed at 695p onJuly 2nd before the news broke but fell to663p by the close of trading on July 3rd adrop of approximately 4.5 per cent.

However, subsequent positive financialresults as well as an increase in dividendsto shareholders have since more than com-pensated for this drop, with the shareprice having climbed above 720p at thetime of going to press, well above its levelprior to the Proton failure.

GX developmentsDespite the issues with the Proton launchvehicle, Inmarsat has been able toannounce a number of positive recentdevelopments for its GX programme.

The company reported that the firstfully assembled Inmarsat-5 Ka-bandsatellite, which will be used to providethe Global Xpress service, has successful-ly completed mechanical testing atBoeings manufacturing facility in ElSegundo, California, and that the satel-lite is now ready to move to the nextphase of testing as preparations continuefor launch.

The recently completed tests included asimulated launch, which was designed toexpose the spacecraft to the environmentalconditions it will be subjected to duringthe actual launch.

This is a very important and signifi-cant milestone in the construction and testcycle of the spacecraft as we progress withthe test programme and move forward tolaunch day, said Franco Carnevale,Inmarsats vice president for satellite andlaunch vehicles.

Exposing the satellite to the realities ofthe launch experience allows us to knowwith confidence that it can withstand thereal thing.

During the testing process, a 'shaker'unit was deployed to simulate the vibra-tions induced by the rockets engine thrustand its cut-off at stage separation.

Additionally, a concrete reinforcedchamber blasted the spacecraft withacoustic waves, much like those whichwill impact the rocket and its payload dur-ing lift-off.

Following the shaking and blastingprocesses, all mechanical appendages onthe satellite were deployed and tested.

The company says that the Inmarsat-5satellite passed each of these tests and sim-ulations and will now move to the next

phase, where it will be subjected to thevoid of space and the large temperaturevariations it will experience in orbit.

Inmarsat says that these tests aredesigned to ensure that the satellite canoperate reliably for its projected life cycleof more than 15 years.

The second and third Inmarsat-5 satel-lites, currently in development by BoeingSpace & Intelligence Systems, will enduresimilar testing prior to the launch.

With each passing test, another stepin the process is completed and we moveforward to launching the satellites thatwill power the first global Ka-bandbroadband network over satellite, con-cluded Mr Carnevale.

Inmarsat has also recently agreed a newstrategic partnership with RigNet, a sat-com services provider to oil and gas mar-kets, which will see RigNet become aGlobal Xpress distribution partner for theglobal energy sector.

Inmarsat says that RigNet has enteredinto to a significant four-year GlobalXpress capacity pre-purchase agreementas part of the deal.

As part of the partnership agreementInmarsat has also agreed to sell to RigNetits retail energy operations, currentlymanaged within the Inmarsat SolutionsEnterprise business unit, for a total con-sideration of US$25 million.

The sale will include Inmarsatsmicrowave and WiMAX networks in theUS Gulf of Mexico serving drillers, pro-ducers and energy vessel owners, itsVSAT interests in Russia, the UK, the USand Canada, its telecommunications sys-tems integration business operatingworldwide, and its retail L-band energysatcoms business.

"We are excited about this partnershipas it enhances the strategic positioning ofboth companies as we seek to address thecommunications needs of the global ener-gy sector together, said Mr Pearce.

RigNet is the perfect partner forInmarsat, supporting a large customerbase of oil and gas VSAT customers,whom we expect to be at the forefront ofthe transition to Global Xpress services.We also welcome the opportunity to workwith RigNets management team with itsextensive knowledge of VSAT operationsand customers.

This partnership prepares the way for a fast and successful take up ofGlobal Xpress services in the global ener-gy sector.

The satellites twin four-panel solar wings span 40m. Photo: ESA

DS

continued from page 1

p1-20:p1-14.qxd 09/08/2013 14:37 Page 2

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SATCOMS


true broadband to themarine sector, he added.

Kymeta intends towork with all the majorsatellite systems opera-tors and their distribu-tors, he said.

There are several Ka-band operators already infull operation and severalmore who are launchingtheir constellations now,including Inmarsat, O3b,Eutelsat, and Intelsat. Soits a very exciting timeand our product launchschedule lines up verynicely with the existingKa-band operators, as wellas the new capacity com-ing online in 2014-15.

Our developmentschedule allows our ini-tial products to be available in the marketplace in the first quarter of 2015, MrMcCambridge adds.

Our initial launch is in the Ka-band.But we are not limiting our developmentto the Ka-band. There is a very large installbase of Ku- and hybrid L-band users,especially in the maritime world. And sowere very interested in delivering solu-tions that meet the need for customersusing those Ku- and L-band hybrid solu-tions as well.

Its not a difficult process for us todeliver our technology in Ku-band, he

said, though he notes that Kymeta has notso far committed to a date for the intro-duction of either a Ku- or a hybrid L-bandsolution.

What we would really like to do is lineup some launch partners for Ku- and L-bands and develop our terminals to meetthe system requirements of those partners.Were in discussions with Ku-bandproviders now.

Although we havent set up a date forcommercial availability in Ku- or L-band,it could be as short as a few months afterthe launch of our Ka-band solutions.

www.kymetacorp.com

American company Kymeta, a developerof flat antenna technology for Ka-bandconnectivity, has announced that it hassecured $50 million in funding and con-firmed that it intends to introduce a high-capacity antenna for the maritime marketwith no moving parts.

Existing Kymeta investors includingBill Gates, Lux Capital and Liberty Globalwere joined in the financing by OsageUniversity Partners and The KresgeFoundation.

The Redmond, Washington-based com-pany has already partnered with Inmarsatto design a flat Ka-band antenna for air-planes, which it plans to launch in the firstquarter of 2015. The goal is to allow airlinepassengers to access broadband servicesthrough Inmarsats Global Xpress net-work which is scheduled to be operationalat the end of next year.

However, Kymeta confirmed to DigitalShip that it also intends to make the tech-nology available for the maritime indus-try, initially in the Ka-band, and then pos-sibly in the Ku- and L-bands.

Merchant ships, cruise ships, andyachts of all sizes are all target markets forus. The technology is incredibly robust,Bob McCambridge, Kymetas presidentand COO, told us.

Unlike typical VSAT satellite communi-cations antennas currently in use in mar-itime, which use a stabilised dish thatmoves to keep the dish pointing at the

satellite in orbit, Kymetas mTenna is flatand forms and steers the antenna beamelectronically, which the company sayseliminates the need for moving parts.

Its shape is that of a square tile, whosesides can be 30 to 70 centimetres long, andit is 3 centimetres thick similar in form toan oversized pizza box.

What the antenna does is: it creates abeam electronically. The beam then trackssatellites with no mechanical, movingparts, Mr McCambridge explained, dur-ing an interview.

That is really what becomes such arevolutionary and breakthrough aspect ofour proprietary technology. Its a next-generation alternative to expensive,heavy, power-consumptive, mechanicallysteered devices. Our antenna technologyis similar to a flat panel TV display tech-nology driven by electronics and softwarewith no moving parts.

Kymeta has designed a workingPortable Satellite Terminal prototype thatcan deliver 30 mbps on the receive sideand 3 mbps on the transmit side. The com-pany is confident it can improve thosespeeds further to 50 mbps down and 5mbps up for the maritime segment.

Mr McCambridge also insists thatthe mTenna has a much lower cost ofusage than VSAT or Inmarsats BGANterminals, the land-based equivalent toFleetBroadband.

Our technology in combination withthe high-throughput Ka-band satelliteswill be a revolutionary change and bring

Flat antenna for maritime satcoms

New 83cm SAILOR VSAT www.cobham.com

Cobham has announced the forthcominglaunch of SAILOR 800 VSAT, a 3-axis sta-bilised Ku-band antenna system with an83 cm reflector dish, which it says pro-vides the same radio performance as com-peting 1m antennae.

