Increase in Adoption of Satellite Communication by Global Oil and Gas Companies

The global maritime VSAT market was valued at USD 2 billion in 2016 and is expected to surpass USD 3 billion by 2021. This may be due to the increase in the adoption of satellite communication by global oil and gas companies. The companies are using satellite communication to monitor oil and gas rigs. The transportation of oil and gas through underwater pipelines or via shipping facilities requires 24/7 surveillance, owing to the high risk and financial loss due to leakage. That’s why oil and gas companies are now using maritime internet communication equipment for remote surveillance, monitoring of rig sites and maintenance of these pipelines.

Maritime VSAT Applications for Oil and Gas Industry

MVSAT provides unlimited maritime satellite communications, delivering operational efficiency, and value added maritime solutions. 100% of the oil rigs are running VSAT networks to support heavy-bandwidth applications, such as live video for rig monitoring, transfer of heavy seismic data, crew training, pipeline monitoring, asset tracking, and cloud computing.

• VSAT solutions for the maritime sector support deep well drilling rigs and ships, such as FPSO, support vessels, and semi-submersible rigs.
• Fixed antennae VSAT solutions are used for shallow water drilling jobs, jack-up rigs and lift boats.
• Offshore drilling takes place in the harshest environments on earth. With VSAT satellite services, all offshore communications requirements can be met with the highest level of security including IP and radio encryption.
• Shale gas industry is also using VSAT satellite and wireless network infrastructure to facilitate shale gas exploration, seamless operation, greater performance, and management benefits.
• Maritime VSAT satellite communication enables effective management of unmanned drilling operations, regardless of the remoteness of the location.

From exploration to production, reliable, durable and capable maritime internet communication is of paramount importance for the oil and gas industry. Satellite operators like Inmarsat and Intelsat are launching new HTS constellations targeted at the maritime sector, and to make VSAT service more economical. With increase in demand in the oil and gas industry along with other maritime sector, maritime VSAT service provider will continue to foster growth with further advancements in bandwidth efficiencies and network scalability.

How Maritime Internet Services Benefit Your Back Office Support & Operations?

Managing your marine operations may becoming a little challenging, when you don’t choose the right Internet service provider, but if you have an efficient and honest staff, then things might become a little simpler. No matter how efficient and honest your staff is, you will always require certain records, data, and details to map their performance and hard work. Being an employer, you may think about a couple of options that can help you in mapping the performance of your team and marine employees, but how about using Internet services? Well, yes you’ve read it right! Read the following sections to know about a few quick tips that can help you organize your backend tasks with great ease:

1.Keep a Track on Employees With Constant Communications

Fleet broadband not only helps you to maintain a constant communication with your on-ship crew, but also reduces your monthly costs for communications by helping you to take advantage of satellite communications. Offering low and cost-effective ways to communicate things from office to vessel telephony, the services also helps you to keep a track of employee movements and can assist in centralized management.

2.Manage Optimal Security by Adjusting Privacy and Firewall Settings

Undoubtedly, your maritime satellite communications network is prone to various threats and security concerns, thus, you can adopt a customized policy to manage fleet wide firewall rules. Doing this can help you manage your business hierarchy with great ease, and will ensure that only limited and authorized personnel have access to all vessels communication networks.

3.Control Crew Communications

Using maritime Internet services for managing crew communications is a perfect solution to keep a track on crew’s communications and movements. It can help in integrate vessel and shore office systems to ensure that the IT team can have a better control on security and privacy of the networks. In addition to this, it also increases the efficiency of the vessel’s communication, thus, helps in communicating things at a faster pace.

It is recommended to check the logs and details of communication network, maritime vsat from time to time to keep a check on business activities and to ensure optimal safety and privacy of your communication networks.

Maritime Internet:Three Key Usages You Must Know About

Undoubtedly, maritime industry is a continually growing at a faster pace, and things are becoming technologically advanced to deliver best services to the global businesses and sea operations. Most of the service providers, who deal in offering maritime communication support to sea vehicles and equipment, are adopting latest technologies and techniques to help sailors stay connected with the outside world.

