Japan Transport Safety Board (JTSB) issued an investigation report on the collision of two container ships while Hanshin Port, Kobe Area, Japan, in May 2018. The incident resulted to no fatalities, but it highlighted issues associated with poor communication and misjudgment.
The Norwegian Government announced an agreement with the state-owned company Space Norway to address the unstable broadband communication in the High North using satellites. The satellites are scheduled to be launched in 2022.
British seafarer welfare charity Mission to Seafarers announced the launch of its new WeCare Social Communications and Financial Literacy training programme, a training initiative aiming to address rising levels of stress among seafarers brought on by financial pressures and the misuse of social networking platforms.
Marlink will introduce a new hybrid communication service. Sealink Global 4G will enable fast, low-latency mobile services when in network range while complementing VSAT connectivity when in regulated regions. Sealink Global 4G has been tested in different regions around the world, with positive feedback on performance and reliability. The service will be available after its launch at Nor-Shipping.
It has been almost 12 years since the Hong Kong-flagged container ship ‘Cosco Busan’ allided with the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, causing one of the most discussed oil spills in US waters. The incident is a good example of how lack of communication can lead to serious environmental incidents.
Today’s ports calls are increasing to be more and more inefficient, according to a study. Yet, cross-industry collaboration and data sharing are the ones to potentially enhance the fleet and capacity utilization. As the Global Maritime Forum reports, the study presented an analysis of nine European ports, meaning four ports in the Mediterranean and five ports in the Nordic region.
The fundamental principal in Bridge Resource Management (BRM) is that vessel navigation and operation is not one-man show. BRM makes use of all available resources onboard (equipment, information, human resource) to ensure the safe completion of vessel’s voyage. Likewise in all operating systems, the navigation and handling of vessel should be protected by a single point of failure.
Mr. Tore Morten Olsen, President Maritime of Marlink, highlights that connectivity is crucial for safe operations while he notes that demand for bandwidth is on rise which is important because available connectivity improves life onboard, keeping the crew happy and in touch with family and friends ashore.
At SMM, Mr. Tore Morten Olsen, President of Marlink Group, argued that the future is multi-connectivity featuring different satellite systems at different terrestrial systems, all to the benefit of the vessel and its operation. Also, he highlighted the importance of educating people onboard to mitigate cyber threats.
Mr. Peter Broadhurst, SVP Safety and Security, Inmarsat Maritime, talks about the next steps toward GMDSS modernisation. Following recent IMO decision with regards to GMDSS, real progress can be made in the functionality of the satellite-based emergency service seafarers call on in the last resort.
