A new satellite communications service can propel shipping and workboat industries towards a digital transformation
Orange Business Services and BlueTide Communications have joined forces to provide vessel owners with a suite of communications, navigation and asset management services. These services will be delivered through Ku-band VSAT using a global satellite network.
Orange is providing BlueTide with managed Ku-band capacity that includes the ability to switch to alternative satellite beams for seamless global coverage. This includes teleport connectivity across all major shipping and sailing routes.
BlueTide uses this connectivity to provide internet and data services, navigation information, cybersecurity, voice and video, corporate applications and asset management for vessels. Using Orange’s Ku-band coverage will “have a transformative effect on how shipping is conducted,” said BlueTide chief executive Emil Regard in a statement.
“The maritime industry depends on consistent [and] reliable communications between ship and port to operate,” he said. Although this seems obvious, this level of service is not necessarily always available to commercial shipping and workboats, such as offshore support vessels.
“The maritime industry depends on consistent reliable communications between ship and port to operate”
With this connectivity, vessels are able to receive and transmit real-time data, including updates on a navigation route. Vessel masters can receive more accurate and timely weather forecasts and access corporate applications in the cloud.
Collaboration between Orange and BlueTide delivers crew welfare services, including internet, entertainment and phone services. It also enables BlueTide to provide vessels with live video surveillance, cyber security and systems monitoring.
Global Ku-band coverage gives BlueTide the “ability to reach more ships at sea with a larger variety of advanced communications,” explained Mr Regard. This includes coverage over main shipping lanes and more remote areas of the world’s oceans.
Orange senior vice president for the Americas Rob Willcock said reliable broadband connectivity can support remote monitoring of a ship’s mechanical components, which enables operators to introduce predictive maintenance practices. VSAT can also be used to remotely track and monitor cargo in transit.
Louisiana, US- headquartered BlueTide is an independent division of ESSI Corp. It provides primary and back-up broadband communications with value-added services such as video surveillance, private networks, voice services, mapping and monitoring services.
Orange Business Services is a division of the Orange Group. It is a technology integrator and provider of VSAT coverage for internet of things and data transmissions and supports IT with cyber security. Its services to shipping come through its Maritime Connect platform.
This has features to simplify and control the access to data and voice services on board vessels or remotely from shore, said Mr Willcock. It enables owners to consider vessels as extensions to shore offices by using a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) cloud and VSAT connectivity.
As part of Maritime Connect, Orange has virtual private networks (VPNs) for owners to use for connecting all IP services to their vessel fleets. These include connectivity plugs, firewalls and intrusion detection, fault management and companion services for voice over IP, video conferencing and instant messaging.
Maritime Connect uses various C-band and Ku-band VSAT and back-up L-band from Inmarsat and Iridium for least cost routeing and undisrupted transmissions. It also provides access to Orange’s cloud-based data storage facilities. Orange uses Cisco switches and Hewlett Packard servers for its connectivity platform.
Layered security
Connectivity security over Maritime Connect involves two firewalls and a united threat management (UTM) platform to protect ships from viruses, malware and hacking threats.
One of the firewalls is embedded in a unit on vessels to protect them whatever link is used. When someone connects to the internet, this signal will cross Orange MPLS network and pass through a second firewall between Orange’s VPN and the internet. This firewall is divided in different modules, each monitoring and allowing or blocking specific types of traffic, such as outgoing, inter-zone, VPN or port forwarding traffic. UTM provides network security including web and email filtering, VPN, intrusion prevention and bandwidth management.
© 2023 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd.