INSIDE WASHINGTON

MARAD Makes New Marine Highway Designations

The U.S. Maritime Administration has designated six new Marine Highway Projects as part of the America’s Marine Highway Program (AMHP), which encourages the use of navigable waterways for the movement of freight and people as an alternative to land-based transportation.

In May, the department announced the availability of nearly $11 million in grant funding that will be awarded to advance marine highway projects.

Project Designations

M-5 Coastal Connector (California/ Oregon/Washington): This designation will support a service transporting goods on barges between Bellingham, Wash.; Southern Oregon; and San Diego, Calif. This project would provide regional cargo interests with additional modal options, reducing truck traffic along Interstate 5. Guam Marine Transportation Enhancement Initiative (Guam): This designation will expand and promote inbound and outbound cargo within the islands. Service providers transporting freight utilize U.S. ports in Hawaii and the West Coast before making their way through Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

CNMI Freight Improvement Project: The designation of the CNMI project will support the movement of containers between the Port of Guam and Commonwealth Port Authority ports of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. The CNMI is exploring the expansion of its maritime capacities for the shipping of inter-island cargo and commodities to increase frequency and reduce shipping costs.

Missouri River Container-on-Barge Project: This designation will expand options for the transportation of goods on inland waterways, including agricultural commodities in containers originating within Central Missouri from ports and terminals to ocean ports along the Gulf on the M-10.

Port Raritan Terminal Facility (New Jersey): This designation will support service from the Raritan Port located in New Jersey to various locations in New York City, accommodating RO/RO barges carrying wheeled containers, ferries capable of carrying trucks, LO/LO barges that can be used to support offshore windenergy turbines and other services.

M-90 Transbay Freight Service Project (Wisconsin): This project will be the first to divert the transportation of large vessel modules and materialhandling equipment from the highways to the waterways among Marinette/ Menominee, Sturgeon Bay, and Green Bay. It will help ensure the long-term sustainability and growth of the service and the provision of cost-effective shipping service for that region to sustain and create jobs.

Aerial view of Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair’s yard in Erie, Pa.

GREAT LAKES SHIPYARDS ARE BUSTLING

By Jonathan Barnes, Marine Log Contributor

Around the Great Lakes region, shipyards are busy. The need for vessels, maintenance and retrofits, and necessary infrastructure improvements, have led to a hike in activity for some shipbuilders.

But disparities in activity between shipbuilders in the region are not the difference between very little business in the sector and lots of it. Some shipyards in the region stayed busy with work throughout the pandemic and its sometimes cumbersome restrictions, others less so. Now, industry pros say, things are picking up.

Rick Hammer, general manager for Erie, Pa.based Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair, said he’s seen a noticeable increase in business recently.

“We have noticed an uptick,” Hammer said. “I don’t know if I’d link it to the lifting of the pandemic restrictions, but this year we have certainly got more RFQs.”

Still, is it possible that the pandemic and the needs it created has in some ways helped to lift all boats, so to speak, in shipbuilding?

Maybe, in part. Supply chain logistics, capabilities, and ownership are more relevant than ever, because of the pandemic-wrought travel restrictions that made shipping even more important. Now, there’s a new urgency to successfully deliver goods—almost like a wartime situation. That mindset doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon; governments and the public have been mobilized against the perceived threat of COVID and expectations for delivering goods are changing. It’s possible that it means steady business, long-term, for shipbuilding.

Pandemic Progress

Donjon Shipbuilding & Repair’s employees expected a rather brackish business pace when the COVID pandemic hit, but were surprised by how well things worked out.

“We were anticipating a rather slow year, but we had a very successful year,” Hammer said. “Most of the work done during the start of the pandemic was based on plans and budgets from the previous year. I think the fact that commerce must continue and is needed to keep America running factored into the activity.”

The trains, trucks and ships still have to deliver on time during war or pandemic, no doubt. Still, it’s not as if shipyards were immune to suffering some ill effects of the pandemic. The lockdowns did create problems resulting in delays in materials and labor, but it didn’t truly impede business, according to Hammer.

