The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017 by rivieramaritimemedia

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2017 • A supplement to Marine Electronics & Communications

“VSAT affordability will improve as technology advances” Pierre-Jean Beylier, chief executive, Speedcast International, see page 5

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contents Regulars 3 Introduction 5 Forward Thinking

Opinion 10 The five questions that shipowners should be asking VSAT service providers

Operator feedback 13 Reefer and container ship operators are turning to VSAT 14 Shipmanagers invest in higher bandwidth communications for crew welfare

Satellite networks 17 SES plans to launch 15 new satellites in three years 18 Eutelsat contracted Arianespace for future satellite launches 20 Intelsat has extensive plans for more EpicNG satellites 22 Inmarsat orders a fifth Global Xpress satellite for its growing constellation

Analytics 24 VSAT benefits and market outlook

IT platforms 26 Platform technology is producing a new generation of VSAT solutions

Antennas 29 JRC has developed advanced terminals for Fleet Xpress 30 Smaller antennas exceed expected performance during testing 31 KNS has updated its SuperTrack Z-Series antennas 32 All the latest antenna developments from various suppliers

The complete guide to

Published July 2017 Editor: Martyn Wingrove t: +44 20 8370 1736 e: martyn.wingrove@rivieramm.com Sales Manager: Paul Dowling t: +44 20 8370 7014 e: paul.dowling@rivieramm.com Sales: Jo Lewis t: +44 20 8370 7793 e: jo.lewis@rivieramm.com Head of Sales – Asia: Kym Tan t: +65 9456 3165 e: kym.tan@rivieramm.com Subscriptions: Sally Church t: +44 20 8370 7018 e: sally.church@rivieramm.com Chairman: John Labdon Managing Director: Steve Labdon Finance Director: Cathy Labdon Operations Director: Graham Harman Head of Content: Edwin Lampert Executive Editor: Paul Gunton Head of Production: Hamish Dickie Published by: Riviera Maritime Media Ltd Mitre House 66 Abbey Road Enfield EN1 2QN UK

VSAT services 34 Hybrid solutions are future applications for VSAT 35 Services open for polar satellite communications 36 VSAT is more than just about the satellites 38 KVH has launched AgilePlans and expanded its content services 39 Ships need shore-based IT support; World-Link unveils ship cyber security 40 Speedcast unveils the latest VSAT gateway technology

Cyber security

42 Discussions at this year’s Singtel Maritime ICT Roundtable 43 Ships can be protected from ransomware

VSAT back-up 44 L-band services are essential for ship VSAT

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Disclaimer: Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is correct, the Author and Publisher accept no liability to any party for any inaccuracies that may occur. Any third party material included with the publication is supplied in good faith and the Publisher accepts no liability in respect of content. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, reprinted or stored in any electronic medium or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the copyright owner.

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

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INTRODUCTION | 3

VSAT DRIVES SHIPPING INTO THE CONNECTED SHIP ERA W Martyn Wingrove, Editor

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e are entering an era of the connected ship using very small aperture terminal (VSAT) technology that will revolutionise vessel communications and operations. Shipowners are seeing the benefits that VSAT investment brings such as real-time ship monitoring, faster communications, fleet management software applications and enhancements to crew welfare. Shipmanagers and operators are implementing virtual private networks, cloudbased programs and corporate email systems across fleets of vessels. They are boosting data and voice communications on their ships through VSAT. In the sixth annual edition of The Complete Guide to VSAT we explain how VSAT technology is quickly advancing to provide full connectivity for ships to enable greater volumes of data analytics and fleet performance monitoring. Ship operators explain how VSAT enhances crew communications and opens up applications for improving seafarer training and safer ship operations. In the words of Wallem Ship Management managing director David Price, VSAT offers a gateway to greater operational efficiency and crew welfare. Technology continues to advance to improve data transmission rates to and from ships. Within this supplement to Marine Electronics & Communications we have collated the forward thinking of a number of industry leaders who were asked to predict where maritime communications will be heading beyond 2020. These leaders are expecting an acceleration in the launch of high throughput satellites, further advances in antenna technology and the development of new applications enabled by VSAT. Satellite operators such as Intelsat and Inmarsat have already launched high throughput satellites that are significantly increasing the VSAT capabilities on ships. As we report in this supplement, more satellites are expected from SES, Eutelsat and

Telesat. All these new satellites will offer high intensity spot beams of Ku- and Ka-band, while also expanding the existing widebeam coverage of these frequencies and of C-band. Testing of the high throughput satellites has demonstrated the benefits to shipping and the challenges the satellite communications industry faces to make these a reality. Some of these issues are being overcome through technical advances. Developments in smaller VSAT antennas for Ku-band and Ka-band services has opened VSAT to new maritime markets, such as fishing, workboats, offshore renewables and superyachts. There have also been advances in modem technology to increase throughput rates, especially for passenger ships. This edition highlights some of these recent developments and the advances that VSAT service providers have made to their onboard systems and communications packages. Services can include file control, remote network access and the multicasting of media and training content, chart updates and weather information. But communications need to be secure with firewalls, antivirus software and other devices to prevent the transmission of malware to and from ships. Within this edition, we outline some of the solutions that help shipowners remain secure from cyber threats. All this technology combines to enable shipping to take full advantage of the internet links for ship systems, for video-based communications, electronic documentation and more advanced data processing and analytics. The future of ship communications has been demonstrated to be through not just VSAT, but also the new generation of high throughput satellites and supporting onboard equipment. Owners are seeing the benefits of greater ship connectivity and committing many more ships to VSAT applications. It will not be too long before we see a quarter of the global fleet using VSAT to enhance maritime operations. VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

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FORWARD THINKING | 5

VSAT will revolutionise ship connectivity TOP EXECUTIVES FROM MARITIME SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS FIRMS OUTLINE THEIR EXPECTATIONS FOR FUTURE VSAT TECHNOLOGY AND DISCUSS THE TRENDS

aster communications, better connectivity and greater levels of remote vessel monitoring will drive owners to reduce operating expenditure and enhance onboard safety. According to Speedcast International’s chief executive Pierre-Jean Beylier, VSAT will play a key role in the development of smarter and safer ships. It will also be integrated with other communications technologies. “As the industry implements smart shipping solutions, the automation of tasks and remote monitoring can ultimately reduce costs and improve safety,” he commented. Crew welfare will also be a driver in the adoption of VSAT in maritime industries as seafarers require more access to online services. The costs of connectivity will be driven lower enabling more seafarers to link to the internet on vessels. “Sailors and crews want improved connectivity on their vessels, and affordability will improve as technology advances,” Mr Beylier explained. “In the years ahead we fully expect to see the use of all devices that require an internet connection, as well as those that are catered for ashore, fully functioning on board ships.”

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However, the adoption of VSAT is being slowed by the tough economic conditions that shipowners are facing. “The maritime industry will need to recover completely before these systems are fully adopted,” Mr Beylier commented. “But, the role of VSAT will increase in the merchant shipping, fishing, workboat and yacht industries.” VSAT will be seen by shipping companies and service providers as just one of a number of solutions that deliver connectivity to shipping. This is changing the way satellite communications companies are acting in the maritime market, said Mr Beylier. He added: “Many companies are starting to rely on their managed communications service provider to meet needs beyond basic connectivity necessities.” The move toward more integrated partnerships has led companies such as

Pierre-Jean Beylier (Speedcast): “The role of VSAT will increase in the merchant shipping, fishing and workboats”

Speedcast to evolve as service providers. “Expertise is required to keep more complex communications systems alive, yet the level of collaboration with customers is higher than ever before,” commented Mr Beylier. “We are able to design and integrate customised communications solutions that include cybersecurity, video streaming and surveillance, 4G, long-term evolution networks, wireless radio connectivity, crew services and the internet of things. These value-added services create better onboard experiences that meet the needs of businesses at sea.”

IT systems and remote monitoring are critical NSSLGlobal’s chief executive Sally-Anne Ray expects shipping companies will use VSAT to link their ships to a central corporate IT network. She expects more shipowners and vessel managers to adopt VSAT for a number of applications, increasing the number of vessels linked with broadband communications. “This will be driven by a number of factors, one of which is the increasing understanding amongst shipping companies of the benefits VSAT can bring,” she said. “Another very general factor is the increasing mission-criticality of IT systems and remote monitoring systems in maritime applications and the need for remote systems to integrate with central IT networks.” She expects that shipping businesses will find it harder to resist the benefits of VSAT as the price per megabyte continues to fall and the capabilities of satellite connectivity increase. “We will see average speeds continue to climb over the coming years as more of the high throughput satellites come into play,” she explained. “We are also likely to see an increasing number of incidences of the linking together of two or more VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

6 | FORWARD THINKING

systems on board vessels as a means of achieving higher data throughputs.” Anticipated growth in VSAT uptake will continue to be influenced by seafarers’ increasing reliance on internet connectivity for personal and welfare reasons. The growing penetration and use of smartphones and personal devices on board ships is driving this trend. “This will be exacerbated by maritime operators needing to adhere to the stipulations of regulations such as the Maritime Labour Convention 2006, which requires the reasonable provision of leisure and communication facilities at sea,” Ms Ray explained. However, the trend towards greater adoption of maritime VSAT could change the satellite communications landscape. “In a few years, I suspect fewer businesses will identify themselves as satellite communications companies,” Ms Ray explained. “Within the next decade or so these businesses will, instead, increasingly offer connectivity, anywhere, without regard for the specific connectivity technology being used.” She added: “As wireless technologies become increasingly accessible, affordable and ubiquitous, the question will change from ‘exactly what method will I use to achieve connectivity?’ to ‘which company connects me best in all situations?’” This will lead maritime communications providers such as NSSLGlobal to position themselves in the forefront with hybrid and connectionagnostic systems, to offer better value and services that provide connectivity solutions.

Sally-Anne Ray (NSSLGlobal): “Wireless technologies are becoming accessible“

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

Smart data-centric solutions need robust VSAT

Intellian Technologies vice president of global marketing Paul Comyns thinks ships will be sending over much more data as they become part of smart supply chains. Ships will need to be fully connected, with tailored solutions, for smart data management. “Smart data management will provide a significant commercial edge to forwardthinking operators who are looking to apply, and not simply accumulate, data,” Mr Comyns explained. He gave an example of a container ship approaching port, which would generate a series of event alerts to tug operators, port agents and customs. “By the time the ship arrives at berth all the jigsaw pieces will slide into place, enabling seamless operations,” Mr Comyns said. He expects this will minimise the time ships remain outside ports, improving supply chain efficiency and reducing emissions. He thinks shipping companies will need to install smart connectivity solutions on ships to cater for the data transmission demands. The types of data transmissions will vary, from importing weather and port information to sending telemetric data. Mr Comyns expects that sensor and position data will also be needed for traffic management systems. He added: “Data could make the difference between an interrupted voyage for time-sensitive cargo and the successful delivery of high value perishables.” He continued: “The value of using data correctly is in prioritising the optimisation of transit times and looking to avoid unexpected repairs. It is helping not only to forecast potential problems, but also to create the opportunity to avoid them.” This is transforming conventional data into actionable insights that deliver meaningful improvements. Whatever the data source or type, ships will need reliable and high capacity VSAT hardware to ensure that the data is

Paul Comyns (Intellian): “The value of using data correctly is to optimise transit times”

available for analysis. There will be more data-driven connectivity requirements in the future to comply with new regulations from IMO and the European Union (EU). These will include sending data for the EU’s monitoring, reporting, and verification requirements. “In the coming years the regulatory burden on ships is likely to increase,” said Mr Comyns. “Some are advanced initiatives and others remain at some distance from practical reality, such as collision avoidance algorithms for autonomous maritime vessels. All these will require dependable, high capacity data systems in order for ships to remain compliant with evolving laws.” Mr Comyns thinks shipowners should forge partnerships with VSAT suppliers to ensure their fleets are ready for the data requirements. “Many of shipping’s greatest challenges can be solved by smart, quality data.” He concluded: “Enabling this type of step change in connectivity is what will ultimately usher in the next wave of maritime success.”