SAILOR 800 VSAT is based on the sametechnology platform as CobhamsSAILOR 900 VSAT 1m antenna. It can beused on various vessels including work-boats and fishing vessels, notes Cobham.

The manufacturer says that SAILOR800 competes in the 1m VSAT antennamarket. It says that its antenna is lighter

and more compact than thecompetition while offeringequal or even higher RF per-formance (G/T >18 dB/K).

Cobham adds that eachSAILOR 800 VSAT leaves thefactory fully configured, withall RF equipment installed,which reduces the time need-ed on board for installation.

SAILOR 800 VSAT isdesigned to out-perform com-peting 80-100cm antennae,despite coming in a smaller,more competitive and flexiblepackage, said Casper Jensen,head of maritime, CobhamSATCOM.With SAILOR 900 VSAT asour starting point, our in-house engineers have cre-ated an 80cm class antennathat punches well above itsweight.

Cobham says that it willstart shipping the new SAILOR800 VSAT in September.

Kymeta plans to adapt its flat antenna technology for use inthe commercial maritime market

www.smart.com.ph

Telecoms company Smart in thePhilippines has unveiled a range of servic-es designed to help Filipino seafarers stayin touch with their loved ones throughphone calls, text messages and via theinternet.

Smart says that three services will soonbe made available: Marino Phonepal,Marino Textmate, and Link Plus.

Marino Phonepal will allow seafarerssailing in Australia, the Middle East,Africa, Europe, and Asia-Pacific to calltheir families in the Philippines whileMarino Textmate will allow them to sendtext messages at what Smart says will beaffordable rates.

Link Plus, an online application whichwill have both mobile and desktop ver-sions, will enable users to make calls, sendtext messages, and access the internet.

Charles Lim, EVP and head, WirelessConsumer Business for Smart and Sun

Smart services for Filipino sailorsCellular, notes that the products have asubstantial target market with Filipinosmaking up one third of the global mar-itime workforce.

As a testament of our support in pro-moting their well-being, we are happy tolaunch Smart Satellite Services, by which acomplete array of mobile services likevoice calls, text, and online applicationsfor smartphones and personal computerswill be made available for Filipino work-ers on deck, said Mr Lim.

Capt Ronald Enrile, vice president forOperations at Philippine TransmarineCarriers, also commented that most ofour Filipino seafarers spend around 20 to30 per cent of their earnings in communi-cation. Calling their loved ones using asatellite phone, for example, is stillexpensive.

With the new service of Smart, notonly does it offer wider coverage but it istailor-fit to Filipino seafarers budget aswell. I believe our seafarers would love it.

MTN Satellite Communications(MTN) has appointed Mark Walter tothe role of chief financial officer (CFO) inreplacement of Peg Grayson, who hasbeen named president of MTNGovernment Services (MTNGS).

KVH has named Andrew Bush, a for-mer C.A. Clase (UK) executive with 17

years of experience, as its OriginalEquipment Manufacturer/Leisure Marinesales manager for Europe, the Middle East,and Africa (EMEA).

www.mtnsat.comwww.kvh.comThe 83cm antenna is lighter and more compact

than its 1m predecessor

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www.kvh.com

KVH Industries has announced that it hasmore than doubled the capacity of itsmini-VSAT Broadband network in theAsia-Pacific region. This follows similarupgrades in the Caribbean, EMEA, andAfrican and Brazilian regions.

KVH started increasing its networkcapacity in late 2012. The on-going processinvolves deployment of Variable Coding,Spreading, and Modulation (VCSM) tech-nology provided by its partner ViaSat.

This is part of a strategy that includesupgrading the TracPhone terminals usedto deliver the mini-VSAT Broadband serv-ice, and delivering news and entertain-ment content to seafarers through the IP-MobileCast service which is expected to beavailable later this year.

Increasing mini-VSAT Broadband net-work capacity in the Asia-Pacific region isa key step in our strategy to providemariners with the connectivity they needat sea, said Brent Bruun, executive vicepresident of KVHs Mobile BroadbandGroup.

This area is a major hub for commer-cial shipping and the vessels travellingthere need affordable, fast, and convenientconnections in order to optimise theiroperations. The mini-VSAT Broadbandnetwork, particularly with the newTracPhone V-IP series terminals andupcoming IP-MobileCast service, providesthose connections at an affordable pricecombined with a number of benefits thatother providers do not offer.

There is no denying the importance ofthe Asia-Pacific region to the international

www.speedcast.com

SpeedCast has announced the successfulclosing of a US$55 million Senior SecuredCredit Facility, whose proceeds havefinanced its acquisition of a 100 per centeffective interest in Pactel International.

The new credit facility also allowed thecompany to refinance existing indebted-ness held by TA Associates, its controllingshareholder.

Pactel is a satellite communicationsservices provider headquartered inSydney (Australia). The company offersinternet and voice services to customersthat include oil & gas operators, telecomcompanies, governments and miningcompanies.

The buyout of Pactel follows theNovember 2012 acquisition of AustralianSatellite Communications and the January2013 buyout of Netherlands-basedElektrikom Satellite Service.

The Facility was fully funded by INGBank, Singapore Branch, as mandated leadarranger, facility agent and security agent,and programs advised by Partners Groupon behalf of its clients and SiemensFinancial Services, as mandated leadarrangers.

Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO of SpeedCast,said: We are delighted to have on boardING, Partners Group and Siemens, threetop tier financial partners.

Together with TA Associates, thisgives SpeedCast the potential to fund fur-ther growth, both organic and by acquisi-tion, and to take advantage of opportuni-ties as they arise.

O3b launches first four satellites www.o3bnetworks.com

O3b has successfully launched its first four satellites andsays it should start providing Ka-band services afterplacing another four into orbit in September.

Headquartered on the British island of Jersey, O3bplans on offering a maritime VSAT service aimed atcruise ships and superyachts, with speeds of up to 350Mbps download and 150 Mbps upload.

The coverage area will encompass Latin America,Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia, as broad-band connectivity will be delivered within 45 degrees oflatitude north and south of the equator.

Designed by Thales Alenia Space, the eight satelliteswill be in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), some 8,000 kilo-metres from the Earth, as opposed to standardGeosynchronous (GEO) satellites which operate approx-imately 36,000 km away from the planet.

As a result, O3b says that round-trip data transmis-sion times are reduced to approximately 100 millisec-onds and that latency is greatly reduced.

The first four satellites were launched on June 25thfrom French Guiana, aboard an Arianespace Soyuz vehi-cle. After successfully clearing in-orbit testing (IOT) con-trol and operation of the Ka-band satellites was handedover to O3b by manufacturer Thales Alenia Space.

Customers witnessing the event included: RoyalCaribbean Cruise Lines, O3bs first maritime customer;Telecom Cook Islands, which will receive the first com-mercial signals across the network this summer; and MajuNusa, soon to roll out a 3G backhaul network in Malaysia.

Royal Caribbean has signed two deals with O3b to getsatellite broadband services on board two of its cruise

ships, the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas.One unusual aspect of the system in comparison with

traditional VSAT services is that O3b satellites areequipped with steerable spot beams that are adjustablein space to track a ship.

This means that all of the power available in a beamcan be directed to a specific target, in this case the vessel,to deliver extremely high data rates. Real-time trackingof the ship continues throughout its voyage to maintainthe link.

O3b says that the system supports the handover of aship from one beam to another, but in general this is notneeded as it is envisioned as a regional service. Forexample, a cruise ship in the Caribbean can transit thewhole region and never have to change beams.

O3b says that a second group of four satellites will belaunched on September 30th, completing the first phasein the constellation and ahead of the launch of the com-pany's service in the fourth quarter of 2013. A third four-satellite launch is planned for 2014.

