Screen capture of the WEATHERlink service powered by IP-MobileCast. Photo: KVH Industries

[Via Satellite 06-04-2014] KVH Industries will deliver high resolution ocean and weather data from Applied Weather Technology (AWT) to ships at sea over the company’s Internet Protocol (IP)-MobileCast content delivery platform. AWT, a marine forecasting and ship routing company, is now the WEATHERlink launch partner for KVH, and will supply data forecasting wind, wave, visibility, currents and tidal streams updated as frequently as four times a day.

The KVH platform will support AWT’s BonVoyage System 7 (BVS 7), an onboard optimization system. KVH’s service will provide AWT’s detailed information on port vicinity forecasts, pirate attacks and rogue wave forecasts. The WEATHERlink content delivery system will begin beta testing in June and is scheduled to be available in September. All KVH TracPhone V-IP series satellite systems will support content delivered over the WEATHERlink platform through a scheduled software upgrade.

“Voyage planning and optimization are of paramount importance for mariners’ safety and also to meet new [marine pollution] (MARPOL) regulations that limit greenhouse gas emissions from ships,” said Martin Kits van Heyningen, CEO at KVH. “Due to these new regulations, shipping companies are facing new challenges, both with requirements to travel at slower speeds to reduce emission, and with requirements for use of high-cost bunk in many coastal regions. AWT’s weather data and voyage planning services affordably delivered with IP-MobileCast will be of great value to help ship officers optimize their voyage plans.”