“DATA COULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN INTERRUPTED VOYAGE FOR TIME-SENSITIVE CARGO AND THE SUCCESSFUL DELIVERY”

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FORWARD THINKING | 9

Maritime is being reset by digital technology

The maritime sector is being reset by the rapid developments in communications and information technology. Iridium vice president and general manager of maritime Wouter Deknopper welcomes the arrival of the maritime sector into Industry 4.0 (the fourth industrial revolution) in which shipping is becoming safer, greener, more efficient and more automated. Shipowners are building vessel fleets that have integrated IP networks complete with embedded sensor systems, big data analytics and core safety services, he explained. “All stakeholders, from shipmanagement companies and engine manufacturers to charterers and regulators, are looking for real-time situational awareness throughout the vessel’s journey.” On the other side of the market, satellite network operators no longer simply provide communications, because they play a critical role in the backbone infrastructure of the world’s shipping fleets. Mr Deknopper predicts that more changes are on the horizon for maritime communications as more powerful L-band satellites are commissioned. “These will offer greater choice and innovation than ever before,” he said. “Systems delivering higher speeds, lower latency and tighter integration will enable a global grid for the smart ship,” he forecast. “Long overdue efforts aimed at modernising the industry are taking place.” He cited IMO’s moves to update the Global

“IN 2018, NEW SATELLITE L-BAND BROADBAND SOLUTIONS WILL BREAK ONTO THE SCENE”

Maritime Distress and Safety System by enabling other satellite operators, such as Iridium, to offer these services. “In 2018, new satellite L-band broadband solutions will break onto the scene,” Mr Deknopper added. “Fleets will have access to a maritime satellite communications solution that meets budgets, promotes integration and offers the fastest global L-band speeds with small form factor antennas.” He was talking about the Iridium Certus service that will use the Iridium Next satellite constellation, which is being launched over the next year. Mr Deknopper continued: “The introduction of new networks will encourage innovation with an open approach to application development and system integration, featuring high performance terminals with support for safety communications, all in one platform.” The shipping industry has the opportunity to review what it needs from maritime communications and adopt new digital technologies. “Now is the time for the industry to facilitate innovation and technological advancements to meet these needs and further support the digitalisation of shipping, like never before,” Mr Deknopper concluded.

look like,” he explained. “The satellites we are building now will bring still further advanced flexibility, coverage and performance in order to build on the existing resilience of our network.” These new satellites will have digital payloads that could be software defined and flexible enough to provide different coverage for various maritime missions. There will be more high throughput spot beams in different bands of radio frequency providing far more bandwidth to shipping. Mr Faiola thinks developments in the onboard equipment are just as important. “We are seeing improvements in antennas and the development of flat panel, electronically-steered arrays,” he explained. “All of this is driving the ease of access to our network, creating an environment for innovation using our open architecture.” The high performance of the EpicNG satellites has enabled advances in parabolic antenna technologies, such as the new 65cm Ku-band terminals. Mr Faiola also highlighted innovations in modem technology from suppliers such as VT iDirect and Newtec. “They all deliver gains that benefit our customers and their end users,” he said. He added: “With existing kit and EpicNG we have seen a 165 per cent increase in performance. When testing with the next generation of modems and antennas, we have seen gains of 330 per cent in performance.” VSAT

Satellites with softwaredefined payloads are coming

Wouter Deknopper (Iridium): “New networks will encourage innovation“

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Satellites of the future will have far greater capacity than the current constellations and features such as flexible software-defined payloads and beams. According to Intelsat’s director of mobility in Europe Andrew Faiola, satellites launched in five years’ time will be totally different to the existing ones. “We are already working on Epic 2.0 and considering what these satellites will

Andrew Faiola (Intelsat): “We are already working on Epic 2.0“

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

10 | OPINION

What shipowners should be asking service providers Globecomm Maritime president Malcolm McMaster sets the five key questions that shipmanagers, owners and operators should be asking potential VSAT suppliers

hipowners and managers may become inundated with choices for maritime satellite communications options because of the large number of service providers in the market. This is despite the recent consolidation of companies that offer these solutions to shipping. The competition has meant the price of megabytes of data and bandwidth has fallen. But, according to Globecomm Maritime president Malcolm McMaster, the ability of these providers to deliver on a sustainable basis is coming into question. It is not just about providing a link to ships. The delivery of satellite communications extends across fleets of vessels and shore based operations, all the way to the boardroom. This means that the decision about which service provider and what type of satellite links to have should not just be about price. “Questions of which network to choose, what it will deliver, how secure it will be and how to manage business and crew channels mean this is a conversation in which price is just one component,” commented Mr McMaster. This is why Globecomm Maritime has set five questions that shipping companies should be asking before deploying these satellite links. “These questions provide a foundation for understanding whether or not shipping companies should be doing business with

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

Malcolm McMaster: “VSAT can be a game-changer”

that service provider,” he explained. In light of recent cyber attacks to land-based networks, the top question for vessel owners and managers should be: How secure are your provider’s operations – can they help protect your assets from cyber threats? Mr McMaster thinks cyber security is a real requirement for modern networks. Owners and managers need to be aware of the threats to their businesses and take steps to protect themselves. “Buyers should be aware that the weak links in their defences are as likely to be human as digital,” he said. “A service provider should be able to mitigate cyber risk by hardening these defences, managing the threats from hacking and conventional virus attacks.” Service providers must also convince shipping companies that they have a cyber strategy and have put it into practice. Crew welfare remains a top requirement for a VSAT service. Thus the second question should be: Can the provider prioritise, segment and manage crew access without intervention from ship or shore? “Crew communications makes good business sense, but is a more complex subject than it appears,” Mr McMaster commented. “Crew increasingly see the provision of internet access as a deciding factor in their choice of employer.”

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viable. “There are a lot of vendors in maritime, especially in VSAT, and it makes no sense to risk upfront investment in three to five years of equipment leasing if there are any doubts about their sustainability,” Mr McMaster explained. “If packages offering hardware, connectivity, installation, content and support at very low prices sound too good to be true, then apply common sense.” He said that communications is becoming more mission-critical to shipping, and the

Coverage map provides approximate service area, service availability is not guaranteed

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DOES THE SERVICE SUPPLIER HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL?

WHAT IS THE VENDOR’S BUSINESS MODEL

HOW SECURE ARE YOUR PROVIDER’S OPERATIONS?

DOES THE VENDOR OFFER A BLEND OF CONNECTIVITY AND HARDWARE

CAN THE PROVIDER PRIORITISE, SEGMENT AND MANAGE CREW ACCESS

There are technical, connectivity and content challenges for the ship master, owner, manager and superintendent because of the rapid expansion of crew services. “Access needs to be hands-off for the master but subject to priority controls for business traffic,” Mr McMaster explained. Crew welfare services should be: • WiFi-enabled for privacy • accessible via a dedicated application • separate from the ship’s data plan • provide managed accounts for crew and options for shipowner and seafarer payments. Ships need flexibility in connectivity as some vessels will use more data than others. Owners should therefore be asking: Does the vendor offer a range of connectivity and hardware services in a range of price points? Mr McMaster explained that VSAT “can be a game-changer,” but it is more expensive than L-band. Shipowners and managers should understand what they need to achieve from satellite communications before making a choice. “VSAT certainly provides an upgrade from L-band systems, but be sure of what you are getting, and whether you really need it,” Mr McMaster advised. Once that decision is made, then owners should be asking: What is the vendor’s business model? They should be conducting due diligence of the service provider to ensure that it is financially

importance of support is increasing. “Low costs quickly become high if the vessel misses a change of orders, so support must be 24/7 all year round and multilingual. When prices are too low, buyers should understand that the risks can outweigh the benefits.” Shipping companies will be living with a long-term contract with a satellite communications provider and onboard hardware, so they should be asking: Does the service supplier have a crystal ball – or does it just have its fingers crossed? Mr McMaster thinks this relates to the approaching wave of new communications technologies and applications. Some of these will be enabled by high throughput satellites as they are commissioned. “Buyers should be asking their provider about bandwidth, speed and capacity,” he said. These parameters of service are likely to change over time for operational and crew requirements. “Shipowners have much to consider when planning how to get from the present to the future of shipping, including whether their connectivity provider is committed to the market for the long term,” Mr McMaster concluded. VSAT Malcolm McMaster has more than 20 years of experience in satellite communications and digital technology. He has been president of Globecomm Maritime since 2011. Prior to that he was president of Telaurus Communications, which merged with Globecomm Systems Inc.

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

OPERATOR FEEDBACK | 13

Reefer and container ship operators turn to VSAT

Green Reefers needed VSAT to improve communications in its area of operations

Dry cargo shipowners, such as Green Reefers and Leonhardt & Blumberg, are installing VSAT to reap the operational benefits

reen Reefers Group is installing VSAT on its fleet of 18 cargo vessels to enhance satellite communications, particularly in the Atlantic Ocean. It requested specific connectivity requirements from service provider NSSLGlobal for its ships that transport refrigerated and frozen cargoes, such as fish, fruit and vegetables, worldwide. The fleet operates mainly in West Africa, the Mediterranean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Baltic region. This is why Green Reefers needed VSAT coverage in these regions at economic prices. Another critical requirement was a secure virtual private network (VPN) for the ships that complete their voyages at Bergen, Norway, where Green Reefers has its headquarters. According to Green Reefers IT

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manager Sigbjørn Kjetland, the business also needed a fixed Norwegian IP address and VPN integration. Each of the ships will be connected with NSSLGlobal’s VSAT IP@ Sea service on the economy-plus package. This will include seven new installations of VSAT hardware and 11 swap-outs of existing onboard systems. This process began in March this year following a successful two-month trial of the service on one of the reefer ships. During the trial, Green Reefers was able to test NSSLGlobal’s VSAT coverage, support and network availability. Choosing the VSAT service came down to three key elements, said Mr Kjetland. “These were its superior coverage around West Africa and other key areas, NSSLGlobal’s willingness to offer bespoke terms, and the support service,” he explained. The ability to answer questions quickly was important, too. “The installation was fast and efficient, and as part of the ongoing service we also receive constant reports on bandwidth usage, which is very useful to us,” Mr Kjetland added. Green Reefers Group is owned by Caiano Shipping and operates a fleet of 24 ships. Its crewing requirements are handled by Green Management in Gdynia, Poland, and Kaliningrad, Russia.

Container ship operator Leonhardt & Blumberg has begun installing Marlink’s Sealink Business VSAT service on its vessels to improve communications. It is Germany’s largest independent charterowner of handysize container ships and wanted guaranteed minimum bandwidth for business-critical applications, regardless of the amount of data consumed across the fleet. VSAT is expected to boost data and voice communications across the Leonhardt & Blumberg fleet. The Hamburg-based company chose VSAT for more electronic document handling and to improve collaboration between container ships and shore staff. Sealink Business will also enhance welfare services and communications for the seafarers on the ships. Leonhardt & Blumberg was already using bridge services and equipment from Marlink sister company Telemar Germany. It will be installing 1m diameter antennas and Marlink’s XChange centralised IT and communications management system on its container ships. The guaranteed bandwidth and service availability, without constraints on data consumption, should enable Leonhardt & Blumberg to use more data dependent applications. XChange will manage the connection by automatically switching to the existing L-band equipment on board the ships if the VSAT connection is not performing. Leonhardt & Blumberg will also have access to Marlink’s Portal360 online portal for monitoring and control of the connectivity. VSAT Leonhardt & Blumberg operates a homogenous fleet of feeder container ships which range from 1,500 teu up to 3,600 teu. The fleet includes 30 ships of between 1,600 teu and 1,700 teu, four of around 3,600 teu and three of 1,500 teu. Leonhardt & Blumberg also has a monitoring and reporting system that provides the owner with key operating indicators. These are used to reduce operating costs and the ships’ off-hire time.