Plenty of maritime schools, educational institutions, and other related coaching centers are offering necessary training to help aspiring sailors, captains, and seafarer to develop the necessary skill set they should have for ensuring safe sea operations. If you belong to maritime industry and are aren’t aware of the key usages of having maritime internet connections on sea vessels, then read the sections below to turn yourself into a knowledgeable geek who can play active role in deciding sea communication strategies while on sea operations:

1.Serves as Means of Communications During Sea Journeys

Maritime internet finds its key usage in serving as a connectivity link between people in sea and on shores. Offering specific means of communication amidst sea operations, Fleet Xpress services help people on ship to reconnect with their family and friends is an easier manner. Seafarers can easily use social media sites to update their family and friends about their well-being and journeys. Also, they can access information related to weather conditions, current affairs and viral trends without losing high-speed connections.

2.Contributes in Enhancing Knowledge and Skills

Having Fleet Broadband on boats, ships, and other sea vehicles is essential to ensure that seafarers can improve their knowledge and skills continuously. It helps in improving the workflow by assisting them in designing, planning, and implementing newer strategies for their sea journey and discovering success without actually investing much of their time. Seafarer scan continuously learn about news, trends, and study things about maritime industry to constructively contribute towards the improvement of current sea processes and operations.

3.Faster and Better Results

Mapping the progress of sea operations becomes much easier, faster, and better with introduction of internet in crucial processes. Internet and information technology combines to ensure that the shipping processes are getting completed on time and are accurate as per the details mentioned on other web sources for avoiding any confusions and conflicts. Fleet Broadband can result in faster processing of mentioned tasks and can assist in delivering better results by improving the overall functionality of processes.

Evaluating cyber security aspects in the maritime industry

It has been estimated that approximately 90 percent of world trade occurs via ocean. The computerized systems and automated machines that the maritime sector relies upon are not equipped enough to meet the threats of the 21st century. With increased digitalization and automation, the maritime industry has now opened doors to vulnerabilities, with potentially devastating consequences. It has been estimated that cyber risks to the maritime sector are likely to increase in 2018 due to mandatory implementation of navigational systems. So, what maritime companies can do to increase maritime cyber security?

A cyber criminal hacked the e-services section of the website of a port in Oman in 2016 and released customer data. In July 2016, a cyber activist group targeted three maritime companies and leaked confidential documents. All such incidents reveal that the maritime sector is vulnerable to cyber attacks. With cyber threats in the maritime sector expected to increase in the coming years, it is important for organizations to be prepared.

·         Port operators and shipping companies should analyze and mitigate the vulnerabilities present in newly released software and hardware, and patch security holes promptly before integrating them into their ships or facilities. Shipping companies should use only secured communication systems such as Inmarsat Fleet Broadband for transferring voice and broadband data from ship to port facilities.

·         All companies related to the maritime sector should develop good practices for the implementation of Information Communication Technology (ICT) components that have “security by design” in order to avoid any cyber threat.

·         Maritime cyber security awareness among crew is currently low. So it is highly recommended to undertake maritime sector awareness raising campaigns and cyber security training of shipping companies, staff members, and port authorities.

·         Currently, maritime security regulations and policies consider only physical aspects of security and safety. Therefore, it is essential that policy makers should now add cyber security aspects to their new regulations for minimizing future cyber attacks.

All companies in the maritime industry should start acting on these measures needed to ensure greater cyber security protections. These measures, such as maritime cyber security awareness, training, better regulations and using secured fleet broadband systems for communication, will also help them to avoid catastrophic losses and becoming another victim of cyber crime.

Vessel Monitoring: Combining Mobile Satellite Internet and Vessel Tracking

Vessel surveillance system is used to monitor the location and movement of commercial vessels at sea and remote areas. Such system help vessel operators and owners to monitor vessel position, course and speed, and to make sure vessels are doing the right thing. To use vessel surveillance system, you need to install mobile broadband satellite-based communication system on vessels. The transceiver units will then send position reports such as vessel location with time and date and the vessel can be tracked continually. Mobile satellite services combined with vessel tracking technology enable vessel operators to track and monitor their ocean-going vessels in real-time anywhere within the world. This would help you to reduce the marine communication costs and improve profitability for your company.

Importance of Vessel Monitoring

·         Vessels navigate in very close proximity to each other. Therefore, vessel management becomes a critical aspect of vessel safety operations. By using vessel tracking systems, ship operators can manage their vessels safely and efficiently.

·         Some of the marine vessels have dimensions (height, width and length) that restrict their navigation in deep-water routes, thereby making them dependent on weather and sea conditions. A comprehensive vessel monitoring solution provides weather data, and has alerting options so that ships, people, and cargo can be saved at right time during emergencies.