“Throughout the whole process we were able to remain open and operating, because as part of the marine transport industry, the shipyard was deemed to be critical infrastructure with essential workers,” he said.

The unprecedented restrictions of the pandemic were especially damaging to industries that depend upon foot traffic, and many

The Mark Barker in a graving dock at Fincantieri. Shipyard employee at work in the Donjon repair yard.

didn’t survive. Things are very different from that scenario in shipbuilding. It could be too soon to tell, but the overall effect of the pandemic on shipbuilding might be to have buoyed the sector, adding new projects and new relevance. Certainly, shipping is more prominent these days.

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding kept on task during the pandemic. The company was able to keep its entire workforce employed during the past 18 months, said Todd Thayse, vice-president and general manager for Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding.

“In addition to our continued and uninterrupted support of the Great Lakes fleet, we delivered two new construction vessels in 2020, [and] are on schedule to deliver a 5,400-cubicmeter LNG bunker barge in 2021,” Thayse said. “In 2022, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding will be delivering the Mark Barker, the first U.S.flagged self-unloading vessel for Great Lakes service built since the 1980s.”

The new ship being built specifically for the Great Lakes is part of a company legacy of shipbuilding in the region. Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding has been upgrading and building ships for the Great Lakes for generations.

“The Michigan Trader, as well as the Mark Barker, represent a significant lineage of our company. We built many of the Great Lakes bulk carriers in the 1970s and ‘80s, and have been maintaining these vessels since. We delivered the car ferry Madonna to Washington Island Ferry Line last summer, which is the largest ferry in their fleet,” Thayse said.

With Fincantieri Marine Group member Marinette Marine Corporation recently awarded a $38 million contract for design and construction of a Constellation-class frigate, the shipbuilder is improving its infrastructure to meet the challenge of the project. Fincantieri currently is investing $300 million in its Wisconsin shipyards.

“Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding is expanding by adding new buildings for steel storage, to house our new blast and prime line operations, for additional plate and structural shape processing, as well as a new module construct building,” Thayse said. “All of these new facilities will be operational in 2021.”

U.S.-flagged Great Lakes fleet operators helped push some of the activity in the past year, investing $87 million over the 2020-2021 winter season in their vessels in shipyards and facilities across the region. In the past year, Fincantieri Bay shipbuilding also has seen some other growing lines of business.

“We have seen a significant increase in opportunities this year, across multiple market segments including LNG Bunkering, wind farm support vessels, dredges, ferries and various government programs,” Thayse said.

Offshore Wind

Projected growth in offshore wind development has figured into some shipbuilders’ business, but not all. The growth in offshore wind projects is not fueling a lot of activity in the region’s shipyards, some say.

“Offshore wind has been discussed on the lakes for many years,” Hammer adds. “It seems to ebb and flow with the politics at the time. We personally have yet to see it come to fruition.”

Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, being a larger group, may be in a better spot to snag some of the shipbuilding work in offshore wind. Part of the current demand for vessels in the nascent U.S. offshore wind industry is for barges used in feedering systems, and for purpose-built ships such as crew transfer vessels.

The large company finds the growing new market to be a promising one.

“We have worked on several projects that will become purpose-built ships and barges to support the offshore wind market,” Thayse said. “We have been working in this market for several years now, supporting our customers in the development of vessels to work in this new market, and we are expecting this market to remain viable for the near future.”

Government Funding

Other government-backed business could bode well for the sector, too. President Biden has proposed spending $17 billion on inland waterways, coastal ports, ferries, and land ports of entry. But so far, Great Lakes shipyards aren’t seeing much of a boost from the announcement.

“We have yet to see opportunities as a direct result of the infrastructure bill,” Thayse said. “However, we have already seen an increase in opportunities for ferry vessels. We are expecting to see continued opportunities in these market areas as these projects are funded.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration has released a report, which states that collectively, U.S. private shipyards amount to $42 billion in gross domestic product. It’s a fact that gives a better sense of the sector’s wide economic impact.

