digital ship magazine (april 2011)

II nmarsat has given the first indi-cations of what can be expectedfrom its $1.2 billion next genera-

tion Global Xpress service, with itspromise of 50 Mbps bandwidthspeeds to sub-metre diameter termi-nals, by signing multi-million dollarcontracts with a range of partners inareas like network infrastructure,maritime antenna design, and satel-lite construction.

The first of these new contracts hasbeen agreed with Cobham, parentcompany of Sea Tel, which has beenannounced as the initial launch part-ner for maritime satellite terminalsfor the service. Cobham has valuedthe new contract at approximately$40 million over the next five years.

Sea Tel will develop, manufacture,test and distribute Global Xpressmaritime satellite terminals, and istasked with ensuring availability ofthe terminals when the service isintroduced in 2013.

As part of this contract, Sea Telwill distribute the new terminals andprovide training and support prior tothe launch of the first satellite.

Inmarsat has told Digital Ship thatthe deal is not exclusive however,leaving the way clear for other equip-ment manufacturers to potentiallyproduce antennas to operate on theGlobal Xpress network.

Sea Tel will develop a new termi-

nal specifically designed for opera-tion in the Ka-band, which will utilisea new Core Module developed by VTiDirect, also recently contracted byInmarsat to work on the GlobalXpress programme.

InfrastructureInmarsat’s contract with iDirect, val-ued at approximately $60 million, is forthe provision of the ground networkinfrastructure and core module tech-nology that will be integrated into thesatellite terminals for Global Xpress.

iDirect will design, develop, man-ufacture, test and commission theGlobal Xpress ground network infra-structure as well as supplying thecore module mentioned above forintegration into the Sea Tel terminals.

iDirect says that the network andcore modules that it will deliver willbe consistent with the Global Xpressobjective of delivering up to 50Mbpsdownlink speeds to 60cm apertureterminals.

“(These agreements with iDirectand Sea Tel) unites the strongest sup-pliers in maritime VSAT withInmarsat's high-performance Ka sys-tem architecture,” said Leo Mondale,managing director of the GlobalXpress programme.

“We are working together to pro-vide maritime customers with theoutstanding quality, global coverage

and seamless mobility they havecome to expect from Inmarsat.”

“This is another big step for ustoward setting the new standard inVSAT. iDirect's technology base andtrack record for on-time performancestrongly support our planned intro-duction of Global Xpress commercialservices in 2013.”

Rick Pearson, general manager ofSea Tel, noted that his company hasworked closely with Inmarsat on thespecifications for the new 60cm Ka-band terminal.

IN THIS ISSUE

April 2011

electronics and navigation

software

satcomsPacific International lines signsfleetwide FleetBroadband deal – 2

37cm VSAT antennalaunched by KVH – 6

E.R. Schiffahrt agrees 90-vessel iFusion contract – 8From ‘lightly chaotic’ to strictly standardised – onboard networks – 10

Choosing a VSAT vendor – 14

Höegh Autoliners to install Softshipcompany-wide – 17

Container ship studyshows trim savings potential – 26

Selecting and implementing a newreporting system – 29 FLAGSHIP adds tomaritime tools – 32

Development underway onInmarsat’s Global Xpress

‘Zero downtime’ ECDIS service aims toremove delays – 40

AIS proves its worth –Dr Andy Norris – 42

Development of the next generation Inmarsat VSAT service is underway, with three new multi-million dollar contracts signed to develop different aspects

of the technology required to run the 50 Mbps Ka-band Global Xpress service, and Boeing confirming progress in its design of the spacecraft

Three new contracts have beenagreed with Global Xpress

development partners

continued on page 2

© 2

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1 D

UA

LOG

AS

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IGH

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RV

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“Value for Money!” - Denis Dorigo, Norbulk Group IT Manager

(+47) 77 62 19 00 or [email protected] us at Digital Ship Hamburg

9–10 March, Magnus Hall www.dualog.com

Norbulk Ship Management, headquartered in Glasgow, is equipping its 70+ ships with new IP-based / broadband satellite communication systems.

“We have chosen Dualog Connection Suite to manage and control our new systems”, says Norbulk Group IT Manager Denis Dorigo.

“We expected a good working relationship with real maritime communication experts and a smooth transition from our previous system to Dualog Connec-tion Suite. That is what we got”, explains Dorigo.

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SATCOMS NEWS

Digital Ship April 2011 page 2

Vol 11 No 7

UPCOMING CONFERENCESDIGITAL SHIP CYPRUS

St Raphael Hotel & Resort, Cyprus 5 - 6 April 2011

DIGITAL SHIP SINGAPORESuntec Convention Centre, Singapore

18 - 19 October 2011

DIGITAL SHIP SUBSCRIPTIONSGBP £150 per year for 10 issues

Subscribe online at www.thedigitalship.com

or contact Stephan Venter [email protected],

tel +44 (0)20 7017 3407

Digital Ship Limited2nd Floor,

8 Baltic Street EastLondon EC1Y 0UP, U.K.www.thedigitalship.com

PUBLISHERStuart Fryer

EDITORRob O'Dwyer: Tel: +44 (0)20 7017 3410

email: [email protected]

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ADVERTISINGRia Kontogeorgou: Tel: +44 (0)20 7017 3401


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CONSULTANT WRITERDr Andy Norris (navigation)

[email protected]

No part of this publication may be repro-duced or stored in any form by anymechanical, electronic, photocopying,recording or other means without theprior written consent of the publisher.Whilst the information and articles inDigital Ship are published in good faithand every effort is made to check accura-cy, readers should verify facts and state-ments direct with official sources beforeacting on them as the publisher canaccept no responsibility in this respect.Any opinions expressed in this maga-zine should not be construed as thoseof the publisher.

continued from page 1

“Global Xpress will use the latest tech-nology across all components of the sys-tems and allow Sea Tel the opportunity tobuild the next generation of the mostrugged and reliable maritime terminalsfor Inmarsat’s next generation Ka-bandsatellites,” he said.

Satellite constructionThe other new contract announced underthe satellite development project has beenawarded to Harris Corporation by BoeingSpace and Intelligence Systems, to buildKa-band antennas for the three Inmarsat-5satellites that will form the backbone ofGlobal Xpress.

The Boeing Company is the main con-tractor for the delivery of the three 702HPKa-band satellites.

Boeing has confirmed that it has nowcompleted the Preliminary Design Review(PDR) for the satellites and hosted pay-loads, a process used to validate thedesign approach to the physical and func-tional requirements of the spacecraft.

The review is the first step toward con-firming that the Inmarsat-5s will operateeffectively on orbit, before the first expect-ed spacecraft launch in 2013.

Successful completion of the PDRallows Boeing to proceed to the CriticalDesign Review (CDR), the final stepbefore the company begins to assemblethe first satellite. The CDR is expected tobe completed in the autumn of 2011.

“Boeing's unmatched commercial satel-lite heritage and Ka-band satellite commu-nications experience allowed us to rapidlyconduct a successful PDR that metInmarsat's requirements,” said CraigCooning, vice president and general manag-er of Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems.

“The satellite design is sound, and thePDR demonstrates progress toward devel-oping these high-power Ka-band satellitesto deliver streaming data and communica-tions wherever and whenever needed.”

Boeing’s contract with Harris will seeHarris antennas used to direct the planned95 Ka-band beams onto the Earth, enabling

the constellation of three Inmarsat-5s toprovide global coverage and to adapt tochanging usage patterns over the projected15-year operation of the satellites.

The Inmarsat-5 antennas will utiliseHarris's Gimbal Dish Antenna (GDA)technology, which enables beams to besteered to accommodate changing orincreasing user demands.

Harris says it has maintained 100-per-cent mission success with its GDA systemsto date.

In related news, Inmarsat has alsoannounced that Frank Coles, who recentlystepped down as Globe Wireless CEOafter 11 years with the company, hasjoined the Global Xpress team as seniordirector - maritime services.

“We welcome Frank Coles to GlobalXpress,” said Mr Mondale.

“His immense breadth of maritimeknowledge is much respected within the industry. He has a reputation forinnovating and for competitive productdevelopment.”

Printed by The Manson Group Ltd

Reynolds House8 Porters' Wood

Valley Road Industrial EstateSt Albans

Hertz AL3 6PZU.K.

DS

www.telemargroup.com

www.vizada.com

Telemar, in partnership with Vizada, hassigned a deal with Singapore-based PacificInternational Lines (PIL) to provideInmarsat FleetBroadband to its containervessel fleet.

PIL, a ship owner in Singapore, is set toinstall the new satcom service on 88 ves-sels and 27 new builds and aims to use itto assist in areas like supply chain man-agement, consolidation and distributionfacilities management, warehousing, con-tainer depot operations, marine engineer-ing and crew communications.

The three-year deal comprises 124Inmarsat FleetBroadband terminals, bothThrane & Thrane Sailor 250 and 150 termi-nals, which will be supported by servicesfrom Telemar and Vizada.

According to the project partners twoInmarsat FleetBroadband terminals willoperate in parallel for certain applicationson the vessels, connected to an IP net-working system and LAN with 12onboard connection points.

The Sailor 150 will be dedicated to crewcommunication and will serve as a backupterminal to the Sailor 250 used for shipoperations.

Telemar says it will manage installation

of the terminals in the vessels' ports of call,as well as implementation of the LAN net-work onboard.

Vizada will provide satcoms manage-ment applications from its VizadaSolutions range, such as the TerralinkData Manager for firewall security andweb compression and filtering, and theSkyFile Antivirus system.

PIL also aims to connect its BASSnetship management software system withVizada's SkyFile Mail application, to opti-mise ship-to-shore communications andremote management.

“We selected Telemar and Vizadabecause of their long-term expertise incustomising maritime communications,”said Captain Desawar, general manager offleet management for PIL.

“Along with daily business communi-cations, we are also interested in Telemarand Vizada’s expertise for crew welfareonboard. By using the dedicatedFleetBroadband terminal in combinationwith solutions such as the prepaid featureof SkyFile Mail, crew members keep intouch with loved ones at home.”

“The Universal Card gives them thefreedom to use their dedicated communi-cations budget as they wish whether forvoice calls, e-mails or text messages whichhelps boost crew morale.”

Fleet wide FleetBroadband dealfor Pacific International Lines

Sailor 250 terminals (pictured) will be used for PIL ship operations, while a Sailor 150 will carry crew traffic

www.hughes.com

www.echostar.com

EchoStar Corporation and HughesCommunications have announced anagreement whereby EchoStar will acquireall of the outstanding equity of Hughes andits subsidiaries (including its main operat-ing subsidiary, Hughes Network Systems)in a deal valued at approximately $2 billion.

The $2 billion figure includes Hughesdebt, which is expected to be refinanced inconnection with the transaction.

Hughes provides VSAT systems to themaritime industry, particularly in the oiland gas sector, as part of its wide portfolioof services.

In January 2009, Hughes launched theHughes Maritime Broadband Service, abundled package that provides offshorebroadband communications, as well asvoice and fax services, to workboats andplatforms.

The system utilises the Hughes HX200broadband satellite router, and can beaccessed by antennas as small as 60cm.

Following the transaction the additionof Hughes will be used to enhanceEchoStar’s capabilities for broadbandtransport of data.

Under the terms of the transaction,which has been approved by the Boards ofDirectors of both companies, Hughes’shareholders will receive $60.70 per sharewithout interest, which represents a pre-mium of 31 per cent over Hughes' shareprice around the time of the deal.

“We are very pleased to announce thistransaction as it brings together the twopremier providers of satellite communica-tions services and delivers substantialvalue to our shareholders,” said PradmanKaul, president and CEO of Hughes.

“By combining Hughes’ operationalstrength and proven record of customersatisfaction with EchoStar’s expertise incutting edge satellite video technology,customers will benefit significantly fromour shared institutional excellence.”

Hughes sold to Echostar

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SATCOMS NEWS


www.iridium.com

Iridium has announced that OrbitalSciences Corporation has become the firstcompany to sign an agreement to reservehosted payload capacity on Iridium's next-generation satellite constellation, IridiumNEXT.

Under the terms of the agreement,Orbital will make several non-refundabledeposits totalling $10 million in 2011 for aright-of-first refusal on 20 per cent of thenetwork's capacity to host third-partypayloads.

The parties also have agreed to thebasic terms of Orbital purchasing thishosted payload capacity on behalf of itscustomers.

Iridium believes the arrangement withOrbital has the potential to be worth morethan $100 million, including hosting feesand recurring data service fees once in orbit.

Orbital was recently selected by

Iridium's prime contractor for the systemand the constellation, Thales Alenia Space,to serve as satellite integrator and testpartner for Iridium NEXT.

Over the next five years, Orbital, at itsfacility in Arizona, US, will assemble andtest 81 Iridium satellites (66 operationalsatellites, six in-orbit spares, and nine on-the-ground spares) being built by ThalesAlenia Space.

"Orbital's far-sighted move validatesthe value and importance of commerciallyhosted payloads," said General LanceLord, Iridium government advisoryboard.

"Under President Obama's NationalSpace Policy, it is clear that our govern-ment departments and agencies are direct-ed to take advantage of private sectorinvestments to lower the overall cost ofspace missions, and this new agreement isa great step forward."

Orbital and Iridium say they will be

First Iridium hosted payload deal signed

The hosted payloads are expected to contribute between $200 and $300 million to the Iridium NEXT programme

Maritime satellite communicationscompany H2OSatellite has been con-firmed as an Inmarsat Silver Partner.This status has been awarded followingrecent courses and examinations under-taken at Inmarsat headquarters inLondon, UK.

Telaccount Overseas hasannounced the signing of new agree-ments with Station711 and OtesatMaritel, which will make Telaccount adistribution partner for its partners’ satel-lite services. Telaccount says that thesealliances will provide its customers withthe option to select their own preferredsatellite provider from a list that also

includes Stratos and Vizada. SatCom Global has appointed

Meenal Rao as its new B2B Asia sales man-ager. Ms Rao brings over 10 years of ITand mobile satellite experience to the role,having worked in diverse industries likee-commerce, software development andsatellite communications.

Antenna manufacturer OrbitCommunication Systems hasannounced that Yosi Albagli has beenappointed to the position of executive VPand president, satellite communicationsbusiness unit. Mr Albagli previously found-ed Tdsoft Communications, and hasworked with VocalTec and CTWARE.

Auto switchingoption added to

Access Controller

Adonis Violaris, Telaccount Overseas (second from right) marks the new distribution deal with staff from Otesat-Maritel

www.orbit-cs.comwww.h2osatellite.comwww.inmarsat.comwww.satcomglobal.comwww.telaccountoverseas.com

working closely together to market thiscapacity to specific US government cus-tomers to ensure the programme can meetthe Iridium NEXT deployment timelinesand be consistent with other hosted pay-load programmes.

Orbital, as the satellite integrator andtest sub-contractor for Iridium NEXT, willalso be responsible for the integration ofhosted payload platforms with theIridium NEXT satellites.

"Commercially hosted payloads onIridium NEXT offer a significant opportu-nity to government programmes," com-mented Iridium CEO, Matt Desch.

"To achieve the cost savings that com-mercial hosted payloads offer, it is imper-ative that companies, and governmentand research organisations, make plansand design systems now – in advance ofour first launches, which are scheduled for 2015."

"With this agreement, Orbital haslocked-in capacity today to ensure certainmissions can meet our commercial time-lines. While Iridium is working with anumber of potential hosted payload cus-tomers, and expects to announce addition-al deals in the coming 12-18 months, it'swonderful to have taken this significantfirst step."

Iridium expects that the NEXT constel-lation will host a combination of payloadsfor different customers on the same satel-lite, though most likely not on all 66.

Based on current available opportuni-ties, Iridium says that it expects hostedpayloads to provide between $200 millionto $300 million in net cash contributions,as well as additional service revenues in2017 and beyond.

www.livewire-connections.com

Livewire Connections has added a 'VSATSwitchback' option to its Access ControllerFB-10 system, used to manage switchingbetween different satcom terminalsinstalled on a vessel.

Should a VSAT-installed vessel, in thecourse of a trip, be forced to switch awayfrom its VSAT to a pay per unit service,the VSAT Switchback upgrade allowsAccess Controller users to have the unitset up to automatically return to theVSAT service once it has re-established astable connection.

Livewire says that this service, alongwith DNS Blocking and spend controlupgrades which were added to the AccessController in 2010, gives users much bettercontrol of their costs. Monitoring usage ofall off vessel communications can be donethrough the software interface.

Once the Access Controller FB-10 hasbeen set up, the user can select a backupservice knowing the system will automat-ically switch over to the VSAT servicewhen it is back online. The user no longerhas to monitor the VSAT to see when ithas a stable connection.

Using a dynamic firewall, the systemrestricts access to only key services whenusing backup connections, with full accessresuming once the VSAT is back online.

The new upgrade is available free to allexisting users of the Access Controller FB-10, and will come as standard on all newequipment supplied.

"Our priority continues to be providingthe user ultimate control of their connec-tions," said David Walker, sales director ofLivewire Connections.

"VSAT Switchback will be rolled outquickly and efficiently through a simplesoftware upgrade just as our 2010 devel-opments of Spend Control and DNSBlocking were."www.getdatacom.com

www.tanmarcomm.com

Satcoms provider Datacom reports that ithas acquired the offshore and internation-al operations of TanMar Communications.

Telecoms company TanMar providessolutions in satellite communications,two-way radio systems, SCADA backhauland video systems.

Included in the acquisition are key per-sonnel and leased facilities located inLouisiana, United States.

“We’re excited about what this meansfor the customer,” said John Poindexter,CEO of Datacom.

“Now, more than ever, organisationsare getting more strategic about communi-cating with assets in remote and harshenvironments. Not only are we increasingour global capabilities, we’ll be joined bythe elite service team from TanMar to con-tinue to provide unsurpassed customersupport.”

“Helping our customers securely con-nect with anything, anywhere, anytime,increases efficiency, safety, and morale.Ultimately it’s a key differentiator.”

Datacom in TanMar deal

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Digital Ship March 2011 page 6

SATCOMS NEWS

www.kvh.com

KVH has introduced its new TracPhoneV3 system, featuring what the companyclaims is the world's smallest maritimeVSAT antenna measuring 37 cm in diame-ter and weighing 11 kg.

The TracPhone V3 will offer data down-load speeds up to 2 Mbps via KVH's Ku-bandmini-VSAT Broadband network, with pric-ing of $0.99 per MB for data and $0.49 perminute for worldwide voice calling available.

"We are excited to offer accessible,affordable broadband internet access viathis ultra-compact system and our proven,global mini-VSAT Broadband network,"explains Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH'spresident and chief executive officer.

"For years we've heard people complainabout the high prices charged for satellitecommunications services like Inmarsat. Weset out to design a new product that was the

size and cost of an Inmarsat FleetBroadbandterminal with much faster data speeds andsignificantly lower airtime rates."

