Quality Of Service

Cruise: Saga Newbuild Arrives at Home Port

Kent-based Saga sails into its future, as the first of two new boutique cruise ships, Spirit of Discovery, arrived at her home port of Dover for the first time. Sailing past the iconic White Cliffs and into Dover’s recently developed Western Docks, Spirit of Discovery’s British arrival marks the start of a new chapter for cruising in the UK. With HRH The Duchess of Cornwall as her ‘Godmother’, Spirit of Discovery’s Naming Ceremony on the 5th July will mark the start of a significant new era for the Saga Cruise division…

KVH Launches New High-speed Maritime Network on Intelsat

KVH Industries announced the launch of its next-generation, advanced maritime broadband network, joined by service partner, Intelsat. Slated for commercial availability next month, KVH’s high-speed overlay to its current mini-VSAT Broadbandsm service is expected to triple, and in some cases increase by a multiple of six, the data speeds for its maritime customers. At the core of its capabilities, KVH’s advanced maritime broadband network will incorporate Intelsat Epic satellite services and the award-winning IntelsatOne Flex platform, a global managed service designed to optimize bandwidth allocations and provide flexible coverage where it is needed.

Mercury Marine Opens Training Center in Brazil

Mercury Marine, a manufacturer of recreational marine propulsion engines, has opened a new million-dollar training center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, designed to offer a learning environment for Mercury Marine dealer and service center technicians. The new 5,300-square-foot (500 square meters) facility is equipped with electronic diagnostic tools, computers and processes that highlight the company’s commitment to the environment. The new training center can accommodate 16 students at a time and will host approximately 20 classes per year.

MTN UltraBurst Service Launched

MTN Communications has launched  MTN UltraBurst for yachts for the 2015 Mediterranean Season. The MTN UltraBurst service delivers on-demand, consumption-based, high-throughput Ku-band connectivity solution for yachts. The satellite bandwidth “burst ability” of this service is ideal for streaming content and media to user devices and systems on board yachts. Customers can use their existing antenna hardware. This is key to delivering the fastest speeds, on demand, at the best value while meeting customers’ lifestyle and communications needs.

MTN Launches Live HDTV At Sea

MTN Communications (MTN) has announced another maritime industry first with the launch of its high-definition live television service at sea, MTN Worldwide TV HD (MTN-TV HD). “MTN-TV HD delivers an amazing viewing experience onboard,” said Graham Douglas, media and communications manager, P&O Cruises and Cunard. “We can now experience TV at sea like we can at home. As we transformed the technology and ambience in our common areas, theaters and cabins, we evolved from small to large screens, so our requirement for HD became paramount. This service launch starts with IMG’s Sport 24 Channel in HD.

Enhanced VoIP Service for Mini-VSAT Broadband Network

KVH Industries, Inc., (KVHI) has rolled out a new dedicated voice configuration for its mini-VSAT Broadband(SM) global maritime satellite network. The network's Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service is now delivered on a prioritized and protected data stream, separate from the network's overall broadband data traffic. VoIP service is also prioritized onboard the vessel for quality VoIP service even during times of heaviest broadband data use. By prioritizing phone service…

New MTN Conductor Mobile App

MTN Communications (MTN) is once again innovating in the yacht sector with the launch of its “MTN Conductor” mobile app. MTN designed Conductor specifically for customers using its MTN Maestro end-to-end communications and content management solution. The app seamlessly interacts with the Maestro platform so, from a handheld device, electrical technical officers (ETOs) and captains can proactively monitor every aspect of a yacht’s onboard communications. It helps view, align, control and optimize bandwidth throughput and quality of service (QOS)-related factors affecting each end-user group.

IBBI Renews Contract with Prospec

Chosen as a audio supplier in 2012 by Independent Boat Builders, Inc. (IBBI), Prospec Electronics is recognized yet again for its manufacturing and distribution of marine audio products. IBBI now extended its contract with Prospec for another year. Prospec Electronics manufactures and distributes JBL Marine, Infinity Marine, Milennia, Seaworthy and MB Quart brands. The company's products include stereos, black boxes, controllers and accessories that focus on the portable media movement. Formed in 1989 by a group of independent, recreational boat builders, IBBI is a marine purchasing cooperative.

Blue Star Marina Certification at Boot 2014

Due to increasing demand and high interest among professional visitors and general consumers, the Blue Star Marina Certification program will have an exclusive stand, B 34 in Hall 14, at the upcoming Boot 2014 in Dusseldorf from January 18-26, 2014. The Blue Star Marina Certification presents a transparent system to indicate the quality level of marinas through 3rd party assessment. The Marina Certification program uses 1 to 5 stars to indicate the quality of certified marinas.

NJ Governor Christie: $11M Ferry Building Deal for Tuckahoe Shipyard

New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie, State Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, Monmouth County Freeholder Director Thomas Arnone, NY Waterway President & Founder Arthur E. Imperatore and Yank Marine President & Founder John C. Yank Jr. of Tuckahoe today announced an $11 million contract to build two state-of-the-art ferries, the first NY Waterway ferries built in the Garden State since the Weehawken-based ferry service started service December 3, 1986. The new catamaran ferries, financed by NY Waterway…

KVH Expands mini-VSAT Broadband Network in Asia-Pacific

To serve its growing commercial maritime customer base in the Asia-Pacific region, KVH Industries, Inc. said it has doubled the service delivered by the JCSAT-1B satellite, which is part of KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband network. This additional capacity, available as of last month, will support mariners in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes some of the world’s busiest shipping routes, and is one of the fastest-growing areas in the world for maritime broadband demand. “The additional…