“We were unaware of the magnitude of the impact, but have been well aware of the importance of the U.S. shipbuilding industry both to our local communities and the overall economy,” Thayse said. “We see firsthand the impact shipbuilding brings to our local community as we are the largest local employer in a town that has been building and maintaining ships for over 100 years.”

Bulk Carriers:

MAJOR CHARTERERS

PUSH FOR GREENER TONNAGE

Recently, the Baltic Dry Freight Index, the main measure of bulk carrier market health, has been hovering around 11-year highs. Demand has been sustained by fundamentals, such as an increase in Chinese demand and tightness in supply of tonnage and how long the good times will keep rolling is a matter of debate.

Meantime, let’s remind ourselves of some bulker fundamentals. According to Stamford,

Conn., headquartered Eagle Bulk Shipping, which owns one of the world’s largest fleets of mid-size buyers, carriage of dry bulk commodities accounts for around 54% of world seaborne trade equating to over 5 billion tons per year or 70,000 voyages per year. The major bulk commodities are coal (24%), grain (9%) and iron ore (27%).

Looking away from the ups and downs of the Baltic Dry Index, most newbuilding activity in the sector is being backed by longterm charters from producers or end users of these commodities who are increasingly concerned with reducing the carbon footprint of their supply chains. One example of how this is translating into newbuilding designs is a landmark award made to Singapore’s Eastern Pacific Shipping last year by Australian mining giant BHP. The world’s first LNG dual fuel Newcastlemax bulk carrier contract, it will see five LNG-fueled 209,000 dwt vessels delivered next year to carrying iron ore between Western Australia and China.

Ammonia, Bubbles and Rotors

Another mining giant looking to cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is Brazil’s Vale. In June, it became one of 23 companies signing on for a joint industry on the potential of ammonia as a marine fuel. Meantime, the company recently took delivery of the world’s first ore carrier to be equipped with an air bubble hull lubrication. The Sea Victoria, a 325,000 dwt Guaibamax, has been equipped

Mining giant Vale has chartered in the first ore carrier to be fitted with Norsepower rotor sails.

with a system developed by U.K.-based Silverstream Technologies. Ten compressors installed on the ship’s deck send air to 20 devices positioned under the ship to produce a carpet of bubbles that reduce the friction between the hull and the water, reducing fuel consumption and, consequently, emissions.

Vale’s navigation team estimates that, if the test is successful, the technology could be replicated on the remainder of the contracted fleet dedicated to transporting the company’s ore. “Conservative estimates point to a fuel reduction of around 5 to 8%, with a potential reduction of 4.4% in annual emissions from Vale´s maritime transport of iron ore,” explains Vale’s technical manager for navigation, Rodrigo Bermelho.

In another fuel savings development, Vale recently took delivery of the world’s first ore carrier equipped with rotor sails. Another Guaibamax, the Sea Zhoushan has five Norsepower sails distributed along the vessel that, according to Vale, allow an efficiency gain of up to 8% and a consequent reduction of up to 3.4 thousand tons of CO2 equivalent per ship per year. If the pilot project proves to be efficient, it is estimated that at least 40% of the fleet will be able to use the technology, which would result in a reduction of almost 1.5% in annual emissions from Vale’s maritime transport of iron ore. The rotor sails are cylindrical rotors, four meters in diameter and 24 meters high—equivalent to the height of a seven-story building. In a significant development in rotor sails technology, they can tilt so as not to interfere with cargo operations.

Rotor sails are not the only type of sail under consideration by major dry bulk commodity shippers seeking to decarbonize their overall supply chains. Last year agribusiness giant Cargill, one of the world’s top charterers of bulkers, announced that it has partnered with BAR Technologies of the U.K. and Finnish naval architect firm Deltamarin to bring cutting edge wind propulsion technology derived from America’s Cup yacht racing to commercial shipping. The project will see BAR Technologies’’ WindWings—large, solid wing sails that measure up to 45 meters in height—fitted to the deck of bulk cargo ships to harness the power of the wind and reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 30%.