After the successful tests on the first four satellites of theconstellation, Jean-Loc Galle, CEO of Thales Alenia Space,said: "We are very pleased to celebrate the in orbit accept-ance of the first four O3b satellites. With the upcomingfour additional satellites to be launched at the end ofSeptember, we wish great success to O3b Networks in thedevelopment of its business.

O3bs CTO Brian Holz said: "The handover was suc-cessfully completed ahead of schedule. Performance ofall four spacecraft has been outstanding with all linkparameters at or above specification. Thanks to the greatwork of the O3b and Thales teams, we can now look for-ward to our second launch with great confidence."

O3b will follow this initial launch with another at the end of September

KVH doubles mini-VSAT capacity in Asia-Pacific region SpeedCast buysPactel

Telenor and Harris CapRock renew 1 West agreementswww.telenorsat.com

www.harriscaprock.com

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc) hasannounced the signing and renewal ofmultiple agreements with Harris CapRockfor the provision of satellite capacity serv-ices from its 1 West orbital location.

Norwegian company TSBc owns andoperates a fleet of satellites while US-based Harris CapRock provides commu-nications to remote and harsh environ-ments. It serves maritime clients in Europeusing TSBcs THOR 10-02 satellite, whichis positioned at 1 West, and uplinks serv-

ices via its own teleport facilities located inAberdeen (Scotland).

Over the past two years, TSBc hasbeen working closely with HarrisCapRock to deliver satellite capacity, forservices to some of its most important cus-tomers, said Morten Tengs, vice presi-dent and CEO of TSBc.

TSBc holds a strong European mar-itime position at 1 West for the delivery ofsatellite services to the main maritime andenergy satellite communication serviceproviders.

With our new satellite, THOR 7,expected to start commercial operation in

2014, we look forward to being able toextend our satellite capacity and relatedservices to Harris CapRock and continueto strengthen our growing partnership.

Andy Lucas, global operating officer ofHarris CapRock, also commented thatsome of our largest customers requireincreased bandwidth to support remotemonitoring, diagnostics and other informa-tion that have a direct impact on how shipsand vessels operate effectively at sea.

The satellite-capacity solutions offeredby TSBc allow for continued requirementsthat are intended for both our existing cus-tomers and new prospects.

shipping industry, added Mr Bruun.KVHs solutions provide outstanding

communications for the mariners who fre-quent these waters, with downloads asfast as 4 Mbps and uploads as fast as 1Mbps, as well as crystal clear Voice over IP(VoIP) telephone lines with optimisedservice and prioritisation of applications.

Expanding network capacity andoffering new services like IP-MobileCastwill help these mariners to improve on-board efficiency as well as crew morale.

KVH says that its four-part strategy forthe mini-VSAT Broadband networkinvolves: deploying VCSM technology toincrease network capacity, upgradingTracPhone, creating a content deliveryservice, and building alliances with appli-cation providers to deliver a variety ofcontent via that service.

p1-20:p1-14.qxd 09/08/2013 14:28 Page 6

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www.marlink.com

Simon Mkster Shipping has completeda remote office project that has resultedin the companys 23-strong fleet of off-shore supply and specialist vesselsbecoming fully connected to theMicrosoft Lync platform via its installedVSAT systems.

The Norwegian offshore vessel opera-tor is using Marlinks customised VSATservice Sealink to roll-out Microsofts stan-dardised business collaboration and com-munication platform across its organisa-tion on land and at sea.

The company expects that the projectwill offer a number of operational benefits,in addition to creating substantial savingsin the cost of crew calling.

Using Lync via VSAT will enableSimon Mkster bridge and engine roomteams to access telephony, video confer-encing, instant messaging and data shar-ing capabilities.

Custom dynamic allocation of dedicat-ed bandwidth has also been agreed as partof the Sealink VSAT package for the com-pany to enhance reliability, particularlyfor bandwidth hungry applications.

Standardised software enables signifi-cant IT efficiencies and through the use ofLync we can collaborate across our wholeorganisation to a greater degree thanbefore, making every one of our vesselsinto a remote office, explains TerjeGjerde, ICT manager at Simon MksterShipping.

The file and document sharing, andcommunication aspects, have providedtangible improvements in ship opera-tions but in order for them to functionfully we need a secure and reliable com-munication network. Sealink providesthis with the added benefit that we canwork closely with Marlink people toensure availability and compatibilitywith our IT infrastructure.

The Lync platform has been fully inte-

grated with Simon Mksters own corpo-rate telephone system, so calls from terres-trial and mobile networks, or from otherLync users, can be made to the vessels andreceived via Lync.

A specific VoIP solution has also beenimplemented for crew members from theFaroe Islands, which reduces their callingcosts by at least 50 per cent.

With on-going antenna testing col-laboration aboard the Stril Myster, wealready have a strong working relation-ship which gives us insight on SimonMksters, and other operators commu-nication needs, said Tore Morten Olsen,head of Maritime Services at AstriumServices.

Simon Mksters IT standardisationintroduces operational, management and crew welfare improvements.Marlink is well positioned to supportoperators wishing to explore the possi-bilities of this approach to vessel andfleet management.

SMSGlobal has announced that 3,000 vessels are now equipped with itsCrewCommCenter system.

The Hong Kong company launched themaritime service 10 years ago as a simpletwo-way e-mail and SMS messaging sys-tem. CrewCommCenter has since evolvedinto a larger communications platform.

SMSGlobal says that 120,000 seafarersuse it, sending an average of 2.2 millionmessages a month. Besides e-mails andSMS, they can read News from home in 14 multilingual editions, consult theFleet Announcements Board, browse theinternet, and converse through low data

Instant Messaging.SMSGlobal says that its software-based

solution addresses the concerns of shipown-ers. Cost is predictable as there are fixedmonthly charges for each module and limitsare set for sending and receiving messages.

Security is protected through accessrestrictions, content control, and whitelist-ing or blacklisting of sites, and the systemcan be administered remotely to easemaintenance.

SMSGlobal says that CrewCommCenterwill soon feature Bring-Your-Own-Device(BYOD) environments, seafarer-focusedsocial networking portals, iOS or Androidapps, online gaming, VoIP, video chattingand personalised content.

www.telemar.sewww.nsslglobal.com

From the autumn, BBC World News bul-letins will be available on board commer-cial vessels via Telemar Scandinavia andNSSLGlobal, the three companies haveannounced.

BBC World News will be broadcast sev-eral times daily to all vessels that opt intothe service, providing crews with access toBBCs coverage of international news, cur-rent affairs and sport.

Telemar and NSSLGlobal says that cus-tomers using their Ku- or C-band networkwill be able to watch the news bulletinswithout impacting on broadband speedsthrough the use of a Multicast service.

Were pleased to join together withTelemar and NSSLGlobal to offer BBCWorld News to over 800 vessels aroundthe world, said Colin Lawrence, distribu-tion director, BBC World News.

With journalists in more places thanany other global news broadcaster, wereable to deliver the news that marinecrews need to remain connected to the

wider world.Tomas Martinsson, general manager

at Telemar, notes: The importance ofcrew retention for ship owners is crucial.Providing additional TV services willimprove morale for crew and also bedone without amassing an unexpectedairtime bill or imposing on a broadbandpackage.

Sally-Anne Ray, managing director ofNSSLGlobal, added: The new service willprovide a great deal of opportunities forthe future and NSSLGlobal and Telemarare pleased to be at the forefront, leadingthe way in satellite communications forour customers.

BBC World News is already availableon 173 cruise ships.

Telemar is a provider of Inmarsat andother satellite airtime. Telemar ScandinaviaAB specialises in satellite communications,including broadband solutions.

Headquartered in the UK, NSSLGlobalprovides satcom and IT solutions. Its mar-itime customers include Teekay Shipping,BW Gas, and Shell Tankers, to which itprovides hardware and airtime.

