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日本海事新聞ニュース Japan Maritime Daily Oct 22, 2020 (Thu)

Ship-land communications, information gap is widening

As many seafarers are forced to board for a long time due to the coronavirus disaster, the importance of land and sea communications is increasing (from the Inmarsat website).

　With the spread of inter-land broadband communications on ocean-going vessels, the information gap ・・・続きはログインして下さいnext %E3%80%80With+the+spread+of+inter-land+broadband+communications+on+ocean-going+vessels%2C+the+information+gap+with+vessels+in+the+communication+environment+of+the+previous+generation+is+becoming+clearer.+Some+ships+are+still+limited+to+e-mail%2C+and+seafarers+who+have+been+on+board+for+a+long+time+due+to+the+coronavirus+are+forced+to+live+on+the+sea%2C+isolated+from+their+families+on+land.+Satellite+communication+systems+also+hold+the+key+to+the+advancement+of+autonomous+navigation+technology+in+the+future%2C+and+attention+will+be+paid+to+how+the+digital+divide+%28digital+divide%29+of+the+sea+will+be+eliminated+in+the+future.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%80%9CBy+the+time+ship+and+land+communications+moved+from+radio+to+telex+to+email%2C+the+communications+environment+for+all+ocean-going+merchant+ships+was+about+the+same.+However%2C+the+difference+in+communication+capabilities+between+ships+is+now+widening%2C+which+greatly+affects+the+seafarers%E2%80%99+life+at+sea.+%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Telecommunications+market+officials+point+out+that.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+high-speed+Internet+communication+%E2%80%9CFleet+Xpress%E2%80%9C+%28FX%29%2C+which+was+launched+by+Inmarsat%2C+a+major+ship+and+land+communication+company%2C+in+2016%2C+has+been+introduced+to+nearly+10%2C000+vessels+so+far.+With+a+maximum+communication+speed+of+50+megabits+per+second%2C+you+can+enjoy+a+flat-rate+service+with+unlimited+data+volume%2C+and+seafarers+can+also+make+video+calls+with+their+families+on+land.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80On+the+other+hand%2C+some+shipowners+are+reluctant+to+upgrade+the+communication+environment+of+their+vessels+due+to+increased+costs%2C+and+there+are+still+ships+with+an+old-generation+internet+communication+environment+limited+to+e-mail.+The+charge+system+is+centered+on+a+pay-as-you-go+system+in+which+the+cost+jumps+as+the+amount+of+data+is+used%2C+and+it+is+difficult+for+crew+members+to+chat+with+their+families+and+exchange+images.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80In+recent+years%2C+more+and+more+seafarers+are+choosing+shipping+companies+based+on+the+superiority+and+inferiority+of+such+ship+and+land+communications.+%3Cbr%3E+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%96%A0+Data+volume+10%2C000+times+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+amount+of+communication+data+of+ships+with+a+high-speed+internet+environment+reaches+100+to+300+gigabytes+per+month.+On+the+other+hand%2C+e-mail-only+vessels+have+only+a+few+tens+of+megabytes+a+month%2C+and+there+is+a+10%2C000-fold+difference+in+the+amount+of+information.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Even+with+personal+smartphones+on+land%2C+the+amount+of+monthly+data+is+several+gigabytes%2C+so+it+can+be+said+that+the+communication+environment+of+several+tens+of+megabytes+per+month+on+an+ocean-going+vessel+with+20+seafarers+is+considerably+isolated+from+land.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Communication+costs+are+less+than+%24+1%2C000+a+month+%28about+100%2C000+yen%29+for+e-mail+limited+vessels%2C+while+Inmarsat+FX+is+about+%24+2%2C000+%28a+little+over+200%2C000+yen%29+a+month.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%80%9CGiven+fuel+costs%2C+it+can+be+said+that+there+is+no+big+cost+difference.+However%2C+until+now%2C+not+many+shipowners+have+tried+to+spend+additional+money+on+improving+the+communication+environment.%E2%80%9D+%28Communication+market+official%29+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80In+recent+years%2C+the+shipping+period+has+been+shortened+in+the+shipping+market%2C+and+shipowners+face+the+risk+of+market+fluctuations+and+the+issue+of+financing.+Amid+growing+uncertainty+about+shipowner+management%2C+this+has+led+to+a+tendency+to+cut+communication+costs+as+much+as+possible.+%3Cbr%3E+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%96%A0+Management+failures+one+after+another+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80On+the+other+hand%2C+from+the+shipowner%E2%80%99s+point+of+view%2C+there+are+voices+calling+for+price+cuts%2C+saying%2C+%E2%80%9CIf+satellite+carriers+reduce+charges%2C+it+will+be+easier+to+use+high-speed+communications.%E2%80%9C+In+response%2C+satellite+carriers+argue+that+%E2%80%9Cthe+launch+and+operation+of+satellites+requires+a+large+amount+of+investment%2C+and+there+is+a+great+risk.%E2%80%9C+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80This+year%2C+the+US+satellite+carrier+OneWeb+went+bankrupt+in+March+and+Intelsat+in+the+US+went+bankrupt+in+May.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80The+management+risk+of+satellite+carriers+is+great.+This+is+because+it+is+necessary+to+handle+everything+from+satellite+launch+to+maintenance%2C+and+to+replace+all+satellites+once+every+10+to+15+years.