The number of wing sails can be tailored to the size of the vessel and the route it will take. Its future moves on this will be to start a tendering process for constructing WindWings assisted vessels; bring customers onboard to join the WindWings consortium. This initiative is just a small part of what Cargill is doing on the emissions-reduction front.

In its most recent sustainability report for 2020, it says that it has continually reduced the carbon intensity across all vessel sizes over the last four years by selecting more efficient vessels, by using digital tools to optimize vessel operations and by retrofitting energy saving devices to reduce CO2 emissions.

India’s Tata Steel is another charterer looking to adopt wind assistance to lower emissions. It has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with MOL Drybulk, a subsidiary of Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL) to develop and deploy an environment friendly bulk carrier.

Peeyush Gupta, vice president-supply chain for Tata Steel, said that the various technologies considered will include the Wind Challenger, a telescoping hard sail, which would reduce emissions by harnessing wind energy. MOL has been jointly studying the technology with crossindustrial partners and the first vessel to be equipped with the Wind Challenger is slated to start operation in 2022. That ship is a 99,000-dwt coal carrier under construction at Oshima Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. It is set to enter service in 2022 and will be operated by MOL under a charter with Tohoku Electric Power Co. Inc. It is expected to reduce emissions of GHGs by about 5% on the Japan-Australia route or about 8% on the Japan-North America West Coast route, in comparison with a conventional vessel of the same class.

Tohoku Electric Power is also involved in another cutting edge Japanese emissions reduction plan. K Line has been conducting a joint project with Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co. and ClassNK to install a carbon capture plant onboard a vessel as part of a long-term plan aimed at cutting vessel GHG emissions by 50% (compared with the baseline year of 2008) by 2050. A first, small scale, CO2 capture plant was installed last month on the Corona Utility, a coal carrier operated by K-Line for Tohoku Electric Power.

The Conversation Changes

Whether a rotor sail or a hard sail is the better way to harness wind power as an auxiliary mode of propulsion is a matter likely to arouse impassioned debate in some circles. No clear answers will emerge until some meaningful numbers of ships have been at sea with the two technologies. Meantime, the debate around green fuels also continues to intensify, with some presently available candidates looking less green than supposed. What’s worth noticing, though, is that nobody is talking much now about the pay back time needed to repay the investments in these technologies out of fuel savings. Now the conversation is simply about the extent which they will reduce GHG emissions. The take away is that leading charterers are increasingly willing to pay a premium for greener tonnage.

All of this, of course, is a world away from the short term situation in which spot market operators have pushed up the price of existing, not that green, bulkers on the S&P market as they bet on the Baltic Dry Index sailing even higher.

FISHING VESSEL ACCIDENTS

NTSB Identifies Fatigue as a Major Factor

American Eagle

Fishing vessel incidents feature all too prominently in the “Safer Seas Digest 2020” from the National Transportatiion Safety Board, with accidents involving five vessels being analyzed—and fatigue seen as significant in each of them. For the eighth year, the National Transportation

Safety Board (NTSB) has released its “Safer

Seas Digest 2020,” a compendium of the

NTSB’s maritime accident investigations involving loss of life, injuries and significant property damage completed in 2020.

The digest details lessons learned from those accidents involving contact with fixed objects, sinkings, collisions, fires, explosions, flooding, groundings, and capsizings. Among the investigations included in the 112-page report is the fire aboard the dive boat Conception, where 34 lives were lost, and the collision that took 11 lives aboard the USS Fitzgerald.

“These tragedies remind us that whether we are serving in the nation’s armed forces, scuba diving for recreation, fishing on a trawler, or sustaining maritime commerce, we are all reliant on safety measures that must be in place before we step aboard,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “Mariners can use the lessons learned in the Safer

Seas Digest to prevent future accidents and owners and operators can use it to help ensure a culture of safety at sea.”

“With every investigation, we learn new safety lessons to prevent or mitigate futures losses, but only when marine stakeholders at all levels of the industry apply these lessons is marine safety improved,” said Homendy. “I hope that the Safer Seas Digest 2020 provides the marine industry with essential information to better understand the safety issues confronting it, and the pathway to making maritime transportation safer.”

