Wireless Maritime Services and Carrier Transicold Announce Vessel Capabilities for TripLINK Platform2/16/2021 MIRAMAR, Fla., Feb. 16, 2021 – Through an integration with Carrier Transicold’s TripLINK(TM) platform, Wireless Maritime Services (WMS) IoT at Sea vessel network offers enhanced benefits to seafarers and onshore teams by providing uninterrupted, temperature-controlled transport and storage of frozen and perishable goods from producer to consumer.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Carrier Transicold to help drive a healthier, safer, more sustainable cold chain. Our combined solution brings unique capabilities at a critical time when the COVID-19 global pandemic is showing the world the importance of maritime trade for life’s necessities including perishable food and medicine,” said Lee Mabie, Vice President Strategy, Product Development and Marketing for Wireless Maritime Services (WMS). Willy Yeo, Director of Marketing, Global Container Refrigeration, Carrier Transicold added, “Integrating TripLINK with WMS IoT vessel network will deliver greater visibility, efficiency and 24/7 monitoring at sea. For onshore teams using the TripLINK application, they can now have global visibility of the exact location of their fleet and remotely manage TripLINK-enabled containers at sea, thereby giving asset operators and owners alike greater ease of mind, transparency and control over their refrigerated containers.” Seafarers (crew members) are empowered with a more efficient, easier and safer container management solution at sea. “Seafarers are the heart of maritime shipping. They work tirelessly at sea moving ninety percent of global trade so the world can live, work and play. Today they also face COVID-19 restrictions extending their time at sea, impeding crew changes and limiting access to ports for respite. We are committed to empower seafarers with capabilities to increase efficiency and safety for easier container management at sea,” Mabie noted. First, crew members will be able to access the TripLINK application centrally on the vessel to manage containers wirelessly reducing, or eliminating, the need for manual inspections thus improving safety - especially in rough seas. Second, equipped with mobile handsets, crew manage container alerts from anywhere on the ship, making the process more efficient. These mobile handsets receive container alarms, allowing the crew to acknowledge the alarm and rectify any potential issues. With TripLINK’s bay load plan file integration, simple text alarms include the exact container location on the ship and a summary of the alarm, resulting in quicker response time and ultimately minimizing potential cargo loss. Finally, in the event of satellite outage, continuity of service is maintained on the vessel so crew members can still manage TripLINK-enabled containers at sea and receive container alerts on their mobile handsets. Druid Software’s RAEMIS platform is integrated with WMS vessel network providing this capability. This solution by Carrier Transicold and WMS complies with IoT standards for vessel networks. For more information about the integrated Carrier Transicold TripLINK and WMS IoT at Sea solution, please visit wmsatsea.com. About Wireless Maritime Services (WMS) Wireless Maritime Services (WMS) enables digital transformation shaping the future of maritime connecting people, data and things through IoT, cellular and Wi-Fi networks at sea. WMS has been a pioneer in wireless maritime network and cellular roaming since 2004 leading in radio frequency (RF) and satellite engineering for some of the most prestigious maritime brands in the world. WMS is headquartered in Miramar, Florida, USA. Additional information about WMS is available at wmsatsea.com. Follow WMS on LinkedIn at Wireless Maritime Services (WMS). About Druid Software Druid Software is a core cellular network software company based in Ireland. Established in 2001 Druid has evolved into one of the world's leaders in Private 5G & 4G Cellular technology over the last 20 years. Druids RaemisTM platform is a mature 3GPP compliant 4G/5G core network, with unique features designed specifically for business and mission critical use. Druids mature RaemisTM platform is in use today by ISPs and Enterprises for mission critical environments in the U.S, Asia and Europe. Druid technology enables solutions in different areas including enterprise communications, IoT, mobile edge computing, and public safety. For more information, please visit https://www.druidsoftware.com
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Source: Globe Tracker Globe Tracker’s Sense Vessel solution developed together with maritime IoT, Wi-Fi and cellular services leader Wireless Maritime Services (WMS), and LTE core network software provider Druid, have announced an expanded feature set for easy-to-use vessel mobile services empowering seafarers to provide superior and safer container management at sea.