"The TracPhone V3 has it all – ultra-compact hardware, simple installationand operation, and true global broadbandat affordable rates."

The TracPhone V3 includes a stabilisedantenna, a ViaSat ArcLight spread spec-trum modem, and a below-decks antennacontrol unit that comes fully integratedand configured for ease of installation.

The ArcLight spread spectrum technol-ogy is the same as that used on KVH's 60cm TracPhone V7, rather than the TDMAtransmission technology often employedfor 1-metre VSAT antenna systems.

In 2010, KVH says that it deliveredmore than 60 terabytes of data and han-dled more than 1.5 million voice calls toand from vessels around the globe via themini-VSAT Broadband network.

KVH introduces37cm VSAT antenna

www.intelliantech.com

Intellian has announced an upgrade to itsw-Series marine satellite TV antenna range,which it says is compatible with TV pro-gramming signals in all world markets.

The antenna now features a newly

designed multi-band WorldView LowNoise Block-Down Converter (LNB) andreceiver, to offer DVB-S2 Digital TVreception at sea with what the companydescribes as "one hundred times betteraccuracy and greater signal sensitivitythan other satellite antenna systems onthe market."

The w-Series is comprised of i6W andi9W dual axis antennas, and t110W andt130W three-axis antennas. When movingfrom region to region the user can switchbetween circular and linear polarizedservices by selecting the new location.

The antenna control unit adjusts theunit's Auto-Polarizer and the newWorldView LNB module to the requiredfrequency and polarization for satellitereception.

Intellian says that this eliminates theneed to purchase multiple LNBs, reconfig-ure systems and manually change theLNB unit inside the antenna dome eachtime the vessel crosses into a differentsatellite service region.

"In the year and a half since we

Intellian upgrades maritime TV antenna

www.globalstar.com

Globalstar has announced a schedule forthe launch of the next batch of spacecraftfor its second-generation satellite constella-tion, to begin in the second quarter of 2011.

Globalstar says that it expects to con-duct the next launch of six satellites inMay, to be followed within 60-90 days bytwo additional launches of six satellitesper launch.

All three launches will utilize the Soyuzlaunch vehicle, and each will be conduct-ed from the Baikonur Cosmodrome inKazakhstan. In October 2010 Globalstarsuccessfully launched six new second-generation satellites using the Soyuz.

"As planned, during the orbit-raising ofthe first new satellites launched inOctober, we continue to validate our on-orbit acceptance tests and operating proce-dures for each of the new spacecraft," saidTony Navarra, president, global opera-tions for Globalstar.

"Our six-month validation period is

being used to confirm our satellite designand performance. Once complete, and bar-ring any unforeseen issues, we will be ableto confirm a more specific scheduledlaunch date."

Globalstar contracted with launch serv-ices provider Arianespace for a total of

Globalstar plans next satellite launch

The latest Intellian antenna offers access tochannels in a wider range of countries

four launches of six satellites each usingthe Soyuz.

Globalstar plans to integrate the 24 newsecond-generation satellites with eightfirst-generation satellites that werelaunched in 2007, to form a 32 satelliteconstellation.

launched our pioneering w-Series world-wide marine satellite antenna systems,hundreds of customers in both the com-mercial and recreational markets haveexperienced the joy of high-quality unin-terrupted entertainment on their world-wide travels," said Eric Sung, presidentand CEO of Intellian.

"With the development of these newlydesigned models, we challenged our engi-neers to build upon their previouslygroundbreaking designs and incorporateeven greater coverage and features for ourcustomers - they succeeded!"

"We are proud to offer this new func-tionality and exclusive technology to pro-vide mariners with an improved level ofquality and convenience in marinisedsatellite entertainment."

Intellian says that antenna providesaccess to TV programming in NorthAmerica, Latin America, Russia, Korea,China and Japan, as well as in SoutheastAsia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and some additional Asiancountries.

Globalstar’s next round of launches will begin in May 2011. Photo: Arianespace

The 37cm antenna will offer speeds of 2 Mbps

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www.globewireless.com

Globe Wireless has announced thatGerman shipping company E.R. Schiffahrtof Hamburg is to install the Globe iFusionsolution on approximately 90 vessels.

The iFusion system consists of aFleetBroadband terminal, a built-inonboard GSM system, as well as an inte-grator box used to manage the ship/shorecommunications.

“Our corporate IT strategy is to utiliseIP satellite technologies to improve ourability to remotely support shipboard ITsystems, and lowering cost for growingtraffic,” said Roland Felbinger, nauticalsenior superintendent, E.R. Schiffahrt.

“Our evaluation showed that with moststand-alone terminals it would be neces-sary to install several other IT compo-nents. This meant complex, high mainte-nance systems aboard ships, which wouldalso be difficult to install and support.”

In its early evaluation of the technologyE.R. Schiffahrt installed a Globe iFusion sys-tem in its offices, and conducted a numberof extensive tests of the system’s capabilities.

“The Globe iFusion solution meets all ofour requirements, and also provides anextremely unique crew solution based onGSM technology, superior dual level fire-wall controls, and the ability to use and con-trol any other IP satellite system we maychoose in the future,” Mr Felbinger said.

Ken Jones, chairman of the board andrecently reinstated as CEO of GlobeWireless, also commented, “The level ofintegration and functionality of GlobeiFusion is far superior to what stand-aloneterminals can offer, and is also a far sim-pler system to install and support.”

“We are proud to have one of the lead-ing shipping companies in the worldselect Globe iFusion as their primary com-munications system.”

In other news, Globe Wireless has alsoannounced the upcoming release of anupdate for its GlobeRydex software product.

GlobeRydex is used to manageship/shore satellite communications solu-tions for more than 2,500 ships.

Customers use the GlobeRydex soft-ware either through a Public Hub environ-ment (a service where ships connect to ashoreside hub managed by GlobeWireless) or a Private Hub configuration(where the shoreside server is kept andmaintained at the customer's premises).

Since acquiring Seawave in August2007, Globe Wireless says that it hasreleased numerous updates to the Rydexsoftware, including support for WindowsVista and V7.

This new updated release ofGlobeRydex will support Windows 64-bitoperating systems and include additionalfeatures and functions.

“We fully intend to support theGlobeRydex product and continue toimprove and enhance it into the future,”said Mr Jones

“We are committed to servicing ourloyal Rydex Public and Private Hub users.Additionally, GlobeRydex is actively pro-moted to new customers as part of theGlobe iFusion.”

SATCOMS NEWS


A small, hidden communications terminal with a battery power source could allow crews to stay in contact with shore from a safe room

www.ase-corp.com

Applied Satellite Engineering (ASE) hasintroduced a new system which aims toallow crews on a vessel under attack bypirates to retreat to a safe area while stillmaintaining communications links withthe shore.

The Citadel safe room solution incorpo-rates Iridium satellite voice services andGPS reporting, and is kept separate fromthe usual vessel communications system.

ASE suggests that, when a ship isboarded by pirates, the crew withdraw toa designated safe room, or citadel, andpower down all systems, leaving pirateswith a dark ship and no control.

The ASE phone is installed in the saferoom, providing emergency and periodicGPS reports as well as voice calling servic-es. A battery backup system can power thesystem for 24 hours in a powered standbymode, or for a few days in a periodicmode.

Anti-piracy communications system launched

www.stratosglobal.com

Stratos Global has introduced a newbroadband service for the maritime indus-try called FBBPlus, which will offer a com-bined package of FleetBroadband 500 andKu-band VSAT for a fixed monthly fee.

For this fixed cost the service allows fora managed data communications capabil-ity of up to 25 GB per month. Stratos toldDigital Ship that the standard monthly feewould be “less than US$3,500 per month.”

Stratos also notes that this new solutionwill serve as "a highly flexible migrationpath" for companies that might considerintroducing Inmarsat’s Global Xpress 50Mbps service, which is expected to becommercially available in 2014.

FBBPlus has recently begun deploy-ment on approximately 40 vessels forHapag-Lloyd, under a five-year contract,with Hapag-Lloyd the first company tosign up for the new service.

For Hapag-Lloyd the FBBPlus connec-tivity will be integrated with Stratos'AmosConnect communications applica-tion, to manage all e-mail, fax, SMS andinteroffice communications.

Stratos says that FBBPlus is the onlyservice that delivers a managed MPLS(Multiprotocol Label Switching) extensionnetwork over separate L-band and Ku-band networks, with redundant paths.

The MPLS network separates and logi-cally manages business, crew and non-

essential traffic, while delivering voicecommunications via the Inmarsat circuit-switched network.

“Hapag-Lloyd is impressed by our abil-ity to offer a flexible, fully managedbroadband service,” said Stratos presidentand CEO Jim Parm. “Because FBBPlus isbased on FleetBroadband, Hapag-Lloyd isconfident that it will help them meet theirbusiness goals and provide their shipswith optimal performance and reliabilityat all times.”

“We understand the demand for higher

Flat-fee FB and VSAT package from Stratos volumes of data to support critical applica-tions and business communicationsonboard – along with the increasing need tosupport crew with internet-based services.”

“Our creative FBBPlus solution demon-strates that we are perfectly positioned toexpand our customers’ communicationscapabilities as we prepare for the availabil-ity of Inmarsat’s Global Xpress services.”

Stratos is already the single biggest dis-tributor of FleetBroadband services, hav-ing activated approximately 7,000 systemsacross the world.

E.R. Schiffahrt toinstall Globe iFusion

Hapag-Lloyd has already begun deployment of the system as the first customer of FBBPlus

The system includes an outdoor trans-ceiver, cable, lockable cabinet, cordedphone and optional battery backup.Additional phones such as a captain'sphone or crew calling phone can beinstalled on the ship from the same system.

The transceiver and antenna are housedin the same enclosure, about the size of anAmerican football, to reduce antennacabling distance problems. The unit shouldbe mounted hidden from view, with thecable routed internally within the ship.

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where to next?

p1-16:p1-14.qxd 18/03/2011 14:30

TT he IT department at Norwegianshipowner Seatrans has, over thelast few years, invested a great

deal of time and effort in dealing with achallenge that will be very familiar tomany of those with similar job titles acrossthe industry – a problem that has becomeeven more intense during the global eco-nomic downturn.

This challenge, which often comesdown from on high as upper managementlooks to squeeze efficiency to its very limit,is to find an effective way to manage com-plicated technology networks in movingglobal remote offices, operating in differ-ent time zones, without expanding thesmall maritime IT department or usingmore than the limited resources provided.

To put it simply, what is required is todo ‘more with less’ – a request that is evenmore taxing in the shipping industry thanfor land based companies as the lack ofterrestrial connectivity removes some ofthe scope for remote management andautomation in systems.

So how did the Seatrans IT departmentdeal with this difficult issue? For them, thekey was to focus on one word – standardise.

Seatrans operates from five office loca-tions (including a disaster recovery site) infour countries, with approximately 100computers and 35 to 40 servers in use byabout 80 active users.

In addition to this the company oper-ates about 20 vessels, with all of the ves-sels having their own servers, and alsohousing another 100 computers and 80active users.

The responsibility for keeping all ofthese networks running rests with an ITdepartment of three men - ChristianMohn, Andreas Vedå, and Seatrans ITmanager Stig-Erik Halvorsen.

“I think it is fair to say that an infra-structure like this requires an IT depart-ment of a decent size, maybe in combina-tion with an uncomplicated set-up,” MrHalvorsen explained. “Well, guess what -we have neither of these unfortunately!”

“Christian is responsible for networksecurity, servers, virtualisation and all ofthat good stuff. Andreas is responsible forhandling support, installation, roll outsand stuff like that.”

“I’m responsible for the administrationpart of it, I take control of groupware, mailflow and basically anything that has to beon all the vessels. It would be nice to havesome more people! But that’s not the case.”

The vessel side of the group’s IT infra-structure is where the department focusesmost of its attention, due to the restrictionson connectivity and remote system avail-ability. As Mr Halvorsen notes, if they cando it on the vessel side they know for sure

they can do it on the shore side.“We don’t like to look at the vessels as

anything different to any other branchoffice, they’re just the most sophisticatedbranch offices we have,” he told us.

“They are just a little bit more compli-cated to get to and are basing their opera-tions on much more complicated commu-nications platforms than what we do onthe shore side. And I should say that youalso need to be ready to do it twice – usu-ally you’re more likely to get it right thesecond time.”

“Obviously if you’re going to control aset-up like this you’re going to need sometools and need to have thought thingsthrough. It doesn’t matter so much whatthe tools are you are using, but you needto have some systems and have someguidelines.”

In addition to these added difficultiesin maintaining the onboard networks,Seatrans’ vessels are also running a num-ber of highly specialised software applica-tions with heavy reporting and communi-cations requirements, that must be metdespite the fact that they are constantly onthe move.

“I’m often told, often by colleaguesworking in other departments, that IT isnot rocket science – it might not look thatway, but we have some pretty sophisticat-ed applications out there,” said MrHalvorsen.

“We have specialised chemical soft-ware running, training software, web-server based reporting tools, improve-ment systems, mail and communicationsapplications – just to mention a few – thatwe have running on these vessels. I’d say

it’s pretty complicated to keep these bitsand pieces running.”

“Also, if you have a problem on the ves-sel side it’s much more important to fix itwithin a short period of time than if wehave it in a branch office on land, but onland we can send technicians or remote con-nect, there are a range of things we can dothat we can’t do on the vessels. So the vesselinfrastructure actually needs to be muchmore robust than any other branch office.”

StandardisedSeatrans’ answer to the demands of run-ning these systems has been to move fromwhat Mr Halvorsen describes as a ‘lightlychaotic’ approach, to introducing an infra-structure that is strictly standardised.

“You try to buy the same hardware,and try to have the same applications on

it, the same way of implementing things,but once there is some manual operationinvolved you won’t have a standard forvery long,” he said.

“You’ll have a standard for a certainperiod of time but it takes time rolling thisout – at one point the hardware will shift,at one point you’ll forget how youinstalled that particular application, howyou configured it. Then you’ve got nostandard anymore.”

“You can even create images if youwant to, way back we used to do that – butat some point you will update the imagesas well, and then you’re out of standard.”

To counteract this the Seatrans ITdepartment decided to create a new wayof setting up the IT infrastructure onboardits ships that would be initiated by stan-dardised software applications, removing

the ‘manual’ part of the process and, hope-fully, some of the problems that go with it.

“We bought 25 servers, 100 computers,all the same,” said Mr Halvorsen.

“We implemented a tool for automat-ing the set-up of the servers and the com-puters, and automating the installations ofevery application. We automated thedeployment of all of the configurations.And with that, we were standardised.”

“We have high ‘customer satisfaction’because it’s so easy when people changevessel and they know that the set-up isexactly the same on the next ship. Theycan expect these applications, the data is inthis location – everything works the same,on every vessel, every time.”

To strengthen control over these net-works the IT team also added new remotemanagement capabilities to deal withonboard problems from the shore, remov-ing the need for the vessels’ crews to gettoo involved with the operation of the ITinfrastructure.

“We added the possibility to remoteconnect to the vessel to deploy newupdates, do service and maintenance, andto help the guys on the ship without beingon the phone asking the Captain IT ques-tions,” said Mr Halvorsen.

“When you don’t have a standard youwill have relatively poor stability on thesystems onboard, and a lot of IT relatedtravel to the vessels. It’s difficult to pro-vide support if something goes wrong,especially if you don’t have any way ofgetting online with the vessel, and youhave outdated software onboard.”

“With our standard systems andremote access we now have approximate-ly zero IT related travel. Every once in awhile you need to go to a ship, that’s true,but it’s taken the load off my back, and myfamily’s back, to not have to have a suit-case always ready to go.”

Virtual machinesA major part of the standardisationapproach at Seatrans relies on the use ofvirtual machines onboard the vessels, toseparate the standard infrastructure set-up from the underlying technology whichit is running on.

In this sense the virtual machines ondifferent vessels can remain standardisedeven when the hardware it is running onis not identical, as Christian Mohn, net-work manager at Seatrans, explains.

“We could use basically use any serveras long as we can install VMwareHypervisor (virtualisation software) on it.For installation we use the VMwareHypervisor on Windows Server 2008 R2and put a Virtual Machine on top of that,”he told us.

Digital April 2011 page 10

SATCOMS

As part of a process to move to a strictly standardised vessel IT infrastructure, shipowner Seatrans has introduced a rangeof new communications options, remote access, and virtual machines – all with its small Norwegian IT department

From ‘lightly chaotic’ to strictlystandardised – onboard networks

Installation of Seatrans’ onboard networks and communications links are now beingautomated and standardised – reducing the need for IT support from shore

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SATCOMS


“We chose to virtualise it because itmakes a lot of things much easier for us.We get to be hardware independent so wecan move the virtual machine from oneserver to another server without down-time. We could replace the server onboardwith a new model from a different vendorand just fire up the virtual machineagain.”

“We’re trying to get rid of the hardwaredependency and relying on vendors, andwe use virtualised servers in our shorebased offices anyway so it provides famil-iarity for the management.”

This virtualisation method has been akey component in automating the installa-tion process, with Seatrans creating aportable installation environment on alaptop that the IT team can carry onboardwhen travelling to the vessel.

“It’ll set-up the entire system for you,you just connect the server to the laptopand start it up,” said Mr Mohn.

“It will install the VMware Hypervisor(using a PowerShell script), it’ll copyWindows 2008 R2 Server. That is pre-con-figured, so when you start it up all it willdo is ask you a couple of questions, likethe vessel name and the IP addresseswe’re using on the network, and theneverything else goes automatically.”

“Just about everything is automated,scripted and set up in the same way, so it’sdone the same every time. One of the bestparts of this is that the deployment timeper vessel is less than one hour, if we havepre-configured the network-attached stor-age (NAS).”

To extend this concept further Seatransis also implementing ‘application virtuali-sation’, to gain even tighter control overthe intricacies of the installation processwhen it comes to introducing softwaresystems on the ships.

“This is a way of trying not to install anapplication in the same way as you nor-mally do for a Windows installation,which will modify your system registryand files and so on,” said Mr Mohn.

“Application virtualisation enables usto put that into a sort of ‘bubble’ and thenjust deploy the bubble to the computer. Assoon as the application runs, it is locatedon the local computer but if you removethe access rights to the package the appli-cation disappears again with no trace of itbeing on the local computer.”

“That makes it a lot easier for us toimplement client installations, because wedon’t have to install all of the applicationson all of the clients, we can deploy theapplications centrally.”

Seatrans is now also using Microsoft’sWindows Deployment Services system fornetwork-based installation of Windowsoperating systems to roll out Windows 7to its vessel-based clients.

“When we go onboard a vessel andinstall this new system, we install it on aserver. When that’s done you fire up theclients and it will auto install, via the net-work, Windows 7,” said Mr Mohn.