CrewCommCenter on 3,000 vessels

CrewCommCenter includes various communications options, including a Facebook chat function

BBC World News for commercial vesselshttp://thenetwork.cisco.com

Cisco has announced that DiamlemosShipping has decided to implement theCisco-based SmartBox-V system for itsvessels communications.

SmartBox-V is a bundle of software andservices from Setel running on a Ciscoserver which is hosted within a Ciscomodular 2900 series router. The boxenables WAN/LAN/VLAN architectureon demand.

At the same time, the Cisco IntegratedService Router (ISR) offers bandwidthmanagement, firewall, VPN, proxy andmail server, an internet gateway andtelephony all on a single platform.

This is meant to simplify on-vesselcommunications equipment, optimisecommunications themselves, and offer aset of crew welfare applications.

Cisco says that the system will help toconsolidate Diamlemos IT infrastructureas its Unified Communications Managerwill interconnect offices in Piraeus,London, Arizona and Monaco. Then theSmartBox-V, as the Cisco Cloud

Connector, will be hosted on a 2900 ISRwith the Cisco Unified Computing System(Cisco UCS) E-Series blade server.

Cisco says that the VoIP capabilities of thesystem in this regard will practically elimi-nate vessel-to-office communication costs.

Cisco Cloud Connector helped usincrease productivity both at sea andashore through comprehensive unifiedcommunications, mobility, flexibility,redundancy and high availability, saidcaptain George Balabanos, managingdirector of Diamlemos Shipping.

High performance is very importantin our business, because a short delay inmaking a trade can lead to the loss of hun-dreds of thousands of euros.

Antonis Tsiboukis, Greece, Cyprus andMalta general manager at Cisco, said:Cisco in collaboration with Setel Hellasimplemented the SmartBox-V CloudConnector with features especially for theshipping market.

We will continue working hard towardsthis target: to help organisations in theshipping industry operate more efficientlythrough innovative Cisco technologies.

Diamlemos implements SmartBox

Remote office a reality for Simon Mkster vessels

www.globecommsystems.com

Satcom provider Globecomm Systems hasannounced that Carrier-to-Carrier andMach 6, two Dutch communication servic-es companies, have merged to formGlobecomm Europe.

Based in the Netherlands, GlobecommEurope is a fully owned subsidiary ofGlobecomm Systems, a publicly traded US company.

Globecomm Europe provides satellite,terrestrial and wireless based communica-tion solutions to customers who includegovernmental organisations, enterprises,and the maritime industry.

These teams bring their own demon-strated success in the industry to ournewly formed Globecomm Europe, saysAndy Silberstein, senior vice presidentand general manager of Globecomm.

Dutch merger givesbirth to Globecomm

Europe

p1-20:p1-14.qxd 09/08/2013 14:28 Page 8

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p1-20:p1-14.qxd 09/08/2013 14:28 Page 9

SATCOMS


Thuraya delivers MBB in Asia www.thuraya.com

Thuraya reports that it has completed thedelivery of its Maritime Broadband (MBB)solution to an offshore company in SouthEast Asia.

The system was installed on a vesselwith an existing VSAT connection, which

had been rendered unstable by unsettledweather in the Gulf of Thailand.

The Dubai-based satcom provider wascontacted by its service partner DevorTechnologies, concerning a company inSouth East Asia that operates more than 100offshore vessels. The unnamed operatorneeded an alternative to its Ku-band VSATto continue providing internet connectionto an anchor handling tug supply vessel.

The VSAT on board was affected byunpredictable weather in the Gulf ofThailand, explained Kenny Koh, busi-ness development manager for DevorTechnologies.

The operator was obligated by theircharter to provide high-speed internet con-nection and even though the speed wasacceptable, the connection was not stableenough to connect to the shore.

Devor Technologies suggested ThurayaMaritime Broadband (MBB), which pro-vides L-band coverage over Asia, theMiddle East and Europe and offers standardIP throughput at speeds of up to 444 kbps.

Devor arranged for priority shipping tothe customer, and the MBB equipment comprising the Thuraya IP terminal andSpacecom antenna reached the vesselwithin a day, with Devor and Thurayaworking on its immediate installation.

Thuraya says that the customer hasreported 85-95 per cent signal strength withMBB and that the vessel hasnt encounteredany service disruption to date. It adds thatthe crew expressed satisfaction with theuplink and downlink speeds as well.

A senior representative from the mar-itime operator is quoted as saying: Wewere also impressed by the low hardwarecost, and Devor gave us the chance to testthe system on board our vessel beforemaking the outright purchase."

"That clearly showed the confidenceDevor has in the product's performanceand within a few days of usage, we wereconvinced that the Thuraya solution

could deliver.Thuraya says that the customer has

placed an order for a second terminal tosupport its business operations.

Kenny Koh, of Devor Technologies,said that other potential clients in the off-shore maritime sector have also expressedinterest in the Thuraya MBB solution.

There was once a perception thatThuraya products were not designed forthe maritime sector but solutions such asThuraya MBB have proven to be suitablefor a variety of other vessel types, he said.

What owners want is a product that iseasy to install and configure, while givingthem reliable throughput speeds. TheThuraya IP terminal is truly plug-and-playand Thurayas congestion-free networkensures that we can always be confidentthat our clients will receive what they haveinvested in.

In other news, Thuraya has alsolaunched a new adaptor to use the iPhone5 with its SatSleeve system, which is nowavailable from all its service partners.

The company says that users can havefull walk-and-talk capability in satellitemode once they slide their iPhone 5 intothe SatSleeve.

An application, available in 12 languages,allows them to integrate their iPhone con-tacts when making satellite calls and SMS.

The SatSleeve works in satellite modeacross the coverage area of the Thurayasatellite network.

A SatSleeve for the iPhone 5 is now available

www.fcc.gov

Further details on the US FederalCommunications Commission (FCC)investigation into allegations of anticom-petitive behaviour in the satellite industryhave been released in a Federal RegisterNotice, outlining some of the specific areasthe Commission is examining.

The FCC is seeking comment onwhether and to what extent incumbentsatellite operators are inhibiting competi-tion in the market for satellite services,particularly in the fixed-satellite services(FSS) arena.

Specifically, the Commission seekscomment on whether FSS operators arewarehousing satellite orbital locations andfrequency assignments, and preventingcompetitors from purchasing capacity onincumbent-owned satellites.

Comments to the FCC are due on orbefore August 19, 2013, and reply commentsare due on or before September 17, 2013.

This Notice of Inquiry results from com-ments submitted in response to twoCongressionally mandated reports, theOrbit Act Report and the SatelliteCompetition Report, which raised two mainallegations of anticompetitive behaviour.

The first of these allegations was thatIntelsat and other dominant satellite oper-ators are warehousing scarce orbitalresources, i.e., hoarding satellite orbitallocations and frequency assignments byfailing to replace aging satellites on a time-ly basis or otherwise failing to providetransponder capacity that reflects currenttechnology.

In this regard the FCC is asking, forexample, whether it should adopt a rulethat declares unused spectrum availablefor reassignment as soon as service is ter-minated, unless an operator can demon-strate that it terminated service because ofan unforeseen catastrophic circumstance.

Alternatively, the Commission askswhether permitting some gap in servicewould strike a better balance between pro-viding an operator flexibility in managingits fleet while still safeguarding againstwarehousing.

The FCC is also seeking comment onwhether lengthy extensions on licences forsatellites nearing the end of their projectedlifespan allow inefficient or partially-func-tioning satellites to block customer accessto newer, state-of-the art satellites.

Additionally, the Commission wishesto elicit comment on whether satellites thatare not operating at full capacity create aconcern that the operator is warehousingspectrum, and asks whether it should pro-

pose a rule that automatically terminates aspace station licence if the percentage ofunused capacity exceeds a certain amount.

Even if the authorisation for an under-utilised satellite is not cancelled, theCommission asks whether, at a minimum,the unused spectrum should be madeavailable for reassignment.

