Satellite VSAT Systems can form a large coverage area, complementary facility advantages, reliable and safe functionalities, and low-cost sea-land communication system. This system not only ensures the safety of lives, cargo, and vessels at sea and protects the marine environment but also enriches the lives of crew members, enhances their job satisfaction, professional value, and social attractiveness.
The original communication methods between ship-to-shore and long-distance vessels, such as telex and email, cannot effectively ensure communication timeliness, while the voice communication function provided by the maritime satellite system is quite expensive. For modern seafarers who are familiar with voice calls and multimedia instant messaging, some adjustments may be needed at work to ensure work efficiency and convey more information. Satellite VSAT Systems provide high bandwidth and can be used in a monthly package mode without traffic limitations.
Video Conference
Using VSAT communication can expand channel bandwidth and greatly improve communication capabilities. By deploying video conference equipment on the ship and connecting it to the satellite terminal via a network cable, video conferences can be held between ship personnel, personnel on other vessels, and shore-based personnel. If needed, multi-party video conferences can also be conducted, facilitating communication and exchange for sea personnel.
Voice Telephone
VSAT communication equipment can convert analog phone signals to IP signals through voice gateway devices, then transmit these signals to a satellite central station via VSAT equipment. At the satellite central station, the IP signals are converted back to analog signals and connected to the telecom public switched telephone network ( PSTN). This allows sea personnel to make phone calls within their cabin, greatly facilitating communication. Moreover, using VSAT communication, data and voice communication channels can be reused, significantly reducing the cost of making phone calls.
Data Transmission
UsingSatellite VSAT System, data transmission is very convenient. An important feature of VSAT communication is the very flexible distribution of communication bandwidth, which can be allocated instantly according to actual needs. The bandwidth is also much larger than previous maritime satellites, up to tens of megabytes, greatly enhancing data transmission capabilities. Marine vessels can easily conduct data transmission with other ships and shore-based personnel. Through the Satellite VSAT Systems, ships can also obtain real-time route conditions, update electronic charts, and improve shipping efficiency and safety.
Currently, crew behavior is mainly self-regulated by the crew's professional ethics; ship operation status is mostly supervised based on ship reports; even if a maritime accident occurs far from the coast, the most effective evidence for accident analysis is no more than the black box and the narratives of the involved crew. If monitoring can be installed on the ship and encoded and compressed by specialized video compression equipment for TCP/IP transmission, then transmitted via satellite to the central station, relevant management departments can connect to the central station through ground or satellite links, forming a communication link between relevant management departments and offshore vessels. Personnel of relevant management departments on land can use specialized software to view the real-time status of a specific vessel at any time. In addition, parameters of various instruments and meters on the ship can also be transmitted to the shore via the network.
