Enhances ORBCOMM’s AIS service with value-added RF data on “dark” vessels at sea to improve maritime safety and security worldwide
ROCHELLE PARK, N.J. – ORBCOMM Inc. (Nasdaq: ORBC), a global provider of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, today announced that it has entered into a global commercial reseller agreement with Unseenlabs, a French company that specializes in the geolocation of ships at sea and a European leader in satellite Radio Frequency (RF) detection from space, to offer its unique, space-collected RF services for maritime surveillance applications to ORBCOMM’s government and commercial Automatic Identification System (AIS) customers.
Leveraging a dedicated, state-of-the art satellite constellation, Unseenlabs’ RF emissions detection services enable maritime surveillance of “dark” vessels at sea, which turn off their AIS transponders or cooperative beacons to engage in illegal activities and evade authorities. Using its proprietary, on-board RF technology based on the identification of electromagnetic waves emitted by ships, Unseenlabs is able to geolocate any vessel at sea from space, in near-real time and regardless of weather conditions to within a kilometer, from a single nanosatellite. Unseenlabs supplies a wide range of maritime stakeholders with accurate, up-to-date data on vessel positions, using a unique electromagnetic fingerprint, to enable unfalsifiable identification of the emitter and provide significantly enhanced tracking of activities at sea.
ORBCOMM will distribute Unseenlabs’ value-added RF data, along with ORBCOMM’s industry-leading AIS service, through ORBCOMM’s established government and commercial maritime channels to provide an enhanced picture of vessel activity around the world. Unseenlabs’ data supplements and synergizes with ORBCOMM’s AIS data to take vessel tracking and monitoring to a higher level of reliability and precision. By offering AIS customers the ability to locate and monitor “dark” vessels, ORBCOMM and Unseenlabs can play a valuable role in the fight against unlawful and anti-environmental behavior, such as illegal fishing or dumping of hydrocarbons, to greatly improve the safety and security of the world’s oceans.
“We are excited to work with Unseenlabs to pursue new opportunities for their space-based maritime surveillance services through our partnerships with maritime information providers as well as our key government customers,” said Greg Flessate, ORBCOMM’s Senior Vice President and General Manager of Government, AIS and Business Operations. “Unseenlabs’ unique RF emission detection technology is a critical tool to identify and report bad actors turning off their AIS devices while engaged in illegal activities at sea such as unregulated fishing, violating trade sanctions, environmental pollution and drug and human trafficking.”
“ORBCOMM’s leading AIS service is an ideal complement to Unseenlabs’ innovative electromagnetic technology and unmatched coverage, enabling customers to locate and monitor any vessel, anywhere and at any time, even when they have cut their embedded active beacons and have vanished from surveillance screens,” said Clement Galic, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Unseenlabs. “In partnership with ORBCOMM, we are able to deliver a comprehensive, tamper-proof maritime surveillance service to ORBCOMM’s customers, which is essential in ensuring maritime safety and creating a sustainable future for our oceans.”
ORBCOMM’s pioneering AIS data service has provided the most comprehensive and reliable global coverage in the market over the last decade. ORBCOMM continues to advance its AIS business by enhancing its satellite AIS service with two new, next-generation AIS CubeSats that feature advanced software defined radio receivers and unique multi-antenna implementation, and are expected to expand coverage of ORBCOMM’s constellation, increase visibility to smaller Class B ships and extend its polar footprint with launches planned within the next year. In addition, ORBCOMM is working with AAC Clyde Space and Saab to develop a next-generation, space-based VHF Data Exchange System (VDES) satellite, expected to launch in 2022, which will enhance maritime communications by providing more extensive global coverage and increased bandwidth and versatility.
For more information about ORBCOMM’s satellite AIS service, download ORBCOMM’s whitepaper, Accelerating Digitalization in Global Maritime Trade and Supply Chains: The Evolving Role of AIS Data.
About ORBCOMM Inc.
ORBCOMM (Nasdaq: ORBC) is a global leader and innovator in the industrial Internet of Things, providing solutions that connect businesses to their assets to deliver increased visibility and operational efficiency. The company offers a broad set of asset monitoring and control solutions, including seamless satellite and cellular connectivity, unique hardware and powerful applications, all backed by end-to-end customer support, from installation to deployment to customer care. ORBCOMM has a diverse customer base including premier OEMs, solutions customers and channel partners spanning transportation, supply chain, warehousing and inventory, heavy equipment, maritime, natural resources, and government. For more information, visit www.orbcomm.com. You can also connect with ORBCOMM at https://www2.orbcomm.com/e/107152/2021-05-20/5fp7wb/760555413?h=dFKQca99Xy9Zq9Gpkenl2Mmb3Hy6LvqUUrB1QO3DlKs, on Twitter at @ORBCOMM_Inc, at https://www2.orbcomm.com/e/107152/company-orbcomm/5fp7wd/760555413?h=dFKQca99Xy9Zq9Gpkenl2Mmb3Hy6LvqUUrB1QO3DlKs or at https://www2.orbcomm.com/e/107152/c-ORBCOMM-Inc/5fp7wg/760555413?h=dFKQca99Xy9Zq9Gpkenl2Mmb3Hy6LvqUUrB1QO3DlKs.
About Unseenlabs
Created in 2015, Unseenlabs is an innovative company of French origin and a European leader in RF satellite geolocation. Its proprietary on-board satellite technology allows customers to geolocate any vessel at sea, even those which turn off their cooperative beacons. Unseenlabs provides a wide range of maritime players with accurate data on vessel positions, enabling better monitoring of activities at sea. Whether it is to meet the data needs of maritime companies, or to help institutions and organizations fight against illegal and anti-environmental behavior, such as illegal fishing or illegal dumping, Unseenlabs intends to be a tool at the service of the oceans.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements discussed in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally relate to our plans, objectives and expectations for future events and include statements about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, intentions, assumptions and other statements that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements, including those concerning the Company’s expectations, are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results, projected, expected or implied by the forward-looking statements, some of which are beyond the Company’s control, that may cause the Company’s actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition, specific consideration should be given to various factors described in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and Part II, Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and elsewhere in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other documents, on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise any forward-looking statements or cautionary factors, except as required by law.