The GT Sense Vessel solution consists of an onboard private 4G LTE cellular network which can wirelessly communicate with Globe Tracker IoT enabled reefer containers on any size vessel, with the ability to monitor containers locally and transmit information over satellite to land based central control centers. These features enable crew members to respond in real-time to container incidents on vessels. “The manual monitoring of reefer containers at sea is a complex and often inefficient process, and crew safety is always of paramount importance – especially during rough seas. Onboard wireless IoT networks are simpler, more efficient, reduce potential damage or loss of cargo loads, and provide additional safety to crew members”, said Don Miller, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for Globe Tracker. Globe Tracker Sense Vessel is enhanced with an onboard bay load plan viewer to manage containers from a single console on the bridge. This feature eliminates, or removes, the need for manual inspection. Crew members are also equipped with mobile devices to allow the receipt and management of alarms and notifications from anywhere on the ship – including cargo holds and crew areas. Read More Carrier Transicold’s TripLINK Platform Adds Enhanced Shipboard and Global Monitoring Capabilities1/27/2021 SINGAPORE - Jan. 27, 2021 Carrier Transicold’s TripLINK™ platform for refrigerated container monitoring has been enhanced with capabilities to integrate with vessel-based wireless networks for improved shipboard cargo visibility and operations efficiency. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR), a leading global provider of healthy, safe and sustainable building and cold chain solutions. “Our latest software update significantly expands the current suite of monitoring and control capabilities of the TripLINK platform,” said Willy Yeo, director of marketing, Global Container Refrigeration, Carrier Transicold. Read More Source: Fierce Wireless Wireless Maritime Services (WMS) is starting to deploy private LTE networks on Seaboard Marine's cargo ships. The integrator got its start building networks for cruise ships and is now bringing together partners to create IoT networks on cargo vessels. Ericsson provides the LTE radios, Druid Software supplies the vessel's core network and mobile edge compute capability, and Globe Tracker outfits the refrigerated containers with telematics and also supplies a platform to expose the data collected to Seaboard Marine. WMS has deployed networks on a small number of Seaboard Marine vessels and expects to deploy more before the end of the year. Read more.
To develop cutting edge design, it takes expertise, imagination and innovation. As the leader in maritime communication, Wireless Maritime Services has been successfully designing and deploying wireless networks at sea for over 15 years. The core of our success is the WMS Engineering team. WMS engineers design, build and innovate wireless maritime networks for today, tomorrow and the future. Imagination Years ago, when people dreamed of a cruise vacation, the concept of using your personal mobile phone on a cruise ship was nothing more than a novel idea. When you think about it today, it is still an incredible technological triumph to be able to make a phone call or post a picture on your social media account in the middle of the ocean on a ship, but it is something we take for granted on a daily basis. It is a technological triumph because of the imagination, innovation and engineering that it takes to make this happen. Cellular service at sea shares some similarities to cellular service on land. From a passenger perspective the service is almost identical, however, behind the scenes is where the similarities end. WMS engineers must imagine and adapt wireless technology built for a terrestrial environment to the maritime environment. When a passenger makes a call, sends a text message or uses data from their mobile device from a ship, the call, text or data session is connected to a customized network comprised of software platforms, hardware, satellites, antennae and miles of cable that is designed specifically for that vessel. From the ship at sea, the call, text or data session is then routed to a satellite link orbiting in space then to the WMS core cellular network on land which ultimately delivers the call, text or data session to the receiver on the other end. WMS engineers not only design the network onboard the ships, they also design and manage the core network on land including capacity planning and traffic flow. The shipboard and core networks work together over satellite seamlessly keeping guests and crew connected. Custom Built Considering the design of a vessel - which can be 15+ decks and can expand over 300m in length - the materials used to build it, and the various environmental elements vessels sail in, there are many variables that impact the design of a maritime network. The WMS Engineering team is responsible for the design of the entire network which includes the cable