While the report examines all maritime accidents—from inland towing to cargo ships—this article will focus on five notable fishing vessel incidents that occurred in 2019.

As noted, a significant contributing causal factor in the five fishing vessel accidents is crew fatigue. The NTSB noted in the digest that an effective way to prevent fatigue among crewmembers is for owners/operators to have measures in place to ensure that crewmembers receive enough rest to adequately perform navigational and lookout duties.

Misty Blue

On December 4, 2017, the uninspected fishing vessel Misty Blue was harvesting clams 9 miles southeast of Nantucket, Mass., when the port clam tank began flooding and the vessel subsequently capsized and sank. Two crewmembers were trapped on board and perished when the vessel sank; the other two crewmembers managed to escape and were rescued by a nearby fishing vessel. Oil sheens were observed.

According to the digest, the probable cause of the capsizing and sinking of the 69-foot Misty Blue was flooding of the port clam tank from an undetermined point of ingress, which led to a decreased freeboard and a list allowing boarding seas to be trapped on deck, thereby decreasing the vessel’s stability. Contributing to the sinking was the relatively small freeing port area of the vessel, which likely increased water accumulation on deck.

American Eagle and Koorale

The commercial fishing vessels American Eagle and Koorale were fishing in the eastern Pacific Ocean, approximately 1,475 miles northeast of American Samoa on June 17, 2019. While pursuing the same school of tuna, the two vessels collided. Both vessels sustained damages but were able to return to port.

No pollution or injuries to the 33 crewmembers aboard the 258.4-foot American Eagle or the 19 aboard the 182.1-foot Koorale were reported. Damage to the vessels was estimated at $8.3 million.

The probable cause of the collision between the fishing vessels American Eagle and Koorale was both vessels’ captains and fishmasters not following international collision regulations or communicating to make arrangements while pursuing the same school of fish, according to the NTSB.

Ariel

The 50-foot Ariel was transiting Sheep Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska, on August 26, 2019, when a fire broke out in the vessel’s engineroom. The four crewmembers aboard the Ariel attempted to fight the fire, but they were unsuccessful and abandoned ship into the vessel’s skiff.

According to the digest, the Ariel continued to burn and subsequently sank. The crew was rescued by nearby vessels and returned to port uninjured. About 500 gallons of diesel fuel was aboard the vessel when it sank. The Ariel, valued at an estimated $600,000, was a total loss.

The digest states that the probable cause of the fire aboard the fishing vessel Ariel was the ignition of fuel leaking from the generator fuel supply line in the engineroom. Contributing to the severity of the fire and the eventual loss of the vessel were the fixed-open inlets for the engineroom ventilation, which allowed fire-extinguishing agent to escape and air to enter the space.

Pacific 1

On February 15, 2019, the 57.8-foot Pacific 1 was engaged in cod fishing in the Bering Sea near Kashega Bay, Unalaska Island, Alaska, when the vessel began to take on water at the stern.

The five crewmembers abandoned the vessel and were rescued by the nearby vessel Kona Kai. No crewmembers were injured in the accident, and an oil sheen was reported. The vessel sank and was considered a total constructive loss, valued at an estimated $720,000.

The probable cause of the sinking of the fishing vessel Pacific 1 was the captain’s decision to remain at sea with continuous flooding in the lazarette from an undetermined source, which accelerated and eventually led to progressive flooding.

Freya

The 58-foot Freyja was longline fishing in the Bering Sea near Point Tebenkof, Unalaska Island, Alaska, on March 9, 2019, when the vessel grounded and remained stranded on the rocks.

The NTSB stated in the digest that the vessel’s four crewmembers abandoned the boat and swam to a nearby vessel. The vessel was considered a total loss, with damage estimates at $550,000. There were no reports of injuries or pollution.

The probable cause of the grounding of the fishing vessel Freyja was the failure of the deckhand on watch to monitor the vessel’s track as a result of falling asleep due to an accumulated sleep deficit and the vessel owner’s lack of countermeasures to mitigate crewmember fatigue.

