Page 48: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (March 2019)

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SATELLITE COMMUNICATION

Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress, as selected by Lindblad Expedi- tions, provides high-speed, global, reliable coverage to remote regions of the world.

Image Courtesy INMARSAT

Making the Right Connection

The satcom link is ever more critical to maritime’s future, built on the rapid, seamless ? ow of digital information, a digitalization trend that is driving everything from ship equipment maintenance to, eventually, autonomous ships. Tom Mulligan reports.

ith 20 years of experience the northern areas generally being more gies have continued improving while supermarket sector, and so on. Shipping in the satellite communi- advanced in the adoption of new com- the shipping industry has experienced needs to be ultra-competitive and needs cations ? eld, Rob Parkin, munications technologies. In the Asia- a downturn in business. With compa- a new style of management based on the

WKVH’s Sales Director Paci? c region the centers are Singapore, nies having to operate as competitively optimization of performance through for the EMEA region, has witnessed the Hong Kong and Shanghai, where the as possible in order to stay in business, technology, operations and staf? ng – it’s digitalization trend in the “connectivity effects of globalization of trade can be a Darwinian effect has come into play – essential to identify what sort of data is revolution,” noting that different parts clearly seen through the extent of opera- the lower number of shipping companies needed and how to use it.” of the world and different markets have tions and extensive movement of goods also being re? ected on the supply side as Parkin said that the answer is the use their own communications and con- from China to world markets, “the ba- industry in general goes through a con- of VSAT connectivity, providing more nectivity needs. He said that the world rometer of economic trade,” as Parkin solidation and corporate globalization communications capacity at higher can be divided into three core shipping has put it. process.” speeds and lower prices: “As behavior on regions: the Americas; EMEA (Europe, “Goods were moving around the world land evolves, shipping is becoming part

Middle East and Africa); and Asia-Pa- by ship way before aviation became a Investment opportunity of a bigger picture,” he said, “and this ci? c, each with its own special satellite major means of cargo transportation,” Parkin continued: “Older communi- is re? ected in the increasing adoption communications (satcom) requirements. Parkin noted, “and shipping is, by its cations technologies are becoming out- of autonomous operations, which have

The Americas, for example, has fewer very nature, a conservative industry that dated and obsolete,” adding that there is large data ? ow requirements. The ques- large shipping ? eets but a large number is slower to adopt new technologies. Up now the opportunity for the industry to tion is how to drive connectivity whil at of smaller operators, mainly ? shing ves- until about ten years ago, slower and nar- invest in new technology. “The technol- the same time remaining competitive, sels, local transportation vessels such as rower bandwidth connectivity solutions, ogy is in itself about 20 years ahead of bearing in mind that communications ferries, and small-scale cargo transpor- primarily offered over L-band, were the where the shipping industry is, but we technology affordability has dropped tation vessels. Shipping in the EMEA norm for shipping ? eets. However, the have seen and are still watching what’s dramatically. Nowadays, broadband region, however, is based on large ? eets industry now ? nds itself at a crossroads happening on land – things like satel- technologies, such a High Throughput and focused around three main hubs, with respect to communications technol- lite TV, Big Data analytics being ap- Satellite Ku- and C-band technologies,

Germany, Scandinavia and Greece, with ogy. In the period 2008-2018 technolo- plied to the movement of goods in the are meeting the needs of the industry, 48 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • MARCH 2019

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