“It will set up the application virtuali-sation software and grab the actual appli-cation packages from the storage device. Aclient computer on the vessel is just aclient, there’s no real local data on it –everything is on the server so we can rein-stall as we want if anyone screws up any-thing, and continue working.”

“We also implement Windows updateservices with connections to our shorebased set-up, so we can centrally managethe updates and patches that need to beinstalled on the clients and serversonboard. They are replicated one time tothe vessel, and then spread out to theother components on the vessel withoutevery client having to connect to shore.”

Backing up dataOne question that the use of virtualmachines raises is how to manage the stor-age of data – in the virtual environmentthe company will still need to have a finaldestination for the generated data it wish-es to hold on to, while also factoring inback-up and redundancy protocols tomake sure that the potential benefits ofhaving easily-replaceable virtualmachines does not lead to the loss ofimportant company information.

“The Windows back-up software does-n’t allow you to maintain multiple rendi-tions of back-ups, unless you do a back-upto a local drive,” notes Mr Mohn.

“However, if you do a back-up to alocal drive on a server you lose the back-up if you lose the server.”

To deal with this issue Seatrans’ ITdepartment decided to implement back-up storage devices on the vessels, and alsoutilise a couple of different methods forreplicating data back to shore, both viaLotus Domino and replicated file sharingand application virtualisation packages.

“What we’re doing is having the back-up destination on the NAS, but it is con-nected to the virtual machine and runsincremental back-up from there,” MrMohn explained.

“Built in to this is a back-up virtualmachine that just lays there dormant, notdoing anything, unless we need it. Thenwe can fire up the back-up virtualmachine to restore the back-up the pro-duction virtual machine has taken, and itcan take the production server’s place.”

“The worst case scenario is that theserver dies. In that case we could actuallytake the back-up of the virtual machinefrom the storage device and start it on aclient computer onboard, if we had to.”

Vessel communicationsThe various initiatives that Seatrans hasintroduced, with their emphasis onremote support, replication and greaterintegration of the ship and shore, obvious-ly requires a substantial amount of com-munications traffic to and from the ves-sels, and in this regard the company isusing a mixture of systems to make sure itis always in contact.

However, even in this area the compa-ny is looking to introduce an element ofstandardisation, with routing systemsmanaging communications automatical-ly to take advantage of the best optionavailable.

“We’re implementing least cost routingso we’ll have one router watching the ICE(wireless internet service along theNorwegian coast) and the VSAT, theFleetBroadband and the GSM communica-tions methods that the ship can use,” saidMr Halvorsen.

“The router itself will have settingsallowing different kinds of communica-tions to take place depending on whether

you are on a fixed price communicationmethod or on something that will makethe costs go up.”

Having these different communicationsoptions on board has also allowedSeatrans to offer a range of crew welfareoptions, with the company providinginternet access to the crew, within reason-able limits, as well as voice over IP calling.

This is managed by operating two orthree separate networks onboard the ves-sels, depending on the ship, with one forbusiness, one for clients on the ship, andone for crew.

These networks are physically segre-gated, but are all terminated into the samecommunication line, so Seatrans notes thatit is important to prioritise traffic andmaintain strict policies with regard towhat will and will not fall within thecrew’s ‘reasonable limits’.

“We’ve done some hardware updatesrecently that will help in prioritisingbetween the networks, but for themoment it’s up to the captain to maintainreasonable levels – he knows which plug to pull to shut them down,” said Mr Halvorsen.

“If there are PCs where the crew isdoing too much traffic and he’s not happywith what he’s getting from the communi-cations, he disconnects them. But we doblock things like video or sharing servicesor that kind of thing anyway – we have abaseline of what is not allowed over thenetwork.”

“We have looked into specialised crewmail systems, though we find that every-one has a laptop and everyone has webmail, so we don’t see a great demand for it.Some of the solutions provide extra thingslike free SMS and so on, which we’re look-ing into.”

Mr Halvorsen notes that the availabili-ty of Norway’s ICE system has reallymade a difference to the level of commu-nications the vessels will manage, estimat-ing that the company’s vessels connectedto that service will pass traffic of between5 and 10 GB per month.

“Some are pushing the 15 GB limit afterwhich you pay more (for ICE) – and thenwe’ve had 30 GB above that,” he said. “Soit’s highly vessel dependent.”

“When we started rolling this out wecreated a set of rules so they know whatthey’re allowed to do and not allowed do,and we can pull reports showing whatthey’re doing. It’s easy for us to just talk tothe captain and tighten things up if neces-sary – you need to stay in control.”

“We’re also working together with ourproviders of satellite communication, andthey’re actually blocking certain thingsand stopping them from going over theline as well. We’re also looking at optimi-sation but we’re not quite there yet. Wehave a couple of test sites that we’re due toimplement a system on, but haven’t gottento it yet.”

Seatrans does try to be as relaxed aspossible in not blocking too many applica-tions that its seafarers may wish to use,however there is one program that isstrictly prohibited – Skype.

“Some vessels are harder to managethan others, it depends on the situationand the crew involved, but as far as Skypegoes – no way,” said Mr Mohn.

“There’s no way we’re allowing Skype

on our networks. I don’t want to beresponsible for 20 Skype supernodes float-ing around utilising bandwidth, and allthe problems that may cause. We don’tallow Skype in our main offices either.”

“Other than that, when it comes torules and regulations on what you’reallowed to do on the local client, since wecan reinstall a client pretty quickly we’renot really rigid about changes – we justinform them that any changes they havedone locally without permission will belost when we reinstall anyway.”

Next levelHaving worked hard to achieve all ofthese changes and begin moving to a high-ly standardised vessel network infrastruc-ture, Mr Halvorsen says that he and histeam will continue to pursue the concepteven further to maximise the investmentsit has made in the project.

“We would like to have the same stan-dard set-up in these sophisticated branchoffices and on the shore side, so we’reactually adapting this back to the shoreside,” he said.

“If they can have it, we can have it. Webelieve in living in the same world asthey do on the vessels, because then wecan all improve and get the best out ofthe systems.”

“There are still some standardMicrosoft features that we would like toutilise better than we do at the moment,and we didn’t quite get it right with backup and recovery on the vessel side, sowe’re working to improve that.”

In addition, and despite already send-ing multiple gigabytes of data to and fromits vessel networks, Seatrans intends topursue further standardisation on thecommunications side, moving to strict IPbased communication in all instances.

“All of the applications we are puttingon top of this infrastructure work betterwith IP, so this will allow us to use mod-ern efficient solutions providing fast andaccurate data,” said Mr Halvorsen.

“That will contribute to improved safe-ty and both time and cost-savings, as wellas helping us to provide our customerswith required information, such as auto-mated status reports, and so on.”

The vast scale of the project thatSeatrans has undertaken, and is continu-ing to pursue, is, in Mr Halvorsen’s esti-mation, a great example of the level oftechnological sophistication that can bemanaged by even a small team of justthree people.

“Not everything is perfect – but we aregetting there!” he said. “We are prettyexcited about what we have achieved –not to mention the future.”

“We have managed to take control of apretty large IT infrastructure, on the shoreside and on the vessel side, with what aretoo few resources, if you ask me. We havebecome more efficient in how we are run-ning our IT systems, cutting the need forIT travel, and run the IT systems with aminimum of man-power – thus gettingmore out of our investments.”

“If we take a look at how we used to dothings, how we changed and where we areheaded, I think it’s a good indication ofwhat we have achieved – providing a bet-ter, more robust, reliable, predictable andmodern IT platform to all our users.” DS

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SATCOMS


MM aking satcom decisions withina group of companies, with avariety of vessel types and

trading areas, can be an awkward process. There are two obvious routes that can

be followed – specialise or standardise.Each has its pros and cons. Specialisedsystems may put the most suitable systemon a particular ship, but standardised pur-chasing can offer a stronger negotiationposition and easier support.

So what’s the best approach to manag-ing this process and making the optimalchoice? For the Møgster group, which isthe primary owner of DOF ASA andAustevoll Seafood ASA, the solution wasto create an entirely new IT company thatwould take responsibility for the process.

And so, Marin IT was born a little overa year ago, to provide IT services to inter-nal customers in the Møgster group.Marin IT is majority owned by DOF, withAustevoll Seafood holding a minorityshareholding.

As Tor Skeie, managing director ofMarin IT, describes it, the aim of creatingthis independent unit was to harnessskills from the group’s different sectorsinto one place and spread the benefits asfar as possible.

“Primarily it was to get control of allthe IT, utilise economies of scale and usecross-knowledge of systems for the differ-ent types of vessels in different sectors. ITis IT, we just deliver the applications andsolutions they need,” he said.

“It’s about economy of scale, but at thesame time it should lead to better controlof the IT in general. We did have controlbefore but there were too many differentIT departments and they were each goingin their own direction. We need one wayof doing this.”

“In the company we have about 60 peo-ple working in IT, so it’s among the biggerIT companies on the west coast ofNorway.”

One of the first major tasks for Marin ITafter its formation was to look at the sat-coms in use aboard the company’s ships,and see if it would be able to broker a dealthat would take advantage of the group’sbuying power.

“One of the processes we introducedinternally when we started Marin IT was tosee where it was possible to get synergies.We started this by getting RFPs (requestsfor proposals) with regard to satellite com-munications,” Mr Skeie explained.

“The companies are growing quite abit, and there are new vessels every year.They are being situated in different partsof the world.”

“It’s possible for us to have 100 peopleworking onboard a vessel. For the marinepart of it we had approximately 20 com-puters, four servers, dual antennas (VSATand Fleet 77). More and more we’re alsoputting in entertainment systems as wellonboard the vessels.”

Vendor proposalsTo try and find a provider that could meetits various requirements Marin IT sentRFPs to a number of different VSAT ven-dors in May 2010, with the intent of receiv-ing responses quickly from the suppliers,over the following few weeks.

By the end of June the company hadreceived its answers on the RFP from thesuppliers. These tenders were analysedduring the summer, and in August a num-ber of face to face discussions were initiat-ed with selected suppliers.

Mr Skeie notes that, during this phase,Marin IT was very keen to try and distance

itself from prior relationships that mayhave developed between the group’s dif-ferent units and their existing vendors.

“We tried to have a process where wedidn’t have a ‘personal touch’ on it, buttried to do it strictly ‘by the book’,” saidMr Skeie.

“I think it is very important to havegood internal processes, it is importantthat when we are connecting three or fourdifferent companies and all of them havetheir own different vendors, we’d like tobe able to control it and negotiate one ven-dor and one way of working.”

“Our mantra is to standardise, and stan-dardise, and standardise. That’s the onlyway we’ll be able to survive in the future.”

The schedule that Marin IT had envi-sioned would have seen a final commer-cial agreement in place at the end ofSeptember. However, as discussions con-tinued this was delayed as the companymade sure it was meeting all of its require-ments, with agreements only finalised inDecember 2010.

“We had a process to try and do this,we tried to get it done by September andhave a finalised agreement,” said MrSkeie. “To do this we had created a list ofquestions we wanted to ask the vendors.”

“Before we got any answers we got astructure in place to decide what we need-ed, how we’d get it, why we’d get it. Wegot all the vessel managers and fleet man-agers around the world involved to getagreement and help the team to have theproper knowledge of the demands of ourdifferent vessels.”

“We have to handle everything from afishing boat with systems that are not thatadvanced, to really high-tech boats. Thereare different demands, but we wanted towork with one structure.”

Following this strategy, and conductinga thorough investigation of internalprocesses, took more time than Marin IThad expected, but the results have beenworth the additional time invested.

“We learnt quite a bit – we thoughtwhen we started the process that it wouldbe easy,” said Mr Skeie.

“We had some technology brands that were our favourites, but we didn’twant that to influence us – we built amatrix to put all of the answers in basedon the weighted groups of questions wehad given.”

“This way we had a structure in placebefore we actually talked to the vendors,

What’s the best way to choose a VSAT vendor? For the Møgster Group the answer was to create a newcompany that could manage its negotiations with suppliers and find a single vendor to meet all of its needs

Choosing a VSAT vendor

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and had a clear understanding of what we needed.”

New networksFollowing this process Marin IT agreed adeal with Marlink to install a range of ITnetworks across different vessels in itsfleet, with a range of VSAT optionsdepending on particular requirements.

The smaller fishing vessels, for exam-ple, are using a solution based on DVB-S2technology using iDirect as the platformfor the carrier, on Ku-band.

On some of the larger vessels the tech-nology used to carry the traffic from thevessel side to the shore can be either Ku-band, C-band or a mix of both, with someships having dual antenna solutionsonboard. These systems are deployeddependent on where the vessel is expectedto be operating.

All vessels have dedicated phone lines,an administrative network, and a crewwelfare network. In addition, another sep-arate network has been introduced that isnot part of the admin LAN or the crew

network, with traffic on this networkshielded from what’s going on on the restof the vessel.

So, for example, if there is a problemwith the crew network, where perhaps avirus has been introduced, this will notaffect the other networks.

Traffic is routed via three Marlink tele-ports, one in Europe, one in Asia and one inthe US, with a fourth available as a back up.

The teleports are connected toMarlink’s own communications backbone,but are also directly connected to theMarin IT wide area network (WAN), sothere are two different routes availablefrom the vessels to the offices on shore.

The main route will be direct to theMarin IT WAN, and then distributed tothe various offices, but the backup is avail-able should there be any problem withthat primary channel.

The network onboard the ship fea-tures a system to connect the vessel oper-ator’s own customers when they are onthe ship, which can be kept completelyseparate, with separate provisioning of

bandwidth and separate billing. The parameters of what is available via

this network, over the VSAT, is controlledby Marin IT – a factor which was of pri-mary importance to the company whenselecting a service.

“We are controlling everything in this,and that’s important to us. We are usingvendors, but we are in charge of it and wehave the technology onboard – we own itand we’re able to buy whatever we need,”said Mr Skeie.

“What’s important is to be as efficientas possible, so we use optimisers to opti-mise our traffic. By using this technologywe get more efficient use of the capacity ofthe satellite communication.”

All of the vessel networks route to an onboard firewall, before traffic passesto a WAN optimiser on its way to theVSAT router.

A similar firewall and optimiser set-upis also in place on the shore side, to makesure that traffic flowing to the ship is alsowell managed.

“As an example, on one of the vesselswhere we have optimised traffic well, over6 months we measured a 50 per cent reduc-tion in transferred traffic,” notes Mr Skeie.

For this particular ship, the 14.8 GB oftraffic that was required to be sent overthe period was compressed down to onlyrequire 6.4 GB to be sent over the satelliteconnection – which Marin IT calculatedas a 2.34 times increase in its WANcapacity compared with an uncom-pressed data flow.

The total data compression of 57.2 per

cent for the 6 months also showed a peakof 92.3 per cent compression in oneinstance – demonstrating the capabilitiesof this technology in improving the effi-ciency of the network.

“This is a way for us to utilise ourknowledge and our network in the bestway possible,” said Mr Skeie.

Next stageFollowing its early experiences after theintroduction of this new satcom environ-ment, Marin IT has recently extended itsrelationship with Marlink through a newthree year contract for its DOF vessels.

As part of the new contract Marlinkwill supply VSAT services to an addition-al 20 vessels, increasing the total numberof DOF vessels sailing with Marlink VSATto 52.

This will include the delivery andinstallation of C-band and Ku-band servic-es providing dedicated bandwidthonboard 29 DOF vessels, and shared band-width on 23 vessels.

Mr Skeie is confident that these systemswill continue to deliver the benefits thatMarin IT was set-up to introduce.

“Marlink's VSAT systems have provento provide high quality bandwidth andreliable connectivity as well as flexibleservices, which can be customised to meetspecific requirements,” he said.

“I am confident that our renewed rela-tionship with Marlink's very experiencedengineering team will enable us to signifi-cantly expand our satellite communica-tions capabilities moving forward.”

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www.speedcast.com

Korean telecoms provider KT has signedan alliance agreement with satellite serv-ices company SpeedCast, to deliver glob-al maritime network services for its mar-itime customers via SpeedCast's Ku-bandnetwork.

As part of the alliance agreement,SpeedCast will provide access to its Ku-band maritime network for KT's mar-itime customers, for which KT will pro-vide SpeedCast with access to its ownKu-band coverage along the Koreancoastline and beyond, using KT’s

Koreasat 5 satellite.The two companies will link their tele-

ports and satellite hubs to improve theresilience of the services, as well as deliv-ering expanded coverage.

In addition, the two companies haveagreed to closely cooperate to furtherdevelop their maritime businesses.

"This business alliance between thetwo companies will give great benefit toour international maritime customers,with the ability for them to roam globallyalong the major shipping lanes," saidKwon Yeong Mo, senior vice president ofsatellite business unit, KT Corporation.

"This partnership with SpeedCast rep-

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Otesat-Maritel has launched itsMailOnBoard system for shore-to-shipand ship-to-shore e-mail communications.

MailOnBoard operates via Inmarsat,Iridium and VSAT satellite systems, usingdial-up or broadband internet connections.

Otesat says it is capable of reducing thesize of incoming or outgoing e-mails by upto 90 per cent, depending on file type,through the use of an in-built compressionmechanism.

The service also provides corporatedomain name hosting, and runs on a reg-

ular PC with support for MS Outlook,Outlook Express, Mozilla Thunderbird orother SMTP/POP3 clients.

The installation file required to installthe service is 1.17 MB (in zipped format),and can be sent to the vessel by e-mail or on a CD.

Otesat says that MailOnBoard will alsoprovide remote management and controlfunctionalities to administer vessel e-mailcommunications via a web interface acces-sible through the public internet.

Using the web interface customers cancreate black and white e-mail lists, enabletheir own security rules and control the e-

Otesat launches vessel e-mail service

KT and SpeedCast in Ku partnership

SATCOMS


DS

mails sent and received by the vessels. There is also an option to limit the size

of incoming or outgoing e-mails, keeptrack of all incoming or outgoing e-mailsin real time, log all e-mail communications(before and after compression), and auto-matically forward e-mails.

A tool to identify words in the subjectarea, for both shore-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications, is additionallybuilt-in, to automate data extraction toExcel files.

Protection is provided through anti-spam and anti-virus services running onOtesat-Maritel’s network.

resents an important step forward inexpanding our maritime portfolio toinclude a global satellite network basedon Ku-band services."

Nick Dukakis of SpeedCast also com-mented that this new business alliancewith KT demonstrates the importance ofthe Korean maritime market as a strategicpart of its global service expansion.

"It is another milestone in our contin-ued pursuit to expand our global net-work coverage and service by partneringwith 'best in class' companies such asKT," he said.

"We are delighted to have them as partof our maritime alliance."

www.ce-tel.com

www.seamobile.com

German teleport and satellite serviceprovider CETel (Central EuropeanTelecom Services) has entered into anagreement to acquire SeaMobile Europe.

The deal was expected to have closedby April 2011.