Misty Blue

AS THE SEAS REOPEN

while meeting the 0.1% or the 0.5% challenges

LNG being used for the landmark December 10, 2020, bunkering of the M/V Damia Desgagnés in the Port of Hamilton, Ontario, by REV LNG.

Q&A: LNG BUNKERING IS A REALITY ON THE GREAT LAKES

Last month, the launch of Pivotal LNG’s newest liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility, Towanda LNG, marked the company’s first expansion into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic market. Entering service in January 2021, Towanda LNG has already produced more than 1 million gallons of LNG and has supported a wide range of customers across Pennsylvania and the broader region.

Located in the heart of the Marcellus shale gas production region, in Wyalusing, Pa., Towanda LNG has a production capacity of 50,000 gallons per a day and approximately 180,000 gallons of onsite storage.

REV LNG, with its extensive history of supplying LNG and virtual pipeline services in the Northeastern United States, is supporting the transportation and marketing services for the Towanda LNG facility. “The REV team is proud to team up with BHE GT&S and Pivotal LNG in bringing the Towanda LNG facility to market,” said David Kailbourne, CEO of REV LNG. “With the proximity of the facility to the growing Northeast and Mid-Atlantic markets, we look forward to providing new customers access to a lower cost and cleaner fuel supply.”

Even before the Towanda LNG facility’s official start-up, LNG from the plant was used for the landmark December 10, 2020, bunkering of the M/V Damia Desgagnés in the Port of Hamilton, Ontario, by REV LNG,

a first on the Great Lakes.

While Kailbourne told Marine Log that the company would keep the public updated on its progress on the Great Lakes, we wanted to get more background on the project and where it’s going.

Marine Log (ML): First, can you tell us about REV LNG and how it’s affiliated with Pivotal LNG?

David Kailbourne (DK): REV is a NYbased company and full-service provider of mobile gas solutions. We specialize in the production, supply, and transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas (CNG) and renewable natural gas (RNG) for a range of industries. REV owns a 10% minority interest in Pivotal LNG and its world-class LNG assets, which are part of BHE GT&S, a Berkshire Hathaway Energy company.

ML: What can you tell us about the LNG bunkering efforts going on in the Great Lakes between REV LNG and HOPA?

DK: In December 2020 on Lake Ontario, the marine vessel M/V Damia Desgagnés was refueled with LNG at the Port of Hamilton as part of a new partnership between HOPA and REV LNG. This was the first time LNG bunkering had ever been done on the Great Lakes. The port authority has been a critical partner from the initial conception of this project through today’s ongoing operations. Its team of professionals has emphasized collaboration and attentiveness to safety and has done great work optimizing logistics for our LNG customers.

As of August 2021, REV LNG has transferred more than 800,000 gallons of LNG via Truck to Ship (TTS) operations at HOPA, with plans to scale up these bunkering operations in 2021 and beyond. The port plans to be carbon neutral by 2025, and we are proud to continue our partnership and help however we can toward its achievement of that goal.

ML: This is a milestone for green shipping in the Great Lakes. In what other ways are you helping shipping customers reduce their carbon footprint?

DK: As a solutions provider, REV is always focused on providing our customers with innovative pathways to reduce emissions. Our initial goal was to forge an accessible and safe method to provide LNG to vessels trading on the Great Lakes. Since late 2020, we have successfully done that. Now, with regular operations there, we are in the advanced stages of reviewing ways to supply the shipping market with LNG derived from renewable feedstock. This exciting development will create a new path for shipping companies to significantly reduce carbon emissions through existing supply chains while maintaining competitive pricing. We will keep the market updated on our progress.

ML: How long have do you have to run the plant in order to produce enough LNG to bunker a ship? customer needs for their bunkering. In the case of the Great Lakes, where a typical bunkering event requires approximately 100,000 gallons of LNG or 400 m3, it takes roughly two days of liquefaction to support the bunkering. The Pivotal-owned Towanda LNG facility in Wyalusing, PA, produces approximately 50,000 gallons of LNG per day and has 180,000 gallons of on-site storage.