The second major allegation includedin the Notice relates to Intelsats status asa vertically integrated company, whichallows it to provide its customers bothspace and ground communications serv-ices. The allegation is that this statusallows the company to discriminateagainst other competitors.

The Notice states that, as a verticallyintegrated company, Intelsat not onlyprovides satellite services to integrators(resellers) who need satellite bandwidthto fashion their own customer-specificservice offerings, but Intelsat also com-petes against integrators because Intelsatis now able to offer its own customer-spe-cific services.

Consequently, some integrators allegethat this dual role has resulted in thembeing vertically foreclosed or barred by Intelsat from securing satellite band-width capacity.

While Intelsat is the only operatorexplicitly mentioned in this allegation, thesame competition logic could be applied toan operator like Inmarsat, which also oper-ates both a satellite network and a directsales channel so comments on theseissues will be viewed with interest acrossthe maritime satcom sector.

The FCC says that it is specifically look-ing for more details on the nature and scopeof the alleged foreclosure in question, ask-ing that commenters detail the time period,the geographic routes involved, the amountand type of bandwidth capacity (Ku-band,C-band, etc.) involved, and the size of thedisputed business.

Among the further informationrequested by the FCC is data on whetherIntelsat vertical integration was facilitatedby horizontal collusion among satelliteoperators, or whether the vertical integra-tion has enhanced or deterred coordinatedinteractions among potential bidders.

Intelsat has already commented that itis confident that the investigation will findno wrongdoing, having said, when theinvestigation first went public in June, thatit believes that there is no shortage of evi-dence supporting our view that the satel-lite industry is fully competitive.

Interested parties can find details onhow to submit their comments on the FCC website.

FCC details satellite inquiry issues

The MBB unit will be used as an alternative to the onboard VSAT system

Digital Ship conferences and exhibitionsgo to www.thedigitalship.com for more details

p1-20:p1-14.qxd 09/08/2013 14:28 Page 10

p1-20:p1-14.qxd 09/08/2013 14:29 Page 11

SATCOMS


Lord Nelson and Tenacious stay connected www.globecommsystems.com

www.jst.org.uk

Globecomm Maritime has partnered withIridium to install OpenPort terminals ontwo tall ships taking part in challenges forBritish charity Jubilee Sailing Trust.

STS Lord Nelson and STS Tenacioushave both been designed to allow disabledand able-bodied people to sail side byside. The former is sailing around theworld while the latter is heading to theBaltic Sea to run in the international TallShip Race series this summer.

Since Lord Nelsons voyage includesAntarctica, Iridium was chosen as it is the only satellite constellation that coversthe poles.

Trevor Whitworth, GlobecommMaritime vice-president of sales, AsiaPacific, said: Staying in touch is a vitalpart of living and working at sea and wewanted to assist in making sure the crewand volunteers could get online andupdate friends and family with the experi-ence of life on board.

In addition to the Iridium Pilot anten-nas and below decks units, GlobecommMaritime says that it has supplied twocrew phones and a masters phone alongwith a Wi-Fi access point.

The 55-metre square rigger LordNelson is taking part in the Sail the WorldChallenge, a 50,000-mile journey designedto promote equality and inclusion in every

port of call. Would-be sailors aged 16 andover can take part with no previous expe-rience required.

A buddy system on board pairs able-bodied and disabled crew to offer mutualhelp and support during the passage.

Lord Nelsons Captain, BarbaraCampbell, said: It is vital that we havereliable communications, not only forsafety and operational purposes but also so that our voyage crew can sharetheir life-changing experiences with the

outside world.Both Lord Nelson and Tenacious can

maintain ship-to-shore voice and datacommunication even in the most remoteoceans with the Iridium systems pole topole coverage.

Also installed on board is these@COMM communication suite, whichcan be used to configure and controlaccess to the communications system,and Globecomms Nimbus networksecurity device.

www.pro-nautas.com

German maritime technology providerPro Nautas reports that it has significantlyexpanded its customer base in Germanyand the Netherlands, having agreed con-tracts to supply 112 vessels in the last 12months.

The new deals cover 18 differentshipowners across the region, for a rangeof vessels including container ships from800 to 8,000 TEU, multipurpose vessels,tugs, bulkers and ro-ro's.

Implemented projects include installa-tions of VSAT, FleetBroadband and otherInmarsat existing & evolved services suchas Fleet 77/55/33, as well as connectivitysystems integrating LAN / wireless LANnetworks with the maritime communica-tion platform.

Pro Nautas has also provided operatorand administrator training to a number ofthese customers, both for onboard systemusers and IT personnel within the ship-ping companies.

The company says that this growth hasbeen influenced by its introduction of aTotal Solution package, combining ship-to-shore connectivity with airtime provision,accounting authority services, radio regis-tration, and service and maintenance for thecommunication and navigation equipment.

Capt Barbara Campbell will use the Iridium Pilot system to stay connected while at sea

Pro Nautas expandsin Germany and the

Netherlands

www.otesat-maritel.com

Greek company Otesat-Maritel hasannounced that it has won new contractswith two shipping companies, Chandrisand EPIC Shipping, to provide their ves-sels with FleetBroadband services.

Headquartered in Singapore, withadditional offices in Athens and Manila,EPIC Shipping owns and operates a fleetof 22 gas carriers.

Besides FB services, it has signed up forOtesat-Maritels s@tGate solution to pro-vide crew pre-paid internet access andweb e-mail services, as well as post-paidB2B services.

Offering the capabilities ofFleetBroadband satellite services and solu-tions, we ensure the simple, high-speedand cost-effective daily communication ofthe vessels with their companies and thecrew with their loved ones, said GeorgePolychronopoulos, CEO of Otesat-Maritel.

Glen Dcosta, managing director atEPIC, also commented: FleetBroadband

is an optimal solution as it provides thecapacity and reliability we needed, whileenabling us to keep close control of ourcosts.

Crew welfare is also important for ourcompany. With this solution we havegiven the capability to our people onboard to communicate better with theirfamily and friends at home.

Otesat-Maritel has also been chosen byGreek ship management companyChandris to provide FleetBroadband andvalue-added services.

Otesat-Maritel says that the contract,covering business communications andcrew welfare, extends an already success-ful co-operation with Chandris, whichspecialises in the management and opera-tions of tankers and bulk carriers.

Our long co-operation with Chandrisis a result of Otesat-Maritels strategy toprovide top quality, reliable and integrat-ed satellite communications solutions tothe maritime industry, said MrPolychronopoulos.

FleetBroadband growth for Otesat

Keep your finger on the pulsewith our weekly e-mail newsletter

and our online network for maritime IT professionals

www.thedigitalship.com

p1-20:p1-14.qxd 09/08/2013 14:29 Page 12

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SATCOMS


www.doverport.co.uk

The Port of Dover has gone live with anew free Wi-Fi service at its EasternDocks.

Aimed at ferry passengers, Europesbusiest international ferry port says it has already seen almost 4,000 Wi-Fiaccounts created.

This is a clear and tangible example of how the Port is working hard toimprove the experience of its customersand to provide the quality of service andlevel of facilities that everyone using amajor international gateway in the 21stcentury, such as the Port of Dover, shouldexpect, said Tim Waggott, chief execu-

tive, Port of Dover.The Port says it is planning to follow

up with all new Port of Dover Wi-Fi customers to see how well the free serviceis working for them and to find out what further improvements can be made to make the customer experienceeven better.

This is the first phase of an excitingproject to bring free Wi-Fi to every part ofthe Port, said Mr Waggott.

We are working to bring this impor-tant service to our cruise terminals and toour marina later this year, which will ben-efit even more of our customers as wecontinue to drive towards becoming thebest port in the world.

http://imtech.comwww.furuno.com

Imtech Marine and Furuno signed a three-year extension of most of their exclusivecontracts to mark the 50th anniversary oftheir strategic partnership.