SeaMobile Europe is a part ofSeaMobile Inc, and offers a range of VSAT,Iridium and Inmarsat satellite services.

With this imminent acquisition, CETelsays it will expand its service portfolio andcustomer base to consolidate its marketposition in Africa, where SeaMobileEurope has a number of government con-tracts, and the Middle East.

The migration of all involved servicesand personnel is expected to be finishedby the end of the second quarter this year.

“With CETel, we found the right part-ner with existing teleport infrastructure inEurope to take over our EuropeanOperations, which will allow SeaMobileEurope to expand and to improve theirservices with a great benefit for their exist-ing and future customers worldwide,”said Bradford Briggs, senior vice presidentand general manager of MTN’s commer-cial shipping & energy services business,and president of SeaMobile Europe.

“At the same time, SeaMobile Inc andMTN can further concentrate on their coremarkets and services within the globalmaritime communications area.”

CETel buysSeaMobile Europe

The three separate onboard networks connect to a firewall and WAN optimiser before reaching the VSAT router

p1-16:p1-14.qxd 18/03/2011 14:31


SOFTWARE NEWS Digital Ship

www.softship.com

Maritime software provider Softship haswon a contract with Höegh Autoliners toreplace the vessel operator’s core businesssystems with a new company-wide soft-ware solution.

Höegh Autoliners operates a fleet ofaround 50 PCTCs (pure car and truck car-riers) managed from about 30 officesworld-wide.

Höegh recently invited tenders toreplace its existing software systems witha new solution that would be capable ofhandling its full range of business process-es, from scheduling to invoicing.

“Our corporate aim is to be a truly glob-al, cost efficient operator providing port-to-port transportation services that meetthe requirements of our customers,” saidDaniel Lusby, project leader at Höegh.

“Achieving consistent quality through-out the company is a top priority.Implementing the Softship solution willtake us further towards this goal as itreplaces four independent software sys-tems with a single, integrated solution.”

“Many processes will be automated,data will be reused, duplication will beeliminated and efficiencies will be createdthroughout the company.”

Mr Lusby says that the company is nowin the analysis phase of the implementa-tion process and is working with the

Softship team to tailor the software tomatch its exact requirements, building inadditional functionality as required.

The companies expect to go live withthe new software in early autumn.

“We are delighted to have been select-ed from a competitive tender process toimplement our Softship LinerManagement (LIMA) solution into HöeghAutoliners,” commented Thomas Wolff,

Softship executive director.“The company carries around 1.75 mil-

lion car equivalent units (ceu) and makesabout 3,000 port calls a year. This is exact-ly the operating profile that our softwarewas designed to streamline.”

“I am looking forward to demonstrat-ing to our new client the range of effi-ciencies we are able to bring to theircompany.”

www.mirtac.nlwww.sismarine.com

MirTac reports that it has successfullycompleted the implementation of the StarIPS asset management software packagefrom Star Information Systems for mar-itime company Seatec.

Seatec Underwater Systems B.V. pro-vides worldwide technical solutions andservices to clients in various sectors,including offshore contractors and shipyards.

“With Star IPS, all condition based andpreventive maintenance tasks are wellmanaged, and safety procedures and doc-uments thoroughly integrated and moni-tored,” said Johan de Bie, general manag-er at Seatec, commenting on the deal.

“MirTac and our dedicated staff trans-lated all relevant technical data intotransparent procedures and instructions.Spare parts are now easily managed andcan even be automatically ordered.”

“Our key staff is very enthusiasticabout the achieved transparency andenhanced operational efficiency. Thatalone already saves us time, reduceserrors considerably and results in costreduction. Moreover, we are now able tomonitor our performance at differentprojects and customers.”

Höegh Autoliners to install Softship software system

Höegh Autoliners expects to go live with the new software system in early autumn

Seatec installssoftware package

Unlock the Potential of Internet On Boardwith Dualog® Connection Suite™.

Contact the Maritime Communications Experts today about what really concerns you.

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p17-35:p15-25.qxd 18/03/2011 15:08 Page 1

SOFTWARE NEWS


MarineCFOlaunches

version 3.0www.teromarine.no

Tero Marine South East Asia has signed anagreement with geophysical service com-pany BGP CNPC for the implementationof Tero's software system.

The agreement covers delivery of theTM Master Fleet Management Suite toBGP’s offices in Singapore and its headoffices in China, as well as installation of TM Master on the company’s fleet ofsix vessels.

Modules covering planned mainte-nance and inventory,spare parts and purchas-ing, consumables andcatalogues, and crewmanagement will beincluded.

The implementationprocess has alreadybegun, with the first taskbeing installation of TMMaster in the offices andupgrading one of BGP'svessels from TM MasterV1 to TM Master V2.

The project is expect-ed to be completed dur-ing Q2 2011.

"We are very excitedabout this project," said

Stig Arne Nordstrand, technical managerof Tero Marine South East Asia.

"We are looking forward to having thesystem up and running in the offices andon the vessels, so they can start exploringthe benefits which lies in the programs."

Tero Marine is also now in the processof launching a new expanded version ofTM Master, containing new modules,expansions of existing modules and othernew functions and features.

New modules for voyage management,trend analysis, work permits, risk/ conse-

BGP Marine CNPC to install Tero Marine

The National Shipping Company ofSaudi Arabia (NSCSA) has successfullycompleted the implementation of anEnterprise Resource Planning (ERP) sys-tem from Oracle.

The system was implemented byEJADA, an IT solutions provider in theMiddle East and North Africa, and willbe used to define and measure the com-pany’s Key Performance Indicators(KPIs), and provide reports for strategicdecision making.

Implementation of the ERP systemcompletes the initial stage of NSCSA's'Manarah' IT strategy, under which thecompany aims to introduce the latesttechnologies, systems and applications tosupport all its business sectors, to pro-mote growth and improved services.

With the ERP in place NSCSA willnow have a unified budget system basedon Oracle Hyperion, which will be usedto prepare and supervise the annualbudget, and provide reports on overallexpenses and incomes according to theapproved budget.

Unified reports of the company’sfinancial position, cash flows and incomestatements, including other financialreports that depend on the direct elec-tronic link between the main corporatesystems and the company business unitssystems, will also now be available.

“This achievement represents furtheradvanced steps in the journey of the com-pany and its development,” said SalehAl-Jasser, CEO of NSCSA.

“Before the implementation of these

NSCSA completes ERP implementation

Fleet Management Solutions

Maintenance & Inventory Docking Management Voyage E-log Centralised Procurement Crew Management

www.teromarine.no Quality ~ Reliability ~ Knowledge ~ Innovation

TeroMarineMarine Information Systems

quence analysis and crew hours manage-ment will all now be available through thesoftware package.

Tero's TM Procurement software sys-tem will additionally be integrated intothe TM Master Fleet Management Suite,which will mean that all purchasing func-tionalities and data will be available in theFleet Management system.

The softwares will share a commondatabase and common address list, withstreamlined replication to facilitate thesharing of data.

www.marinecfo.com

MarineCFO has announced the release ofEnterprise Version 3.0 of its fleet man-agement software system for the mar-itime industry.

The new version provides a config-urable software solution based on theMarineCFO Business Framework, atoolset used to develop and improve all of the MarineCFO products andensuring controlled development andconsistency across the interfaces andcoding methodologies.

All of the products are built with main-stream Microsoft technologies, includingthe .NET framework, SQL Server, theWindows Communication Foundation,and Microsoft Office.

New features include an amortized payoption for employees working shifts, aswell as updated scheduling for employeesworking partial days.

A new Batch Manager allows users topost, print, and distribute documentsfrom a single screen, while a BusinessRules function can be run to validateinformation.

Security has been upgraded to includeaccess control via user permissions, whilean integration manager has also beenintroduced to aid in connecting the systemto other software packages, such as a cor-porate ERP system.

The on-vessel application now offersincreased functionality in the areas ofmaintenance, purchasing and schedul-ing, with configurable packet sizes to reduce bandwidth costs and offertighter integration between the vesselsand the shore.

“As we have seen, the global workboatmarket can change in an instant andmarine transportation organisationsrequire technology that will not onlyimprove their efficiencies and streamlinetheir operations but are also capable ofchanging as their business evolves,” saysJoe Galatas, president of MarineCFO.

“We have worked with our customerson Version 3.0 to improve integration andflexibility, all while keeping the producthighly customisable to meet the needs ofdifferent clients.”

systems [the company] had restructuredthe business processes for the purpose ofimproving them to ensure (it couldbridge) the gaps between the currentpractice and the new system’s needs, andin a way that is consistent with the natureof the company activities.”

“(We will now focus on training) theusers of these systems so as to ensureoptimum use of this new technologyapplied.”

The company says that it plans toexpand the usage of the new systemseven further over the course of this year,as part of the second phase of the project.

NSCSA will also work to establish newprojects such as a backup Data Centre, toensure the continued availability of criti-cal systems around the clock.

BGP will install Tero software on six vessels, with Tero also in the process of launching an expanded version of its application package

p17-35:p15-25.qxd 18/03/2011 15:08 Page 2

p17-35:p15-25.qxd 18/03/2011 15:08 Page 3

SOFTWARE NEWS


to ensure there has been no deteriorationin a crew member’s performance.

APRO could also be employed afteraccidents as part of the investigationprocess to determine if mental abilityplayed a part in the incident.

Seagull training content director,Captain Bjarke Jakobsen, commented, “Itis fine to develop technical solutions andprocedures, but what about the peoplewho operate and implement them?”

“Shipping companies need to know iftheir onboard staffs are capable of absorbinginformation and following procedures in away that has the desired safety outcome.”

APRO is suitable for shipping compa-nies of all types, but Seagull notes that itcould be especially useful for tanker oper-ators, who have to comply with TankerManagement and Self Assessment(TMSA) requirements.

TMSA stipulates that techniques suchas simulator training and computer-basedor psychometric test assessment toolsmust be in place to confirm competencefor the job before employment.

www.dnv.com

DNV reports that it has completed thedevelopment of a supply chain perform-ance tool, together with partners in theMARLEN project, for calculating the envi-ronmental impact and energy efficiency ofmaritime logistics chains.

The company says that the two casestudies it used to evaluate the tool havedemonstrated how increased use of ship-ping can achieve environmental and finan-cial benefits for the supply chain as a whole.

The Maritime Logistics Chains and theEnvironment project (MARLEN), estab-lished in 2008, has developed tools to mapenvironmental performance of a logisticschain (‘As-Is’) and to evaluate the poten-tial consequences changes in parts of thechain may have for the chain as a whole(‘What-If’).

The tools were tested on HöeghAutoliners’ multimodal distribution systemfor transporting new cars from the produc-tion plant to inland distribution centres.

A model was developed to optimise thetotal distribution system on a cost only,environmental performance only, orweighted combination basis, changingparameters such as the number and loca-tion of ports, type of ships, sailing fre-quency and the use of rail or road inland.

The results showed that costs and totalenergy consumption could be reducedwhen the proportion of transportationperformed by ships was increased.

A second case study analysed Statoil’slogistics for moving well and drillingequipment from suppliers to oil platforms,including the logistics of returning equip-ment for maintenance.

Among the changes tested, the effect ofmoving more of the transport volumefrom road to sea was seen to provide anumber of benefits.

Line Kaldestad, logistics manager atStatoil, said that MARLEN’s findingshelped to expand the company’s efforts ingreen logistics.

“The results of the project improvedour understanding of the supply chainfrom an environmental perspective andwe will use them in our efforts to achievemore environmentally friendly logisticspractices in future,” she said

DNV notes that the study also revealedthat, in general, there are systematic flawsin charter agreements that do not encouragecommercial parties to choose the most envi-ronmentally desirable transport options.

“As logistics operators face increasingpressure to improve their environmentalperformance, the risks of introducing sub-optimal solutions rises,” said PerHolmvang, DNV’s environmental pro-gramme director.

“Solutions that have a positive environ-mental impact on one aspect of the logis-tics chain may adversely affect other parts,requiring the comprehensive approachachieved through MARLEN.”

Other participants in the MARLEN proj-ect were MARINTEK, the ScandinavianInstitute of Marine Law at the University ofOslo and the Wikborg Rein legal partnership.

Online seafarer psychometric testing launchedwww.seagull.no

Seagull is launching an online version ofAPRO, a psychometric ability test toolaimed specifically at seafarers.

The company says the system couldhelp to address what it calls “the shippingindustry’s ‘Achilles heel’ where safe prac-tices are concerned.”

Segull believes that too little emphasishas been placed on the ability of peopleonboard to handle newly introduced safe-ty systems and procedures, and hopes thatthis system will go some way to address-ing this problem.

APRO was initially developed as a psy-chometric ability test in the mid-1980s aspart of a project led by the NorwegianMarine Technology Research Institute andsupported by the University of Oslo, DNVand the Norwegian Shipping Association.

Working with Professor Roald Bjorklundof The University of Oslo’s Department ofPsychology, who was part of the originalresearch and development team, Seagullhas modified the APRO test tool so that

the test can be undertaken online.“It is important to recognise that APRO

is a very specific tool that allows compa-nies to find out how people react in safetyrelated areas, measuring the time theytake to do tasks and the level of accuracyand the mistakes they might make, forinstance,” said Professor Bjorklund.

“Unlike some other psychometric tests,APRO is designed to help select peoplewho are able to act in the right way whensafety is critical. What Seagull has donewith APRO is very impressive, usingmodern IT to allow the tests to be used ondifferent types of computer screens andmost importantly online.”

“Results can be kept remotely, ratherthan on a local computer, and the resultsevaluated over a period of time, forinstance comparing them with a candi-date’s real life performance onboard ship.”

Seagull expects the online APRO test tobe used as a recruitment tool, especiallywhen recruiting cadets and junior officers,and also as part of the promotion processor to measure capabilities at set intervals

DNV testinggreen shipping

MarLiant system ready for first deliveries www.netwavesystems.com/marliant

NetWave Systems reports that it hasbegun the first deliveries of its MarLiantsystem, after a three year developmentand testing period.

The MarLiant system features a multi-user Windows environment usingthin client-server technology incor-porating dedicated service-processors,which the company says can be used toprovide a “fully redundant” IT systemspecifically designed for the maritimeenvironment.

A typical system consists of a single,fully redundant application server using

Windows Server 2008, in conjunctionwith a number of solid state Thin Clientworkstations (measuring 75 x 75 mm)mounted throughout the vessel.

The system replaces a network of shipboard PCs and laptops, whichNetWave says helps to reduce vulnerabil-ity to viruses or other types of abuse, aswell as simplifying repair and updateprocedures.

NetWave opened the order book forthis system during the final quarter of2010, and the company says it has alreadyreceived orders for more than 100 ship-board systems to be delivered during thefirst half of 2011.

MarLiant – aiming to offer networkredundancy

p17-35:p15-25.qxd 18/03/2011 15:08 Page 4

Find out how KVH TracPhone V7 can change your business at:

www.kvh.com/digitalship

An end-to-end communications solution with a compact 60 cm antenna and a fully integrated control unit and modem.

Dramatically cut your airtime costsand improve your ship’s operations with KVH’s mini-VSAT BroadbandSM –the most affordable service for broadband Internet, e-mail, and telephone!

Fast, low-cost Internet at sea – Rely on broadband Internet with speeds as fast as 2 Mbps down and 512 Kbps up while saving 85% or more vs. other solutions.

Crystal-clear telephone calls – Make calls whenever and wherever you want using either of the two lines of integrated voice service optimised for maritime customers or KVH’s crew calling solution.

Easy to install and setup –ViaSat’s exclusive ArcLight® spread spectrumtechnology enables a small 60 cm antenna with dramatically superior performance, easy installation and activation in as little as 1 day!

Integrated network management – KVH’s powerful CommBoxTM offers an optional suite of business-critical tools, including least-cost routing, web acceleration, and remote IT access.

What broadband at sea was meant to beSM – TracPhone® V7.

We’ve maintained our communications

costs from two years ago, but have now

added the capability of being online,

which is a benefit to both the technical

organization and operations.

- Mr. Kurt Rye Damkjær, Managing Director, Nordic Tankers Marine A/S

Watch the testimonial: www.kvh.com/nordictanker

KVH Europe A/S • Kokkedal Industripark 2B • 2980 Kokkedal • Denmark

Tel: +45 45 160 180 • Fax: +45 45 160 181 • E-mail: [email protected]

©2010-2011 KVH Industries, Inc. KVH, TracPhone, CommBox, and the unique light-colored dome with dark contrasting baseplate are trademarks of KVH Industries, Inc. 11_KE_V7miniVSAT_Comm_Nordic_DigitalShip“What Broadband at sea was meant to be” and “mini-VSAT Broadband” are service marks of KVH Industries, Inc.

ArcLight is a registered trademark of ViaSat, Inc.; all other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. Patents Pending.

New RegionsAdded!

Global Expansion Continues!

“

“

p17-35:p15-25.qxd 18/03/2011 15:08 Page 5

SOFTWARE NEWS


www.marinesoftware.co.uk

Marine Software reports that it has sup-plied its MPM - Marine PlannedMaintenance system to UK-based John HWhitaker Tankers, to be installed onboardthe company's latest 2,779 dwt bunkerbarge 'Whithaven'.

Whitaker Tankers is a fuel transporta-tion company operating a fleet of inlandbarges and sea going tankers in UK andEuropean waters.

John H Whitaker's two technical officesin the UK, in Hull and Southampton, hadalready been equipped with the shorebased version of the software, OPM -Office Planned Maintenance.

Installation of the vessel system willallow the Whithaven to be connected toboth offices via an upgrade from theMarine Software website.

Once updated, regular data transferupdates from the new vessel will be e-mailed to the main technical office foroverall management review.

This latest software delivery brings thenumber of Marine Planned Maintenance

systems delivered to Whitaker to ten, withMarine Software supplying the tankerfleet for the last ten years.

Whitaker Tankers said, in a statement:"The Marine Software PlannedMaintenance System was an ideal choicefor our tanker fleet, as it offers ease of useand simplicity for the crew."

UK tanker installs planned maintenance system

www.jotun.com/hps

Jotun Marine Coatings has launched aHull Performance Solutions service, whichit says will offer a “money-back guaran-tee” if significant reductions in fuel con-sumption are not achieved by combiningthe use of software based monitoring toolswith its latest antifouling coatings.

Jotun’s silyl acrylate SeaQuantumrange of antifouling coatings has been inuse since 2000. However, the companysays that it has until now been difficult togather evidence of the coating’s ability toreduce fuel consumption without mea-sureable data for individual vessels.

Following a three-year study, Jotun

says it has now developed the monitoringtools and analysis method it required toprove its coating’s ability to lower fuelcosts over time.

“By using sensors to capture informa-tion from different data points, we have abasis to calculate fuel savings over time,”says Geir Boe, divisional vice president,Marine Coatings.

