GPS News

Inmarsat, the renowned company in global, mobile satellite communications, is giving free connectivity to maritime crews around the globe that use its Fleet Hotspot service. Free connectivity to maritime crews Given the critical role that connectivity plays in crew welfare, Inmarsat will deliver 250 MB of free data to active Fleet Hotspot accounts on December 24, 2021.The seasonal gift will be automatically topped up to active crew accounts. The free 250 MB is available for a variety of conne...

Unmanned Survey Solutions are delighted to welcome Phil Crump (IHO Category A Hydrographic Surveyor) to their team.  Vast marine industry knowledge Phil Crump has excellent knowledge and experience with a range of survey equipment and processing software, post having completed projects, including navigation surveys for UKHO, wreck investigations, sub-sea inspections, pre- and post-lay surveys, and subsea photogrammetry. He is now skilled in the mobilisation of nearshore and offshore vess...

A North East technology business is looking to haul in a big catch of new clients, after becoming the only provider in the north of England, to secure government accreditation for a state-of-the-art tracking device, used in the commercial fishing industry.  Succorfish attains MMO’s approval Succorfish is one of just four firms to successfully complete the Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) extensive approvals process, for Inshore Vessel Monitoring Systems (I-VMS), which ar...

FESCO Transportation Group (FESCO) is expanding the geography of transit routes and is launching a regular intermodal container service, FESCO West Gate Bridge, from countries of the Asia-Pacific region to ports of Europe, via Vladivostok and Kaliningrad in Russia. FESCO West Gate Bridge service The new service, FESCO West Gate Bridge, includes marine shipment by regular FESCO lines, from the Asia-Pacific region to the Commercial Port of Vladivostok (CPV, part of the FESCO Group), then by a re...

Maritime UK has announced launching the Version 5 of the Industry Code of Practice for Maritime Autonomous Ship Systems on December 6, 2021. The accelerating pace of change in maritime autonomy has required updated guidance for those owning and operating Maritime Autonomous Ship Systems (MASS). While not a legal text, the Industry Code of Practice has been used by manufacturers, service providers, and others, as part of their day-to-day work. Many manufacturers have reported clients requiring c...

VANOS S.A. is pleased to announce that they participated in the DEFEA 2021 - Defence Exhibition Athens event, which took place from July 13 to July 15, 2021. VANOS S.A. presented their latest technological developments in tactical equipment, as well as security, communication and detection systems, to 63 official military and government delegations, from 21 countries, in addition to the thousands of visitors, at the DEFEA 2021 exhibition. DEFEA 2021 exhibition With the exhibition having come...

A raft of respected business leaders, ocean experts and key industry stakeholders have been revealed, as participants in the unique Blue Talks programme at the Nor-Shipping 2022 exhibition. Nor-Shipping 2022 Scheduled to take place from April 4 to April 7, 2022, the Blue Talks at Nor-Shipping 2022 event will complement Nor-Shipping’s main theme of taking positive #ACTION within the ocean space, with hour-long sessions dedicated to the future strategies, solutions and technologies capable...

GEM elettronica is proud to announce the successful installation and acceptance testing of the 3D Columbus Radar onboard of the Italian Navy Ship Vulcano. Columbus Columbus is a short-medium range, 3D, Air & Surface search-navigation radar system, proposed for Naval and Land-based operations, demanding high detection performances, high reliability and availability, reduced maintenance and lifecycle costs. It is specifically designed to detect and track small fast-moving targets in all alt...

MetOcean Telematics is pleased to announce the official release of the STOKES Iridium tracking drifter. It is available for purchase. The STOKES drifter was designed and tested in technical partnership with Florida State University (FSU). STOKES drifter The STOKES drifter is a compact drifting buoy that tracks water currents at the surface. The small lightweight buoy is equipped with Iridium satellite telemetry, GPS positioning, and a sea surface temperature sensor. Iridium satellite telemet...

Inmarsat, the globally renowned company in mobile satellite communications, has confirmed that its strategic partner, BSNL has received the necessary licences to deliver Inmarsat’s widely popular Global Xpress (GX) mobile broadband services in India. IFMC licence Under BSNL’s Inflight and Maritime Connectivity (IFMC) licence from the Department of Telecommunications, GX will be available to Indian customers across government, aviation and maritime. The announcement means t...