Both companies also agreed to exploreways of extending their cooperation tonew opportunities worldwide.

Over the years, thousands of vessels haveused Furuno equipment that has been sold,maintained and serviced by Imtech Marine.

Imtech Marine, headquartered inRotterdam, exclusively represents Furunoin the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal,South Africa, Egypt, United ArabicEmirates (UAE), Curaao, Trinidad &Tobago, Hong Kong and in a number ofallocated shipyards in China. Most agree-ments have now been extended until 2017.

Imtech Marine already services parts ofWest and East Africa for Japan-basedFuruno, further cooperation is beingexplored in Africa.

Imtech Marine offers a range of

Free Wi-Fi at Dover Port

Imtech Marine and Furuno extend exclusive contracts

4,000 Wi-Fi accounts have been activated at the Port. Photo: Clem Rutter

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Eric van den Adel, managing directorof Imtech Marine, said: Furuno is a vitalpart of our portfolio. We not only sell,install and commission the equipment, wealso consult and advise and we service theequipment around the globe.

Muneyuki Koike, managing director ofFuruno Electric Co., said: Our products

and solutions together with a powerfulsales force and a fully capable serviceteam of Imtech Marine have been work-ing in tandem on a number of projectsworldwide, and we have succeeded inachieving customer satisfaction from theindustry together.

Looking back at what we have con-tributed to the industry, it is our naturalselection of the course that the amicableworking relations between the two com-panies should continue and be furtherextended in the future.

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p1-20:p1-14.qxd 09/08/2013 14:29 Page 15

SATCOMS


Polar VSAT the next step in Arctic broadband

Shipping routes through the Arctic have always offered the promise of drastically reduced journey times between continents if the voyagers are willing to brave the often treacherous conditions in this remote part of the world. New plans

are underway to try and make these journeys a little easier, through the launch of a dedicated Polar VSAT service

AA s the polar ice melts, shippingthrough the Arctic is becomingboth more frequent and moreattractive, but its development depends onreliable communications.

At present, only Iridiums low Earthorbit satellite constellation currently coversthe poles. However, Telenor also has plansto introduce Arctic broadband, and theNorwegian company believes it has foundan effective technical solution two highlyelliptical orbit satellites. The issues it nowfaces are time and money.

The Norwegian Marine TechnologyResearch Institute (Marintek) has carriedout studies on behalf of Telenor whichhave examined the potential benefits andchallenges associated with Arctic satcoms.

Arctic has some special challengeswith regard to communications, notesBeate Kvamstad, researcher at Marintek.

The most normal maritime communi-cations systems being used in other placeson the Earth are based on satellites orbitingthe Earth around the Equator. However,using such satellites has its limitations upin the North because you cant read the sig-nal, she explained during a presentationat Nor-Shipping.

The theoretical limit of coverage for geo-stationary satellites (used by Inmarsat orVSAT systems) is 81.3 north, but instabilityand signal dropouts can occur at latitudes aslow as 70 north under certain conditions.

Moving up north, especially furthernorth than 75, communication is a hugeissue because youre not able to exchangeinformation, youre not able to downloadthe chart updates, youre not able to down-load ice maps and so on, Mrs Kvamstadtold Digital Ship.

The Iridium system is designed in a waysuch that the signals from an end user mightjump from satellite to satellite until it reach-es either the correct receiver or an earth sta-tion. This way of transmitting signals intro-duces a latency which is acceptable for manyapplications, but not acceptable for othermore time critical applications.

The Marintek scientist also predictedthat the bandwidth available via the 134kbps Iridium system would not be suffi-cient as users demand for digital com-munications in the High North increases.

Iridium is in the process of modernisingits system however, with plans alreadyunderway to start launching a new con-stellation called Iridium NEXT in 2015. TheUS-based company says that it will recre-ate the existing Iridium constellation archi-tecture of 66 cross-linked LEO satellitescovering 100 per cent of the globe, butdelivering higher data speeds than are cur-rently possible with OpenPort.

This will increase somewhat thecapacity, commented Mrs Kvamstad.

However, this will not meet the usersneeds in the future.

We need new solutions in order tomeet future demands.

HEOSince 80 per cent of todays ship traffic inthe Arctic takes place in Norwegianwaters, Telenor and the Norwegian SpaceCentre have initiated a new project wherethey want to look into the Norwegian pos-sibilities for launching a new system.

The partners have proposed a new proj-ect based on two high elliptic satelliteswhich will provide continuous communi-cation in polar areas.

The satellites in Highly Elliptical Orbit(HEO) follow a course that has the shape ofa rugby ball. The Earth, inside that rugbyball, is close to one tip of the ellipse and farfrom the other one (see picture below).

The closer a satellite is to the Earth, thequicker it moves. So if it is high up over theNorth Pole, it will stay there for a relative-ly extended period, movingslowly, before moving quicklyaround the Earth and the SouthPole and resuming its positionover the North Pole.

To have continuous Articcoverage, two such satellites arerequired as one of them needs tobe over the North Pole while theother one is doing its quick rev-olution around Earth via theSouth Pole.

Mrs Kvamstad said that herstudies have suggested thatHEO satellites provide the bestsolution for Arctic coverage.

However, this is not avail-able today for commercial usenor for communications, shenotes, explaining that the HEOsatellites that already exist aremilitary or weather observationsatellites.

Canada is also contemplatinga similar initiative its PCW(Polar Communication andWeather) mission is looking atintroducing two HEO satellitesto provide high data rate com-munications and monitor Arcticweather and climate change.

It will probably be focusingon the Canadian borders, MrsKvamstad said. She added thatanother HEO system was alsobeing discussed in Russia butwere not very sure how far theyve gone into theplanning.

The Norwegian project oftwo HEO satellites would costbetween 2 and 3 billion kroner

(between US$335 and $505 million), sheestimated. She added that Telenor mostlikely doesnt have a big enough market tofund this on its own.

So it should probably be a joined effortbetween governmental institutions, Telenorand perhaps other industry actors wholldepend on the new system, she said.

Hege Lunde, business developmentdirector at Telenor, confirmed that this is theapproach that her company is also taking.

We have initiated a project togetherwith the Norwegian Space Agency to lookat the user requirements for broadband inthe Arctic and also to look at what sort ofsystem would work, define the systemrequirements, she told Digital Ship.

We are looking at two satellites inhighly elliptical orbit to cover that region.We havent found any other solution thatwe think would work.

Asked about the advantages and draw-backs of the HEO system, she explained:The pros are that you can get proper polar

coverage, very similar to what you can getfurther south with the geostationary satel-lites. But you need two satellites instead ofone to have 24 hour coverage.

The drawback is that its a very highcost investment to get started, and thatswhy we think we need a sort of private-public partnership or some sort of govern-ment financing to do this.

Mrs Lunde also confirmed that the esti-mated cost of two to three billionNorwegian kroner is in the same range asTelenors own calculations.

That we will verify probably in the fallwhen we go up to the industry and ask fora request for information to verify the fig-ures. But its in that magnitude if you lookat a pure broadband system, she said.

Business caseOne key aspect of the project fromTelenors point of view is that it wants todesign a system that wouldnt require shipowners to change antennas.

The goal is to beable to roam betweengeostationary sys-tems and this sys-tem, said MrsLunde.

This view is rein-forced by AstriumServices, and in par-ticular its Norwegianbased Marlink busi-ness unit, which isalso examiningoptions to participatein the project.

Anything thathas a stabilisedantenna could inprinciple use the newsystem. It should nottake a lot of changesto the technology,said Tore MortenOlsen, CEO AstriumServices.

Astrium alreadyprovides satellite cov-erage using systemsin the various fre-quency bands cur-rently available (C-,Ku-, L-band, andsoon Ka-band) andsays it is followingthe Arctic coverageplan closely.