+In+the+case+of+US+Iridium%2C+the+investment+scale+will+reach+300+billion+yen+in+order+to+replace+more+than+60+orbiting+satellites+at+once.+%3Cbr%3E+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80%E2%96%A0+Support+long-term+boarding+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80There+are+hundreds+of+thousands+of+seafarers+in+the+world+who+are+forced+to+board+for+a+long+time+due+to+the+coronavirus%2C+and+the+internet+environment+on+board+is+very+important+from+the+viewpoint+of+alleviating+mental+stress.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80According+to+a+Panama+Maritime+Agency+investigation+report%2C+the+large+bulker+grounding+accident+in+Mauritius+this+summer+is+believed+to+be+partly+due+to+the+fact+that+it+approached+land+in+search+of+Internet+radio+waves+to+contact+seafarers+and+their+families.+Since+the+accident%2C+satellite+carriers+have+been+receiving+more+inquiries+about+high-speed+communications.+%3Cbr%3E%E3%80%80Market+officials+emphasized+the+need+for+change+saying%2C+%E2%80%9CShipowners%E2%80%99+consciousness+is+also+changing.+For+example%2C+shipyards+may+be+considering+the+standard+equipment+of+high-speed+communication+systems+for+new+ships.%E2%80%9D%3Cdiv%3E%E3%80%80%3C%2Fdiv%3E%3Cdiv+style%3D%26%23x27%3Bborder-top%3A1px+dotted+%23999999%26%23x27%3B%3E%E3%80%80%3C%2Fdiv%3EDisclaimer%3A+The+English+translations+provided+through+this+service+are+the+result+of+translations+made+by+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+or+automatically+and+mechanically+translated+by+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+using+an+automated+translation+system+provided+by+a+third+party+after+certain+processing+of+the+Japanese+content+licensed+by+the+third+party.+In+terms+of+the+English+translation%2C+The+Japan+Maritime+Daily+and+MarineNet+Co.%2C+Ltd.+make+no+warranty+or+burden+of+any+kind%2C+express+or+implied%2C+including+its+accuracy%2C+reliability%2C+validity+or+fitness+for+a+particular+purpose.+MarineNet+Users+should+fully+understand+that+this+service+uses+an+automated+translation+system+that+automatically+and+mechanically+recognizes+and+analyzes+information+and+produces+results.+The+users+should+understand+the+above+conditions+before+using+this+service.%3Cdiv%3E%E3%80%80%3C%2Fdiv%3E%E5%85%8D%E8%B2%AC%E4%BA%8B%E9%A0%85%EF%BC%9A%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%82%92%E4%BB%8B%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E6%8F%90%E4%BE%9B%E3%81%95%E3%82%8C%E3%82%8B%E8%8B%B1%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%81%8C%E4%BD%9C%E6%88%90%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E3%81%8B%E3%80%81%E5%8F%88%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E8%80%85%E3%81%8B%E3%82%89%E4%BD%BF%E7%94%A8%E8%A8%B1%E8%AB%BE%E3%82%92%E5%8F%97%E3%81%91%E3%81%9F%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E8%AA%9E%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%86%E3%83%B3%E3%83%84%E3%82%92%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%81%8C%E4%B8%80%E5%AE%9A%E3%81%AE%E5%87%A6%E7%90%86%E3%82%92%E8%A1%8C%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%A7%E3%80%81%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89%E8%80%85%E3%81%8C%E6%8F%90%E4%BE%9B%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%A0%E3%82%92%E5%88%A9%E7%94%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%9A%84%E3%83%BB%E6%A9%9F%E6%A2%B0%E7%9A%84%E3%81%AB%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E7%B5%90%E6%9E%9C%E3%81%A7%E3%81%82%E3%82%8A%E3%80%81%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E6%B5%B7%E4%BA%8B%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E%E3%80%81%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E5%BD%93%E8%A9%B2%E8%8B%B1%E8%A8%B3%E3%81%AB%E9%96%A2%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E3%80%81%E3%81%9D%E3%81%AE%E6%AD%A3%E7%A2%BA%E6%80%A7%E3%80%81%E4%BF%A1%E9%A0%BC%E6%80%A7%E3%80%81%E5%A6%A5%E5%BD%93%E6%80%A7%E5%8F%8A%E3%81%B3%E7%89%B9%E5%AE%9A%E7%9B%AE%E7%9A%84%E3%81%B8%E3%81%AE%E9%81%A9%E5%90%88%E6%80%A7%E3%82%92%E5%90%AB%E3%82%81%E3%80%81%E6%98%8E%E7%A4%BA%E5%8F%88%E3%81%AF%E9%BB%99%E7%A4%BA%E3%81%AB%E3%82%82%E3%80%81%E3%81%84%E3%81%8B%E3%81%AA%E3%82%8B%E4%BF%9D%E8%A8%BC%E3%82%82%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%9B%E3%82%93%E3%80%82%E3%83%9E%E3%83%AA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%83%E3%83%88%E3%83%A6%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B6%E3%83%BC%E3%81%AF%E3%80%81%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%81%8C%E3%80%81%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%9A%84%E3%81%8B%E3%81%A4%E6%A9%9F%E6%A2%B0%E7%9A%84%E3%81%AB%E6%83%85%E5%A0%B1%E3%82%92%E8%AA%8D%E8%AD%98%E3%83%BB%E5%88%86%E6%9E%90%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6%E7%B5%90%E6%9E%9C%E3%82%92%E5%87%BA%E5%8A%9B%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E8%87%AA%E5%8B%95%E7%BF%BB%E8%A8%B3%E3%82%B7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%86%E3%83%A0%E3%82%92%E4%BD%BF%E7%94%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%81%A7%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B%E3%81%93%E3%81%A8%E3%82%92%E5%8D%81%E5%88%86%E3%81%AB%E7%90%86%E8%A7%A3%E3%81%97%E3%81%9F%E4%B8%8A%E3%81%A7%E3%80%81%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E3%82%B5%E3%83%BC%E3%83%93%E3%82%B9%E3%82%92%E5%88%A9%E7%94%A8%E3%81%99%E3%82%8B%E3%82%82%E3%81%AE%E3%81%A8%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99%E3%80%82