Blue Insight provides an open, modular platform for the processing, visualisation and sharing of ocean data. The core module contains the cloud framework – which has been built to the highest cyber security standards – and an application-specific dashboard teamed with data storage and management functionalities. Additional modules can be added to this framework to tailor Blue Insight’s functionality to suit all projects, however large or small. Key to Blue Insight’s da...

Satcom Direct (SD) has confirmed the successful functioning of the Plane Simple™ Antenna System during a series of transatlantic and European validation flights. In more than sixteen hours of testing amassed during a three-day mission, the tail-mounted, Ku-band Plane Simple Antenna System demonstrated its compatibility with the Intelsat FlexExec satellite network. Seamless data transmission was supported by the SD ecosystem of hardware, software, and terrestrial infrastructure, as it deli...

The U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) has awarded a contract to Kongsberg Protech Systems USA to deliver Remote Weapon Systems (RWS) as part of the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) programme. The Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract has a potential value of $94 million and includes a series of Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) systems and full-rate production units. This production contract award follows a Sept. 2020 contract award from the USMC to KONGSBERG for test...

Xeneta’s Long-Term XSI Public Indices has revealed yet another monthly hike in long-term ocean freight rates, with global container prices climbing by 3.2%. The development follows a 2.2% increase in August 2021 and an unprecedented 28.1% jump in July 2021, leaving rates now standing 91.5% up year-on-year. What’s more, Oslo-based Xeneta reports there is little evidence to suggest a weakening of market fundamentals – meaning there could be more pain in store for shippers, with...

Wrsit's logistics branch in Copenhagen has launched its new and groundbreaking forwarding platform. It is based on the latest within Cloud Technology, setting new standards for the future of forwarding business in Wrist. The online portal is developed to meet the current and future needs of customers, supporting the demand for a higher level of digitalisation. Automatic real-time tracking and complete transparency Log on to Wrist's logistics customer portal, where users can follow orders with...

Inmarsat, the world renowned company in global mobile satellite communications, has secured a contract for its new Fleet LTE service, covering the connectivity needs of several Solstad Offshore North Sea vessels.  Offshore vessel operators commonly buy LTE and VSAT connectivity separately, using LTE when within range of shore, rigs or wind farm networks then relying on crew to switch manually to VSAT beyond 4G coverage limits. Costs can be hard to control where services are billed separate...

As the global maritime industry looks back on a hugely challenging year for seafarers, four major maritime charities will come together at Inmarsat, to explore how technology will shape the future for seafarers’ welfare. The Mission to Seafarers, in collaboration with The Seafarers’ Charity, Stella Maris and Sailors’ Society, will be fielding their CEOs, on each of the four panels. Promoting Seafarers welfare This half-day afternoon conference, ‘Meeting the needs of se...

Kongsberg Digital (Kongsberg) and Shell International Exploration & Production (Shell Marine) have announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership agreement. Hege Skryseth, President of Kongsberg Digital and Executive Vice President (EVP) at Kongsberg, said “We are very excited to enter into this new strategic partnership agreement with Shell International and enable the digital transformation of their Wells business unit.” Digital transformation Hege Skryseth ad...

Edge sensor technology developed by HENSOLDT will strengthen Frontex maritime surveillance in the Mediterranean Sea and contribute to the protection of Europe’s strategic south-eastern border. In the frame of a technology pilot programme, HENSOLDT’s ARGOS-II HD Electro-Optical Infrared (EOIR) system will be deployed on two tethered aerostats and deliver extensive security surveillance. Frontex maritime surveillance project The project is operated by Frontex, the European Border an...

MetOcean Telematics (MetOcean) is pleased to announce the acquisition of Orolia’s OmniCom vessel management systems (VMS) and fleet management solutions (FMS). OmniCom is the next generation of trusted real-time fleet management technology designed to provide constant connectivity to customers, businesses, vessels, and crew while at sea. The acquisition includes the complete portfolio of OmniCom Global and OmniCom Vessel Monitoring System (VMS). OmniCom’s range of products OmniCom...