The philosophyis that this would bejust another networkwhere the maritimeclients could roam onto, said Mr Olsen.

The HEO satellites will follow an elliptical orbit to maximise coverage. Photo: Norwegian Space Centre

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That is where the interest from ourside really lies, in being able to provideseamless services not only in the geosta-tionary coverage locations but also forthose who are using the north-eastern andnorth-western passages.

For shipping, that is kind of key thatthey dont need any additional equip-ment. In principle you can say that the sta-bilised antenna systems provided by com-panies like Cobham and Intellian shouldbe able to operate on the HEO satelliteswithout modifications.

Mr Olsen also said that he believed thata public-private partnership was necessaryto make such a project a reality. The north-ern routes are open during the summermonths, when the ice has melted, but the satellites costs will be there for thewhole year.

Its that business model that makes it abit challenging in terms of justifying this inpurely commercial terms, said theAstrium Services CEO.

There will naturally have to be morestudies done on the cost of the service andthe price per megabit or whatever modelwe want to put in place, because of the sig-nificantly higher cost of this coverage com-pared to the others.

But we also know that the shipownersare saving a lot of time by taking this route,versus going through the Mediterranean,through the Suez Canal and around India.They could go from Europe to Asia in twoweeks rather than in four to six weeks. Sothere should also be significant savings forthe shipowners by taking up this route.

Telenor says that, under current plans,it is contemplating launching the HEOsatellites within six years.

The early stage would probably be2018-19, said Mrs Lunde, noting thatoperations would be expected to startshortly after the launch.

Asked whether she was confident thatthe project would be carried out, shereplied: Personally I believe it will hap-pen. It has to do with financing.

She said that sources of funding couldinclude the Norwegian military, oil companies once exploration starts in the Arctic and government institutionsinvolved in search and rescue or scientificresearch.

Arctic trafficThe potential customer base is rapidlyexpanding, as traffic has been increasingsharply in the Arctic in recent years.

In the summer of 2012, 46 ships used theNorthern Sea Route. By 2050, three of thefour major Arctic shipping routes will befully accessible from July to September toType A vessels, which have limited ice-breaking capabilities, according toresearchers from UCLA (University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles).

In this context, the CEO of AstriumServices is confident that there will bebroadband in the Arctic region.

I believe it will happen. The question ismore: when? Mr Oslen said.

There will be something. Whether it isthis system by Telenor and whatever PPPalliance one is able to find, or whether it issomething else that will come up. But therewill be broadband in the future in theArctic, clearly.

The Norwegian ShipownersAssociation (NSA) supports this view, con-sidering that it is extremely important

from a maritime safety perspective forNorway to secure a leading position indata, telephone and satellite communica-tions for the High North.

NSA notes that the volume of goodstransported along the Northern SeaRoute (also called the Northeast Passage)is expected to increase from 3.1 milliontonnes in 2011 to 50 million tonnes in 2020.

This expansion will be boosted by thefact that, while the Northern Sea Route,which hugs the coast of Russia, is the mosttrafficked shipping lane in the Arctic, it isonly one of many possible routes acrossthe High North.

There is also the Northwest Passage,which runs along the coast of NorthAmerica (conditions are more difficult),and the Arctic Bridge, which linksChurchill (Canada) to Murmansk (Russia),and is already reliably open during sum-mer months.

UCLA researchers have also said that aNorth Pole Route, stretching fromRotterdam (Netherlands) to the BeringStrait, would be seasonably accessible toType A vessels by mid-century.

If you can imagine taking a boat fromEurope directly to Alaska, that would bepossible according to our results for theNorth Pole Route, said Laurence Smith, aprofessor of geography at UCLA.

Based on climate forecasts for the years2040 to 2059, he also said that the ice sheetwould thin to the point that polar ice-breakers will be able to navigate betweenthe Pacific and Atlantic oceans by makinga straight shot over the North Pole.

Nobody's ever talked about shippingover the top of the North Pole, he noted. This is an entirely unexpectedpossibility.

However unexpected, shipping linesare already calculating the time andmoney they could save by using one ofthese routes.

Norwegian shipping company Tschudiconsiders that the potential savings aretoo high to be ignored, with its calcula-tions showing that the Rotterdam toShanghai route is 30 per cent shorter viathe Northern Sea Route than through theSuez Canal, and Kirkenes to Yokohama is56 per cent shorter.

The Norwegian ShipownersAssociation notes that for Yokohama toHamburg, a saving of 40 per cent in dis-tance and around 20 per cent in bunkerscan be obtained by navigating theNortheast Passage compared with sailingthrough the Suez Canal.

Experience shows that, fromMurmansk, the Northeast Passage offerssavings over the Suez Canal of 13 days toJapan, 11 days to South Korea and 8 daysto China. The distance between Kirkenes inthe far Northeast of Norway to Qingdao inChina is 6,650 nautical miles via theNortheast Passage, 12,405 nm via Suez and15,842 nm via the Cape of Good Hope.

Previous successCertainly, the appetite for Arctic shippingis set to continue to grow as more andmore companies successfully completevoyages through these routes and provethe viability of the concept from both atechnical and an operational perspective.

In 2009, Beluga Shipping was the first

Western company to have commercial ves-sels transit the Northeast Passage withoutthe need for icebreakers. It said that it cut4,000 nautical miles off the journey fromSouth Korea to Rotterdam compared withtransit via the Suez Canal.

The two Beluga heavy lift project carri-ers involved in the journey used theIridium OpenPort system, supplied byH2OSatellite, for voice and data linksthroughout their transit of the extremeNorthern waterways.

By the completion of the NortheastPassage transit, and previously the safeoffloading of the cargo in a rather remotearea in Siberia, we have opened the gateto a seaway which will further gain inimportance in the future, said NielsStolberg, then president and CEO ofBeluga Shipping, at the end of this land-mark journey.

For the Beluga voyage, planning hadstarted 12 months before, involving con-sultations with meteorologists, safety andsecurity experts, and Belugas satcomprovider H2OSatellite.

We knew that Iridium OpenPort wasthe only choice for full coverage in thoseextreme regions where other systems arepatchy or non-existent, RobertKenworthy, managing director ofH2OSatellite, said at the time.

The system allowed Beluga Shippingto stay in constant touch with its vessels,which is essential for safety and security inan area with drifting ice fields, ridges andfreezing temperatures.

In a few years, however, shipping linesthat want to take advantage of theNorthern routes may have their choicesexpanded to include both the Iridium sys-tem and the HEO satellites.

Travelling the Northeast Passage is anambitious and worthwhile project since itoffers great advantages for saving time,bunker and thereby money, but also reduc-ing environmentally harmful emissionswhich have to be decreased in the mar-itime sector, said Mr Stolberg, of Beluga,in 2009.

The possibility of a direct seaway con-necting the prosperous European and Asianmarkets offers unmatched opportunities forboth strong cargo trade and efficient seatraffic, and Beluga Shipping was deter-mined to make the possibility a reality.

Mr Stolbergs views on the potential ofthis sea route have been backed by otherssince, as an increasing number of shipssoon followed the Arctic trail.

Four vessels sailed through theNorthern Sea Route (or Northeast Passage)in 2010, which has grown to 34 vessels in2011 and 46 last year. The trend is unlikelyto reverse.

The Arctic is now warmer than it hasbeen at any time during the last 2,000years, according to researchers from theArctic Institute.

Summer ice extent has declined by 40per cent since satellite observation began in1979. Over the same period, Arctic sea icehas thinned considerably, experiencing adecline in average volume of 70 per cent.

Within the next decade this warmingtrend may transform the region from aninaccessible frozen desert into a seasonallynavigable ocean and the Arctic Ocean maybe ice-free for short periods as early as 2015. DS

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GLOBAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

LTD

SMSGlobal Ltd. is proud to announce that 3,000 vessels are now equipped with its CrewCommCenter system having 120,000 seafarers exchanging 2,200,000 messages monthly with over 1,300,000 friends and loved ones on-shore.