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

14 | OPERATOR FEEDBACK

Shipmanagers invest in VSAT to meet rising crew demand Wallem Group, Spliethoff, Wagenborg Shipping and Parakou have all decided to deploy VSAT across their fleets to enhance crew welfare and business communications

hipmanagement groups and specialised dry cargo ship operators have invested in VSAT to enhance connectivity for their crews and improve business communications. The shipmanagement side of Wallem Group has opted for Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress Ka-band solution for ships it operates. The installation of the communications equipment on bulkers, tankers and container ships will be phased over the next few years. Wallem Ship Management managing director David Price explained that the business chose Fleet Xpress because this demonstrated its commitment to improve its services for shipowners and seafarers this year and into the future. “In the first instance, we choose communications technology based on its reliability and speed,” he commented. “But we also see the transition to Fleet Xpress as offering a gateway to greater operational efficiency and crew welfare.” Some of the operational efficiencies in shipmanagement should be enhanced by the faster connectivity to ships. Mr Price suggested that these could include procurement and safety services. Better connectivity could also help improve technical support for ships and the commercial aspects of shipmanagement. Singapore based shipmanagement company Parakou has selected Satcom Global Aura VSAT for installation across

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

its fleet of tankers to deliver reliable communications for its seafarers. The enhanced bandwidth provides Parakou vessels with dependable connectivity for a wide range of business and crew welfare applications, said fleet director Moh Chong Boon. “An important driver in our adoption of VSAT was to be able to provide our crew with reliable and consistent connectivity,” he said. An important aspect was the committed information rate from VSAT. “Satcom Global Aura is already making a huge difference to vessel connectivity, so we look forward to completing the rollout across the rest of the fleet,” Mr Moh commented. He was also pleased with the process of migrating tanker communications systems to VSAT using Intellian’s terminals. The Spliethoff Group has awarded a major contract to Radio Holland to supply more than 72 ships that operate worldwide with VSAT Ku-band and an L-band backup that will include a mixture of Iridium OpenPort and Inmarsat FleetBroadband. Radio Holland also gained a contract to maintain the equipment on board 116 ships in the Spliethoff fleet. The security of internet connectivity was an important factor in the VSAT investment across the fleet, said Spliethoff director of IT Peter Van de Venne. “This agreement ensures an internet connection on almost our entire fleet and increases performance through higher bandwidth on the vessels that were already under contract,” he explained. Enhancements to crew welfare were key requirements for the new satellite communications, but not the only ones. Spliethoff also needed to improve vessel connectivity because of the increasing volume of operational information that flows between ship and shore. “The increased bandwidth not only adds value for our crew but also enables us to speed up our processes through more frequent synchronisation and updating of the available data on board,” said Mr Van

Parakou installed Intellian antennas and Satcom Global VSAT on its tankers

de Venne. “We are now ready to send large flows of data from the ship to the shore and vice versa." Wagenborg Shipping has contracted Castor Marine to install Ku-band VSAT and FleetBroadband on more than 40 ships to provide support for onboard networks. Wagenborg fleet director Theo Klimp explained that the growing requirements of seafarers was a key reason for installing VSAT. “Increasing business and crew demand for fast and reliable internet requires an integrated IT and communication solution from a proven satellite service provider,” he said. Mr Klimp added that Wagenborg also needed a full end-to-end solution that included support of the onboard IT infrastructure and shore-based teleport facilities. He said VSAT had been installed on nine ships by the middle of May, adding: “And our crew members are very satisfied.” VSAT

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SATELLITE NETWORKS | 17

SES PLANS TO LAUNCH 15 NEW SATELLITES IN THREE YEARS SES is set to launch its first high throughput satellites with Ku-band spot beams to supplement the existing constellation of geostationary and O3b medium earth orbit satellites

atellite constellation operator SES plans to launch 15 new satellites in the next three years as it introduces high throughput services to maritime markets. According to SES vice president of sales for data and mobility services in Europe and Russia Simon Gatty Saunt, this will include investment in seven geostationary (geo) satellites and eight medium earth orbit (meo) satellites. These are due to be launched before the end of 2020. “Out of these seven geo satellites, four will have high throughput payloads. It is therefore clear that we believe there is great growth potential in the data and mobility markets,” said Mr Saunt. All of the geo satellites will provide Ku-band VSAT, with four offering high throughput using spot beams over major shipping routes. “Our new hybrid satellites that feature a combination of wide beams and high

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throughput beams have mobility at the heart of their design for maritime connectivity,” he added. “Thus, we are building a dedicated maritime mobility network to cover large parts of the world with Ku-band spot beams, including over the Indian Ocean, the North Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean out to Hawaii.” These satellites will be launched later this year to supplement existing wide-beam Ku-band coverage. SES-15 is scheduled to be launched by Arianespace from French Guiana in the second quarter of this year. This should be followed by SES-14 and SES-12 on SpaceX’s Falcon launcher in the second half of the year. Towards the end of March, SpaceX launched the SES-10 communications satellite using a re-usable rocket. Following the launch, the Falcon launcher was successfully returned to Earth, landing on an unmanned barge. According to Mr Saunt,

SES-10 is the latest example of satellites that SES ordered with dedicated maritime mobility payloads. “SES-10 will have dedicated coverage over the Caribbean, which is the largest growth area for VSAT mostly because of cruise ships and megayachts,” he explained. “It also has Latin America coverage for offshore sectors in Brazil, and other countries with offshore industries, such as Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana and French Guiana.” In 2016, SES-9 was launched with Ku-band coverage over the Indian Ocean that is dedicated to shipping. SES-6 provides Ku-band coverage for maritime over the North Atlantic, and SES-4 delivers maritime C- and Ku-band beams over Europe and the Mediterranean, off North and South America and around Africa. SES also plans to add eight more satellites to the O3b Networks constellation of meo satellites over the next two years. Mr Saunt said that four are due to be launched in the first quarter of 2018 and another four in 2019 on Soyuz rockets that are managed by Arianespace. These will add to the existing constellation of 12 satellites. The meo constellation has spot beams of Ka-band coverage that are used specifically by cruise ships to provide high throughput for passengers and crew. “Royal Caribbean Cruises

SES-10 will have dedicated coverage over the Caribbean and Latin America

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

18 | SATELLITE NETWORKS

has multiple ships on O3b providing up to 1 Gbps to each ship for passenger and crew use,” said Mr Saunt. “Other cruise ship operators are also interested as they are trying to keep up with Royal Caribbean on data and connectivity.” The meo satellites have a short round-trip latency of 120 milliseconds, which is four times quicker than the geo satellites. This is an advantage for voice services as there is a shorter delay between transmission and reception of speech in either direction. However, the O3b satellites only operate to 50 degrees latitude, north and south of the Equator. “They cover the three main cruise hotspots of the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Asia-Australia,” said Mr Saunt. “But they do not cover higher latitudes, such as Alaska, the Norwegian fjords, Greenland and Antarctica. Therefore, cruise companies would like to benefit from both our geo and meo constellations.” To offer these services, SES has worked with hardware partners and service providers to develop tri-band antennas for operating in C, Ku and Ka-band. “This is so that they can get the best out of both

constellations,” Mr Saunt added. Outside the cruise sector, commercial ships use SES’s geo constellation for Kuand C-band VSAT services. “We do a lot of maritime business in mobility and data. It is our fastest growing market segment,” said Mr Saunt. “Our current fleet has provided maritime coverage since the early 2000s. First it was mainly C-band, then Ku-band over the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and southeast Asia. Since then, we have seen a big shift in how maritime uses our VSAT, from C-band to Ku-band, with value-added services attached to enhance connectivity using the expanding satellite coverage and our teleport services.” SES operates a fleet of more than 50 geo satellites, and has dedicated teleports and a multiprotocol label switching network of fibre optics for high performance telecommunications and local access to the ground network. In 2016, it launched a tailored solution for commercial shipping, Maritime+, to open up VSAT to more vessel operators.

According to SES vice president for the data mobility portfolio Gez Draycott, Maritime+ was needed because of the varied requirements of vessel operators. “We cover all the main shipping routes with Ku-band capacity and can provide whole packages to vessels for fleet operators to leverage economies of scale,” he said. “Service providers can use Maritime+ for additional seasonal capacity to provide onboard services. Maritime+ is sold through resellers, which provide the antennas, maintenance and value-added features. Maritime+ is a customised platform that can be tailored to meet the diverse needs of passenger ships, tankers, container ships, bulk carriers, offshore support vessels, oil production ships, tuna fishing vessels and superyachts. “Maritime+ is designed for 1m maritime-grade VSAT, and we are looking at trialling its use with 60cm VSAT so that smaller vessels can use it, too,” said Mr Draycott. SES will also offer high throughput spot beams when the new generation of satellites are launched later this year.

Eutelsat contracts Arianespace for future satellite launches Eutelsat Communications is planning for the future of maritime VSAT by contracting Arianespace for further launches. The France headquartered operator plans to commission three more satellites on Ariane rockets over the next two to three years. Arianespace has been contracted to launch the Eutelsat 7C satellite, built by SSL, in 2018. This should be followed by the launch of Airbus Defence and Space-built Eutelsat Quantum in 2019. Another high throughput satellite, built by Thales, is scheduled to be placed into orbit also in 2019. Eutelsat chief executive Rodolphe Belmer said the deal with Arianespace reflected both companies' commitment to satellite innovation. He added that the three new satellites were technically diverse. Arianespace chief executive Stéphane Israël explained that these satellites will be loaded on to Ariane 5 over the next two years. After that, a new launch vehicle will be available. “Our hope is that Ariane 6 will then take over so that we can help Eutelsat meet its objectives even more efficiently,” he added.