layout, location of the DAS (Distributed Antenna System), and the structural design of the network components and how they coexist with ship’s existing technologies and the satellites. While creating a custom design, the engineers must always take into consideration several factors such as where the vessel will be located, number of passengers, demographics and the equipment vendors provide. There are three primary challenges the team must address for every design. The first hurdle is equipment. When vendors manufacturer equipment, it is built with the terrestrial environment in mind. Equipment developed for use on land is built without the size limitations that exist on a ship. The engineering team must search for equipment with a smaller profile. In many cases, they may need to make modifications to the equipment so that is optimal for a vessel environment and remains mostly hidden from guest and crew members. The second challenge that the engineers face is the satellite link orbiting the Earth used to send and receive communication traffic to and from ships at sea. Cruise ships typically use geosynchronous equatorial orbit (GEO) systems, and orbit 35,786 kilometers (22,236 miles) above Earth's equator following the direction of Earth's rotation. The distance a communication signal needs to travel from the ship to space, and other factors like weather, need to be considered to reduce performance issues such as delay (called “latency”) and data loss. The team optimizes the satellite connection that enables a stronger connection with minimal latency. Without any modifications by the engineering team, there would be significant latency and poor call quality. The third challenge the team must address is the vessel, specifically the layout of the vessel and the materials used to build it. Network components are designed for terrestrial buildings such as a stadium or hotel. In a hotel, the network signal must travel vertically with significantly less interference from the building. On a cruise or cargo ship, metal is used throughout the vessel which causes more signal loss and reflection which in turn impacts network performance. The network must be designed so that there is continuous connectivity whether the signal is traveling to the lowest deck to enable crew members to place a call, mid deck so that guests can text from their stateroom or on the top deck so the captain can send an e-mail from the bridge. The Wireless Maritime Services Engineer
WMS Engineers wear two hats: design and operations. They are not a standard operations team; they are project focused and spend a large amount of their time designing and innovating in addition to their critical responsibilities that must be performed daily. When asked how the team manages to successfully execute such a complex list of responsibilities WMS Director of Engineering Mobility, Manuel Naranjo said “One of the biggest strengths of the WMS engineers is their ability to adapt to the constant changes in this unique market and the capacity to figure out solutions to complex issues.” A WMS engineer’s day begins by meeting with the Network Management Center (NMC) and Shipboard Operations teams to discuss any urgent matters that may have occurred during the night shift. Once those issues are assigned and the tickets have been closed out, the team performs a daily network performance analysis and systems optimization check across all technologies to ensure that the network is operating efficiently and effectively. As vessels move from country to country, it is important to check systems daily due to the constant environmental changes. Upon completion of their daily operations responsibilities, the team switches hats and moves into their design responsibilities. Engineering dedicates a considerable amount of time researching ways to incorporate new technologies, develop and improve network design and hardening the network to be future proof, durable and maximize uptime for service availability. Director of Engineering IP Core, Allan Lindo touches on the extensive training, education and skills WMS Engineers are required to have saying, “A WMS engineer must be a problem-solver who is nimble, tech savvy, analytical and creative with excellent communication skills.” Team members must be creative and bold to try new technologies and push boundaries of innovation. A person who has a natural curiosity that drives a hunger for knowledge will be successful in this role. WMS President & CEO Pramod Arora summarizes the team's ability to execute flawlessly by stating “RF engineering is complex to begin with, with different combinations of constantly moving parts making it necessary to fine tune the network to make sure the end user experience is optimal, and making it work well in a cruise ship environment adds many levels to that complexity. I take pride in the ability and energy of our engineering team to manage this challenge, and they have proven to be the best in the industry over the past several years as we evolved our network from the earlier technology cycles.” |