Marlink Launches Fleetbroadband Bundles

Marlink has introduced a range of new FleetBroadband Bundles which can be purchased with its two and three year price plans. The new bundles will enable customers to lease equipment from a choice of three different vendors, as well as purchase broadband time for data and voice, all at a fixed monthly cost.

KVH Expands Coverage to Africa

KVH Industries (NASDAQ:KVHI) announced the successful activation of its mini-VSAT Broadband(SM) service in Africa. The latest step in the joint effort by KVH and ViaSat to offer a seamless global broadband network for vessels and aircraft, the new African coverage area is using the Telesat 11N satellite,

Globe Wireless Acquires Zynetix

Globe Wireless has acquired Zynetix, a UK-based company specializing in GSM solutions.  Frank Coles President & CEO of Globe Wireless said, “Mariners will use personal GSM handsets without paying premiums for that convenience.  By seamlessly blending IP satellite systems such as FleetBroadband,

Jensen Maritime Designs Kennicott Renovation

Jensen Maritime Consultants, Inc., a Crowley company, has been contracted to provide naval architecture and marine engineering expertise to Fairhaven Shipyard of Bellingham, Wash. for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) upgrades and renovations to the Alaska Marine Highway System passenger/ vehicle ferry, M/V Kennicott.

Veripos Extends Network with Falklands

Veripos, a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning solutions to the offshore oil and gas industries, has extended its multi-source Differential GPS service for South Atlantic and Southern Ocean regions with the establishment of new reference station facilities in the Falkland Islands.

KVH’s Mini-VSAT Broadband Gov’t Approval

KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI) announced that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted permanent “Earth Station onboard – Vessel” or ESV license authority for KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband satellite communications service. This authority officially approves the

Marlink Announces U.S. Contract

Marlink, global provider of satellite communications to the maritime industry, announced the signing of a new contract with U.S. company, Hornbeck Offshore Services, LLC (NYSE: HOS) for the supply of communications for two of its Multi Purpose Support Vessels. These are the third and fourth vessels in the Hornbeck fleet to be served by Marlink.

Iridium Openport on Fishing Vessels

The FV Aart Maaskant (UK95) is was one of the first Dutch commercial fishing vessels to be fitted with Iridium OpenPort. Gannexion BV, an Iridium service partner, installed the Iridium high-bandwidth terminal to replace the existing satcom system on the 139 ft beam trawler, which operates in the North Sea.

Vizada, Météo-France Weather Service Contract

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,

Vizada, Météo-France Weather Service Partnership

Vizada, an independent satellite communications provider, and Météo-France, a meteorological center, have renewed their agreement to provide professional 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,

Zakher Marine Upgrades to FleetBroadband 150

Stratos Global Corporation, global provider of mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, announced it is upgrading Zakher Marine International Inc. (ZMI) vessels to Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband 150 (FB150) mobile broadband satellite service. With each FB150 system ZMI is deploying the

Marlink Provides More Power to Viking

Baltic Sea cruise ferry operator, Viking Line, has entered into a new five-year contract with Marlink continuing its existing agreement for the supply and operation of its satellite communications and the enhancement of its Sealink(TM) systems onboard the company's fleet of ferries.From its head office in Åland,

Iridium Teams Up to Supply Mexico

To accelerate growth in the Mexican market, Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) announced it has signed three additional distribution partners in Mexico. These three new partners supplement the distribution channel for the new Iridium Mexico subsidiary (or Iridium Comunicaciones de Mexico S.A.

USCG Deploys KVH TracPhone V7 Satellite

In an effort to expand its communications capacity and take advantage of affordable, emerging commercial satellite services, the United States Coast Guard is in the process of deploying the TracPhone V7 and mini-VSAT Broadband service from KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI) on its 110-ft and 225-ft cutters.

CSC/DVS Agreement with Intelsat

Intelsat, Ltd., provider of fixed satellite services, announced the signing of a multi-year distribution agreement with Corporate Satellite Communications (CSC/DVS) for Intelsat’s Network Broadband Global Maritime service. CSC/DVS’s customers will benefit from the Intelsat Network Broadband

Satworx Promotion

Satworx, provider of satellite phone solutions, announced a promotion benefiting those in the maritime industries who spend time on small and large vessels where cell phone service is unavailable. Now through December 31, 2009, any boat owner or captain that signs a premium plan contract with Satworx

Marlink’s New Access Controller

Marlink has launched the Access Controller, a new cost-effective system which enables the seamless management of a ship's onboard satellite communications network. The compact and lightweight system can be installed on any vessel to make switching between VSAT, Iridium OpenPort or Inmarsat FleetBroadband systems extremely quick and easy,

Globe Wireless, SingTel Renew Agreement

Globe Wireless announced the company has renewed its reseller agreement with SingTel. Globe Wireless provides communications and IT services to over 9,600 ships worldwide, and provides SingTel satellite services as a key part of its offering.(www.globewireless.com)(www.singtel.com)

Marlink KU-Band Services, North Sea Region

Marlink has expanded its Ku-band coverage to the North Sea. The coverage expansion will enable Marlink to offer WaveCall(T) to customers operating in the region. The introduction of WaveCall(T) in the Northern Europe region will provide significant cost savings to companies requiring VSAT with lower bandwidth.