Global survival technology provider - Survitec has re-launched its lifeboat inspection solution, underpinned by the company’s novel ‘Hub and Spoke’ network model. Lifeboat Inspection 402, devised in line with regulations mandated in 2020 under SOLAS Chapter III & IMO MSC.402 (96), has been enhanced to deliver greater flexibility and convenience to vessel operators. Lifeboat Inspection 402 solution Metkel Yohannes, Survitec’s Lifeboat Product Category Manager, said:...

Inmarsat, the globally renowned company in global, mobile satellite communications, has published a new report based on an exclusive analysis of Global Maritime Distress and Safety Services alerts from ships. The Future of Maritime Safety Drawing on distress calls sent free at the point of use via the Inmarsat network, from vessels worldwide, between 2018 and 2020, The Future of Maritime Safety report is published by the Inmarsat Research Programme and has been written by the team at Intent Co...

Tokyo-based renowned maritime services and classification society, ClassNK has announced the release of their ‘ClassNK Technical Journal’. ‘ClassNK Technical Journal’ The purpose of the publication, ‘ClassNK Technical Journal’, is contributing to the development of the maritime industry, by publishing the outcome of R&D (Research & Development) and technical activities. The latest issue ‘Class NK Technical Journal No.3 2021 (I)’ focuses...

Inmarsat Maritime Ventures, a subsidiary of Inmarsat, mobile satellite communications, has signed an agreement with SRH Connect (SRH) for SRH to acquire Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband customer base in Greece and Cyprus.  The SRH acquisition involves customer contracts purchased by Inmarsat Maritime Ventures from Speedcast at the beginning of this year. SRH already provides customer support for Inmarsat’s Fleet Network Manager portfolio after signing a customer support agreement in M...

Satcom Direct, the business aviation solutions provider, has completed phase one of the strategic integration of MySky, the AI-powered spend management platform designed for the private aviation industry. The incorporation of the single sign-in functionality into SD Pro®, the digital flight operations and communications platform, now enables SD Pro users, subscribed to the MySky platform, to seamlessly access and optimise spend management and operations data directly from the SD Pro dashbo...

Sofia, Cargo transport in Bulgaria is highly dominated by road. In the mid-2000s, railways remained a major mode of freight transportation, but with increasing problems with the maintenance of the infrastructure and lowering speeds, highways carried a progressively larger share of freight.   As the global integrator of container logistics- A.P. Moller - Maersk. plumps for rail transportation in Bulgaria and from today on offers cargo block train services in both directions -import and...

  In May 2021, Maastricht Maersk arrived at APM Terminals Maasvlakte II in Rotterdam, carrying on board two iconic Maersk containers, painted skillfully with a rainbow to celebrate diversity and inclusion. The Rainbow containers were displayed at APM Terminals Maasvlakte II until 16 May, giving the employees of the terminal and of other A.P. Moller - Maersk brands a chance to sign the inside of the boxes, as a symbol of their own personal commitment to diversity and inclusion.   One...

  Maersk remains committed to ensuring the supply chain needs are met in this period of uncertainty and intensified congestion all around the globe. In this “Asia Pacific Market Update”, Maersk provides the most relevant and up-to-date information so that together Maersk navigates this period of heightened volatility and keeps the supply chain moving. Industry Trends As the world and businesses continue to face challenges, Asia Pacific leads the way in projected GDP growth:...

  PUMA’s ‘Forever Faster’ mission continuously earns it a place at the forefront of sports innovation, fashion and design. It leads to firsts from the athletes they sponsor, like Usain Bolt and Neymar Jr, and leads to firsts in other areas, including supply chain innovation and logistics leadership. In a category defined by speed-to-market, PUMA is always looking for ways to get their latest merchandise out to consumers more efficiently and cost-effectively...

SBM Offshore has reached a new milestone in its digital transformation program: ABS has issued New Technology Qualification (NTQ) to SBM Offshore’s artificial intelligence-powered Intelligent Agent Mooring Line Integrity Tool, allowing the technology to be integrated into offshore systems for the first time. This tool is built on SBM Offshore’s unrivalled mooring expertise and FPSO lifecycle management, combined with the advancement in machine learning capabilities. It enables the d...