Airbus built an electric propulsion satellite for Eutelsat (credit: Airbus)

The contract between Eutelsat and Arianespace was signed following the successful launch of Eutelsat 172B, which will provide connectivity to ships in C-band and Ku-band over the Pacific Ocean. This satellite was launched on 2 June on an Ariane 5 rocket to the location of 172 degrees east. It is the first high power, all-electric satellite built by Airbus. Following testing and geostationary orbit adjustments, Eutelsat 172B should begin commercial operations in the fourth quarter of this year. Eutelsat said the 3.5 tonne satellite will have coverage from Alaska to Australia for maritime users, especially commercial shipping – although ships will be competing for the coverage with aircraft. The existing Eutelsat 172A satellite will be moved to another orbital position to continue providing commercial services. In April, Eutelsat 48A was de-orbited after reaching the end of its operational life. In January, Eutelsat 117 West B entered commercial service, providing coverage over the Americas. Eutelsat operates 39 satellites with coverage over Europe, the Middle East, Africa, AsiaPacific and the Americas. VSAT

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20 | SATELLITE NETWORKS

Intelsat's IS-33e provides coverage over Europe and the Indian Ocean

Intelsat plans three more Epic satellite launches Intelsat is building a constellation of high throughput satellites that will revolutionise maritime satellite communications by providing more bandwidth to crew and passengers

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

ntelsat is set to launch two more of its EpicNG next generation high throughput satellites this year and one in 2018 to augment the coverage it has already deployed over the world’s oceans. It already has the IS-29e satellite providing spot beams of Ku-band over South America, North Atlantic and the Caribbean, IS-32e over the Atlantic and Caribbean and IS-33e with coverage over Europe and the Indian Ocean. According to Intelsat director of mobility solutions in Europe Andrew Faiola, the next two launches will provide additional coverage over maritime areas well populated with ships and offshore vessels. “We have two more launches scheduled this year with IS-35e set to be launched by Space X to deliver more coverage for the Americas, Europe, and Africa,” said Mr Faiola. “IS-37e is to be launched by Arianespace. Then the Horizons 3e satellite, which will extend Intelsat EpicNG coverage to the Pacific

Ocean region, will launch in 2018.” The spot beams have created layers of high throughput Ku-band over the existing widebeam coverage. However, IS-35e is a little different. It will have Ku-band widebeams over the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Europe, plus C-band spot beams for offshore oil and gas, such as off Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, and West Africa. IS-37e will provide Ku-band spot beams over Europe, Africa and the Americas, as well as traditional C-band and C-band spot beams. “All the EpicNG satellites have advanced digital payloads, which gives them the ability to connect from any beam to any beam, as well as enabling networks that are a mixture of C- and Ku-band,” Mr Faiola explained. “EpicNG integrates with our existing IntelsatOne terrestrial network, which consists of a fibre network and Intelsat teleports in Germany and North America, plus partner teleports in South Korea and

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SATELLITE NETWORKS | 21

Australia, with others to come,” he added. EpicNG enables Intelsat to layer throughput over the areas of highest traffic. Since the first EpicNG satellite started operating a year ago, service providers, shipowners and fleet managers have seen tremendous benefits. Service providers can deliver a high quality of service for many more ships, and flexibility of service packages. Mr Faiola commented: “Ship operators and fleet managers can benefit from all of that, as it opens up new options in terms of network configuration, antenna size, and application development that were previously unavailable or very costly to implement.” Intelsat also provides high bandwidth to passenger ships, as a single cruise ship can have up to 300 Mbps of throughput for guests and crew. Commercial shipping has different needs. “We need to assure service providers that they have

“OUR PLANS WILL MITIGATE RISK AND REDUCE THE COSTS OF OWNERSHIP SO SHIPOWNERS CAN HAVE FUTURE-PROOF SOLUTIONS”

throughput to service hundreds, or even thousands, of ships, anywhere across our network,” said Mr Faiola. “Our network objective is to provide ubiquity, density of service with layers

Intelsat’s EpicNG satellite coverage IS-29e – South America, Caribbean, North Atlantic IS-32e – Atlantic and Caribbean IS-33e – Europe and Africa through Asia IS-35e to be launched – Americas, Europe and Africa IS-37e to be launched – Europe, Africa and the Americas IS-H3e – Pacific Ocean region

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Arianespace launched IS-32e for Intelsat in 2016 (credit: Arianespace)

of beams over high traffic areas, and resilience to ensure commercial-grade standards are maintained at all times. The result is a network that provides services that can scale efficiently and as rapidly as our customers can grow the fleets they are serving.” Because of Intelsat’s coverage, vessels that were once isolated are now more connected. Shipowners can connect ships as they would with a remote office, using virtual private networks as offices at sea. Intelsat has around 50 satellites and continues to replace or redeploy them at a rate of around two or three per year. This strategy means shipowners do not need to replace equipment in order to improve ship connectivity. “EpicNG satellites have backward compatible design and open architecture that allows customers to use existing kit or select the best hardware according to their mission and budget, when seamlessly migrating their existing network onto EpicNG,” said Mr Faiola. The next constellation of satellites that Intelsat will offer maritime will be those ordered by OneWeb. Intelsat is a founder member of OneWeb and is the exclusive distributor for maritime applications. These are low earth orbit satellites that will deliver Ku-band coverage from pole to pole. Mr Faiola said this coverage will be combined with that from its geostationary satellites, providing different characteristics of connectivity. “Shipowners face uncertainty and risk. Our plans will mitigate risk and reduce the costs of ownership so owners can have future-proof solutions and certainty,”

he commented. “The technology combination gives us unique options to segregate traffic and applications based on geography, application, and capacity requirements. We will have a combination of both satellite constellations that can be switched between one another using intelligent software and hardware on board ships for intelligent routeing of traffic.” VSAT

Ariane 5 has also recently launched satellites for Eutelsat and ViaSat (credit: Arianespace)

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

22 | SATELLITE NETWORKS

Inmarsat orders fifth satellite for US$1.6 billion GX constellation Inmarsat is commissioning a fourth satellite for its Global Xpress constellation and ordered a fifth for US$130 million from Thales Alenia Space

nmarsat has ordered another satellite for its Ka-band constellation to bolster the Global Xpress (GX) network. The UK-headquartered operator already has four Inmarsat-5 satellites in its US$1.6 billion GX network after the fourth one was launched in May. In June, Inmarsat contracted Thales Alenia Space, in a deal worth US$130 million, to build another GX satellite to support maritime and aviation services over the Middle East, Europe, Africa and India. This satellite is due to be launched in 2019 increasing the GX constellation to five satellites. Inmarsat will announce the launch partner for this satellite in the near future. The payload should slot seamlessly into the existing GX high-speed global broadband network. The network was boosted by the launch of Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite in May from Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, USA on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket to a geostationary orbit. It will supplement the existing three Ka-band satellites.

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

Inmarsat has commissioned three GX satellites and launched a fourth one

I-5 F4 Satellite Mass – 6,100kg User beams – 89 Ka-band fixed spot beams Steerable beams – 6 spot beams Solar arrays – wingspan 40.6m Station keeping – xenon ion propulsor Lifespan – 15 years

The F4 satellite was manufactured by Boeing Network & Space Systems to provide Inmarsat with in-orbit redundancy for the GX network and is part of the first ever global Ka-band service from a single network operator. Inmarsat offers Ka-band VSAT to shipping with its Fleet Xpress service which includes L-band back-up through FleetBroadband for when Ka-band coverage is not available. The commissioning of the fourth GX satellite

should reduce the need for L-band back-up, while a fifth one in 2019 will have dedicated beams in areas of high demand. The F4 satellite was undergoing payload testing during the second quarter of this year ready to begin commercial operations in the fourth quarter. Inmarsat has signed agreements with multiple providers of satellite communications services to maritime industries to increase the number of ships using Fleet Xpress. So far, it has commitments from around 10,500 ships to use the Ka-band constellation, many as an upgrade from existing FleetBroadband service. There are also plans to build a sixth generation of satellites, of which two were ordered last year, to double the Ka-band capacity and provide longterm L-band services, which are currently provided by the Inmarsat-4 constellation. Inmarsat needs to renew

the L-band network as it also delivers maritime safety communications from its satellites, including communications for the global maritime distress and safety system which is mandatory under the Solas convention. Inmarsat maritime president Ronald Spithout commented on the expansion of the GX network for Fleet Xpress: "Our fourth satellite will provide additional capacity over the Middle East, Europe, the North Atlantic and over India, covering the busiest shipping routes." He said Inmarsat was working on its application gateway, higher bandwidth packages and a dualantenna solution for vessels. "People expect internet access anywhere worldwide, including on ships, which is why we are building more GX satellites," he explained. "We have ordered two satellites for our I-6 constellation with L-band and Ka-band payloads that will double the capacity of our I-5 constellation after 2020." VSAT

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VSAT BENEFITS AND KEY MARKET FIGURES EMEA & THE AMERICAS

VSAT SERVICES

VSAT MARKET BY KU

In 2016, EMEA was valued at US$1.06billion, followed by the Americas with US$0.47billion

The global maritime VSAT market by services dominated the market with a value US$1,340 million in 2016

The global maritime VSAT market by Ku-band technology was valued at US$700 million in 2016, growing at a CAGR of 15.11%

Improve crew morale Optimise performance

Reduce repair costs

Good satellite communications can help save

10% on vessel expenses Reduce insurance costs

MP_Jun17.indd 10

Reduce port charges

Reduce fuel costs & emissions

27/06/2017 11:16

MARKET OUTLOOK Large market for maritime broadband

Inland waterways 12%

Yachts 18%

Government 8%

US$3.3 billion

10%

Passenger 5%

40,000

Oil & gas 14%

Marine broadband revenue expected to grow to US$3.3billion in five years

250,000 vessels in addressable market - less than 10% have VSAT today

Over 40,000 vessels still have L-band

Commercial fishing 10%

Shipping 33%

Live TV E-learning Streaming media

Cybersecurity

VALUE ADDED SERVICES

VOD

Crew calling

Network optimisation Crew internet Weather / telemetry

MP_Jun17.indd 11

27/06/2017 11:16

26 | IT PLATFORMS

PLATFORM TECHNOLOGY

drives a new generation of VSAT solutions DEVELOPMENTS IN PLATFORM TECHNOLOGY FROM VT IDIRECT AND COMTECH EF DATA WILL INCREASE EFFICIENCY AND IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF VSAT SERVICES TO MARITIME

perators of the new high throughput satellites have successfully tested VT iDirect’s latest technology and remote terminals (remotes). Inmarsat has tested the new standards and terminal modems on its Global Xpress Ka-band network and Intelsat has done so over its EpicNG spot beam Ku-band network. iDirect developed its new DVB-S2X standards technology for digital video broadcasting over the S2X generation of satellites. This enables video conferencing and other high bandwidth applications on ships via VSAT infrastructure. It will also drive further development in high throughput satellites and encourage more investment in VSAT infrastructure. iDirect president and chief executive Kevin Steen said the introduction of DVBS2X proved that the company remained on the leading edge of innovation to meet the ever-increasing critical needs of the satellite industry. “It shows we can re-engineer the core elements of ground infrastructure for new levels of performance, scale and agility,” he said.

