Lost at Sea, Found in Space: maritime connectivity boosted by satellite communications

Ocean shipping has been the main transport mode for global trade: around 90% of goods are carried over the waves, onboard the global fleet of 118 928 merchant vessels. As little as 10 years ago, most ships sailed without a consistent internet connection. In this day and age, myriad connected solutions promise to take safety and efficiency to new heights, whilst the solutions that emerge will have even more potential to transform shipping.  

Why is there a need for such solutions, we hear you ask? For a highly complex machine made of hundreds of thousands of vessels that need to coordinate their voyages, manage sea traffic, align port departures and arrivals, and ensure safe and timely delivery of goods – an unavoidable and arguably most critical thing to do is for all the cogs of that machine to talk to each other and be able to instantly share data between ship and shore.

The latter has been an issue for years if not decades due to poor connection. Vodafone findings showed that nearly 90% of data generated on board the ship never leaves the deck.

Idwal, a British ship inspection company, has launched a social impact report, which draws on data from more than 13 000 vessel inspections over a 17-month period through to September 2023, providing unparalleled transparency into the working and living conditions experienced by seafarers. Among key findings were the poor access to internet across much of the global fleet, while as much as 13% of the global merchant fleet has no internet access at all.

Another curious fact worth keeping in mind is that the global average time ships spent in port has been around 45,5 hours, which, among other factors, is rooted in lack of ship-to-shore connectivity itself, but also as a result, slows down the supply chain, increases emissions and further entangles an already complicated operational sequence.

“The unfortunate reality is that still today, crews and ship systems remain connectivity-handicapped,” says Markus Mannevaara, Director of Fleet Optimisation Product Line at Wärtsilä, a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. “Maritime may become the last industry to move away from paper logbooks. Even if we look at e-logbooks today, they are considered maritime electronics. However, with abundant, reliable connectivity, the logbook would become a cloud-hosted product with entirely different safety regulations than an electronic device. Not to mention remote operations and autonomous operations in general will happen only with a revolution in connectivity.”

Paving the way for digital transformation

The One Sea Association, a global alliance of leading commercial manufacturers, integrators and operators of maritime technology, digital solutions and automated and autonomous systems, concurs with the aforementioned statement. “Autonomous technology is frequently misunderstood as operating without human oversight or connection to the surrounding world. However, all new technologies rely on some form of connectivity, and the more significant the requirement for human interaction is, the greater the need for connectivity becomes,” comments Sinikka Hartonen, Secretary General at One Sea.

A dramatic increase in data usage in shipping has been recorded, according to an Inmarsat survey. This demand was driven by business applications, such as voyage optimisation and remote auditing, which accounted for a 131% increase in data usage and also by crew data usage, which rose by 149%. This is where more vividly than ever satellite communications come to the spotlight.

“Satellite maritime communications have unlocked numerous applications that benefit both business operations and crew welfare,” points out Sinikka Hartonen. “On the business side, for example, customers can have real-time monitoring of cargo, providing them with timely and accurate updates. Additionally, automated handling of cargo information has streamlined processes for ports and terminals, improving overall logistics and turnaround times.”

Not to forget the unsung heroes – seafarers who spend months at sea in a row. “For onboard welfare, satellite connectivity has significantly improved crew members' quality of life. They can now stay in touch with family and friends more easily, reducing feelings of isolation. Improved remote support services can also help in addressing medical and health-related issues and emergencies through online connectivity,” adds Sinikka Hartonen.

This is echoed by Markus Mannevaara, who draws parallels between crews and satellites. “Both are essential part of the picture, yet so distant. At least for crews, who are a crucial part of operations, we are able to change the situation.”

As Vodafone, Idwal and many other findings suggest, despite satellite communications and connectivity in shipping having advanced significantly, there is still a long way to go towards full elimination of blind spots and continuum of coverage.

Bridging the gap‍

One challenge is the high cost, which can be prohibitive for many operators. “Lowering these costs through innovation and economies of scale could encourage broader adoption,” believes Sinikka Hartonen.

Markus Mannevaara also adds: “Impetus is there, as already today, satellite comms are making waves among Wärtsilä customers. However, there need to be more satellite service providers to not only decrease the cost, but also help with redundancy, as we shouldn’t keep all eggs in one basket.”

“Another challenge to overcome is ensuring consistent and reliable satellite coverage across all maritime routes to ensure seamless connectivity. Addressing this issue would enhance the reliability,” says Sinikka Hartonen.

Developments on that front have been fostered by combining low Earth orbit (LEO) and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellite connectivity to ensure seamless coverage 24/7.

Telecommunications satellites (SatCom) placed in GEO, 36 000 kilometres above Earth's equator, follow the direction of Earth's rotation. Thanks to a fixed position relative to the Earth, SatCom can provide a stable and secure connection between two locations without the need for a vulnerable public internet connection or shared ground stations. It is truly astonishing how a single satellite can reach thousands of users and serve thousands of terminals. GEO SatCom helps to avoid waiting time to transmit and receive data, since it offers precise signal placement simultaneously over large areas of the Earth. SatCom’s wide-ranging, global coverage from GEO is perfect for the job of keeping maritime connectivity intact wherever vessels are sailing. The evolution of satellite communication has been marked by significant milestones and advancements in technology, which make SatCom solutions much efficient and cost-effective for users (in terms of cost per Mbps), while multi-orbit satellite architecture delivers best-of-breed service for consumers. 

Take ReOrbit’s Small SatCom for instance. It provides unparalleled reliability, efficiency, flexibility in GEO, and full ownership of the network for the customer. Small SatCom is a high-throughput satellite which is especially useful for maritime because the vessels rarely stay in the same place. It is highly suitable for regional and targeted coverage — those blind spots that have long prevailed in maritime can be now eliminated. Moreover, Small SatCom's software-enabled architecture unlocks flexibility for power and bandwidth optimisation, which is essential to navigate high traffic and low traffic routes.

Additionally, ReOrbit's satellites are able to transmit data via laser-based links that are more focused than radio links — they have small beamwidths, and comparatively higher bandwidths — which means that between transmitter and receiver there are less photons going astray, concentrating a lot of energy on a very small area. As laser link relay networks are poised to revolutionise the space sector, the use of both optical and radio communications for maritime assets will add extra bandwidth and new capabilities across the market, to existing and new solutions that connect space, the ocean and the ground.

Today’s global society is standing on the brink of developments in satellite technology, which continues to advance connectivity for the benefit of world’s spinal industries, such as maritime. There is a lot to be done to ensure seamless coverage at any given moment in time, but one small satellite can initiate a giant leap for mankind. And help find what has been lost at sea.