INMARSAT has enabled an uncrewed surface vessel to transmit data and video footage from the site of an underwater volcanic eruption in Tonga earlier this year.
The satellite communications provider equipped USV Maxlimer with connectivity services as part of an international project to assess the environmental damage caused by the eruption.
Volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai erupted on 15 January, triggering a tsunami in Tonga and subsequent tsunami warnings across the Pacific.
The 12-metre vessel, operated by British vessel builder SEA-KIT International, mapped the volcano’s submerged caldera and measured local marine conditions under remote operation.
The vessel used a streaming service from transmission service Videosoft to transmit live video from the site, as well as high-definition CCTV enabling SEA-KIT to monitor the vessel’s operations remotely.
Inmarsat Maritime sales director EMEA Scott Middleton said the project offered an “exciting” opportunity to support an important initiative.
“The high-upload plan, which was tailored to Maxlimer’s data and video-transmission requirements, is now available as a general service and we anticipate more demand from uncrewed surface vessel operators in the future,” Mr Middleton said.
Ashley Skett, SEA-KIT International’s director of operations, described the project as the SEA-KIT’s most remote mission to date, taking place 16,000 kilometres from its base in the United Kingdom.
“In these circumstances, reliability is critical from our connectivity partner,” Mr Skett said.
“Inmarsat provides us with world-class connectivity, allowing us to control and monitor Maxlimer’s operations and access live-streamed video via a dedicated network.
“We will work together with Inmarsat as we continue to demonstrate the ground-breaking capabilities of our uncrewed surface vessels as a solution for safer and more sustainable maritime operations around the world.”
Videosoft business development manager Iain James said the service used adaptive video compression real-time transmission via a dedicated bandwidth through Inmarsat’s Fleet Connect service.
“This prevented interference with Maxlimer’s mission-critical operations,” he said.
Following a successful pilot, SEA-KIT has signed up for a high-upload plan and the services of Inmarsat certified application provider Videosoft Global to support the vessel’s survey activities in Tonga.