“The demand for satellite connectivity has reached unprecedented levels and continues unabated. We want our customers [satellite operators] to have the flexibility to choose from the opportunities they find most lucrative and to know that their investment in our platform will support them across any opportunity they pursue.” The DVB-S2X standard is based on a customised application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chipset that iDirect said would deliver “revolutionary” gains in data throughput. This will power a new line of DVB-S2 and DVB-S2X remotes called the iQ Series. The DVB-S2X standard significantly extends the capabilities of the original 2005 DVB-S2 standard that has been in use for more than 10 years and aligns better with the latest high throughput satellites. iDirect said the DVB-S2X standard: • enables the use of high throughput transponders • provides higher hub processing capabilities • enables carrier support of up to 125 MHz

iDirect DVB-S2X - enabling attributes

Hub processing capabilities High throughput satellites Radio frequency and antennas efficiency

• Carrier support of up to 125 MHz

• Core gateway components

• Global Xpress • Intelsat EpicNG • Improves spectral efficiency up to 15 per cent

• Finer granularity • Twice the efficiency at peak capabilities

iDirect's DVB-S2X standard significantly extends the capabilities of VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

www.marinemec.com

IT PLATFORMS | 27

• improves spectral efficiency by up to 15 per cent • enables the virtualisation of core gateway components • provides finer granularity within the current S2 range • makes existing radio frequency and antennas more efficient • enables almost twice the efficiency at peak capabilities • provides a framework for the future use of very small antennas for the internet of things. iDirect has also successfully tested the iQ Series remotes, which will use the DVB-S2X technology, over high throughput satellite networks. It said these modems can be continually reprogrammed remotely to increase network capabilities and throughput levels. The iQ Series remotes and DVB-S2X standard were tested over the EpicNG Intelsat 29e satellite in October 2016. This resulted in a throughput rate of 5.71 bps/Hz, which was a 330 per cent efficiency performance gain on the Intelsat EpicNG platform. At that time, Intelsat senior vice president for operations Mike DeMarco called the test a milestone in higher performance VSAT. He added: “With the iQ remote technology and EpicNG capacity, service providers can transition onto our high performance network while leveraging their existing investment in hub infrastructure. This is an important achievement in enabling our customers to expand their businesses into new applications and geographies and realise their future growth objectives.” In January this year, Inmarsat successfully tested the iQ Series modems and DVB-S2X technology over its Global Xpress constellation. Inmarsat recorded a forward channel throughput rate of 330 Mbps over one of these satellites. Inmarsat and iDirect will gradually introduce these enhanced capabilities to the Global Xpress network and maritime users from 2018. This could involve replacing modems with more advanced models. The DVB-S2X technology will be fully utilised for Inmarsat’s sixth generation of Global Xpress satellites that are due to launch around the end of this decade. This should boost available throughput rates to more than 500 Mbps, Inmarsat said. Comtech Telecommunications Corp subsidiary Comtech EF Data has made its new Heights Dynamic Network Access (H-DNA) technology available for VSAT

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waveforms, enhanced bandwidth management algorithms and robust multi-layer quality of service. H-DNA can automatically react to real-time traffic demand, providing best fit solutions that are based on users’ service level agreements and network policies. Comtech said H-DNA adapts to changing environments and provides sub-second reaction time to changing user demand and link conditions, without introducing excessive jitter and latency. It uses Comtech’s Advanced VersaFEC-2 high performance waveform, adaptive coding and modulation, dynamic power control and IP optimisation, said the company. H-DNA instantly assigns capacity based on network-wide demand and intelligently utilises total network bandwidth at all times, said Comtech senior vice president for engineering and product management Louis Dubin. “H-DNA will deliver true benefits to our customers, including service differentiation, superior quality of experience and increased profitability,” he commented. “It ensures that bandwidth is instantly made available to users and sites across the network as demand changes. It also allocates all available bandwidth per user demand and configured service level agreements ensuring that all capacity is used at all times, providing both maximum performance and the best possible monetisation opportunities.” VSAT

“H-DNA WILL DELIVER TRUE BENEFITS TO OUR CUSTOMERS, INCLUDING SERVICE DIFFERENTIATION, SUPERIOR QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE AND INCREASED PROFITABILITY”

services. It said this will significantly improve the quality of experience for users of online, voice and data applications over VSAT. H-DNA was designed for the Heights networking platform’s return links. This platform incorporates the latest advanced technologies to minimise latency and jitter. Comtech said the network access development is a culmination of new

R5 R3 R4

Time R5

Remote to Hub Return Bandwidth Pool

H-DNA is designed to improve service flexibility and revenue without increasing bandwidth expense

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

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ANTENNAS | 29

JRC DEVISES ADVANCED FLEET XPRESS TERMINALS JRC AND ALPHATRON HAVE DEVELOPED A FLEET XPRESS SOLUTION THAT INCORPORATES A SPECIALISED ANTENNA, A BELOW-DECK TERMINAL UNIT, REMOTE MAINTENANCE AND CLOUD SERVICES

apan Radio Co (JRC) and Alphatron Marine have teamed up to design and manufacture an advanced terminal for Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress Ka-band service. They tackled the challenges of producing lightweight, high performance antennas and flexible below-deck modules that connect to multiple onboard and online applications. The result was the JUE-60GX terminal that connects to Inmarsat’s Global Xpress constellation and links with the L-band JUE-251 and JUE-501 FleetBroadband terminals for connectivity redundancy. The JUE-60GX terminal also connects with remote maintenance support and a cloud platform for safe, secure and smart navigation management. According to JRC-Alphatron area sales manager John van Gelder, there was a lot of engineering involved in the development of the Ka-band maritime terminal. “The design of a lightweight but ultra-strong radome for the Ka-band environment has been a particular challenge,” he explained. JRC engineers used a three-layer sandwich fibre reinforced plastic with a special resin-honeycomb structure for the core of just a few millimetres. The honeycomb structure gives the radome high strength and is extremely lightweight. The radome is dipped in a bath of resin and shaped in an oven to achieve a curved structure without the use of excessive mechanical force. Installation is quick and easy, said Mr van Gelder, adding: “With such a lightweight antenna the vessel’s downtime is minimal. No crane is necessary for installation, and the onboard set-up will be just as simple as it is for our FleetBroadband terminal.” JRC designed the below-deck terminal to be flexible with web-based operations similar to the FleetBroadband terminals. It is designed to be mounted in a 19in communications rack. The terminal supports Inmarsat’s communications platform and JRC’s proprietary remote maintenance system and J-Marine Cloud platform, which are exclusive to JRC Fleet Xpress customers. The remote maintenance system is an onboard equipment performance and functionality monitoring system that uses JRC’s JCY-1900 and JCY-1800 voyage data recorders as a server and a secured satellite communications link. JRC and Alphatron accredited staff can remotely link to the equipment on the vessel to inspect, analyse, resolve or determine what actions are

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necessary at the vessel’s next port call in order to quickly return the equipment to a fully operational status. “Global Xpress will also play a central part in our J-Marine Cloud service to enable advanced applications, aimed at economical operations, safety and seafarer welfare,” said Mr van Gelder. “When a reliable data communications system is installed, the crew benefits but the shipowner is the real winner,” he added. “Real-time data makes it possible to plan routes more effectively, avoid bad weather and schedule vessel arrival times more accurately, saving valuable fuel. It can also ensure that the onboard electronic navigational charts are kept up to date in real time.” Mr van Gelder also expects shipowners to accurately track fleet movements and fuel consumption using the cloud platform and Fleet Xpress. “The shipowner can advise the captain where necessary in order to save costs, and improve the safety of the ship and care of the cargo and crew,” he explained. Onboard equipment can monitor installed devices remotely, prevent faults and advise possible maintenance issues. Fleet Xpress also provides cloud-based applications for crew communications with friends and family and onboard entertainment for times when they are off-shift. “Reliable communication is crucial for safety at sea, operational management, cost reduction and crew welfare,” said Mr van Gelder. “Satellite communications is an enabler for smart vessel operations and remote accessibility to vessel assets.” He concluded: “With global data usage doubling every two years, just imagine what it can do for tomorrow.” VSAT

JRC designed the radome with a honeycomb structure

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

30 | ANTENNAS

Smaller antennas exceed expected performance during testing TESTS ON THE LATEST COMPACT 65CM MARITIME VSAT ANTENNAS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT THEY PERFORM BEYOND EVEN THE MANUFACTURERS’ EXPECTATIONS

ndependent testing of the latest generation of compact 65cm antennas demonstrates that they can cope with the high throughput levels that the latest advanced satellites can deliver. At least one VSAT service provider has tested antennas manufactured by Cobham Satcom and Intellian Technologies. They were tested over a high intensity

Cobham’s Sailor 600 terminal can be used for both Ku and Ka bands

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

spot beam from Intelsat’s latest EpicNG high throughput satellite. This delivers significantly more data throughput, measured in megahertz, than wide Ku-band beams. High throughput of this kind means that, in theory, service providers can offer faster throughput with smaller antennas. But this needed to be tested before commercial services could be considered seriously by vessel operators. Satellite communications provider Marlink has completed live network testing of Intellian’s v65 antenna and Cobham’s Sailor 600 terminal at its testing facility in Eik, Norway. It used a spot beam from the IS-33e satellite and Comtech modem equipment to achieve high throughput connectivity, which Marlink described as exceeding all expectations in terms of performance efficiency. “We have tested the 65cm antenna from Cobham and the v65 from Intellian on the EpicNG beam with as high a throughput as possible to see what they could offer,” Marlink president of maritime Tore Morten Olsen explained. “We were all pleased by the outcome as the antennas performed beyond expectations in turning megahertz into megabytes for our clients that want to put 65cm antennas on their ships.” The tests may be seen as indicative only, as the majority of maritime installations will involve a modem supplied by VT iDirect rather than one from Comtech. However, the results demonstrated the effectiveness of the antennas well enough for Marlink to begin offering them as part of its Sealink Ku-band service. This should enable shipowners to access high-end service packages that create opportunities to reduce costs, maximise uptime, and increase profitability. Mr Olsen said the actual throughput that ships will receive will depend on the modem’s performance as well as on the antenna. He added that shipowners will always get higher rates with a larger

antenna, such as the 1m or 1.2m versions that are available. Intellian’s v65 antenna features an updated design to reduce cabling and deliver plug and play installation capabilities, said Intellian strategic marketing director Matthew Galston. It means ship operators can install and activate the compact system within a few hours, which minimises any potential for operational downtime. Mr Galston said the antenna and high throughput satellites have “opened the market to a wider customer base, and created opportunities to achieve greater, more cost-effective and more reliable services for vessels that can only accommodate a smaller antenna.” He continued: “The improved transmit speed capability is particularly important to note, as over time more data will need to flow from the ship back to shore, or perhaps ship to cloud, to enable the industry’s digital transformation.” Intellian’s v65 Ku-band antenna is a similar design to its GX60 terminal that can be used over Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress service. Intellian recently introduced a convertible platform that means ship operators can switch between Ku-band and Ka-band depending on what service they prefer over a long period. “Chief technical and finance officers are risk averse by nature and want to avoid being limited in their ability to do what is best for their business at any given time,” said Mr Galston. “Our new 65cm Ku/Ka convertible platform directly addresses this problem.” A compact conversion kit enables the v65 to be switched between Ku- and Ka-band operations in just 10 minutes. Intellian said it has become the first to offer both 1m and 65cm Ku/Ka convertible antennas for maritime VSAT. Cobham’s Sailor 600 VSAT Ku, too, exceeded expectations in tests over the EpicNG spot beam. The testing demonstrated that the antenna can

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ANTENNAS | 31

COBHAM/INTELLIAN ANTENNA COMPARISON Antenna diameter Weight

Sailor 600 Ku

Intellian v65

65cm

35kg

60kg

Transmit gain

37.7 dBi at 14.00 GHz

37.7 dBi at mid band

Receive gain

36.0 dBi at 11.70 GHz

36.3 dBi at mid band

System G/T at 30° elevation

15.9 dB/K

15.7 dB/K

Elevation range

-28° to +120°

-20° to +115°

provide a stable terminal to enable ships to access global broadband services. It opens up maritime VSAT to a wider range of vessels, especially those that do not have the space to install a 1m antenna. Sailor 600 VSAT Ku will enable vessel operators to use digital applications on board that can improve operational efficiency and provide always-available crew and passenger communications. Cobham said it has struck a balance

between form factor and performance. The antenna is constructed of lightweight carbon fibre composites and aluminium and weighs 35kg, which means an engineer can carry it onto a vessel. Sailor 600 VSAT Ku has dynamic motor brakes, which means the radome can remain over the antenna during shipment. There is a single cable between the antenna and below-deck unit. The terminal also has automatic azimuth

calibration, so the antenna can find the ship’s centreline automatically. This saves time during installation and reduces errors. Sailor 600 VSAT also has diagnostics and automatic event reporting, remote monitoring facilities and a built-in email client for real-time support. The latest software includes shock and vibration monitoring, which transmits valuable extreme event data from sea to shore. The Sailor 600 antenna design is similar to the Ka-band version that Cobham has already installed on several vessels for Fleet Xpress services, said Cobham director of maritime broadband Jens Ewerling. “With Sailor 600 VSAT Ku, we are bringing the same installation and performance advantages to all Ku-band satellite networks,” he said. “It will offer incredibly high performance on EpicNG and other Ku-band networks, enabling high speed VSAT services on a smaller, lower-cost and easier to install platform.” The first shipment of Sailor 600 VSAT Ku antennas was in June this year.

