The "Maritime IoT" project is developed by Fujian Strait Blockchain Information Technology Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as "Strait Blockchain Company", a joint venture established by Fuzhou Financial Holding Group and Tatwah Smartech Group, a local listed company). Relying on the high-throughput satellite Internet, the project is able to solve current problems and difficulties in maritime communication. It is an important measure to bolster the high-quality development of marine economy, and also a demonstration project of Fuzhou City to accelerate the implementation of the "Satellite Plus" application. 

So far, 1,000 fishing boats and more than 6,000 fishermen in Fujian Province have enjoyed the convenience brought by the "Maritime IoT" project. The application of the "Maritime IoT" project is still expanding in remote maritime medical treatment, marine disaster prevention and mitigation, marine environment, marine economy, and marine science and technology and other areas. 

High-throughput satellites enable coverage of broadband at the sea and seamless connection between the land and the sea 

In 2021, a reporter from the China Central Television (CCTV) communicated via video link with a pelagic fishing fleet of Fujian Province operating in the central waters of the North Pacific Ocean. It was the first time in China that the high-throughput satellite Internet technology had been used to give a high-definition live broadcast on a pelagic fishing vessel at the sea, marking the beginning of the application of the "Maritime IoT" project. 

What is the "Maritime IoT"? According to a relevant person in charge of the Straits Blockchain Company, the "Maritime IoT" is a sea-related systematic project firstly developed in China, which relies on the high-throughput satellite Internet and uses high-performance shipborne satellite antennas as terminals, to create a "One Network and One Center" digital ocean project. 

"To put it simply, it is to realize the coverage of broadband at the sea first. With the network, seas can be connected to all things." The person in charge said that the "Maritime IoT" project can generate various sea-related applications. For example, seamless connection between the sea and the land can be realized through satellite coverage, big data, digital ocean information management system, etc., so as to create a maritime digital application system that involves seas, ships, shores, farming, tourism, regulation and production, and build a business service platform applied to the fields of fishery, marine disaster prevention and mitigation, marine environment, marine economy, marine governance, and transnational marine electronic transactions, etc. 

What are the advantages of high-throughput satellites? The person in charge stated that the data throughput of high-throughput satellites is several times or even dozens of times of traditional satellites, thus greatly improving the communication capacity. In this way, not only is the network transmission rate faster, but also more fishing vessels have the opportunity to access to the broadband thanks to lower construction costs.  

Sellers can be targeted before the fish catches come ashore through the fish catch e-commerce trading platform 

Fishermen on board are on real-time video calls 

"Now we can use the mobile phones to surf the Internet at the sea. Not only can we chat with our family at any time, but also we can send fishing information to the sellers immediately." Mr. Chen, the boatman said yesterday. 

It is learned that the fish catch e-commerce trading platform was put into trial operation at the end of 2020. The platform, integrating fishing, maritime transportation, onshore cold chain logistics, etc., can target the sellers in advance before the catches come ashore to improve transaction efficiency, and realize a comprehensive regulation and circulation tracing of the fish catches. 

It is understood that the Straits Blockchain Company continues to develop various core platforms and application products of new sea-related infrastructure, and provides comprehensive smart ocean governance tools for the governments, sea-related enterprises and practitioners, so as to promote the overall transformation and upgrading of marine fisheries. 

The Marine Fishing Vessel Satellite Internet Test Project enables access to "mobile WIFI" at the sea. 

In the past, fishing boats usually operated around five or six nautical miles off the port. Due to the inaccessibility of communication signals, the fishery regulation department could not timely get in touch with the fishing boats. If fishing boats needed to contact people onshore, one way was to use the maritime satellite phone which was expensive. The other way was to send short messages. But it was easy to cause information omission and required special equipment, so that the crew were unable to send short messages to their family. 

Real-time monitoring in the cabins at the sea 

In 2021, the Marine Fishing Vessel Satellite Internet Test Project of  Fujian Province was launched. Through the project, communication terminals of high-throughput satellites, like "mobile WIFI" devices, have been installed on the fishing vessels, which enables fishing vessels at the sea to achieve 4G signal coverage and easily gain access to the Internet. 

Nowadays, by upgrading and transforming the marine fishing vessel satellite Internet application equipment, it is possible to improve the emergency communication network for fishery security, promote the digital upgrade of the province's broadband at the sea, strengthen the security of maritime communication links and provide feasible, credible and reliable means to solve the problems that fishing vessels can’t be contacted at the sea. 

According to the person in charge, high-throughput satellites make the positioning and navigation of fishing vessels more accurate, and broadcast position signals to prevent collisions between fishing vessels. The satellites monitor marine meteorology, seabed sections, etc., and issue early warning information in advance to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency management. On large and medium-sized fishing vessels equipped with marine fishing vessel satellite Internet application equipment, fishermen can obtain timely and accurate emergency information of wave forecast, tsunami and typhoon surge warning sent and broadcast by the satellites, and enhance the capacity of self-rescue and mutual rescue at the sea. 

Source: Fuzhou Daily