“Based on these data, Jotun can offerHPS customers a guarantee thatSeaQuantum X200 will provide a clean hulland less than 1.5 per cent speed loss or amaximum 4.5 per cent increase in fuel con-sumption over 60 months, compared to thecondition of the vessel after dry-dock.”

“Either we deliver on high perform-

Sensor system to measure impact of anti-fouling coatings

www.essdocs.com

Gunvor International has signed up to use electronic Safety Data Sheet (eSDS)Services from electronic documentsprovider Electronic Shipping Solutions(ESS).

ESS says that eSDS services enableusers to comply with global and regionallegislation requiring the production anddistribution of Safety Data Sheets electron-ically, rather than using the more tradi-tional paper-based method.

SDS compliance obligations requirecargo owners to manage, send, track andstore multi-lingual safety data sheetswhen hazardous cargoes are transported.

Gunvor International will use the serv-ice to comply with the requirements of theRegistration, Evaluation, Authorisationand Restriction of Chemical substances(REACH) regulations, and the GloballyHarmonised System (GHS).

The electronic nature of the documentsallows an eSDS to be automatically re-sentshould a safety data sheet change. In addi-tion, the eSDSs are stored for 10 years witha full audit trail of all recipients and readers.

Users can build their own proprietarylibrary of eSDS material or take advantageof a shared library maintained by SGS.

The electronic documents are generat-ed and managed online, via the ESSDatabridge- eDocs Exchange.

"We are delighted to welcome GunvorInternational as the 25th customer of oureSDS Services," said Alex Goulandris,chief executive officer of ESS.

"eSDS has already been shown to pro-vide real value to users such as Gunvorwho need to be compliant with currentregulation but also wish to increase theirefficiency in document managementprocesses."

Gunvor goes electronic on

safety data sheets

www.heidenreich.net

Heidenreich Innovations reports that ithas completed a project to integrateSuncor's vetting system with the question-naire system offered via Heidenreich'sQ88.com service.

Ship operators using the system arerequired to complete the Suncor question-naire on the Suncor Marine RiskManagement System prior to each fixture.

The integration of the two technologieswill enable these ship operators to popu-late their responses to the Suncor ques-tionnaire with the vessel data stored intheir Q88.com account.

"Questionnaires are an integral part of the pre- fixture and vetting process,"said Fritz Heidenreich, president ofHeidenreich Innovations.

"Integrating with Suncor is an addedbenefit for all the parties involved and willensure that the vessel can be vetted in atimely manner."

Q88.com integrat-ed with Suncor

John H Whitaker’s latest tanker will run the Marine Software system

"Good quality management reportingis easily accessible from our central fleetoffice system, ensuring we keep up-to-date with fleet PM status. The software isbacked up by rapid technical supportfrom Marine Software, so we had no hes-itation equipping our latest tanker withthis product."

ance, or we return the additional invest-ment in SeaQuantum X200. That's howconfident we are.”

The measuring and analysis systemdeveloped by Jotun uses a set of sensors tomeasure shaft power, vessel speed, windand draft. Once the data is collected, Jotuncan plot the speed deviation relative to thevessel’s speed performance after dry-dock.

Jotun says that a long trend analysis ofthe hull performance provides a reliablestatistical foundation for the performanceguarantee for SeaQuantum X200.

“Jotun is the industry’s first marinecoatings manufacturer to back fuel reduc-tions claims with a guarantee, based onverifiable results,” said Mr Boe.

www.jowatechnology.se

JOWA Technology reports that it hasdeveloped a new fuel management system

based on the company's Diesel SwitchDSMK II, which it says is aimed at helpingshipping companies comply with IMOenvironmental regulations.

Fuel management system to assist in ECA compliance The DSMK II is a fully-automated switch

over and blending system, approved byGermanischer Lloyd. The system mixesHFO and low-sulphur MDO/MGO toachieve the correct sulphur content for traf-fic in Emission Control Areas (ECA).

JOWA says that this also results inlower fuel costs and increased operationalreliability.

The new automated fuel managementsystem consists of a diesel switch with sen-sors and intelligent computer control,which can change fuels during a voyagewithout any interruption to operations aswell as mixing the HFO and low-sulphurfuel in the correct ratios.

The diesel switch has an integral docu-mentation system, which logs all informa-tion about operation, fuel and times todemonstrate compliance with requirements.

The information can be presented anddelivered as a printout or on data media,and may also be viewed on screen.A computerised control system allows the switch to change fuels during a voyage

p17-35:p15-25.qxd 18/03/2011 15:09 Page 6

QUICKDRAWSAND SHIPPING.

When product tanker captain, Frank Zimmerman scales a rugged rock face wall he depends on know-how, experience and the right equipment. No surprises. Predictability is key. Quite similar to last week when he contacted Star Information Systems regarding fleet maintenance updates. Top quality, dependable. SIS – a reliable maritime software partner.

www.sismarine.com

Onboard software: Vessel maintenance, procurement, asset management, QHSE, project management

Office software: Management of fleet maintenance, procurement, projects, QHSE and KPI’s

Services: Consultancy and Training

Credible. Professional. Dynamic.

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p17-35:p15-25.qxd 18/03/2011 15:09 Page 7

SOFTWARE NEWS


www.abs-ns.com

Herbert Engineering Corp (HEC) andclass society ABS have entered into an agreement to form a joint venturecompany, Herbert-ABS SoftwareSolutions, LLC.

Herbert-ABS will offer software designtools to the maritime and offshore indus-tries, as well as loading and salvage analy-sis packages, supporting Herbert's exist-ing product range which will be owned bythe new company.

Development plans for the joint ven-ture in 2011 include an enhanced contain-ership stowage module, performancemonitoring and optimisation tools, and aload management, condition monitoring,and emergency response package for

offshore vessels and structures. The latter product will be integrated

into a Rapid Response and DamageAssessment (RRDA) service to be offeredby ABS to the offshore industry.

A board of directors representing bothHEC and ABS will be established, includ-ing Karen Hughey, president of ABSNautical Systems, Todd Grove, chief tech-nology officer of ABS, Keith Michel, chair-man of the HEC companies, and RobertTagg, president of Herbert SoftwareSolutions.

“The integration between HEC’s andABS’ software programs bridges thedesign, classification and operationalmanagement aspects of vessels and off-shore units,” said Christopher Wiernicki,president and COO of ABS.

ABS in software joint venture

www.shipdecision.com

Seaport Chartering Corporation is toinstall the ShipDecision software systemfrom Stelvio at its New York brokerage.

ShipDecision is used to share informa-tion among business partners in the mar-itime sector, with the data, protected byencryption, accessible from anywhere aninternet connection is available.

The software is used to process data,documents and communications relatedto each voyage.

"My team is using the technology tomanage the high volume of informationwe receive via e-mail every day," saidSeaport president Frank Messina.

"The Message Watch feature is provingto be a very efficient way to ensure that weget to the most important informationfirst."

Albert Carbone, president and CEO ofStelvio, notes that one of the main aims ofthe system is to be easy to use, to helpusers access their data in a simplified fash-ion.

"Information overload is one of the keybusiness issues we tackled," he said.

"Our technology provides intelligentdata triage enabling users to determine thetype of information they want to be alert-ed to. They can even decide to haveWatched List items forwarded to theirBlackberries or smart phones."

Seaport agrees ShipDecision deal

www.bassnet.no

Swiss company ABCmaritime has agreeda deal with Norwegian company BASS toinstall the entire BASSnet 2.7 softwaresuite on a fleet of 40 vessels.

ABCmaritime, a family-owned companythat has been in business for almost 30years, manages ships, primarily tankers andoffshore supply vessels, and is alsoinvolved in conversion and new buildingprojects as well as shipping-related services.

"BASSnet will help us optimise ourprocesses, strengthen our cost control,enhance and expand our activities, consol-idate our company and branch offices andmuch more," said Daniel Tanner, coordi-nator and leader of the project atABCmaritime.

The integrated software will comprisemaintenance, dry dock, procurement,human resource & crew management, and

document management modules.ABCmaritime aims to use the software

to assist in managing ship-shore commu-nications, documentation and automationof various tasks, such as tracking andscheduling maintenance, managing dry-dock projects, enabling e-purchasing,monitoring crew scheduling and report-ing key performance indicators (KPIs).

In addition, the safety management mod-ule (SAFIR) will be used to manage auditinspections and tanker vetting processes.

"The deal with ABCmaritime showsthat more and more companies with afoothold in the offshore industry are real-ising the value of the integrated suite,"said BASS CEO and managing director,Per Steinar Upsaker.

Pilot installations are expected on anumber of ABCmaritime vessels by June,with full implementation on all vesselsexpected by the end of this year.

Software deal for ABCwww.bmtargoss.com

Jersey Coastguard will be the first organi-sation to use version 4 of the Search andRescue Information System (SARIS) fromBMT ARGOSS, a technology designed tohelp pinpoint the location of persons lostat sea.

SARIS is an integrated Search andRescue (SAR) planning tool, incorporatingboth Search Area Determination (SAD)and Search Area Coverage (SAC) and isused by coastguards, navies and portauthorities all over the world.

A new electronic logging system hasbeen added to the application, which willallow the Coastguard to keep track of allincidents at sea such as body recovery,vessel breakdowns and reports of pollu-tion or flare sightings.

"This will be an incredible addition to

the tools we use when we launch a searchand rescue operation in the territorialwaters of Jersey," said Captain RickMasterman, Coastguard and VTS manag-er in Jersey.

"Traditionally, we have used nauticalcharts and careful statistical calculationsto help pinpoint the predicted movementof somebody or something lost overboard,which when coupled with the knowledgeof the local tides is a very precise andskilled technique. This will now be sup-ported by SARIS 4."

As well as the new electronic loggingsystem, BMT Argoss says that enhance-ments have been made to the software'smodelling processes, including the use of'Monte Carlo' simulation techniques thatintegrate the beaching of objects, re-deployable rescue units and simultaneousscenario assessment.

Jersey first for new SAR system

www.crewinspector.com

CrewInspector.com has conducted anonline survey asking visitors to its corpo-rate website to reveal how they managetheir crewing, and whether they are usingspecific crew management software.

The survey results showed that 37 percent of visitors are still looking for acrewing solution, while 27 per cent ofvisitors are installing systems on theirpersonal computers, rather than having

integrated systems.19 per cent of respondents revealed that

they use systems installed on a PC com-bined with web based communicationwith other offices and vessels, and only 17per cent of visitors are using online solu-tions for the crew management process.

CrewInspector.com says that the major-ity of those surveyed that are still lookingfor a crew management solution currentlydeploy various alternatives, such as usingExcel sheets and Word documents or sim-

ilar solutions to manage day-to-day crewing operations.

Approximately 64 per centof respondents representingship operators and owners,ship management and crewmanagement companies saidthey would potentially switchto online based crew manage-ment software, or would liketo eventually replace the man-ual processes which are atpresent utilised offline in theircompanies.

Survey hints at desire for crew management software

www.spectec.net

SpecTec and CORENA have announcedthat MAN Diesel & Turbo has agreed adeal to purchase the AMOS Shipdex DataManager system, to assist in the creationof Shipdex datasets.

“More and more ship-owners requiremaintenance manuals for new ship acqui-sitions to be Shipdex compliant,” saidHenrik Striboldt, business developmentmanager, MAN Diesel & Turbo.

“MAN Diesel & Turbo wishes to meetsuch requirements the best way possible.We have therefore ordered the AMOSShipdex Data Manager, enabling us to val-idate that our maintenance manuals are incompliance with the Shipdex protocol.”

The AMOS Shipdex Data Manager is acomponent of the AMOS Shipdex Suite,developed under a cooperation agreementbetween SpecTec and CORENA wherebythe companies will work together indeveloping Shipdex compliant softwareapplications.

“This order again proves the marketacceptance of Shipdex in an industry with long product life cycles and diff-erentiated information updates,” said

Toralf Johannessen, president and CEO at CORENA.

“MAN Diesel & Turbo is one of themajor drivers in the Shipdex community,and we are extremely happy to welcomesuch an important engine manufacturer asa new Spectec/CORENA customer.”

MAN to implement Shipdex software

The CrewInspector.com survey showed that mostrespondents are interested in a better crew

management software system

The Shipdex deal could soon see MANequipment delivered with Shipdex-

compliant documentation

p17-35:p15-25.qxd 18/03/2011 15:09 Page 8

SeaAccess turnkey solutions include:

– Worldwide coverage and service locations

– Corporate networking

– Internet and e-mail access

– Crew calling solutions

– 24/7 help desk

– Customer portal for metrics and tools

Satellite

VSAT

Phone/FaxGSM

Internet

Wireless Access Point

Satellite Network Gateway

Virtual Private Network

Isn’t it time for SeaAccess?Maritime communications are taking a turn for the better. Expensive phone calls, slow data transfers and gaps in coverage are a thing of the past. With SeaAccess Communications from CapRock, you get always-on, business-class broadband at an affordable, fixed, monthly cost virtually anywhere in the world. Without metered service and surprising cost fluctuations, your captains and crews can remain in contact with the corporate office and stay in touch with friends and family anytime. And thanks to CapRock’s global infrastructure, you’ll get worldwide coverage and local support day in and day out. All these advances lead to cost savings, more efficient fleet operations and more informed decision-making.

It’s time for a wave of change.

www.CapRock.com/mari t ime-ds

© 2011 CapRock Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

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SOFTWARE


Container ship study shows trim savings potential

A 136-day study by Eniram, collecting masses of sensor data aboard a globally trading container ship, has demonstrated potential savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars in fuel that could be made

through the optimisation of vessel trim

FF innish technology company Eniramhas released the results of a studyconducted on a container vessel to

demonstrate the potential benefits andcost savings that can be derived from theuse of trim optimisation technology.

The 5,500 TEU container vessel operat-ed mainly between Europe and SouthAmerica until it changed routes to alsotravel to Asia. The study lasted for 136days across seven voyages.

The data for the study was collectedusing the company’s Dynamic TrimmingAssistant (DTA) which uses attitude sen-sors fixed onboard the ship, as well asinformation from the existing bridge andautomation systems, to identify areas ofenergy loss relating to propulsion andexamine opportunities for performanceimprovements.

DTA includes a software packagewhich presents the key metrics to vesselofficers on the bridge through a ‘trafficlight monitor’ to dynamically monitor andoptimise the trim (though this facility wasnot enabled during this project).

“A modern vessel has a lot of sensordata, good data, already being produced.But if that information is not reliableenough, not accurate enough or just notavailable, we complement that with ourown sensors,” explained Henrik Dahl,Eniram vice president of sales.

“We take all that real time data, up to25 times per second, and process it tomake it more relevant. The key thing fromour side was to start with the propulsioninformation and isolate the detailed com-ponents of that – so we can say how muchof the propulsion goes into currents, howmuch goes into waves, and so on.”

“Naturally as we go through all of thesecomponents we will get to the trim. Withthe DTA we can analyse the real time statusof that component, and so we can optimisethe trim dynamically in every situation.”

Mr Dahl notes that these effects can bemore significant for a large-sized vesselthat spends a lot of its time engaged inocean voyages, where variations in trimcan be quite severe.

“When it’s compared to something likea Ro-Pax or a cruise vessel the draft varia-tions are usually low and we don’t seethese kind of big variations, but with acontainer vessel, especially operating withdifferent types of loads, full cargo or medi-um cargo, light loads, it means that youget much more variation,” he said.

“We also have highly varying speedprofiles, which means that the crew has alot of variation to deal with.”

“We could see from the data that thecrew was trying to control the trim in spe-cific areas, but it’s really hard for them to

figure out where the optimum is whenthere is this much variation.”

Study resultsOver the 136-day study the trim generallyvaried from minus 1 metre up to about 3metres, though for the majority of the voy-age the trim was recorded at somewherebetween minus 0.5 metres and 1.5 metres –a 2 metre natural variation.

Similar information on the speed of thevessel showed that the speed at sea most-ly ranged between 17 and 23 knots.

“We can see that the ship is not going atthe speeds it used to before the fuel priceswent up, not going at top speed, but wecan’t really say it’s slow steaming either asit’s in around 20 knots,” notes Mr Dahl.

Power usage varied greatly, dependingon whether the vessel was engaged inheavy or medium displacement legs of itsjourney.

For a heavy displacement voyage of5,333 nautical miles from South Americato Europe, where the mean displacementwas 76,464 tons, the trim variation wasfound to be 62 cm. Average fuel consump-tion per nautical mile was 0.23 tons.

An examination of how the propulsionenergy for this voyage was used showedthat 82 per cent was used for propellingthe vessel. Wind and waves were also bigimpact factors, using up 6.6 per cent and 5per cent of energy respectively.

“(Wind and waves) create quite a biguse of energy, but these are things it isvery hard to control – we are trying to butat the moment that kind of technology isnot readily available!” said Mr Dahl.

Eniram says that the results of the

study have shown that sailing at non-opti-mal trim is in fact the single highest causeof unwanted fuel use that can actually bemanaged, and that the average percentageof propulsion power loss due to non-opti-mal trimming was 5 per cent, whilst thevessel was on long, transoceanic legs.

“One thing you can control however ishaving the optimal trim, and we foundthat on the heavy legs having non-optimaltrim made up 2.2 per cent of energyusage,” said Mr Dahl.

“It’s a small number, but for this size ofvessel, when you think about the amount offuel, then it becomes something important,it means good money and a good opportu-nity to save. For this type of vessel in theseconditions, to save this much for a year in

fuel would mean saving about $200,000.”Given that Eniram is offering the sys-

tem at a cost of about $150,000 per ship,this saving would be enough to pay for thetechnology and garner additional returns.The system is a one time install, so there isno ongoing charge after this amount.

However, even more interesting resultsin terms of trim optimisation came on themedium displacement leg, for a voyage of5,278 nautical miles from Europe to SouthAmerica, where the mean displacementwas 54,623 tons. Average consumption offuel per nautical mile was 0.18 tons, and thetrim variation during the leg was 106 cm.

In this case the vessel load was approx-imately 20,000 tons less than the ship wasdesigned to carry efficiently – which had asignificant impact on crew efforts to man-age their power usage.

“When they go out of their comfortzone and operate in a way that the vessel

was not designed for, the crew doesn’thave that much accumulated informationto try and deal with it,” said Mr Dahl.

“In this case the amount of power lostto non-optimal trim rose to 6.8 per cent. If2 per cent is enough to justify the invest-ment in this technology, then at 6.8 percent the operator really should be payingattention, this is a lot of money.”

“If this was spread over even more ves-sels it would be really substantial.”

Actual savingsSimilar tests were carried out on repeatedlegs in different conditions over the courseof the four months, resulting in a calculat-ed average, for all of the legs, of a 4.4 percent potential power saving from trimoptimisation.