KNS updates SuperTrack Z-Series VSAT Korean manufacturer KNS has a 75cm Ku-band maritime antenna that will operate within wide and spot beams. The SuperTrack Z-Series Z7MK3 Ku-Band can be used for high speed access to the internet, email and multiple voice over IP services. KNS said the antenna has a web interface for remote software upgrades and an integrated module that incorporates the motor driver, radio frequency control unit and processing unit. The Z7MK3 Ku-Band has automatic satellite search and skew control, an unlimited azimuth and brake system, a pre-programmed satellite database and an antenna control unit. KNS has a 60cm Ka-band version that has similar functions but is lighter, at 62kg, than the 75cm Ku-band antenna that weighs 67kg. KNS also has Ku and Ka VSAT units that are 1m antennas. Last year, KNS introduced a maritime antenna that can switch between Ku-band and Ka-band. It is a dual band, automatic switching and polarisation antenna for maritime VSAT applications. One of its unique features is the ability to adjust between linear 180 degrees Ku-band to Ka-band with selectable circular polarisations. It has automatic tracking of satellites according to the input parameters, and automatic collection of longitude, latitude, heading, azimuth and elevation data. KNS has also developed automatic polarisation switching and frequency band feed switching. For troubleshooting, the antenna has self-diagnostics and monitoring. KNS said this means the antenna is able to reacquire a satellite beam in less than five seconds. VSAT

www.marinemec.com

KNS antenna has a web interface for remote software upgrades

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

32 | ANTENNAS

Lightweight maritime VSAT antennas revealed All the latest antenna developments from Skytech Research, Epak, Orbit Communication Systems and Scot Sat

kytech Research unveiled a new ultra-small aperture terminal (USAT) for yacht satellite communications at the end of May. The BB50 Ka Band antenna has been designed for use with Telenor’s Thor 7 regional Ka-band frequencies over northern Europe and the Mediterranean. The BB50 has a 50cm diameter antenna that is manufactured with carbon fibre materials to reduce the weight to 23kg. The antenna enables bandwidths of 20 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload. Tests have demonstrated that this can be achieved while a yacht is speeding at up to 50 knots. Skytech said it takes less than one hour to install the terminal as it has an embedded modem and control unit so there are no co-axial cables. There is one power cable and one Ethernet cable to connect to an onboard WiFi router. Skytech said the BB50 is maintenance free for the first five years of operation and the company can remotely access the terminal to provide service

assistance. Skytech has also developed the BB75 Ka Band satellite for Thor 7 services to yachts, passenger ships and offshore vessels. Epak has developed its Evolution series of antennas for Ku-band and Ka-band using satellite tracking technology. Its antennas include stabilised satellite tracking to improve the antenna’s ability to remain in communication with satellites. The antenna range includes the DSi6, 60cm Ku unit with cross-polarisation and weighing 37kg. Epak also offers the more advanced DSi9 antenna that has a weight of 58kg and a 90cm dish for Ku-band cross-polarisation and co-polarisation services. Epak said most of its systems are modular and can be fitted with a selection of transceivers to obtain optimal transmitting power. They can also be used for flexible airtime contracts in either band and can be linked to various modems, including those manufactured by Hughes, iDirect and Comtech. The Evolution series have two gyros for improved performance when a ship is rolling and pitching in a difficult dynamic environment. These gyros help stabilise the antenna to increase the accuracy of receiving and transmitting data. Antennas can only accommodate a small amount of pointing error before being rendered unable to communicate with the satellite. To mitigate this, Epak developed a system that combines its electronic beam-

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

Weight – 23kg Diameter – 50cm Ka-band Thor 7 Integrated modem and ACU controller Up to 20 Mbps downlink Transmit gain – 29.5-30.0 GHz Receive gain – 19.7-20.2 GHz G/T – 13.5 dB/K at 20° elevation

forming gyro with a 3D gyro module. This increases connection stability, improves seamless beam switching and minimises signal interruption, regardless of the weather conditions. Greek marine electronics specialist Marvel is a distributor of Epak antennas. Its sales manager Antonis Vatikiotis said Epak had the 60cm Ku-band antenna available for commercial shipping since February 2007, and it “was able to run in the regular Ku-band spectrum.” He added: “This means that we were able to combine our system with all available common Ku-band VSAT beams.” Orbit Communication Systems has sold several of the Ka-band versions of its OceanTRx4 stabilised maritime antenna for a combined price of US$715,000. These were purchased by a US federally-funded research and development centre for use by an unnamed US government agency. The antennas have built-in support to ensure there is a smooth migration to high throughput services for the entire Ka range of frequencies from geostationary satellites. The antennas are due to be delivered in the third quarter of this year. Scot Sat has designed the Hydra 60cm antenna that it claims is up to half the weight and considerably smaller than other 60cm VSAT terminals. Its petal dome design means that it can be carried on board and it has an iDirect X5 modem and multiregion up and down converters. VSAT

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Acceleration

Engineers install Epak Ku VSAT antennas with cross-polarisation and co-polarisation

BB50 antenna details

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34 | VSAT SERVICES

HYBRID SOLUTIONS

ARE A FUTURE APPLICATION FOR VSAT NSSLGLOBAL HAS LINKED VSAT WITH MOBILE NETWORKS FOR FAST BROADBAND NEAR COASTLINES AND FOR CREW ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES

NSSLGlobal provides optimised crew communications through its Cruise Control module

hip connectivity that combines satellite coverage and cellular systems is a future scenario for maritime broadband. Vessel operators can receive reliable connectivity by using the global coverage of Ku-band with the capacity of 3G or 4G mobile networks. To deliver these services, NSSLGlobal launched a cellular-VSAT hybrid system for maritime vessels in May this year to improve

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

performance and reduce the costs of connections. The Cellular Marine System will complement NSSLGlobal’s airtime VSAT offering VSAT IP@Sea, and L-band services. It will enable vessels to transfer from satellite to mobile connectivity, while operating up to 25km offshore. According to NSSLGlobal group maritime sales director Henrik Christensen vessels can obtain high speed internet, with download speeds of up to 100 Mbps, for operational

and crew welfare broadband use. The hybrid solution is supported by a cellular roaming service through a major global cellular operator. It will switch seamlessly from satellite coverage to the 3G or 4G networks when these are available. Mr Christensen said it is ideal for vessels operating in coastal areas or waiting to get into harbour. “With constant connectivity an ever-increasing need for ship operations and crew welfare, we need to ensure we provide fast and flexible access to internet services,” he said. “By giving our customers the option to switch between VSAT and 3G and 4G mobile connectivity, they can now get high speed internet at the most cost-effective rate.” VSAT IP@Sea combines extensive Ku- and C-band coverage with six global

teleports that support 24 satellite beams and two network operation centres. L-band back-up comes from Inmarsat, Thuraya and Iridium networks. This can also be integrated with the CrewVision maritime entertainment service that NSSLGlobal launched in April. That followed NSSLGlobal’s acquisition of Norwegian IPTV company SnapTV, which had developed video-streaming technology and entertainment products. CrewVision is an onboard video-based entertainment system that provides a range of new and classic films, box sets, documentaries and worldwide news and sports summaries for seafarers. Shipping companies can choose and pay for specific content packages that can be viewed on high definition televisions or on tablets and computers. NSSLGlobal said this would encourage communal activity using the entertainment system, reducing the need for seafarers to view content in their own cabins. VSAT

NSSLGlobal provides a series of VSAT and L-band solutions

www.marinemec.com

VSAT SERVICES | 35

VSAT SERVICES OPEN FOR POLAR SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS Service providers have added VSAT coverage in the Arctic and Antarctica for commercial shipping, offshore, fisheries and passenger shipping

s more ships are considering Arctic voyages, satellite service providers have added VSAT coverage in the region. There was already some C-band coverage for the largest cruise ships, drilling rigs and naval ships, but satellite operators have recently added more Ku-band and Ka-band beams in Arctic waters. Marlink is the latest service provider to offer high speed maritime broadband for the Northeast Passage through the Norwegian and Russian Arctic. The new Ku-band coverage supports fishing vessels, offshore applications, cruise operators and commercial shipping using the route. The Northeast Passage links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans on a shorter voyage than the alternative that is through the Suez Canal, across the Indian Ocean and up the Asia Pacific coast. The new

Ku-band coverage offers users of the northern sea route a reliable broadband link to support safe and efficient operations. Marlink has added the Arctic beams to its Sealink services. These can be used by crew for business and personal communications, while passengers on cruise ships can use the Ku-band coverage to upload photos and videos to social media channels. The coverage can also help energy companies to progress with the digitalisation of offshore operations in Arctic seas for remote monitoring and project optimisation. This could improve the potential for the exploitation of offshore Arctic hydrocarbon resources in the future, said Marlink president for maritime Tore Morten Olsen. He added: “With Northeast Passage maritime traffic increasing, it is important for us to ensure we provide sufficient capacity to meet the needs of Sealink VSAT users.” Other VSAT service providers have added coverage in the Arctic for maritime, too. Network Innovations offers Ku, Ka and C-band over Canadian Arctic waters using a variety of satellites. The latest addition to this is Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress service. Network Innovations offers internet and voice over IP, virtual private networks and service plans. Network Innovations offers broadband internet at sea using Inmarsat’s Ka-band coverage and Cobham’s Sailor 100 GX, a 1m diameter antenna, or the smaller Sailor 60 GX antenna. For

Marlink has extended its VSAT coverage over the northern sea route

www.marinemec.com

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

36 | VSAT SERVICES

Ku-band, it offers its own Maverick VSAT service using Cobham’s Sailor 800 antenna, which has an 83cm reflector dish, or the 90cm Sailor 900 antenna for higher performance. It can also offer VSAT with the Intellian v130G antenna. Inmarsat has worked with Network Innovations and Global Marine Networks to offer Fleet Xpress to passenger ships operating in Antarctica. A successful trial recently led to a commercial contract from Nova Cruising for a hybrid communications system on a passenger vessel. The Ka-band service was used by cruise ship Ocean Nova on which Network Innovations installed a Sailor 100 GX antenna. This provided guests on the cruise ship with a high speed and seamless broadband service despite the challenges presented by a low antenna angle and the vessel’s location at the extremity of the satellite coverage.

Telenor Satellite offers coverage over the Arctic seas through its Ku-band constellation and recently-commissioned Thor 7 Ka-band satellite. Telenor has maritime connectivity over the Norwegian and Barents seas. The Thor 7 satellite provides Ka-band using 25 simultaneously active spot beams with throughput of 6-9 Gbps. This is supported by iDirect’s next-generation iDirect Velocity platform for seamless transfer between the spot beams. It is a regional service that was designed specifically for mobility networks. According to Telenor, service providers such as Marlink and Applied Satellite Technology have been using the coverage for some of their vessel-operating clients, with good feedback. Telenor Maritime is using the satellites and 4G wireless networks to deliver connectivity to commercial shipping, fishing vessels, offshore vessels and passenger ships.