Northrop Grumman Q3 2009 Results

•    Sales Increase 4 Percent to $8.73 Billion- GAAP EPS from Continuing Operations Increase to $1.52•    Pension-adjusted EPS Increase 22 Percent to $1.672009E GAAP EPS Guidance Raised to $5.00 to $5.15 from $4.65 to $4.90•   

USCG Approves CLS Thorium Terminal for LRIT

Collecte Localisation Satellites (CLS) and Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) announced that the U.S. Coast Guard has type-approved the CLS Thorium terminal for Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT). The type approval clears the way for CLS America, a subsidiary of CLS, to equip ships sailing under the U.

Iridium, H2OSatellite on Beluga’s NE Passage Transit

Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) and H2OSatellite provided critical satellite communications for Beluga Shipping’s successful pioneering transit of the challenging Northeast Passage this summer. The Beluga ships relied on Iridium OpenPort high-bandwidth marine satellite systems supplied

Thuraya Targets European Gov’t & Defense

Thuraya has partnered with the UK based Global RadioData Communications (GRC). According to the agreement, the specialist firm in communication solutions, GRC, will promote and distribute Thuraya’s entire portfolio of services to government and defense institutions in Europe.  Thuraya,

USCG, High HDOP Advisory

The U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center issued a High Horizontal Dilution of Precision (HDOP) Advisory stating that GPS users in certain parts of the world may experience a short period of high HDOP/PDOP on October 8 as a result of a routine Delta-V maneuver with satellite #52 (PRN-31). (10/6/09).(Source: Bryant’s Maritime News)

New DGNSS From Kongsberg Seatex

Kongsberg Seatex, a specialist in position reference systems, has unveiled the latest additions to its DPS (Differential Position Sensor) product portfolio. Two new products, DPS 110 and DPS 112, have been developed to utilize the new Global Satellite Based Augmentation System (Global SBAS) introduced by the navigation specialist Fugro SeaSTAR AS,

Furuno Manufacturer of the Year

Furuno, manufacturer of marine electronics, was honored with five awards at the 2009 National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) Convention in Sanibel, Fla. This year’s event, held Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, celebrated the 38th anniversary of the NMEA awards. This year, 10 NMEA Awards were presented and half were received by Furuno.

This Day in Naval History – Oct. 5

1863 - Confederate David seriously damages USS New Ironsides with a spar torpedo off Charleston, South Carolina.1913 - Trial of OWL, Navy's first amphibian flying boat1957 - Minitrack, a satellite tracking net developed by the Naval Research Laboratory, becomes operational. This network,

Clipper Tankers Selects KVH

Clipper Marine Services A/S of Copenhagen, Denmark, is the latest commercial maritime operation to take advantage of the broadband access and affordable service offered by KVH Industries (Nasdaq: KVHI) and its compact TracPhone V7 satellite communications system and the mini-VSAT Broadband service. In the coming months,

Marlink Enhanced Wavecall (TM) Services

Marlink, the maritime satellite communications provider, will announce new features for its WaveCall(TM) VSAT solution at Ft Lauderdale International Boat Show. The company has introduced automatic roaming and Committed Information Rates (CIRs) to enable users to seamlessly roam between Ku-band coverage

USCG – HDOP Advisory

The U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center issued an advisory stating that GPS users may experience short periods of high horizontal dilution of precision (HDOP) on September 11 as a result of a routine Delta-V maneuver with satellite #52 (PRN-31). (9/9/09).(Source: Bryant’s Maritime News) 

Oil Slick in the Timor Sea

This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on August 30, 2009, shows the Timor Sea and what are probably oil slicks about 250 kilometers northwest of Western Australia, from a leaking oil well in the Timor Sea. (Photo courtesy NASA Earth Observatory)

Simrad-Yachting NSE Series Chartplotter Systems

Simrad-Yachting announced the NSE series of multifunction marine electronic displays. The most integrated Simrad-branded system ever developed, the fully-networkable NSE is a powerful GPS Chartplotter with embedded cartography for out-of-the-box functionality. Designed for ease of use, the

KVH Broadband Service in Australia & NZ

KVH Industries (Nasdaq: KVHI) announced the activation of its mini-VSAT Broadband service in Australian and New Zealand waters following the successful completion of satellite testing.  The new coverage area is the first significant expansion of the mini-VSAT Broadband service in the southern hemisphere.