“This was just behind weather factors inpower use, at 5.8 per cent, which we wouldalso like to optimise though in some situa-tions it’s not feasible,” said Mr Dahl.

“Of course there are route optimisationtechnologies and these things, and we arealso investigating the possibilities of thesetechnologies.”

“But trim is one of the few things on thepropulsion side where you can actuallycontrol it and save money. For a containervessel, particularly because it is operatingwith different cargos, this potential isquite high.”

Of the potential 4.4 per cent improve-ment, Eniram says that it is not feasible toexpect to optimise completely, and thatthe company has a normal target rate ofusage of 80 per cent of the DTA suggestedoptimum.

In this case Eniram says that applyingthe DTA analysis onboard and makingreal time adjustments to the trim wouldhave saved around 280 tons of fuel overthe course of the study, equating to morethan $160,000 in savings for the vessel inless than 4 months.

This would also mean reduced CO2emissions of approximately 880 tons.

Following this study the vessel in ques-tion was actually installed with the DTAsystem at its next drydocking, which gaveEniram the opportunity to directly com-pare the performance before and afterimplementing the technology.

With the system in full use on the vesselfor over 500 days Eniram says that the ves-sel only had 1 per cent optimisation poten-tial left, compared with the 4.4 per cent thatwas seen during the study – meaning thatthe actual fuel savings achieved throughusing the technology were confirmed asbeing just over 3 per cent.

“The customer themselves did theirindependent verification themselves too,to make sure they were taking into

Sensors around the vessel present voyage data for analysis, to calculate power consumption in various areas

p17-35:p15-25.qxd 18/03/2011 15:09 Page 10

account everything to check and not justbe relying on our results, and they alsofound they had saved 3 per cent,” notesMr Dahl.

“At today’s oil prices that meant thatthey were getting about $340,000 savingsper year.”

Fouling is, of course, another elementthat will have an effect on the power usageof the vessel and had to be taken intoaccount as part of these calculations, andEniram notes that its 136 day study alsoincluded fouling data to make sure thatthis was part of the power analysis.

From this study the company foundthat the effect of fouling for the container

vessel was relatively small, which it thinkswas due to it often visiting ports in freshwater and spending most of the time at seaoperating at high speed.

“Fouling does have an effect on anytype of vessel, but it seems for the contain-er ships it is not quite as much as thecruise vessels, for example,” said Mr Dahl.

“Certainly the effect is much less thanthe effect of the trim on the performance.”

“The fouling will certainly, over time,reduce the performance of the vessel, butthe fouling and the trim are not reallyrelated. It is important for the savingsanalysis though, when we compare beforeand after, we need to take it into account.”

Into the marketEniram says that the results of this study,and the subsequent real-life utilisation ofits system, are quantifiable proof of thebenefits of maintaining optimal trim andhow it can not only provide the operatorwith key fuel and cost savings, but alsosignificant reductions in emissions.

The company also notes that it has under-taken other similar studies following the ini-tial container ship study, on cruise ships,RoPax vessels and a VLCC tanker, and plansto release those results in the future.

In the meantime Eniram has a 2011 tar-get of reaching somewhere between 80and 92 further installations of DTA by theend of the year. This would add to 43installations last year, and bring the com-pany close to 150 installations in total.

There are also plans in the works tointroduce a ‘lite’ version of the technologythat would come with a price tag lower than$150,000, to cater to vessels in the merchantsector where power and fuel consumptionmay be lower and potential savings not ofthe same magnitude as its existing cus-tomers and ships like that in the study.

“This is one of the challenges when wepresent this to a new customer, we can’tjust say that ‘you’ll save 4 per cent’ orwhatever, there’s always variations withdifferent legs and voyages,” said Mr Dahl.

“Generally though ships using DTAwill be operating within 1 per cent of theoptimal, which is pretty good.”

“There is usually also a learning curve, asthey start following the instructions and

using the system, it won’t immediately go to100 per cent. And actually it will never real-ly reach 100 per cent because you will haveother guidelines or regulations you have tofollow where you won’t have optimal trim.”

The company has also recentlyannounced a deal with Norwegian ship-ping company Color Line AS to deployDTA onboard the vessel Color Line M/S'SuperSpeed 2'.

The SuperSpeed 2 has the capacity tocarry over 1,900 passengers, 764 cars or117 trucks, and sails twice a day betweenLarvik, Norway and Hirtshal, Denmark.

“We are excited to implement andoperate Eniram’s DTA on our vessel thisspring,” said Jan-Erik Pile, project direc-tor, Color Line AS.

“As this is a ro-pax vessel trading withhigh speed on exact route and timetable in2011 as for the previous year, we will beable to compare fuel consumptionimprovements as a result of this installa-tion relatively easily.”

“We believe in Eniram DTA’s displayof actual and potential fuel saving as aresult of longitudinal trim in real timedirectly to the navigators as an efficientway to minimise fuel and power needs forthe voyage. If successful this will also bean important part of our strategy to min-imise emissions to air, and could later beimplemented on more of our vessels.”

Eniram is hoping that this will be thefirst of many new installations as it looksto convince the maritime market of thesavings potential of trim optimisation. DS


Digital Ship

Analysis after installation of the trim management system at drydock showed that the vessel began to operate much closer to the optimum level

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Digital Ship

Selecting and implementing a new reporting system

As a tanker company with an expanding fleet, Jo Tankers knew that improving its management of data was a key element in maintaining the very highest quality standards – and set out to implement

an integrated software system that would radically change the way it uses information

NN orwegian shipping company JoTankers operates a chemical tankerfleet with parcel tankers in world-

wide trade, varying in size up to 37,000dwt and designed to carry liquid productsranging from specialised chemicals andacids, to edible oils and potable alcohols.

As a major tanker company Jo Tankerscommits itself to operating at high levels ofquality and safety, subject to the demands ofinitiatives like TMSA (Tanker ManagementSelf Assessment), IMO's Green Passport res-olution, ISM and the Qualship 21 pro-gramme run by the US Coast Guard.

Meeting demands like these is notalways a straightforward process. Withoffices in Bergen, Rotterdam, Houston,Singapore, Manila and Dundee, and ves-sels travelling around the globe, issueslike reporting and documentation need tobe managed with care and precision, sothat the company's management can besure that policies and regulations arebeing adhered to, and that its tankers areoperating to the standard that is expected.

These demands are also set to increase -in the last twelve months Jo Tankers hasannounced details of an extensive new-building programme that includes four74,500 dwt panamax vessels, with two tobe built in Korea and two in China, as wellas a further two 30,000 dwt tankers to alsobe constructed in China.

With these six ships expected to comeonline by the middle of 2013, the reportingdemands on Jo Tankers’ vessels and staffis going to increase – and with it the pres-sure to make sure that data is handledaccurately and in a timely manner.

To make sure that it would be in thebest possible position to ensure its infor-mation management remained of thehighest quality, Jo Tankers decided tomove from its existing set-up towards anew, integrated software-based reportingsystem well before news of its newbuildprojects was released.

“We had a paper based quality manage-ment system, on shore and on board, and

this meant it was also very time consumingto keep the system updated,” recalls JohanIsaksen, QA manager for Jo Tankers.

“Information flow had an unstructuredformat and did not allow for two waycommunication, that meant that if a reportwas made it wasn’t possible to edit thereport, and you had to do all the follow upby e-mail. This meant that it wasn’t veryeasy to keep track of all the follow ups.”

“In addition to that we had our audits,which are important since we’re in thetanker business, which had minutes ofmeetings based on word and e-mail. Itwas definitely a challenge to keep track ofall the information and to monitor vesselperformance. This is all time consumingwhen you want to identify problem areasand see how you can do better.”

RequirementsTo proceed with its project Jo Tankers’first step was to gather a detailed list of therequirements of the various parts of theorganisation with regard to the new sys-tem, to form the basis of its assessment ofthe available applications.

To do this a working group was estab-lished with representatives from depart-ments within the company, including theoperations department and the ITdepartment.

One of the common themes thatemerged from this process was that justreporting the information was no longerseen as being enough – the companywanted the reported data to be translatedinto trends and indicators that woulddrive improved processes.

“We agreed on some elements whichwe wanted the system to have. One of thetop ones was a system for managing inci-dents (accidents, near misses and non-con-formities) that would suggest improve-ments by creating statistics and trendsautomatically, which would also be lesstime consuming,” said Mr Isaksen.

“In addition to that we wanted to havean audit inspection system which could

also identify trends and show us where wehad to improve and where we have ourobservation findings.”

“Our risk assessment system was atemplate in Excel, and is an important partof TMSA, which we have to follow. Thishas always been time consuming, filingthis and that, recording best practice andsharing it with the fleet.”

The working group also wanted toexpand the focus of what it could achievewith the system, to introduce new ways ofreporting that would make managementof operations easier.

“During this process our operationsdepartment also came up with some ideasto include a more structured way ofreporting, for departure reports, noonreports, arrival reports, statements offacts, and so on,” said Mr Isaksen.

“There were also meeting reports wewanted to have in the system, and wewanted to go electronic with our QA sys-tem to make it more visible. They alsowanted information on port performance,port turnarounds, speed and consumption– all these things.”

“An electronic archive is something weabsolutely wanted. We need a systemwhere we can focus on what we need todo rather than spending time on filing andsearching through documents.”

Outside of the software functionality,there were further business considerationsthat the working group wanted its ven-dors to be able to work under.

“We definitely wanted to have a systemthat was developed for our business, wedidn’t want to be a big contributor indeveloping a system for someone else,”said Mr Isaksen.

“Giving input on improvements is onething, that’s ok, but the system needed tobe well developed.”

“We also didn’t want to have to do anIT hardware upgrade. This started early in2010, and 2010 was not a year to startchanging IT hardware, even if the systemwas ready to be changed.”

In essence, the main aim was to use thenew system to significantly improvework-flow between the vessels and office,allowing follow ups to be performed ineach and every report within the system.

For Mr Isaksen, once this could beachieved the company would be workingwith a much improved structure and asignificantly reduced amount of e-mailcorrespondence.

Application selectionWith its list of requirements and condi-tions in place, the Jo Tankers workinggroup went out into the market to reviewwhat was on offer. After a few months ofinvestigation the company came upon theVessel Information Portal (VIP) fromNorwegian based COEX.

The VIP system works via a webserverlocally on the vessel that operates com-pletely within a web browser.

Once launched the user will open apage containing a ‘soft news’ section, thatcan be sent out to the vessel containingwhatever kind of information the compa-ny might want. In Jo Tankers’ case it dis-plays a list of recent company news

Tabs along the top of this screen offeraccess to the various reports, statistics andother data generated by the software.

The tabs offer direct access to theQuality Management System, which issearchable to aid in finding particular pro-cedures, and an improvement system cov-ering the incidents, accidents and non-conformities – a function that was high upon Jo Tankers’ list of ‘must haves’.

“This includes a port register, and ourimprovement system covering all of theincidents and risk assessment, and all ofthis,” Mr Isaksen explains.

“There is an Admin tab, which is help-ful to have so if you see any issues, withreports for example, you could changetemplates, labels and validation to try andmake it easier to fill in.”

A Risk Assessment system automatical-ly publishes new risk assessments con-ducted onboard or onshore, so the officestaff can see all of the risk assessments andincorporate everything into company riskassessments – also a TMSA requirement.

“All our audits today, internal auditsand external audits, are now being done inthe new system,” says Mr Isaksen.

“All observation and non-conformityfindings are categorised so we can seewhere we need to focus – all the data isvery easy to work with.”

All operational and technical reportsare now also all done within the softwaresystem, including position lists.

“The position list is based on the opera-tional reports we are receiving from thevessels,” said Mr Isaksen. To improve efficiency in its management of information Jo Tankers decided to move from a paper-based to a fully electronic reporting system

p17-35:p15-25.qxd 18/03/2011 15:09 Page 13

SOFTWARE


Fugro Seastar AS, Oslo, Norway Tel: +47 21 50 14 00 Fax: +47 21 50 14 01 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.marinestar.no

Keep TrimDynamic fore and aft trim measurement by MarineSTAR can lead to more economical use of bunker fuel.

M in

“We can see where the vessels are andthe status, with an explanation of the sta-tus at the bottom of the screen.”

That status is colour-coded so that vesselmarkers also indicate what type of messagewas include in the latest report from thatship – where red is a departure message,blue a noon report, white an in-port mes-sage, and green an arrival message.

“We also now have machinery reportsto add to this, so it’s a very useful tool,”Mr Isaksen adds.

“The statistics and trends, covering allof this data, are now easily available fromthe system.”

Audits and manualsThe layout of the improvement system isuser-defined, with Jo Tankers setting upits software to display reports by vessel.

Clicking on a vessel on the screen willdisplay details on audit inspections, inci-dents and non-conformities for that ship,as well as the status of these issues.

Audit inspections are set up by type,where clicking on that particular type ofinspection will give you a list of colourcoded recent and pending reports.

“Master reviews, CDI inspections,Internal Navigation Audits – they’re all inhere, and this is great to help us keep trackof everything,” said Mr Isaksen.

“Internal reports like superintendentvisit reports, master reports, and so on,these things also have a ‘story’ functionwhich lets us compare vessel to vessel andyear to year. This is another tool which can

help to comply with the ISM code.”Further detail is available, with the user

able to drill down to the actual report itselfand see the data that was presented, and,with a non-conformity or observation forexample, see what actions need to be takento close the issue, and by whom.

“This all allows you to keep track ofwhat you have done, and what you needto do,” Mr Isaksen said.

Manuals are arranged by type, underheadings like Policy Statement,Organisation, Procedures, Checklists &Forms and Circular Letters. Again, eachheading can drill down for further detail.

Procedures, for example, will provide afurther list of manuals for the engineroom, or health and safety, or cargo han-dling, or whatever the area of interest is.

“There are manuals, as part of the qual-ity management system, with a searchfunction to help you find what you need,”Mr Isaksen said.

“We had paper manuals before, butnow we have a structured system with allof the policies for the company, jobdescriptions onboard and ashore, all of thedifferent procedures.”

“On board, the guys will only see thefiles that are relevant for them – this is agood way of keeping everything updatedtoo, this is the way we are doing it and it’sdefinitely an improvement on a paper sys-tem. If you need to have it on paper youcan do a printout anyway, the vessels canselect the mandatory manuals and proce-dures they have to print out and do that.”

InstallationHaving agreed a deal with COEX inFebruary 2010 to roll out the VIP softwareto its tanker fleet, installation of the soft-ware proceeded at a rapid pace – to theextent that implementation was fully com-pleted by the end of the year.

This process was assisted by the use ofNorwegian based Palantir’s Pandora@Seatechnology, a hardware-based ‘black box’which is used to manage installation andupdating of software systems onboard ship.

Via the Pandora@Sea unit the softwareapplications are available locally to theonboard computers, with one unitrequired per vessel.

“This ‘black box’ (delivered by Palantir)is a great thing, everything is inside thebox so you just connect it to the serveronboard,” Mr Isaksen explained.

“You don’t need to get the IT depart-ment involved, and don’t have to worryabout other IT hardware.”

“It was easy to set-up, it’s more or lessplug and play. There was only a minorchange in the computers onboard to pre-pare for the new system, and the vesselcrews were able to do this themselves so itwas an easy operation.”

The only real challenge that Mr Isaksennotes during this process was in makingsure there was a browser availableonboard to access the portal.

“The roll-out went ok, we had toupgrade an Internet Explorer version, forexample, but that didn’t take much work,”he said.

“Only limited IT resources wererequired, which was great, and the ITdepartment really appreciated it.”

“There was also a limited amount oftraining needed, as the user interface is easyto understand. It works with an internetbrowser, and everyone knows how to usethe internet – hit back, forward and so on.”

The final part of the process has beengetting the staff and crews up to speed totake full advantage of the new softwareinfrastructure.

“User guides are important, eventhough with most reports it’s quite easy tounderstand how to fill it in and see theboxes you are required to fill in, some peo-ple are not very good with computers,”said Mr Isaksen.

“So we are focusing more on this now.For all the people in the company, fromthe master on board down to the messmanwho’s making the potatoes, this has to bean easy system to use – or else they willnot report and use the system as theyshould.”

With the system now fully implement-ed for a matter of months, Mr Isaksen saysthat Jo Tankers has “absolutely” seen areduction in the amount of time requiredto manage its reporting.

“I’ve seen now that our department cannow focus much more on the content of thereports themselves,” he said, “and how toimprove and where to improve, instead ofusing time for storing and filing data.”

That, it could be said, is mission accomplished. DS

p17-35:p15-25.qxd 18/03/2011 15:09 Page 14

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SOFTWARE


FLAGSHIP adds to range of maritime toolsThe FLAGSHIP project has added to the ship efficiency tools it introduced in early 2011 with

the launch of three new technology based systems – this time focusing on the areas of safety, fuel consumption and regulatory compliance

HH aving already completed a busystart to 2011 with the launch ofnew tools for the maritime

industry in areas like engine monitoring,hull condition forecasting and terminallogistics (see Digital Ship March 2011), theEU-backed FLAGSHIP programme hasbuilt on these successes to introduce arange of additional new tools for the ship-ping industry.

The tools launched earlier in the yearaimed to assist shipping companies inimproving the efficiency of vessel opera-tions, with a Technical Condition Indexingscheme to help a ship’s crew monitor andimprove the technical condition of vesselengines and a Hull Condition Assessmentsoftware system that can forecast the con-dition of a ship’s hull over time.

These systems to help maritime stake-holders to reduce costs and improve ves-sel performance have been joined by thefirst of FLAGSHIP’s new tools, the FLAG-SHIP-EEM (Energy Efficiency Monitoring)system, used to measure on-board powerrequirements and hopefully lead to areduction in fuel consumption.

The EEM system combines data acqui-sition and continuous analysis to evaluatepower requirements at every stage of avessel’s voyage, monitoring both mainand auxiliary engines.

Comparisons of current consumptionwith baseline consumption and recent his-tory can be made, to establish a database ofoperational data for evaluation of opera-tional measures and changes in machinery.

The FLAGSHIP-EEM developmentteam says that, when it started lookinginto how vessel efficiency could beimproved, no detailed consumption datawas actually available.

It says that, to date, most ships have notbeen equipped to measure and displayactual power consumption and as a resultcrews tend to run vessels at too high con-sumption patterns.

In the development of the EEM systemthe project team had to undertake a

detailed analysis of on board power con-sumption in order to determine efficiencyinfluencing parameters.

The team also collected operational dataover time to ensure that any external influ-ences and variations were considered toensure modelling accuracy, especially inrelation to predicting potential fuel savings.

FLAGSHIP says that the results of thiswork have made energy monitoring possi-ble without the need to install highly accu-rate fuel flow meters, and without requir-ing access to proprietary engine datawhich manufacturers may be unwilling todisclose.

The new system has been trialled onboard a multi-purpose vessel since May2010, during which time EEM has identi-fied a range of small, hidden energy sav-ing opportunities.