VSAT is more than just about the satellites VSAT services are more than just the satellite coverage as they should also include the teleports, a cable or fibre network and redundancy in satellites and frequency. The complete network is needed to cope with the expected demand from business communications, data from onboard sensors, vessel monitoring and marine traffic tracking. These requirements were laid out by Orange Business Services business development manager Ton Ebbenhorst at Riviera Maritime Media’s European Marine Intelligence Conference in April. He said the internet revolution is creating

Ton Ebbenhorst: “Orange operates the largest MPLS network in the world”

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

value for shipping from the knowledge and services it creates. One of the biggest changes that has come about is the ability to transfer data from ships to shore almost instantaneously and automatically. Satellite connectivity has enabled faster data and voice communications. This has been generated by higher throughput satellites, more value added services and technical improvements in onboard terminals and modems. Mr Ebbenhorst said ground networks and cloud services should also be included in this. “The Earth stations are where the satellite links come back to for access to our business virtual private network [VPN] and internet services,” he said. Orange’s business VPN allows multiple users to subscribe to one service for corporation intranet, voice, video and cloud services. It is the link between fleets of ships and proposed data centres for shipping. Mr Ebbenhorst said site availability and path performance were also important features in an end-to-end service. Owning a network of cables linking teleports is also a major advantage for delivering data transmissions from ships to data centres. Orange operates the largest multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) network in the world with 1,500 portals, 325,000 MPLS customer sites and seamless coverage in 220 countries. MPLS is a type of data-carrying technique for high performance telecommunications networks. It directs data from one network node to the next based on short path labels rather than long network addresses. The labels

identify virtual links between distant nodes rather than endpoints. For redundancy and choice of services, Orange offers different frequency options. “This means that we can select what is best for the requirement, as each frequency has positive and negative characteristics,” said Mr Ebbenhorst. “Multiple satellites mean that we are not dependent on just a few, and give us the opportunity to select a satellite that is best for the remote location for technical and commercial purposes,” he added. Orange offers the Maritime Connect service that has VSAT as a primary connection and a redundant link in another band as part of out-of-band management. Mr Ebbenhorst said there was also: • a secure VPN • granular remote access • bandwidth efficiency • prioritised business critical applications • a network management system • cyber security. “Maritime Connect is an integrated solutions platform with a wide range of applications on top of the satellite access that contributes to crew welfare and a fully unified communications package,” said Mr Ebbenhorst. It includes cloud services and remote IT network access. He said the benefits of complete VSAT solutions include reduced fuel costs and emissions, lower repair costs and improved crew morale. He said that owners can reduce vessel expenses by up to 10 per cent for a service that would only cost 1 per cent of the ship’s operating costs. VSAT

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38 | VSAT SERVICES

KVH launches AgilePlans and expands content services KVH CELEBRATED THE 10th ANNIVERSARY OF ITS MINI-VSAT BROADBAND OFFERING FOR COMMERCIAL MARITIME BY LAUNCHING THE ALL-INCLUSIVE AGILEPLANS SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE

VH Industries has unveiled its AgilePlans subscriptions for its mini-VSAT Broadband service, which is 10 years old in July. KVH has also expanded the content it offers to shipping through its IP-MobileCast service, which sends information, entertainment content and training programmes to ships. The first version of KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband service was launched in July 2007, along with the TracPhone V7 antenna. This became one of three V-series antennas that are available with version two of mini-VSAT Broadband. KVH introduced AgilePlans to provide its range of services in one monthly subscription that includes the necessary hardware and additional value-added solutions. KVH chief executive Martin Kits van Heyningen said AgilePlans provides airtime and voice services, data management via the myKVH portal, vessel tracking, crew welfare, Videotel training content and delivery of thirdparty chart and weather data. “Ship operators know they can drive efficiency when

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

they bring fast and reliable broadband on board,” he said. “With the AgilePlans service, they will be able to get the benefits from day

one. The response has been impressive already.” The company is currently developing additional valueadded services including an

internet of things product designed to aid vessels in systems monitoring and preventative maintenance. KVH is also enhancing its mini-VSAT Broadband network with additional high-speed bandwidth capacity incorporating high throughput satellite coverage. The IP-MobileCast content delivery service includes Videotel maritime training programs, NewsLink daily news, sports and entertainment channels, and

TracPhone V11-IP is a combined C-band and Ku-band antenna

www.marinemec.com

VSAT SERVICES | 39

ChartLink, which supplies the latest electronic navigational charts (ENCs) to shipping. KVH announced a link-up with ENC provider ChartCo during the Nor-Shipping exhibition in Lillestrøm, Norway. ChartLink for ChartCo will deliver ENCs, digital publications, weather forecasts, notices to mariners for chart corrections and navigation warnings to ships through the multicasting service. Ships using this service will have the latest ENCs

and e-navigation documents sent on board automatically, said KVH director of IP-MobileCast services Robert Hopkins. “Owners need confidence that ships have the latest ENCs and they are updated with notices to mariners,” he said. “Our service will also deliver flag and port authority regulations that ships require to sail in those waters for port state control compliance. And environmental regulation information can be displayed.” KVH also has

ForecastLink for weather forecasts from the MetManager service, StormGeo’s Bon Voyage service and has added YourLink service for shipowners to send their corporate videos, such as safety notices, across a fleet of ships. Mr Hopkins said one of the first ship operators to use YourLink is container ship manager Seaspan Corp. “The safety culture video motivates the crew at sea,” he said, adding: “We multicast

to deliver the file and host the video on the ships in our entertainment unit.” KVH’s modern TracPhone range includes the 39cm Ku-band TracPhone V3-IP model, the 60cm Ku-band TracPhone V7-IP, and the 1.1m dual C and Ku-band TracPhone V11-IP antenna. To date more than 7,000 miniVSAT Broadband systems have been deployed which, according to industry analyst Northern Sky Research, represents 29 per cent of all vessels using Ku-band.

Ships need shore-based IT support Ships require considerable support from IT teams ashore because there are no experts on board. Some seafarers have some knowledge of computers and bridge equipment, but there is no dedicated IT expert on a ship. This was highlighted by Ericsson business director Douglas Watson during a seminar, co-hosted by Riviera Maritime Media and Speedcast International, in Norway at the end of May. He said that one of the biggest challenges ship operators face is managing onboard IT networks when there are no IT experts on ships. "The complexity of IT on vessels means crews need shorebased operating staff to support them, and tasks are pushed back to shore, to suppliers or company IT support," he explained.

Ericsson’s biggest maritime customer is Maersk Line, which operates more than 400 container ships. Mr Watson said Maersk has 1,300 IT professionals, but no IT person on the vessels. Ericsson manages the infrastructure, IT networks and communications, using VSAT and L-band connectivity. Maersk Line is collaborating with IBM to use blockchain technology to help transform the global, cross-border supply chain. This involves the digitalisation of supply chain processes to enhance transparency and security. Mr Watson welcomed the initiative, adding that blockchain technology could be used to prevent non-authorised people from making changes to online documents.

World-Link unveils ship cyber security World-Link Communications has introduced the ShipSecure suite of cyber defence services for shipping. This is a comprehensive security package that mitigates the cyber threats that could be delivered to vessels over satellite communications. ShipSecure has access to the latest global threat intelligence information. Therefore, it can maintain the integrity of information being transmitted between a vessel and the internet. World-Link said the service has protection against advanced malware and ransomware, web filtering and

www.marinemec.com

Asad Salameh: “Shipping is vulnerable to cyber attacks and malware“

application awareness. It also has network firewalling and advanced identity and control functions. World-Link president Asad Salameh said the shipping industry is vulnerable to cyber attacks and malware because of recent advances in broadband services, which is why the company developed a cyber security suite. “ShipSecure delivers onboard vulnerability assessment, real-time protection and threat mitigation through a multilayered approach addressing cyber threats at each level of a vessel’s network

infrastructure,” he explained. “ShipSecure features provide IT and network security managers complete visibility to the fleet security through a number of managed configurations and real-time reporting.” The service will operate over L-band and VSAT services, especially Fleet Xpress. Mr Salameh said ShipSecure will provide protection of the data stream before it arrives or leaves the vessel. WorldLink delivers satellite communications to more than 1,600 vessels worldwide. VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

40 | VSAT SERVICES

SPEEDCAST UNVEILS

LATEST VSAT GATEWAY TECHNOLOGY SPEEDCAST UNVEILED ITS SIGMA GATEWAY NETWORK AND COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE PLATFORM AT A SEMINAR CO-HOSTED BY RIVIERA MARITIME MEDIA IN NORWAY AT THE END OF MAY

Dan Rooney: Sigma Gateway is an integrated service platform with in-built network switches

here is greater need on ships to have a gateway that can manage vessel voice and data communications through the increasingly complex paths that are available over satellite and mobile networks. Ship operators can opt to use broadband through different VSAT bands or lower capacity L-band, or by using 3G or 4G mobile phone networks near coasts. These were some of the reasons why global communications provider Speedcast International introduced its Sigma Gateway at the end of May. This is a network and communications management device that links ship networks to satellites and other connectivity links for operational and crew requirements. The device is capable of managing Speedcast’s global VSAT, L-band, Fleet Xpress, 3G, 4G and WiFi services. Speedcast commercial maritime director Dan Rooney explained that Sigma Gateway integrates VSAT with L-band satellite communications and

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

mobile networks for more redundancy and reliability of connections. “It is an integrated service platform that has in-built network switches, 16 ports, a Fleet Xpress network service device and our software, including Sigma Net,” said Mr Rooney during a seminar co-hosted by Riviera Maritime Media in Lillestrøm, Norway. Sigma Gateway has an Intel Xeon central processing unit and 64GB of random access memory. It has eight integrated managed network switch ports and is Inmarsat approved as a soft network service device for Fleet Xpress. Mr Rooney said the gateway device can save up to five units on a below-deck rack, compared with having a separate network service device and router, server and network switch appliances. “Sigma Gateway provides a secured virtualised environment where third party virtual machines can be hosted,” he added. Virtual machines are managed via the Sigma Net Portal, enabling remote configuration and dedicated resource

allocation. This ensures that these virtual machines always operate with maximum efficiency and in a secure environment independent of each other. Sigma Gateway also offers flexible crew services. “Crew connectivity includes prepaid PIN-based internet and voice calling services available using a single voucher,” Mr Rooney explained. Seafarers can access online and voice services using their own devices by inputting their personal identification number. “The voucher can provide many hours per month, or multiple MB per month. It can link to our SpeedTalk voice over IP services.” Shipmanagers can use Sigma Gateway to block certain websites or any online traffic over L-band or 4G services. They can also manage WiFi access on a ship and analyse traffic through access points. Sigma Gateway is equipped with dual hot-swap power supply units, dual hard drives with a redundant array of independent disks and multiple network interface cards to ensure maximum uptime.