ML: Where do you see the future of LNG bunkering going in the next five to 10 years in the Great Lakes and elsewhere?

DK: We foresee increased demand brought on by expanded environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals of vessel operators and the Canadian and United States Governments. As long as ship owners are committed to a lower carbon future, LNG suppliers like REV and Pivotal—and partners like HOPA—will have the opportunity to provide reliable fuel service. We believe LNG offers an ideal balance of economic and environmentally responsible benefits to ship owners, which allows them to make financial and operational decisions toward investments like building new LNG-fueled ships. There are other locations REV has identified with strategic partners including Pivotal to expand access to LNG in the lakes, as well. Paired with options for LNG from renewable sources, we are confident in the future of this exciting market.

American Eagle ORCHESTRA combines the distinct qualities of GEO, LEO and 5G into a single network.

DOUBLING DOWN

Inmarsat Announces Two Major New Services

As connectivity becomes ever more essential for shipowners aiming to stay head of the game, mobile satellite communications giant Inmarsat made two big announcements within the space of two weeks.

First it announced that, over the next five years, it will invest $100 million into what it says will be the largest ever transformation of its services, creating “the communications network of the future.”

Called ORCHESTRA, the new network will bring together existing geosynchronous (GEO) satellites with low earth orbit satellites (LEO) and terrestrial 5G into an integrated, highperformance solution.

That announcement was followed by the unveiling of Inmarsat ELERA, a global narrowband network aimed at serving the rapidly evolving world of the Internet of Things (IoT) and global mobility customers, including maritime, aviation, governments and key enterprises.

Let’s look at ORCHESTRA first. Why that name?

“An orchestra brings different instruments together, each supporting the other and playing its role in the masterpiece,” said Rajeev Suri, CEO of Inmarsat. “We’re building ORCHESTRA on the same concept.”

By combining the distinct qualities of GEO, LEO and 5G into a single network, said Suri, “we will deliver a service that is far greater than the sum of its parts. Our customers will benefit from dramatically expanded high throughput services around the world.

This is the future of connectivity and Inmarsat is perfectly positioned to bring it to the world with its proven technology expertise, right base of customers and partners, and financial strength.”

Inmarsat says the new network will open new and previously unattainable possibilities that include close-shore navigation for autonomous vessels, next-generation emergency safety services for maritime crews, secure and tactical private networks for governments and direct-to-cloud connections for airlines. New segments set to benefit include energy rigs and drilling platforms, mid-market business aircraft, coastal vessels, smart passenger ships and urban air mobility.

According to Inmarsat, LEO, GEO and terrestrial networks have never been combined at scale before to create a unified connectivity service for mobility customers.

The result, says Inmarsat, is a “dynamic mesh network” that will deliver high-performance connectivity everywhere. By bringing together the lowest average latency and fastest average speeds with unique resilience, ORCHESTRA is designed to eliminate the industry-wide challenge of congested network “hot spots.”

Inmarsat’s existing GEO satellites—both GX and L-band—will continue to provide global coverage, high performance,

security and resilience. Terrestrial 5G adds ultra-high capacity in busy “hot spots,” such as ports, airports, and sea canals.

A small constellation of LEO satellites will layer additional high capacity over further high-demand areas such as oceanic flight corridors. As a result, says Inmarsat, the network will offer the highest capacity for mobility users worldwide, and at hot spots.

The network’s dynamic mesh technology will allow individual customer terminals to direct traffic to and from other customer terminals.

This means that a ship within reach of a 5G ground station can receive ample capacity for its own needs as well as route capacity onwards to other vessels beyond terrestrial reach. This effectively creates a mobile web of terminals that extend the network’s reach and improve its performance and resilience.

The new approach means that Inmarsat can easily boost capacity in high-density areas such as ports and airports, ensuring customer needs continue to be met well into the future with capacity scaled directly to match their requirements.

Meeting IoT Needs

So, what does ELERA bring to the party? “ELERA is perfectly suited to the needs of the connected IoT world,” said Suri. “Global reach, extraordinary resilience, faster speeds, smaller and lower cost terminals are all part of ensuring that we remain ahead of others in meeting the needs of our customers.”

