Intellian onboards fishing and processing vessel with ultra reliable connectivity in Arctic Ocean

Challenges

• Keep 40+ crew connected at sea with terrestrial-like speeds
• Implement a high capacity and high performance solution with Arctic coverage
• Enhance crew welfare in unpredictable weather conditions

The owners JFK Seafoods of the brand-new fishing and processing vessel “Gadus” sought a cutting-edge connectivity solution to bolster crew welfare and maintain business operations during extended voyages away from its home port in the Faroe Islands. They turned to AST Networks and Opus, a local installer of satellite terminals, to deliver a robust solution capable of providing the level of connectivity required.

The DNV-classed Gadus, boasting a gross tonnage of 4,300 and able to accommodate up to 43 crew members, is equipped with triple trawling gear and designed for multi-rigger operation with four trawl winches. Onboard, the vessel houses extensive processing facilities, including a fillet factory, as well as a fishmeal and fish oil plant. Navigating the challenging waters of the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean, where temperatures can plummet below -20°C, demands robust infrastructure.

Enduring these harsh conditions for up to ten weeks at a stretch underscores the necessity of reliable onboard connectivity infrastructure. Satellite communication systems are indispensable, ensuring compliance with regulations, enhancing business and operational efficiency, and crucially, prioritizing crew welfare. With updates to the Maritime Labour Convention mandating internet access for seafarers, shipowners should, so far as is reasonably practicable, provide seafarers on board their ships with internet access.

Solutions

• Eutelsat OneWeb LEO network
• OW70M

Reliability was key when it came to AST Networks deciding on the best solution to provide. With Eutelsat OneWeb’s Committed Information Rates (CIR) providing peace of mind compared to other LEO connectivity solutions, it made AST’s decision straightforward - especially for operations in high latitudes which are some of the harshest seafaring conditions. To deliver this they needed to be able to trust the hardware from a proven maritime hardware manufacturer which is why they looked to Intellian, as they have worked with Intellian on many complex maritime connectivity projects.
Eutelsat OneWeb’s LEO network was selected as reliable connectivity in the polar regions was a critical requirement for the project due to the area in which the vessel operates. The client chose Eutelsat OneWeb’s Master One Plan, as it provided the most cost-effective solution for their requirements and crucially has a significant CIR. This guarantees a minimum level of bandwidth regardless of the overall network traffic, ensuring connectivity for crew welfare across multiple devices as well as for critical business operations onboard to receive the necessary bandwidth.

Intellian’s dual parabolic OW70M were installed, as they can support the Master One Plan. Each user terminals contains a modem to seamlessly track and handover between individual satellites on the Eutelsat OneWeb network, which also supports blockage mitigation. Not only does this provide assured tracking capabilities in the harshest of sea conditions, but it also delivers against the highest performance and data throughput demands. With an optimized G/T of 12.2dB/ K the OW70M is able to provide the fast-speed, low-latency and high capacity connectivity required. Utilizing the latest heating device technology, the OW70M provides dependable performance in extremely low temperatures (-40 degrees Celsius), ideal for Arctic conditions.

With this solution in place, the Gadus has effectively become a combined factory, office, and recreational hub at sea. Thanks to the low latency and high bandwidth of the Eutelsat OneWeb Network, the crew can transfer large files and use cloud services as they would ashore. Equipped with high bandwidth capabilities, crew can access streaming services, enjoy media in real-time and connect with friends and family on demand.

Benefits

• Exceptional connectivity capacity in the Arctic region
• Meet the connectivity demands of the modern seafarer

With best-in-class connectivity on board, the crew of Gadus have peace of mind that the daily operations will be business as usual, even in the harshest of conditions.

All businesses need reliable and fast internet to be able to operate successfully and at sea is no different. With the ship at sea for up to ten weeks at a time, it is critically important that the vessel can maintain connectivity for all business operations. With this connectivity solution in place the crew are able to communicate in real-time, have video calls, access cloud networks and anything else required to make business and life onboard a success.

Jonathan Lee, Technical Lead at AST Networks said ‘Through our partnership with Intellian and Eutelsat OneWeb, we have delivered a solution together with OPUS, which meets the rigorous connectivity and reliability demands for operating across the Northern Seas. This sets a new standard for maritime connectivity. The Eutelsat OneWeb network and Intellian’s OW70M terminals provide unparalleled office-at sea performance, enabling Gadus to function as a cuttingedge fish processing hub while offering essential crew welfare amenities. Our commitment to excellence ensures that even in the most challenging conditions, the vessel remains a beacon of efficiency and connectivity, setting a benchmark for maritime operations in the region.”

Stephen Conley, Senior Director Maritime offering, said “We are proud to be connecting 6,000 tonnes of modern technology that can float and fish more sustainably as well as improve the lives, workplace, and livelihoods of the people onboard who are away at sea for weeks at a time. With AST Networks we have deployed a solution with built-in service level agreements around the quality of service, as
well as plans and features that are tailored to requirement, and a commitment to capacity that vessel owners, operators and crews everywhere will always demand at sea. Intellian’s OW70M is robust and built to withstand extreme temperatures and weathers. Partnerships like these help us to transform the maritime industry.”

Solution Partner: AST Network