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VSAT SERVICES | 41

It can also be doubled, giving complete hardware redundancy with a second unit in case of equipment failure for high availability requirements. For security, it has Cisco’s FirePower firewall and virtualised systems on board. Mr Rooney said it has advanced malware protection, website filtering and intrusion prevention features for cyber security. Sigma Gateway also enables virtual private networks, which are good for protecting IT networks as data is encrypted Speedcast also offers SafePass Pro for additional cyber security requirements. This service defends, monitors and protects ship IT networks, said Speedcast director of energy products and cyber security expert Rolf Berge. “It prevents people from accessing segments of the internet and watches web traffic,” he explained. “We have a database and index of what is in the dark internet and can identify anything in a company that has been hacked.” The protection aspect of SafePass Pro involves ensuring antivirus

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software is up to date, latest patches are implemented and operating systems are updated. Speedcast can perform penetration tests, vulnerability assessments, staff and crew training and provide threat intelligence. At the seminar in Norway, Mr Berge recommended that shipowners upgrade

Speedcast (l-r) Pierre-Jean Beylier, Dan Rooney and Rolf Berge, along with Riviera head of content Edwin Lampert

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their onboard computers to the latest Windows operating system and keep antivirus software and firewalls updated. He also said owners should get third parties to conduct risk assessments and system vulnerability checks. Sigma Net is a cloud-based system that provides automated management of multiple wide area network (WAN) links and enables satellite communications services. It has an integrated voice over IP server that enables digital crew calling services. This allows a caller to choose the outbound call route via a prefix, which reduces the cost of calls. Ships with Sigma Net can segregate business critical communications from crew welfare services and use machineto-machine networks. There is a cloudbased secure portal for linking vessels to IT engineers for network management. This enables remote management and configuration of Sigma Net from shore. Changes made from the portal are instantly replicated to one or more Sigma Net terminals. The portal also presents fully-featured and interactive reporting of all data transferred via the Sigma Net WAN links on board. Speedcast International provides VSAT connectivity in C, Ku and Ka bands to commercial shipping, drilling rigs, offshore vessels and workboats and the leisure boat market. It has an extensive worldwide footprint of local support, infrastructure and coverage to design, integrate, secure and optimise networks tailored to ship operators’ requirements. With differentiated technology, Speedcast serves more than 2,000 customers in over 140 countries via 39 teleports, said chief executive PierreJean Beylier. He added that Speedcast is a major buyer of satellite coverage with access to at least 35 VSAT beams worldwide. It is also a leading distributor of Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress and Iridium’s OpenPort L-band services. “We are a key partner of Inmarsat Fleet Xpress and Telenor’s Ka-band regional service, and provide Ku-band in wide beams and high throughput spot beams. Mr Beylier added: “We are a leader in the cruise sector in terms of gigabyte capacity and in commercial maritime with more than 10,000 vessels connected to our networks.” He said Speedcast employs more than 250 field engineers in 140 countries and has around the clock service coverage from many regional offices and four main centres. VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

42 | CYBER SECURITY

Participants of the Singtel Maritime ICT Roundtable discussed the cyber threats

Cyber aware, but

cyber prepared? Discussions at the Singtel Maritime ICT Roundtable, which were moderated by Riviera Maritime Media head of content Edwin Lampert, confirmed that cyber security is no longer a marginal issue

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

o get the ball rolling on the Singtel Maritime ICT Roundtable, participants were invited to rank the maritime cyber security threat on a scale of 0–10 and to offer general comments on ‘industry awareness.’ BIMCO’s general manager in Singapore Maite Bolivar Klarup put industry awareness between five and six. “In the past 12 months, we have seen the emergence of an industry that is more aware, more vigilant and more alert to the risk of cyber-attack,” she said. But she cautioned that “even though we are more aware, as an industry we don’t fully understand the financial or security implications of a severe cyber-attack.” Closing this knowledge gap is now a focus for BIMCO. Eastern Pacific Shipping’s joint head of IT, Max Wong, put industry awareness at about seven. He said this high score was partly explained by industry’s focus on ‘connectivity.’ What is key, he added, is that in focusing on ship connectivity, and ship-to-shore connectivity, industry does not lose sight of the fact that crew can set up individual connections between ship and shore, such as by buying a SIM card while on shore leave. This means there should be increased emphasis on having “a

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CYBER SECURITY | 43

proper process to identify such risks, proper measures to counter them, and the ability to do close-incident measurements.” Deputy managing director of Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (Singapore) Capt Raymond B Peter agreed that industry awareness had increased, but said ship staff and visitors to ships were vulnerable. Another concern is coping with the volume, speed and different angles at which operations can be subject to cyber-attack. He cited software updates for electronic engines as a potential vehicle for attack, and referred to “the dysfunctional relationship between hardware and software vendors.” Capt Peter added: “At a recent seminar, I heard there are two types of people in our industry: one who is being hacked and the other who is waiting to be attacked.” The argument that there are different levels of cyber-security consciousness and preparedness in the industry led Singapore Maritime Academy deputy director Capt Lim Yuon Fatt to rank industry awareness around four. He highlighted the importance of training in this area to educate staff and heighten their awareness of the dangers of cyber threats. He encourages organisations to educate staff and put in place measures to minimise risks. Striking a positive note, Mr Wong said that thanks to the emergence of data analytics, things are a lot safer than they were two years ago. “In 2014 we implemented a new-generation firewall and that is doing its job, although there are no grounds for complacency. Services and satellite providers need to paint a clearer picture of whether your web traffic is hygienic. As an industry, we could do more to share our operational experiences of hacking for the greater good.” To benchmark internal cyber-security awareness, Eastern Pacific Shipping sent fake emails to its ship and shoreside staff and monitored click-throughs. “After each email, we would do an awareness campaign and then repeat the fake email exercise. It worked: we did see the click rates come down,” Mr Wong said. An interesting view from the floor was that crew – perhaps because of their working environment – did tend to be more

responsive when told not to download or visit a site. Shore-side staff could be a little bit more blasé. Singtel’s head of satellite communications Lim Kian Soon said that ensuring that customers did not have to field cyber-security risks was the focus of Singtel’s strategic tie-up with Inmarsat. Here Singtel, through its cyber security arm Trustwave, is integrating its unified threat management software with Inmarsat’s high-speed broadband solution, Fleet Xpress. Mr Lim reminded those present that developing systems came with a financial cost, and that advanced services such as highspeed broadband must be paired with high-speed security. “That said, because we have critical mass we expect to deliver a scalable service that will allow customers to access our services at the right price point for them.” In wider discussion, the audience called for a better definition of training. Everyone has their own idea of training, but what does cyber-security training actually mean? For Capt Peter, an important component is ensuring that the quality of the trainers can be independently verified. OSM Ship Management’s Steffen Tunge cautioned against subjecting staff to long classroom-style training sessions. “One way to get awareness on board is to have a downloadable app for crew, with perhaps a questionnaire that crew can use to benchmark their awareness,” he said. ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPANTS Capt Raymond B Peter, deputy managing director, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement Lim Kian Soon, head, Satellite, Singtel Edwin Lampert, editor, Tanker Shipping & Trade (Moderator) Too Shiun Jye, chief executive officer, Asean Cableship Pte Ltd Max Wong, co-head of IT, Eastern Pacific Shipping Capt Lim Yuon Fatt, deputy director, Singapore Maritime Academy Maite Bolivar Klarup, general manager, BIMCO Freddy Tan, director, Enterprise Architect (Security), NCS.

Ships can be protected from ransomware In May, a form of ransomware infected networks around the world, damaging government services and shutting down companies. Wannacry penetrated health services, rail networks, manufacturers and delivery services, but not shipping. This was despite the virus attacking systems that were running on legacy operating systems. Shipping can be protected from these types of malware by means of firewalls, updated antivirus software, unidirectional diodes and hard drive software. According to Port-IT

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managing director Youri Hart the majority of ships have some form of firewall and antivirus software. For example, one family of antivirus products, from security solutions provider ESET, had a signature for Wannacry since 6 April, which meant that those with updated ESET software should be protected. “In the shipping industry every vessel has a firewall running in some form, so Wannacry was not a problem,” said Mr Hart. He explained that Wannacry uses a server message block protocol to encrypt a

machine remotely. “An internet connected PC would be the one infected,” he said. “Basic antivirus software would only address what happens on the local machine, looking at malicious code that is started on the machine itself. But more advanced antivirus, such as ESET, also detects network occurrences such as Wannacry.” Firewalls may prevent malware from entering a ship network over the satellite link, but vessels can still be riddled with malware. According to NCC Group senior advisor Tim Rawlins, these viruses infect ship computers through the

crew’s use of memory sticks. He said that every vessel his company has been on has viruses in computers. “We are yet to find a ship that does not have malware on board when we investigate it,” he said. Crew should be given cyber security training to prevent the spread of infections. “Staff need to be aware of the security processes and not use memory sticks. It is just common sense,” he commented. Mr Rawlins said vendors and agents should be trained in the procedures, too, as they could compromise ship networks. VSAT

The Complete Guide to VSAT 2017

44 | VSAT BACK-UP

L-BAND BACK-UP

IS ESSENTIAL FOR SHIP VSAT

IRIDIUM, INMARSAT AND THURAYA OFFER L-BAND TO SUPPLEMENT KU-BAND AND KA-BAND VSAT TO KEEP VESSELS CONNECTED DURING A LOSS OF SERVICE

t is vital for ships to have a back-up satellite service to Ku-band or Ka-band VSAT to remain connected during a loss of service episode. C-band is a high throughput backup service that has similar bandwidth levels as other VSAT bands. However, for vessels that do not have the space for C-band antennas, an L-band service is an essential alternative. Inmarsat, Iridium and Thuraya are the more popular L-band back-up services deployed on vessels. Iridium has provided its OpenPort L-band service for VSAT back-up over its first generation satellite network. This year it has started launching the Iridium Next second generation constellation to supplement and eventually replace the older satellites. The new satellite network should provide a significant upgrade to L-band services for maritime, said Iridium vice president and general manager of maritime Wouter Deknopper. “Located in low earth orbit, the new constellation will boast the inherent advantages of L-band, along with faster data speeds and increased reliability,” he said. Iridium is building the constellation this year through a series of launches using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket that can hold up to 10 Iridium Next satellites at a time. As Iridium deploys these satellites, it is decommissioning the old satellites and transferring L-band to the new ones. In May this year, Iridium integrated the first set of 10 Iridium Next satellites into the existing operational constellation. This followed a rigorous testing and validation process of the 10 satellites in orbit.

Thales Alenia Space is building the Iridium Next satellites (credit: Iridium)

Iridium expects the next package of 10 satellites to be launched from the end of June onwards from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, USA. A total of 75 satellites will be launched over eight launches that are expected to be completed by mid 2018. At this time, the full upgraded service, Iridium Certus, will be available to shipping. “Fleets will have access to a maritime satellite communications solution that meets budgets, promotes integration and offers the fastest global L-band speeds with small form factor antennas,” said Mr Deknopper. He expects Iridium Certus to become a viable alternative to VSAT as well as being a back-up. “It will deliver a uniform service resilient to most external factors, such as weather and location,” said Mr Deknopper. “It will broaden the menu of services for the maritime community, without sacrificing quality for affordability. Iridium Certus will provide a compelling alternative for budget-sensitive users who may consider VSAT and a robust complement for premium VSAT customers.” Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband (FB) currently comes in three terminal and service options. FB150 terminals are popular for small vessel applications, but have low data throughput capabilities and, of the three, are the least suitable for VSAT back-up. FB500 is the largest terminal and highest throughput of existing L-band services. It is automatically part of Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress service and comes as a back-up for different Ku-band VSAT services. There is also a middle option, FB250, which has a relatively small antenna and medium throughput. FleetBroadband is delivered to maritime on the Inmarsat-4 constellation of geostationary satellites. L-band should remain an important element of Inmarsat’s business as L-band payloads will be included on its sixth generation of satellites that could be in service from 2020. Thuraya offers a diverse range of maritime voice and data products. These are accessed through maritime terminals, including Thuraya Atlas IP, Thuraya Orion IP and Thuraya SeaStar. Thuraya Atlas IP delivers advanced connectivity on board ships, supporting voice and broadband IP data connectivity at speeds of up to 444 kbps. Thuraya Orion IP is a terminal with lower throughput, but with basic data and voice over IP capabilities, while Thuraya SeaStar is the smallest of the three terminals. For small and medium vessels, Thuraya offers Intermatica’s Navisat circuit switched terminal or the Thuraya Seagull 5000i voice, data and fax satellite terminal. VSAT

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