Surveillance & Maritime News for July 2025

Liferaft servicing is a necessity, not an option, but the currents shifting society from product to service-based are being felt even in this unexpected area. Back in 2016, a Danish politician caused a surprising stir by predicting in a World Economic Forum blog that - by 2030 - “I don’t own anything. I don’t own a car. I don’t own a house. I don’t own any appliances or any clothes.” Life-saving equipment quality Hi-jacked by conspiracists to portray the WE...

Compliance with global maritime safety regulations is not optional but the reasoning behind a given set of rules can often be opaque, with the user sometimes finding fault with individual requirements or tempted to see a dislocation between dry legal language and real-life situations. But the legalese is a manifestation of the precision regulators bring to their craft and reflects repeated consideration of the same issues, lessons learned from actual maritime incidents and investigations, and c...

Battery power and a clean environmental conscience go hand in hand, but the performance, availability and lower maintenance costs of E GES free-fall lifeboats are making a new and powerful safety case for all-electric propulsion. Part of a rig upgrade for the Equinor platform Njord A operating in the Norwegian North Sea initiated in 2017, three new 70-person VIKING Norsafe free-fall lifeboats have been an eye-opener for those seeking to extend the life of assets. Norsok R-002 performance stand...

Compliance with global maritime safety regulations is not optional but the reasoning behind a given set of rules can often be opaque, with the user sometimes finding fault with individual requirements or tempted to see a dislocation between dry legal language and real-life situations. But the legalese is a manifestation of the precision regulators bring to their craft and reflects repeated consideration of the same issues, lessons learned from actual maritime incidents and investigations, and c...

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment, a pioneer in maritime safety solutions, acquires rights to manufacture and supply ‘Undertun’ marine evacuation systems (MES). The solution commands a leading position in part of the small ferry market due to its easy installation and use. Catering for up to 150 persons, Undertun MES is especially appealing when installation heights and crew numbers are low. The VIKING acquisition has been agreed with Sverre Undertun, whose Norway-based company offers so...

Intellian Technologies, Inc., the pioneering global technology and solutions provider for satellite communications, and Iridium Communications Inc., the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe, reveal the development of a new Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) safety display terminal. The Iridium® network's unique location in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) provides highly reliable, weather-resilient L-band connectivity everywhere on the...

Cammell Laird was delighted to win the ‘Future Skills Award’ at the 2023 Mersey Maritime Awards. The Mersey Maritime Awards, which celebrated its 9th Anniversary, was held at Liverpool Cathedral on Thursday 2nd of November. Over 550 guests from the UK’s maritime industry came together to recognise the achievements of local Merseyside businesses. The Future Skills Award recognises businesses which are committed to developing the skills of young people looking to forge their car...

VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S overcame geopolitical and inflationary turbulence in the global market to deliver historically high results on the top and bottom lines in 2022. The annual accounts show that VIKING surpassed two financial milestones, as net sales value surpassed DKK 3 billion and profit before tax exceeded DKK 300 million. Fluctuations in the global economy Profit before tax amounted to DKK 330.8 million against 276.6 million in 2021 Net sales value totalled DKK 3.14 billion...

On February 6, 2023, TSG Forwarding acquired J&S Transport & Spedition AB in Västerås. J&S was founded in 1993 by Jan Apel and Stefan Lindström. They are specialists in warehousing and transport of heavy and bulky goods. In the heated warehouse, there are several overhead cranes were the largest have a lifting capacity of 400 tonnes. Terms of operations and services The business J&S Transport & Spedition AB will retain its company name, and will continue to...

Viasat Inc., a global communications company, and Intellian, a pioneering provider of feature-rich, future-proof satellite communications solutions, today announced a contract award for Intellian to design and supply a bespoke range of Ka-band user terminals exclusively for Viasat’s Maritime connectivity solution. In addition to the bespoke new terminals, Intellian will also develop a 100 cm upgrade kit for Intellian’s popular NX Series. The NX Series is the world’s market pio...

New focal point for customers seeking safety solutions to meet US offshore wind developments. VIKING Life-Saving Equipment has selected Norfolk, Virginia as the hub to support the safety needs of North America’s fast-emerging offshore wind sector. The safety solutions provider for the global maritime and offshore industries will coordinate delivery, service and lease agreements for sector-specific PPE and other gear from offices in Norfolk. Headed by John Bratten, Sales Manager, Yachting...

For the first time, emergency responders have a purpose-built garment that has been designed for the majority of their call outs. The VIKING SHIELD is specifically developed for the most common calls departments currently face. Grant Grinstead, Fire Segment Key Account and Product Manager for North America, VIKING, said securing full bloodborne pathogen protection certification would further drive uptake of VIKING SHIELD for technical rescue usage across North America, where its ‘three-in...

FPSO owner and operator - BW Offshore has selected VIKING Norsafe Free-fall Lifeboats, Daughter Craft and Davits for a large FPSO project, which will operate off northern Australia. Primary means of evacuation will be three VIKING Norsafe GES-50 Mk. III Free-fall Lifeboats - each able to carry 70 people - with secondary launch and recovery achieved by corresponding HD-50 Davits. Discussion of safety requirements Also part of the package is a VIKING Norsafe Munin-1000 Daughter Craft with capac...

David McGinley, Chief Executive Officer of Cammell Laird Ship Repairers and Shipbuilders and Atlantic & Peninsula Marine Services, has been shortlisted for the 2020 British Ex-Forces in Business Awards. David is one of ten finalists in the Business Leader of the Year (Large Company) category of the awards scheme, which recognises the achievements of ex-forces personnel who are now excelling after life in the armed forces. Prior roles of David David went on to forge out a successful career...

MetOcean Telematics, is pleased to announce the official product release of STREAM. STREAM is an innovative and cost-effective Iridium satellite communication enabling device that allows end-users to easily integrate Iridium communication ability into their own products and future product developments. Developers routinely encounter time and budget constraints when incorporating satellite communication ability into new products. STREAM assists with eliminating these obstacles. Equipped with a S...

Intellian, the pioneer in mobile satellite communication antenna systems, announces that it has signed a strategic partnership with Japan Radio Co., Ltd. (JRC) in maritime satellite communication antenna technology. The marine industry is moving forward with the era of smart shipping, and demand from ship operators to share ship-to-shore navigation information, which is aimed at increasing efficiency and productivity in ship operations, has rapidly grown in recent years. In this purpose, highly...

Intellian, the pioneer of mobile satellite communication antenna systems, is unveiling the world’s first 1.5 m Global Xpress terminal, GX150NX at the International Workboat Show 2019, in New Orleans, (at Booth #3453) ahead of its commercial launch in 2020. As the largest terminal, which will be available for the Inmarsat Fleet Xpress service following type approval and successful sea trials in 2020, the GX150NX will unlock the full power of the Global Xpress network for users with high ba...

The Navy recently live tested a new antenna that can switch between satellites in low earth orbit and geostationary orbit, fulfilling a key need for the military moving forward. Using Intellian’s 1.5 metre antenna, the Navy was able to maintain a broadband connection while switching between Telesat’s satellites in low earth orbit and geostationary orbit. The demonstration shows how in a scenario where a satellite in geostationary orbit is attacked or denied, the antenna is able to s...