Offline evaluation of the data also indi-cated significant potential savings couldbe made by improved machinery opera-tion and more timely repairs.

As an example, the data indicated that asaving of some 500 running hours per yearcould be achieved, combined withimproved fuel economy, simply by turningoff diesel generators that were unnecessaryto the ship’s actual power requirements.

FLAGSHIP-EEM’s monitoring of the aircompressors also highlighted higher thanexpected running time, while further inves-tigation identified leakages in the pres-surised air system which, when repaired,could lead to operational savings.

Germanischer Lloyd, project leader onEEM, was apparently sufficientlyimpressed with the performance of EEMthat it has patented the method for energyand fuel consumption evaluation and willincorporate specific lessons from this proj-ect into products for launch later this year.

Herman de Meester, coordinator ofFLAGSHIP, says that this kind of applica-tion of the results of the project are exactlywhat FLAGSHIP has set out to achieve, andhe hopes that this will contribute to contin-uing efforts to promote ‘green’ shipping.

“FLAGSHIP-EEM delivers environ-mental and commercial advantages to themaritime transport industry delivering theFLAGSHIP mission,” he said.

“(It) works in parallel with current ini-tiatives such as the IMO’s energy efficiencydesign index (EEDI). EEDI currentlyaddresses new vessels only, while FLAG-SHIP-EEM is applicable to both new andexisting vessels ensuring that energy effi-ciency can be optimised in both situations.”

In addition to Germanischer Lloyd, theEEM project was supported, deliveredand trialled in conjunction with ReedereiNSB in Germany; MARINTEK and TeekayShipping in Norway; Danaos Shipping CoLtd of Greece, Rolls Royce in the UK andWärtsilä Finland Oy of Finland.

Regulatory supportThe next of FLAGSHIP’s new releases fol-lows a slightly different track to the per-formance optimisation systems incorpo-rated in the other tools, by focusing onregulatory compliance in vessel opera-tions – though with an element onincreased efficiency also built in.

FLAGSHIP-RCS (RegulatoryCompliance Support) is an intelligent reg-ulatory search and automated form fillingsystem, which the project partners claimto be the first of its kind.

The RCS system aims to provide themaritime industry with an electronic regu-lations database, which will incorporate aregulations search system and regulationsuggestion, as well as automated compli-ance checking.

Additional form filling notification andassistance functionality is included, aswell as a lexicon of maritime terms whichthe project partners hope will help to cre-ate a user-friendly system.

Using FLAGSHIP-RCS an individualvessel can drill down to only be presentedwith the regulations that are directly rele-vant to its classification and location.

Searches are based on meaning ratherthan on the individual word so, for exam-

ple, a search on the word ‘environment’would deliver regulations relating to pol-lution, hydrocarbon and oil, as well asthose under the generic ‘environment’description.

Based on the course that has been plot-ted for a vessel, FLAGSHIP-RCS will alsoidentify and flag imminent changes in reg-ulations as a vessel approaches and enterswaters under different jurisdiction – all ofwhich should help with on board efficien-cy through burden reduction in ensuringcompliance.

FLAGSHIP says that the system couldsignificantly reduce the regulatory com-pliance and administrative burden shipowners and operators currently experi-ence by creating time savings of as muchas 50 per cent, according to project esti-mates, compared with conventional textbased search methods.

The project calculates that if everyEuropean ship adopted the automatedform filling system this could lead to atotal time cost saving in the region of €8.94million per year.

“There are currently hundreds of thou-sands of shipping regulations includingclass, territorial and local variations thatship owners and operators must complywith,” said Luke Speller, senior researchscientist at BMT Group Ltd and FLAG-SHIP-RCS project leader.

“Being caught in breach of these regu-lations can cost a ship owner tens of thou-sands of pounds in fines.”

“The current regulatory frameworkmakes each ship owner or operatorresponsible for assembling and complyingwith all the regulations related to the voy-ages and stopovers that any of its shipsmake. Compliance can be a very onerousand expensive process.”

FLASGSHIP-RCS has been developedto provide compliance checking so it canhighlight if a vessel is definitely breaking aregulation such as a speed limit and canadvise against certain actions, for exam-ple: ‘don’t clean bilge tanks here’.

The system has also been designed toautomatically complete relevant dockingforms and to recognise information thatis entered repeatedly over sequentialvoyages.

This means that, over time, it can auto-suggest with increasing accuracy a partial-ly completed form for the captain to check,amend and sign-off.

Mr de Meester, coordinator of FLAG-SHIP, says that he is delighted with thelaunch of this new system, which couldproduce industry-wide benefits on a num-ber of fronts.

“The shipping industry always workshard to meet the twin objectives of reduc-ing the risk and the environmental impactof the world’s commercial fleet, whilstgenerating the opportunity for real com-mercial benefits,” he said.

The EEM system records data from ship engines, which is analysed by the software systemto identify the potential to reduce power consumption

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SOFTWARE


“FLAGSHIP-RCS is an excellent exam-ple of the industry collaborating toachieve just such purposes.”

Led by BMT Group in the UK, FLAG-SHIP–RCS was supported, delivered andtrialled in conjunction with Regs4ships inthe UK, Danaos and NTUA in Greece andTEMIS in France.

Crisis managementThe final new system launched by theproject is described as being the firstadvanced emergency situation manage-ment tool for fire and flooding with inte-

grated ship to shore real time reporting. Known as FLAGSHIP-DSS (Decision

Support System), this system delivers anearly prediction of how a fire or floodingmay impact on a ship at any given time, toenable efficient decision-making in dis-tress situations, reducing risk and enhanc-ing the effectiveness of mitigating actions.

The new system integrates prognosistools for fire and flooding with an evacua-tion simulation process, an on-board sta-bility calculator and an on-board emer-gency management system.

DSS constantly collects data from all

ship sensors to assess the vessel’s vulnera-bility at any one time, providing the cap-tain and crew with information uponwhich they can hopefully take promptremedial action to effectively bring anunfolding crisis under control.

The system can also simultaneouslyprovide real time data to shore basedauthorities to optimise communication inthe event of a crisis situation occurring.

Trials of FLAGSHIP-DSS were under-taken over a four month period in conjunc-tion with a number of vessel operators, andthe project notes that during the sea trials a45 per cent factual improvement in pre-meditative decision taking was recorded.

FLAGSHIP says that these high qualitydecisions would simply not be possiblewithout the information provided by the system.

“The new generation probabilisticmethods enhance decision making in dis-tress conditions substantially by combin-ing knowledge of ship’s vulnerability withinstantaneous ship status sensors,” saidDr Andrzej Jasionowski, manager of TheShip Stability Research Centre at theUniversity of Strathclyde, responsible forprototype developments of elements ofFLAGSHIP-DSS.

“These sensors monitor doors closures,flooding and tank levels, geographicalpositions, ship instantaneous attitude,clock etc.”

“Computer processing of such informa-tion enables consideration of many deci-sion options often not even conceivable byhighly trained crews and at fractions oftime traditional manual trial-and-errormethods would take. Safety to ship and

persons on board can be enhanced byorders of magnitude.”

Mr de Meester, FLAGSHIP coordina-tor, also commented: “Through FLAG-SHIP we see the maritime industry collab-orating to improve safety, environmentalfriendliness and the competitiveness ofEuropean maritime transport.”

“FLAGSHIP-DSS is an impressivedevelopment that could help to signifi-cantly reduce risk at sea – which is one ofthe key objectives of FLAGSHIP overall.”

FLAGSHIP–DSS was led by theUniversity of Strathclyde in the UK andwas supported, delivered and trialled inconjunction with two British companies:Teekay Shipping and BMT Group.

Five Greek organisations were alsoinvolved: Altair Maritime Enterprise (sub-sidiary of Maran Tankers ManagementInc.), Danaos Shipping Co Ltd, theNational Technical University of Athens;Minoan Lines and Superfast Ferries S.A.;as well as two Norwegian businesses:MARINTEK and Lodic AS and InstitutoSuperior Tecnico of Portugal.

These companies are among the morethan 40 partner organisations, includingshipping companies, shipyards, universi-ties and various technology providers,that make up the 53-month FLAGSHIPproject, which is partially funded byEuropean Union contributions.

This partnership is overseen by theEuropean Community Shipowners'Associations (ECSA), and has beendesigned to increase the capacity and reli-ability of freight and passenger servicesand to further reduce the impact fromaccidents and emissions. DS

The RCS system provides a searchable database to allow vessel operators to easilyrecognise applicable regulations that require compliance

C Y P R U SSt Raphael Hotel & Resort, Cyprus � 5 - 6 April 2011

We work closely with the Cyprus Shipping Council in the production of the annual

Digital Ship Cyprus conference and exhibition, which has grown to become one of

the most important events in the Cyprus maritime calendar, attended by delegates

spanning a variety of different roles at Cyprus shipping companies. Digital Ship

Cyprus has been held every year since 2004.

Don’t miss our forthcoming events:

18-19 October � Singapore

7-8 December � Athens

�o charge for shippingcompany delegates

To discuss available positions, rates and sponsorship

opportunities on any future Digital Ship event, contact

Ria Kontogeorgou: [email protected]

Tel: +44 (0)20 7017 3401 Mob: +44 (0)7815 481036

p17-35:p15-25.qxd 18/03/2011 15:42 Page 18

STAIRWAY TO SEVEN

Docmap® 7.0 – New version released

The newly released Docmap® 7.0 version has

been developed step by step taking our

customers’ needs into consideration.

This new version is not only a tool for process

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Canada:1568 Merivale Road, Suite 407Ottawa, OntarioCanadaK2G 5Y7Phone: 1-613-216-2490Fax: 1-888-849-3950

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Portuguese

p17-35:p15-25.qxd 18/03/2011 15:42 Page 19

ELECTRONICS & NAVIGATION NEWS


World’s largest LRIT Data Centre opensThe Port of Los Angeles has become thefirst port worldwide to provideAlternative Maritime Power (AMP) tothree separate cruise lines.

In recent weeks, ships from DisneyCruise Line, Princess Cruises andNorwegian Cruise Line have all takenadvantage of the 'AMP Mobile' technologydeveloped specifically for the Port's WorldCruise Centre.

The Port of Los Angeles has three AMPMobiles, which were designed for theWorld Cruise Centre by port engineersand engineering firm Cavotec.

With 100 feet of lateral movement capa-bility and a remote-controlled arm toadjust the cable crane arm to changingtides and the location of power connec-tions on cruise ships, the AMP Mobile’sversatility allows for a variety of cruiseship configurations.

The World Cruise Centre is also theonly port where two cruise ships can beconnected simultaneously. Cruise shipsutilise either 6.6 kilovolts (kV) or 11 kVelectrical power distribution systems toplug into shore side power; the Port of LosAngeles can now accommodate either.

Currently the power demand of the

cruise ships calling at the Port of LosAngeles is anywhere between 8 to 13megawatts of power. A seven megawattload is equivalent to producing enoughelectricity for approximately 1,000 homes.

The Port’s AMP system installed at theWorld Cruise Centre is capable of deliver-ing up to 40 megawatts of power, with 20megawatts of power delivery capacity toeach of the two different ships.

In 2004, the Port of Los Angeles was thefirst in the world to use AMP technologyfor in-service container ships. Three majorcontainer terminals currently have AMPcapabilities and more are due to come online later this year.

“The use of AMP at our World CruiseCentre reduces emissions not just at thePort but improves the quality of airthroughout the Los Angeles region,” saidMayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

“The ability to adapt this technology tomultiple cruise lines eliminates significantship exhaust when cruise ships are atberth, and the AMP Mobile is anotherinnovation that demonstrates our commit-ment to developing cutting-edge technolo-gy that can benefit port communitieseverywhere.”

Power to the Port

The Port of LA is the first to offer shoreside power to three cruise ships at once

www.absolutesw.com

The world’s largest LRIT National DataCentre has been inaugurated in Panama.

The system was designed by AbsoluteMaritime Tracking Services (AMTS),which will also operate the Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT)system.

"The implementation of LRIT presentsa major challenge to coastal and flag stateswho attempt to apply the latest technolo-gy to the protection of life at sea andenhancing maritime security," commentedPanama’s Minister of Maritime Affairsand administrator of the PanamaMaritime Authority, Robert Linares.

"Whilst the primary purpose of LRIT ismaritime security, we can expect substan-tial benefits to derive in the areas of portefficiency, ship operator efficiency andimproved resource allocation."

Data from the LRIT system will be com-bined with those of other vessel monitor-ing systems such as AIS, SSAS, VMS andVTS, to create a comprehensive maritimesurveillance network. AMTS will managethe fusion of this information by offeringsoftware based geo-spatial analysis of thedifferent information types.

AMTS says that it is already currentlyprocessing in excess of 25,000 satellite ves-sel positions per day, more than any otherLRIT National Data Centre.

Certification allows Ocean Signal to begin deliveries

www.oceansignal.com

Ocean Signal reports that it will com-mence the first deliveries of its SafeSeaproducts, following receipt of approvalsfor usage in worldwide markets.

The SafeSea EPIRB and SART productshave been given the Marine EquipmentDirective (MED) Wheelmark certificationfor Europe, which applies to both leisureand commercial shipping, together withFederal Communications Commission(FCC) approval for all classes of vesselsincluding SOLAS ships.

The company is now able to commencedelivery to its customer base, with OceanSignal confirming that manufacturing ofthe products will continue to be based inthe UK.

"We have considered manufacturingelsewhere but we have exceptional expert-ise here in the UK and I am determined todeliver our promise that the SafeSea rangewill be built to the highest quality essentialfor this critical market," said managingdirector Alan Wrigley.

"This means we need to control thatquality at every stage of production. Thisis not possible if we manufacture else-where."

"We have gone through a process ofexhaustive development and testing over

the past year and we are confident that wehave a very special range of products.Manufacturing here also allows us to con-tinue our programme of new productdevelopment and bring those new prod-ucts to market much quicker."

The SafeSea EPIRB has receivedWheelmark and FCC approval

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ECDISPLUS from Kelvin Hughes is supported by MantaDigital; the latest ECDIS system developed by the experts at Kelvin Hughes. Simple to understand and easy to use, the MantaDigital ECDIS provides your operator with an unrivalled decision-support tool, providing a multi-function core for ECDIS-assisted navigation and operating as a platform for the entire Kelvin Hughes suite of products.

With ECDISPLUS, you can be assured of the latest ECDIS equipment, cost effective supply and management of charts, real-time updates and IMO-approved ECDIS training. All of this comes with total flexibility to choose your provider, worldwide installation and an unrivalled global support network. ECDISPLUS offers the only complete ECDIS Solution for your needs, making every voyage smarter.

EQUIPMENTMADE E PLUS SYSay goodbye to multiple ECDIS platforms.Say hello to MantaDigital. One complete, compliant ECDIS system.

The Only Complete ECDIS Solution

p36-44:p26-32.qxd 18/03/2011 15:50 Page 2



www.northropgrumman.com

Sperry Marine has reported that it hascompleted the installation of navigation,communication and safety systems forRoyal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship,Allure of the Seas, while also agreeing anew multi-million dollar contract with theCanadian Coast Guard.

The Allure of the Seas has completed itsmaiden voyage from its shipyard inFinland to its home port in PortEverglades, Florida, assisted by its newnavigation technology.

The ship’s integrated bridge system (IBS)is based on Sperry Marine’s VisionMasterFT technology with proprietary TotalWatchmulti-function workstations usingWideView high-resolution screens.

Each TotalWatch station can be config-ured to show pictures from the ship’sradars, electronic chart systems and con-ning information, as well as closed-circuitTV images.

The primary navigation consoles areconfigured in a modified U-shaped layout,with all functions incorporated in the con-trol stations on both bridge wings.

The IBS also includes a separate wire-less computer node that permits the mas-ter to view the ship’s navigation status inhis or her cabin or on the bridge, and hasbeen designed with redundant networkarchitecture providing built-in duplicationfor all critical components.

A separate Safety Command Centre,also featuring Sperry equipment, is locat-ed directly behind the main navigationbridge, with four wide screen displays toassist in providing greater situationalawareness of the entire ship.

“We have an excellent and long-stand-ing relationship as the supplier ofadvanced navigation technology for RoyalCaribbean,” said J Nolasco DaCunha, vicepresident of Sperry Marine.

“We also supplied the IBS installationsfor Allure’s sister ship, Oasis of the Seas,as well as all of the Freedom-, Voyager-,Radiance- and Vision-class ships, ensuringstandardised bridge equipment and oper-ating procedures across the entire fleet.”

Mr DaCunha noted that the companyalso provides extensive navigation train-ing for Royal Caribbean bridge watch offi-cers and fleet-wide service and technicalsupport under a service agreement.

Meanwhile, Sperry Marine’s contractwith the Canadian Coast Guard is for thesupply of bridge navigation systems fornine newbuild mid-shore patrol vessels, adeal valued at US$3 million.

Sperry dealer Techsol Inc, based inQuebec City, will provide technical support and system integration for theinstallations.

Six of the initial nine ships have beendelivered, with the remaining deliveriesscheduled for June 2011. The contract also includes options for up to three

additional ships.The scope of supply for the new ships

includes Sperry Marine radars, autopilot,gyrocompass, magnetic compass, speedlog, repeaters and a communicationspackage to meet GMDSS requirements.

The mid-shore patrol vessel pro-gramme is part of the Canadian govern-ment’s fleet renewal programme for theCoast Guard.

The vessels, which are being built inHalifax, Nova Scotia, will each be approx-imately 43 metres in length, have a topspeed of 25 knots, a range of 2,000 nauticalmiles, and be able to stay at sea for twoweeks without reprovisioning.

Five of them will be used primarily tosupport Department of Fisheries andOceans conservation and protection pro-grammes in the Maritime, Quebec andPacific regions.

The other four will be used in a pro-gramme with the Royal CanadianMounted Police to enhance security alongthe Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seawaysystem.

“We’ve maintained an outstandingworking relationship with the CanadianCoast Guard and Navy as a major suppli-er of navigation equipment for more than25 years,” said Alan Aitken, national salesmanager for Sperry Marine Canada.

“We recently completed the navigationradar upgrades on the Canadian Navy’s12 Kingston-class maritime coastaldefence vessels.”

“This most recent contract award is areflection of Sperry Marine Canada’s out-standing reputation for reliable state-of-the-art navigation systems backed by anindustry-leading worldwide serviceorganisation.”

Cruise and Coast Guard take Sperry navigation systems

The Allure of the Seas is now sailing with an integrated bridge system based on Sperry’s Visionmaster FT technology

p36-44:p26-32.qxd 18/03/2011 15:57 Page 3


Digital Ship

Transas Marine has agreed a dealwith Hatteland Display wherebyHatteland will act as a supplier of hard-ware for the new generation of TransasECDIS systems.