·         Vessel monitoring system is linked to shore system to send alerts to land-based operators so that operators can guide rescue operations in case of marine emergencies.

·         Mobile satellite internet with connected vessel monitoring system keep merchant vessels connected, enforce compliance with marine regulations, and enable cost-effective and efficient vessel operations.

• Vessel tracking system can be seamlessly integrated into existing fuel monitoring solutions, which helps in optimizing fuel consumption.
• You can collect vessel engine performance data from vessel monitoring system and ensure that your fleets are always operating at their best.

The benefits of using mobile satellite services with vessel surveillance system are better ship and traffic performance in real-time, efficient use of waterways, reduced fuel consumption, and improved safety. Lastly, broadband satellite services with integrated vessel tracking systems will have a positive impact on the efficiency of port and vessel operations due to better scheduling and quicker turnarounds.

Everything You Must Know About Managing Maritime Cyber Security Channels

Cyber threats and security management is a challenging task in the modern world as hackers and malware authors are becoming smart and are applying various techniques to enter into a particular system. Trojans, viruses, and identity frauds are scams of past, hackers are now focusing on compromising the security of entire channels or broadband networks to collect useful data that can turn out to be helpful in commencing digital frauds. If you with to know some quick tips that can help you manage maritime security with ease, then read the sections below:

1.      Stay Aware of the Threats

One of the most common precautions is to keep yourself abreast with the latest developments, threats, and viruses that may impact the security of your system or the entire channel. Always stay updated with the details related to international malware attacks, maritime cyber security cases, and other security break-outs to ensure that you stay prepared for any such challenges.

2.      Set Strong User/Network Access Controls

Ask your administrators and IT security controllers to adopt latest techniques, security patches, and other essential security layers to help you enjoy extra protection against all such threats. Begin with using smart technologies, configuring the risk-prone areas with additive security layers, and even setting up stronger access controls to ensure that only authorized professionals are allowed to access a particular set of information or details.

3.      Perform Regular Backups

If you’re using maritime broadband to complete all your processes and tasks, then it is highly possible that you may get attacked by a smart hacker or malware author. One of the safest options to overcome such situations is by creating regular backups of your data and files. In addition, training employees on how to judge the security of emails, notifications, and recognizing cyber-attacks is also very crucial to keep the entire network safe from potential threats.

Conclusion

Nothing in the digital world is 100% secured, but the best way to deal with security attacks and hacks is by staying prepared for the worst. Securing your networks and managing cyber security helps you to simplify processes in case anything bad happens or you entire loss control over communications and data shares. Explore the web to know more and practice all crucial steps to enjoy advanced security against known or unknown threats.

Run Virtual Private Network on Mobile Satellite Systems without Compromising Performance

Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an encrypted connection that enables remote clients or mobile workers to securely connect with a private network over the public Internet. VPN connection gives employees secured access to their company networks. The use of VPN connections can increase safety and security in the maritime industry. These connections can allow maritime administrators to send mission-critical information from their land-based shore locations to ships docked in other part of the world.

Use of VPN over Satellite Internet connections
Previously, satellite Internet services offered less bandwidth that was required for VPN connection. Geosynchronous satellites used to take long time to transmit data between the satellite and ground stations, which is called high latency. With the invention of mobile satellite services such as maritime VSAT systems, VPN can now function properly over broadband satellite used by ships.

• The low latency of VSAT networks makes it practical to implement VPN connections across the shipping industry.

• Satellite Internet interacts with many elements of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) such as congestion avoidance algorithms and data acknowledgment mechanism. These limitations can be overcome by using TCP Acceleration process with indoor units (IDU) or VSAT equipment designed for satellite.

• VSAT Systems offers two 3-Key Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (3DES) alternatives that encrypt the data that you want to send, leaving the Internet Protocol (IP) and TCP headers accessible. Since the headers are now available, the encrypted packets are compatible with all types of satellite modems or broadband satellite services used by ships.

VSAT mobile satellite services are friendly with many VPN solutions. No need to make a trade-off between functionality and security of your secured networks. You can use your current VPN solution with mobile broadband satellite services and VSAT equipment to increased latency of the network and VPN performance. Ship operators in remote locations require access to their business critical applications and industrial grade security while communicating over satellite Internet. Everything becomes possible when you merge VPN solutions with VSAT mobile satellite service for your maritime operations.