ELERA builds on Inmarsat’s leading position in mobile satellite services and aims to be a springboard for innovation, unlocking, accelerating and scaling a range of pioneering uses.

Its foundation is Inmarsat’s L-band network and it incorporates new innovations ranging from higher speeds to smaller, low cost terminals and the new Inmarsat-6 satellites, the first of which (I-6 F1) is scheduled to launch before the end of the year.

Inmarsat says that ELERA incorporates new spectrum management capabilities that will deliver the fastest speeds globally available to L-band customers, far outstripping the capabilities of any other worldwide L-band network.

Live customer trials in commercial aviation are scheduled to start during the course of 2022 and this technology will be rolled out across a range of sector specific applications for Inmarsat’s mobility, government and IoT customers over the coming few years.

ELERA will also see the creation of the smallest footprint, low cost terminal for L-band users, delivering the an ideal framework for satcom IoT at scale, with supporting cloud-based management, for vertical sectors such as maritime and aviation, infrastructure, rail, logistics, mining, agriculture and government.

Inmarsat is launching two new satellites to enhance the ELERA network. The I-6 satellites, the first of which is scheduled to launch at the end of 2021, are the largest and most sophisticated commercial communications satellites ever built.

The L-band capacity on each I-6 satellite will be substantially greater than Inmarsat’s fourth generation spacecraft, delivering 50% more capacity per beam; meaning that much more data can be carried over the same geographical area, in addition to unlimited beam routing flexibility.

ELERA will also deliver a major extension to Inmarsat’s portfolio of voice-enabled devices, bringing new capabilities and innovations to hundreds of thousands of customers.

Inmarsat is a world leader in global, mobile satellite communications. It owns and operates the world’s most diverse global portfolio of mobile telecommunications satellite networks, and holds a multi-layered, global spectrum portfolio, covering L-band, Ka-band and S-band, enabling unparalleled breadth and diversity in the solutions it provides.

Inmarsat’s long-established global distribution network includes not only the world’s leading channel partners but also its own strong direct retail capabilities, enabling end to end customer service assurance.

Canadian Coast Guard Opts for Iridium

THE CANADIAN COAST GUARD is using Iridium Certus connectivity to help it meet its mission requirements, which include extensive operations in polar regions that are outside of the footprint of other satcom services.

With support from Iridium partner MetOcean Telematics, the Coast Guard has deployed dozens of Iridium Certus Thales VesseLINK 700 terminals on its vessels, including icebreakers, to contribute to reliable internet connectivity as crewmembers deliver programs and services.

The Canadian Coast Guard responds to marine search and rescue and environmental incidents, provides ice breaking and aids to navigation services, and ensures waterways are safe and accessible for business year-round including in the Arctic during the operational season from June to November. While on duty in the high Arctic, the Iridium network supports Coast Guard ships’ and crewmembers’ ability to stay in touch with headquarters.

Iridium Certus is an advanced, highspeed L-band broadband solution, offering small-form-factor, cost-effective terminals, and truly global coverage. Certus connectivity also supports the Coast Guard’s general safety with access to navigational data and weather reports.

“Reliable internet connectiv ity onboard our vessels helps contribute to our crew members’ well-being and ensures that our crews are able to carry out the Canadian Coast Guard’s services to protect mariners and the marine environment. Having a support network to ensure we never lose that vital connection with our shore-based personnel and services is vital in the Arctic,” says Mario Pelletier, Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard.

“MetOcean is pleased to support the communication efforts of the Canadian Coast Guard. Providing its members with 24/7 real-time secure voice, data, and crew communications services and support,” says Tony Chedrawy, CEO, MetOcean Telematics. “The requirements of Coast Guard personnel while deployed in the Arctic are immeasurable, as they are dedicated to maintaining the safety of mariners as well as protecting the marine environment, within the high Arctic. MetOcean is committed to ensure that Coast Guard personnel are always connected with their command stations.”