Yahsat, Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PJSC – UAE's flagship satellite solutions provider, today announced that its government division, Yahsat Government Solutions (YGS), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Al Seer Marine PJSC, the leading maritime company in the region, to test line-fitting unmanned vessels with advanced Comms-on-the-Move (COTM) satellite communications solutions.
The MoU was signed by Eisa Al Shamsi, General Manager of YGS, and Holger Schulte-Hillen, Chief Operating Officer of Al Seer Marine and announced at World Defence Show in Riyadh, according to a press release issued by Yahsat.
Yahsat’s advanced satellite communications solutions will be jointly offered to customers to support critical operations such as Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) protection, security, anti-piracy, anti-human trafficking, coastal patrol. The MoU will enable Al Seer Marine to build on Yahsat’s extensive experience in delivering highly secure satellite communications services for safety and security mission-critical applications such as COTM and Beyond Line of Sight (BLoS).
By pre-qualifying its COTM solutions to work efficiently on Al Seer’s unmanned vessels, Yahsat has developed a strong business model and value proposition, which will reduce the integration and timeline risks, ensures platforms’ structural and design integrity, warrants onboard combat systems and sensor compatibility, and more importantly, optimises system integration costs. The combined expertise of Al Seer Marine and Yahsat in melding COTM, BLoS and other combat systems on maritime platforms opens the door to an exciting range of add-ons, creating massive value for customers while ensuring performance, reliability, and security.
Commenting on the MoU, Eisa Al Shamsi, General Manager, YGS, said, "We are delighted to have signed this MoU with Al Seer Marine. It will allow Al Seer Marine to draw upon Yahsat’s rich expertise in system integration on airborne, shipborne and land vehicular platforms, enabling dynamic and versatile applications requiring satellite connectivity. By using our pre-equipped and pre-tested solutions, Al Seer Marine will be able to provide its customers additional value, while trimming unwanted costs associated with testing and qualification. Al Seer Marine’s knowledge of the Middle Eastern market and its vast portfolio and roadmap of innovative unmanned platforms will help us build solutions customised for the unique needs of the region."
Holger Schulte-Hillen, Chief Operating Officer, Al Seer Marine said "Al Seer Marine continues to consolidate its position as a pivotal contributor to improving the industry. Our two organisations share common interests in promoting the technologies that are needed in today’s world. This partnership is an important development for us and aligns with our efforts to boost our contribution to the UAE’s sovereign developed technology solutions in the maritime safety, security and communications sectors by enabling Al Seer Marine and Yahsat collaborate."