Bridging the distance with friends and loved ones has always been a serious concern for anyone working at sea. This is especially true in this age with quicker port turnaround times more often less than a day and longer stretches out at sea sometimes 30 days straight.

Cost affordability of personal communications has always been and still is a big challenge. Seafarers typically spend at least USD 100 per month on personal communications, which for some is already a tidy sum.

Privacy and confidentiality of personal communications is also an ongoing concern for seafarers. Nobody needs the aggravation of having his personal and family matters be the talk of all his colleagues on board the vessel.

Bridging the Gap Crew Welfare is Crew RetentionThe significance of crew retention as a key factor in bottomline results has been growing rapidly the last decade, so much so that crew welfare is now a key focus on any shipping operations mindset. Personal communications by the crew with their loved ones and friends back home is widely acknowledged as the most crucial of all crew welfare initiatives.

While most shipowners have already acceded to providing crew access to personal communications such as E-mail and SMS messaging, many are still concerned with the challenges providing crew Internet access; cost and usage controls, ship operations security and IT compromises, support, maintenance or administrative hassles and costly initial investments or capital outlays.

Addressing the Needs

Three thousand vessels under operation is a solid testament to CrewCommCenter as the crew communications solution of choice.

The whole team with SMSGlobal is proud to reach this milestone and we are excited for the developments ahead.

Much has evolved from the simple 2-way E-mail and SMS messaging system when we started 10 years ago to a full-blown Internet Caf facility that it is today; with Fleet Announcements Board, World-News in 14 multilingual editions, Online Instant Messaging with all major networks such as MSN, Yahoo, Facebook, Google and AIM and secured Web Browsing.

While CrewCommCenter is well-equipped to address today's demands, it is as well a dynamic technology that is highly leveraged to meet the growing demands of the continuously evolving connected world:

Web-based, client-free interfaces, Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) environments, seafarer-focused social networking portals, native iOS or Android apps, Online Gaming, VOIP, Video Chatting and Personalized Content are just some of the modules that seafarers will soon be enjoying.

SMSGlobal installs CrewCommCenter on 3,000 vessels

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Capt. Ivar Thomasli, Chairman SMSGlobal Ltd...........................................................................................................................................................................

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CrewCommCenter brochure

To download the CrewCommCenter details:http://www.smsglobal.net/filedownloads/CrewCommCenter_presentation.pdf

About SMSGlobal ltd...................................................................................

..................................................................................SMSGlobal was founded in 2003 when the company introduced the first universal 2-way SMS text messaging and crew E-mail service for seafarers.

SMSGlobal has established offices in Hong Kong & Philippines and works hand in hand with over 800 telecom operators world-wide integrating various state-of-the-art technologies.

CrewCommCenter is offered by some of the biggest maritime industry service providers: Inmarsat Direct Sales, J-Sat Mobile, Beijing Marine and SeaSecure.

For more information: [email protected]

The milestone is doubly significant as SMSGlobal marks its 10th year in the Maritime industry as the crew communications provider of choice by both the seafarer and the ship owner. The achievements further cement CrewCommCenter as the market leading crew communications solution that merges each sector's divergent concerns into a single platform.

SMSGlobal's success has been anchored on merging these divergent concerns by both the seafarer and the shipowner.

CrewCommCenter provides the seafarer convenient, affordable, private communications with their loved ones and friends, enabling them to send and receive E-mails and SMS, read News from home, read ship manager Announcements, converse through low data Instant Messaging, and Browse the World Wide Web.

While the crew enjoys all these features, CrewCommCenter also strongly addresses the shipowners concerns: limits are set for sending and receiving messages, thus usage is controlled; fixed monthly charges for each module, thus cost is predictable; access restrictions, content control, whitelisting or blacklisting thus security is guaranteed; simple, industry standard protocols and interfaces for system management and remote configurations thus ease of maintenance and administration is guaranteed; and finally; CrewCommCenter is a software-based solution thus no need for costly capital outlays for additional hardware.

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SATCOMS


Full speed ahead or steady as she goes?Excitement has been growing in the maritime market over the potential benefits that the next generation of high

throughput satellites (HTS), set to be launched in the coming years, will offer but for most shipping companies thesenew services wont be a viable replacement for current offerings for a long time yet, writes Geoff Davison, Thuraya

TT he launch of HTS services over thecoming decade promises to pro-vide something like communica-tions nirvana for the maritime industry.

The potential increases in bandwidthcapability and available airtime suggestthat where once the maritime industrylaboured to do a fraction of what we takefor granted on land, it would finallyachieve some kind of parity.

In some cases this may be true but it isfar from the whole picture. A comprehen-sive understanding of the maritime sat-coms landscape needs to recognise not justthe changing dynamics of demand andsupply but a clear understanding of cus-tomer behaviour and needs.

Do just that and it becomes immediate-ly clear that the for the majority of ownersand operators, legacy L-band systems willcontinue to command the lions share ofvoice and data traffic over coming years.

That may seem counter-intuitive giventhe lower per megabyte costs and packagedeals to be had by upgrading but the fact remains, shipping is only now comingto the end of a seven year down cycle, with some analysts suggesting that anyone imagining a return to uniform pre-2008 business conditions is likely to be disappointed.

Ask the average shipowner how muchhe pays per megabyte and the chances arehe does not know. Ask the same shipown-er how much his communications bill isevery month and he will be able to tell youquite easily.

Look ahead even to the medium termand the drivers to satcoms adoption arelikely to remain focussed on a servicepackage that delivers on price, quality ofsignal, robustness and ease of use andinstallation.

HTS launches by Inmarsat, Intelsatand O3B for example make great news;they capture the imagination and givehope to those users who want to see theirships as an extension of the office ratherthan a remote branch where no-oneanswers the phone.

But the fact remains that HTS, excitingthough it is, will be expensive to use andfar more complex in day to day operationthan legacy maritime services.

The demand is certainly there and oneonly need read the pages of Digital Ship tosee that owners of tanker fleets and otherspecialised tonnage are moving ever closerto full VSAT as a prelude to HTS serviceswhen they come on stream.

Even so questions remain. Do themajority of shipowners need a bandwidthpipe that big? Are they prepared for thehigher Capex on ground equipment andmaintenance? Will these services work aswell as L-band in the mobility market?

Even their providers also accept thatthese services are likely to be attractive tocomparatively few high-end users, making

their penetration small as a percentage ofthe addressable market. Thats despite theusers already having in some cases con-tributed to the cost of their development.

But anyone who has spent time in themaritime industry knows that the leadingedge is not always representative of themajority. Shippings middle ground is aplace of fragmented ownership and smallto medium sized companies which exist infar lower profile niches than the big fleetsand publicly-listed companies.

Adoption driversThe drivers to adoption of VSAT and high-er bandwidth services also need to beexamined in more detail. As has beennoted by recent research, many VSAT ven-dors are making sales based on theunprecedented demand for crew welfarecommunications.

This is in part because they struggle tomake the case at boardroom level forVSAT or high bandwidth services for busi-ness communications and also because thepromise of a fat pipe that can keep thecrew happy for a fixed monthly fee isalmost too good to be true.

In some cases it is just that. Any com-munications package comes with limits,regardless of what the sales brochures sayand providers will build into contractsclauses covering best effort, committedinformation rates, throttling back and nor-mally some figure covering maximum MBconsumption. Crew use of social mediawill test all those parameters.

Service partners with a solid package ofValue Added Services are best placed tosucceed because even with unlimitedpackages, the best use still has to be made

of the bandwidth and user experience.This suggests that the sale of VSAT

services for crew use is distorting thedemand figure. Crew usage may be taking

up the majority of VSAT airtime

eylül 2013

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