2009 NMEA Convention & Expo

The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) will hold its 2009 NMEA Convention & Expo Sept. 30 - Oct .2, 2009, at the Sanibel Harbour Resort in Fort Myers, Fla. “The NMEA Convention & Expo is very valuable for everyone involved in the industry, but it is really organized to serve NMEA dealers and their personnel,

USARC Calls for Arctic Oil Spill Research

The U.S. Arctic Research Commission believes that the U.S. needs a robust research program to address spill response in broken ice, as shipping moves into the Arctic Ocean and offshore oil drilling - in several Arctic nations - moves forward.Mead Treadwell, chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission,

Intellian Technologies New Center

Intellian Technologies, the world’s technological leader in marine satellite antennas, announced that it has begun construction on a 71,000 square foot R&D, manufacturing and shipping facility, the Intellian Center for Innovative Technologies. Scheduled for completion in February 2010, the

NOAA Buoys Deployed in the Arctic

Now traversing the Northwest Passage, the Ocean Watch crew - four professional sailors, a scientist and an educator - recently completed the deployment of three NOAA Global Drifter Program buoys. Dr. Ignatius Rigor, research scientist at the University of Washington Applied Physics Laboratory (UW-APL)

Alion Awarded $4.4m NOAA Contract

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) collection, analysis and dissemination of ecosystem information on the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and seas, and land-masses is critical to public safety, protection of property, and the economic health and development of communities in the United States and globally.

Vizada, CLS Form Partnership for LRIT Tracking

Vizada, an independent satellite communications provider, and CLS, specializing in sustainable management of marine resources, environmental monitoring and maritime security, have signed a partnership to jointly provide long range identification and tracking (LRIT) to the European Maritime Safety Agency

This Day in Naval History – August 18

1838 - Exploring Expedition under LT Charles Wilkes embarks on world cruise.1911 - First Navy Nurse Corps superintendent, Esther Voorhees Hasson, appointed1965 - First major amphibious assault in Vietnam, Operation Starlight captures 2,000 Viet Cong1966 - First ship-to-shore
Contracts Major Ballast Water Management System Contract. General Dynamics USS New Hampshire Contract. Austal Contract for JHSV 2 and 3. FMC, Petrobras $80M Subsea Service Contract. Drydocks World Newbuild Contract.
Cruise Ship Trends Silversea's New Flagship Arrives in America. Costa Deliziosa Completes Sea Trials. Port Everglades Opens Cruise Terminal. InnerSea Discoveries Purchases Two Vessels. Island Breeze Continues with East Asian Plans.
Education/Training Free SUNY Maritime Conference. DHS Awards $2k Grant to Cal Maritime. Castle Shipboard Security Program at University. Maritime Environmental Mgmt, Distance Learning. 2010 Norm Manly YMTA Scholarship.
Environmental UAE, NAMEPA Environmental Summit. Ingram Barge Named to EPA SmartWay Program. CG Final Update on Port Arthur Spill. CARB Commercial Harbor Craft Workshop. Green Star Reduces Fuel Consumption.
Finance Northrop Grumman Q4 2009 Results. Hornbeck Offshore Exchange Offer. Panama Canal FY 2010 Q1 Metrics. Horizon Lines Reduces Debt in Q4. WQIS Holds Covered, No Premium Increase.
Marine Electronics New DGNSS From Kongsberg Seatex. NAVICO Honored at 2009 NMEA. Hispano Radio, WESMAR Dealer in Spain. Furuno Manufacturer of the Year. OSIL Uses Sontek ADCP.
Marine Propulsion Scandic Diesel Services Opens in Montreal. PCT Acceptance for Miratech’s V-CAT Catalyst. Wärtsilä Sales Success, RT-flex82 Engines. Royal Caribbean, Rolls-Royce Pod Settlement. EMD’s EPA Part 1042 Emissions Kits.
Navigation Easier Access to Electronic Charts. Sabine-Neches Waterway Open, Limited Traffic. Hong Kong Emergency Wreck Buoy. Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal Closure. NOAA Installs System to Improve Safety & Efficiency.
Navy USS Ashland Loads Supplies for Haiti. Sunken Sub in Balabac Strait is USS Flier. This Day in Naval History – Feb. 5. This Day in Naval History – Feb. 4. Future USNS Matthew Perry Acceptance Trials.
Offshore State Seeks Intervention in Drilling Case. Statoil Honored in Houston. CNOOC Ltd 2010 Business Strategy. Saudi Aramco’s 1st Purpose-Built Jackup. Cape Wind Energy Project Open for Comment.
Ports New Krishnapatnam Port Records. Wilhelmsen Supports Major Port Construction. Ports America Chesapeake 50-Yr Lease. Port of Kiel Close to its 2008 Handling Mark. Mercedes-Benz South Atlantic Hub Opens.
Ship Sales Star Bulk Sells Capesize Vessel Star Beta. Tsakos Energy Ship Sales. Globus Maritime Sells Handymax Dry Bulk Carrier. Oceanfreight Inc. Acquires Capesize Vessel. South Korean Shipping Slump.
Shipbuilding Bristol Harbor Helps Convert Trico Moon. NSRP Approves $1.2M for New Projects. SMM 2010. MES Delivers Bulk Carrier MV Ocean Leader. Keppel FELS Delivers First Rig of 2010.
Technology Shipwrecks: Cleaning Up from the Past. Ship-to-Ship Wireless Broadband Tracking. AVEVA Marine Offers New Features. Penn State Receives Grant. Lockheed Martin Awarded Grant.
Workboats Two RAstar 3800 Tugs from Robert Allan. Donjon’s Tug Fleet Continues to Grow. Colle Shipyard Contract, New ASD Tug. Kvichak Marine Builds NYPD. Hope Services Delivers M/V Lisa Marie.