* * * * * * * *

Tamot Corporation has joined theHatteland Display worldwide serv-ice network after the two companies

signed an agreement at the end of 2010.The agreement will see Tamot perform-ing both warranty and non-warrantyservice for all Hatteland Display prod-ucts in Japan.

* * * * * * * *

McMurdo has appointedSurvitec Survival Products Inc(SSPI) as its sole distributor in theAmericas. SSPI will distribute both theMcMurdo and Kannad Marine brands ofmarine safety products in NorthAmerica, South America and Canada.

* * * * * * * *

VSTEP has announced a distributionand training partnership with Centro deInvestigación y EntrenamientoMarítimo y Fluvial (CIEMF), atraining business unit of Servicio

Integral de Prácticos S.A. (SIPSA)in Argentina. CIEMF was the first VSTEP customer in Latin America toimplement the NAUTIS simulation soft-ware on its Full Mission BridgeSimulator, and is VSTEP’s first LatinAmerican training partner.

* * * * * * * *

NSI has introduced its new TSX50range of industrial laser trackballs. TheIP68 waterproof trackballs feature a 50mm ball with removable top ring and areavailable in 9 different versions.

Gardline Geosurvey extends positioning contract

Hatteland displays and computers will feature in Transas’ next generation ECDIS systems

www.transas.comwww.hatteland-display.comwww.vstep.nlwww.ciemf.com.arwww.nsi-be.comwww.mcmurdo.co.uk

www.veripos.com

Veripos reports that it has agreed anextension to its contract with GardlineGeosurvey for the provision of precisesatellite positioning services.

Under the general services agreement,Veripos will continue to supply its rangeof positioning solutions to Gardline

Geosurvey’s fleet of eleven multi-role sur-vey vessels.

These vessels operate throughout theworld on behalf of offshore exploration,renewables, construction and telecommu-nications companies, as well as govern-ment agencies and harbour authorities.

Gardline Geosurvey will continue touse the Veripos Ultra service, which uses

precise point positioning (PPP) methodsto provide continuous decimetre-levelaccuracy.

This is supported by a Verify QC soft-ware system, to create real-time position-ing and quality control information, aswell as LD2-G2 integrated mobile units. AVerify-Tides functionality for real-timetide estimation is also provided.

"This contract extension demonstratesthat our commitment to safety, integrityand performance results in lasting cus-tomer relationships," said WalterSteedman, managing director of Veripos.

"We are delighted to be part ofGardline’s global expansion and look for-ward to serving their needs for years tocome."

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NMEA2000 relay output module released



www.maris.no

MARIS has launched a ‘Zero downtimeECDIS’ product support service, which itsays will ensure that, once mandatory,Electronic Chart Display InformationSystems (ECDIS) are available at all times,even in the case of a unit failure.

MARIS says that, while some ship own-ers intend to back up ECDIS with up-to-date traditional paper charts, many haveaccepted that it will be necessary to installdual systems for back up, in case oneECDIS fails.

However, to be allowed to sail in theevent of a failure of one of the dual ECDISonboard, even a ship owner pursuing apolicy of ECDIS redundancy will have tokeep up to date paper charts in reserve.

Speedy turnaround times for modernvessels complicate matters – a vessel thathas suffered an ECDIS failure at sea, butwishes to operate paperless, may not bepermitted to leave port until the twoECDIS are up and running.

In this scenario the vessel is dependenton its service providers and local techni-cians to fix the problem as soon as possible

to prepare the ship for departure.As SOLAS V/22, 16.2 notes, while mal-

functions will not necessarily make theship unseaworthy or provide a reason fordelaying the ship in ports where repairfacilities are not readily available, suitablearrangements must be “made by theMaster to take the inoperative equipmentor unavailable information into account inplanning and executing a safe voyage to aport where repairs can take place.”

Another complicating factor is that theapplication of regulations in this areadepends very much on the Flag State inquestion, and the circumstances underwhich the Flag will provide permission tosail.

The ‘Zero downtime ECDIS’ conceptfrom MARIS has been devised to avoidthese potential delays, by offering a ‘hot orcold spare’ third ECDIS delivered direct tothe ship so that it can always proceed tothe next port of call, even if up to datepaper charts are not available.

The defective unit can then be shippedto the manufacturer at the ship owner’sconvenience for repair.

Available via subscription, Steinar

Gundersen, MARIS deputy chief execu-tive (corporate), said that the new servicewas part of the supplier’s campaign tosupport customers during the phase-in ofmandatory ECDIS.

“The third ECDIS can either beinstalled as a ‘hot spare’ online with thedual ECDIS systems or as a ‘cold spare’supplied as a plug-in unit, which the crewcan install,” he explained.

“In the case of a cold spare it will comecomplete with application software,updating all application software, settingsand electronic charts and will be self-con-figured to the exact settings of the ship,drawing on the ship’s remaining ECDIS.”

Mr Gundersen said that the spareECDIS could then be packed away andreturned to MARIS before going to a ware-house as a 'reconditioned' unit to be sentto a new customer with a similar subscrip-tion and the need for a replacement unit.

MARIS sees this ‘Zero downtimeECDIS’ service as an initiative that shouldhelp to do away with the need for serviceengineers to fly all over the world to ren-dezvous with vessels in port.

“The potential for delays will be eradi-

cated, but this will also mean that ourengineers minimise their carbon foot-print,” said Mr Gundersen.

“MARIS places a high priority on bothservice and the environmental impact ourservices make.”

www.osukl.com

Offshore Systems UK has introduced anew Relay Output Module, which enablesmodules of up to eight isolated powerrelays to be controlled by the NMEA 2000network.

The 3478 unit can control onboardpower to applications such as remotealarm inputs, pump management, powerswitching contactors, lighting control andother applications where power needs tobe controlled over the network.

The relay can be linked to display unitswhich can be customised to display indi-vidual information data from each opera-tional source.

Offshore Systems says that the 8 wayModule was developed in response torequests from project managers to havegroups of totally isolated circuits so thatinformation from an increasing number ofapplications can control them.

Each 3478 relay has a switch settabledevice instance which allows multipleRelay Output Modules on a single network.

The new module allows up to eight power relays to be controlled bythe NMEA 2000 network.

‘The potential for delays will beeradicated’ - Steinar Gundersen, MARIS

‘Zero downtime ECDIS’ service from MARIS

HITT in IVS 3D merger discussionswww.hitt.nl

HITT NV, a supplier of traffic manage-ment, hydrographic and navigation sys-tems, reports that it is in discussions withthe owners of IVS 3D with the objective ofmerging their activities with the hydro-graphic division of HITT.

IVS 3D is a producer of marine infor-mation visualisation, processing andanalysis software, with 17 employees andoffices in the United States, Canada andGreat Britain.

IVS 3D's Fledermaus system is its flag-

ship offering, allowing for commercial useof three-dimensional visualisation in thehydrographic market. This system hasalso been expanded to include new 4Dapplications.

HITT says that it expects to see thecombination with IVS 3D create techno-logical, organisational and market syner-gies specifically for QPS, HITT’s sub-sidiary in Zeist, The Netherlands.

The companies believe that QPS andIVS 3D products are complementary andthat a combined R&D team will strength-en the position of both firms.

www.mobilarm.com

Marine safety equipment providerMobilarm Ltd and Personal Locator Beaconcompany Marine Rescue Technologieshave entered into a sale and purchaseagreement which covers all Marine RescueTechnologies assets, including the entireSea Marshall product line.

The result of the acquisition will be theformation of what the companies say willbe "the world's largest technology compa-ny dedicated to marine safety and manoverboard technology."

The idea behind the Sea Marshall PLBcomes from Marine Rescue Technologies'founder David Marshall's own experienceof a man overboard (MOB) situation, withthe sinking of the 'Gaul' trawler in 1974.

This was followed by a request fromthe UK Ministry Of Defence to develop aPLB for the Joint Services entry to theWhitbread Round the World Race in 1975,after which Sea Marshall was born.

"With David Marshall at the helm, MarineRescue Technologies and the Sea Marshallbrand were the original driving force behindthe introduction of PLBs into the marine mar-ket so we are delighted to count this highly-regarded organisation as part of Mobilarm,"said Lindsay Lyon, CEO, Mobilarm.

"David has dedicated a lifelong careerto the improvement of maritime safetyrelating to persons lost at sea and the com-pany shares Mobilarm's approach to inno-vation and technology."

"This, combined with an experienceddistribution network and portfolio of EU-approved products will help Mobilarmtake the world of PLBs and man over-board safety technology to a much widermarket. (We have) a stronger global pres-ence and exciting plans in the pipeline forour own VHF DSC beacon technology andSea Marshall's extensive product range."

The companies say that several new SeaMarshall products are scheduled forrelease in 2011.

Mobilarm to acquire Marine Rescue Technologies

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Digital Ship

Raytheon Anschütz GmbHD-24100 Kiel, GermanyTel +49(0)4 31-30 19-0Fax +49(0)4 31-30 19-291

www.raytheon-anschuetz.com

INTEGRATED NAVIGATIONSYSTEMS

R Anschütz

Synapsis Bridge Control combines most advanced functions with well-proven reliability in one cohe-sively developed bridge system.

Using the cutting-edge of navigation technology, Synapsis Bridge Control provides highest fl exibility in system confi guration as well as simplifi ed and predictable operation.

www.raytheon-anschuetz.com

Raytheon Anschütz has introduced anew steering control system which itsays should improve handling and makeinstallation of systems at the shipyardeasier.

The new systems are expected to bedelivered to commercial and naval vesselsby the end of the year.

NautoSteer AS is based on CAN-bustechnology, where all important compo-nents such as follow-up amplifiers,autopilots, interface units and alarm mon-itoring units are connected via redundantCAN-bus systems. In case of failures thesteering control system switches automat-ically to a redundant CAN- bus.

With the obvious importance of theship’s steering control to safety, Raytheonsays that the new system was developedwith particular attention paid to ‘fail-to-safe’ principles.

Integrated steering failure and wire-break monitoring allows the steering con-trol system to permanently monitor theactual rudder, with set rudder and wirebreaks to prevent any unwanted rudderactions which may cause damage to the

ship, cargo or passengers.In addition, an integrated data integrity

monitoring system is used to ensure thatinconsistencies within the steering systemdo not necessarily degrade performance.

A simplified steering mode selectorswitch separates an independent ‘Main’non-follow-up steering position from a‘Secondary’ steering position, with CAN-bus based autopilot or follow-up and non-follow-up bustiller controls.

“Compared to other steering controlsystems the new Nautosteer AS preventsfrom switching from a defective steeringcontrol to another defective steering con-trol position,” said Olav Denker, productmanager at Raytheon Anschütz.

“In case of an emergency, when time iscrucial, this architecture supports the crewin their fast and safe decision making.NautoSteer AS will significantly con-tribute to safe and comfortable steering.”

The steering controls feature centralalarm reset and central dimming controlsand the ability to define up to four differ-ent dimming groups in accordance withdifferent conditions of lighting on thebridge, for example on the main bridge,port and starboard wings or aft bridge.

Raytheon Anschütz introduces new steering control

Raytheon’s new steering system will begin deliveries by the end of 2011

www.farsounder.com

FarSounder has announced the releaseof SonaSoft version 2.3, an upgrade tothe software used to power its FS-3series sonars.

The company says that the upgradeincludes processing, user interface anddisplay enhancements, with improve-ments in in-water target detection, auto-matic bottom detection, and shallowwater/short range performance.

"Our R&D team has been striving toenhance our in-water target detectioncapabilities," said Matthew Zimmerman,VP of engineering at FarSounder.

"Not only is the algorithm better, butusers are now offered an option for auto-matic in-water target squelch selection,and in most cases, the automatic settingperforms even better than the manual

squelch settings."The software will automatically

switch to the appropriate transmit signalwhen setting the sonar's Range Mode inthe Processor Settings, depending onwhether the vessel is navigating in shal-low or deeper waters.

FarSounder has also upgraded its chart plotting capabilities and now offers support for C-Map vectorcharts by Jeppesen Marine. Thisimproved chart plotting capabilityremoves the need for users to manuallyselect and load charts for their specificlocation.

This new chart plotter capabilityreplaces a former BSB raster chart plottercapability, though customers interestedin keeping the former capability insteadof upgrading can contact FarSounderfor support.

Sonar upgrade from FarSounder

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ELECTRONICS & NAVIGATION

TT he Automatic Identification Sys-tem (AIS) has been a compulsoryfit on most ships since 2004. It had

a particularly poor reputation with seafar-ing users when first introduced but for anincreasing number it is now seen as aninvaluable tool that enhances navigationalsafety.

It also has a separate security use, whichunfortunately contributed to the confusionof its introduction. An originally fairlyrelaxed installation timetable for vesselswas accelerated by the events of 9/11.

Governments became anxious to getAIS installed on all vessels as soon as pos-sible to improve coastal security.

In the rush to fit AIS, more than a fewinstallations were performed inadequate-ly and a surprising number of marinersappeared to receive little or no training inits use.

This led to numerous reports of AISproblems, mostly because of erroneousdata being transmitted but also becausesome users, with the lack of training, weremisinterpreting normal AIS behaviour.

Today, there are far fewer problems.Active monitoring by many coastal statesquickly informs a ship with an errant AISthat things are wrong, together with ademand for corrective action.

IMO always recognised that the fullbenefits of AIS to the OOW would not beimmediate. The initial statutory fit to aship was for a very simple unit, fully ableto transmit AIS data but with very limiteddisplay capabilities and, as such, provid-ing only a small contribution to collisionavoidance decisions.

IMO named these Minimum Keyboardand Display units, stressing the minimalistnature of the statutorily fitted equipment.

In fact, from the very start, most manu-facturers sold units with display charac-teristics in excess of the IMO minimumbut, perhaps, this may have further addedto the confusion of the precise role of thetechnology.

AIS on radarThe real advantage comes with displayingAIS information on radar. For this reasonIMO mandated that all radars fitted after 1 July 2008 had to have an approved AISdisplay capability, with data being able to be fed to the radar from a standard AIS MKD.

Ships with such a capability gain thefull benefits of AIS, increasing the integri-ty of collision avoidance decisions, whichare otherwise just based on visual andradar data.

AIS data always has to be used verycarefully and knowledgeably when con-tributing to such decisions. For good rea-sons, it is not seen as a stand-alone colli-sion avoidance device.

It provides additional data, for instancehelping to confirm a target’s position and

heading and can occasionally provide criti-cal information by detecting targets that arecurrently invisible to both radar and sight.

Other data supplied by AIS can be high-ly useful, such as the stated destination of avessel. This can suggest its likely intentionsas it approaches possible turn points,allowing some tentative estimation of itspotential effect on the passage of own ship.

However, AIS data generally remainsmore suspect than radar or visuallyderived data, simply because it lies out-side the control of the observer and there-fore its validity is always open to question.

However, it will generally provide amore accurate position fix – even whenconverted to relative coordinates – thanradar or visually based techniques. In par-ticular, turn data from AIS will have farless latency compared to radar track data.

Also, AIS can often ‘see’ behindobstructions, such as headlands, invisible

to both radar and by visual means. Thiscan be highly useful, for instance, whenapproaching or leaving an estuary.

Since the earliest MKDs were installedthe AIS message specification has beenenhanced, in particular by including mes-sages concerning AIS Class B, which areincreasingly installed on small craft, andAIS aids-to-navigation – AIS AtoNs – fit-ted, for instance, to beacons and buoys.

Radars installed since July 2008 are ableto display these targets, even if the AISMKD feeding them was fitted before suchmessages were defined.

AIS Class BAIS Class B provides an important addi-tional method of detecting small craft,which are sometimes hard to see bothvisually and by radar.

It should be remembered that craft fit-ted with Class B only transmit a naviga-tional message every 30 seconds, and soclose-in fast moving craft can appear on adisplay with a very disjointed path. Incontrast, Class A transmissions are typi-cally every 2 or 6 seconds, depending onthe immediate dynamics of the vessel.

In IMO’s radar performance standardthere is a requirement to incorporate AISfilters as a switchable means to reduce dis-play clutter. The filtering applies to sleep-ing targets, which are shown on the dis-play as small triangles, with no associatedheading lines or velocity vectors.

In a list of example filters, IMO includesfiltering by the type of target, A or B, bytarget range and by user set distance ortime to the closest point of approach.Filtered targets are entirely removed fromthe display.

AIS targets are activated on the display,either manually or, if automatically,according to the selected radar target acqui-sition zone. Activated targets show moreinformation, such as their heading line.

Sleeping AIS targets can also be auto-matically activated when meeting otheruser defined parameters, with IMO listingthe same examples as used for target fil-

tering, including by target type, A or B.The reasoning behind the requirement

to allow the de-cluttering of the display isquite valid, and could be essential in cer-tain circumstances when Class B usagebecomes widespread.

For instance, in good visual conditionsand when in waters that have a very densesmall craft occupancy, such as the Solent orLong Beach, it may sometimes be beneficialto filter out Class B sleeping targets and onlyshow raw radar returns, greatly improvingthe overall clarity of the situation.

However, in non-ideal sea-state andvisibility conditions it will generally beentirely inappropriate to have set such afilter, especially if activation was alsorestricted to just Class A targets.

It is precisely under these conditionsthat AIS can become the best method fordetecting small craft fitted with Class Bsystems.

Unfortunately, on some equipment itmay not be obvious that such a filterremains in the set position and thereforecould be inadvertently left switched on,obscuring such targets. Bridge staff shouldbe very wary of this possibility and makeappropriate checks.

Perhaps there is a case for a relook ofthe requirements in this area. For instance,should it be compulsory for a visual warn-ing to be displayed if target filtering byclass is activated?

AIS virtual AtoNsIt can be expected that the use of AISAtoNs will increase in the coming years.Perhaps the most important use will be forvirtual AIS AtoNs. These transmit an AISmessage from, for example, a coastal sta-tion, and put symbology on a radar orECDIS display at defined locations.

In particular, the symbology couldmark the position of a very recent wreckor a no-go area that has been created as theresult of an accident, such as an oil spill. Inprinciple, the transmissions could startjust minutes after a confirmed notificationto the authorities of a problem – days oreven weeks before any physical markerscould perhaps be installed.

At present there is a just a single sym-bol defined for a virtual AIS AtoN but by2013 IMO plans to issue symbology tocover various situations, as well as addingadditional symbology for specific physicalAIS AtoNs.

Once most vessels have proper facilitiesfor displaying the new symbology onradar and ECDIS then virtual AIS AtoNswill become a significant and highly use-ful safety feature.

Once more it brings into significancethe need for systems to be easily upgrade-able to the latest IMO requirements, gen-erally through software releases. Thisproblem will become ever more impor-tant, and the shipping industry has to beable to get to grips with the issues that it presents.

IMO released MSC.1/Circ. 1389 inDecember 2010, highlighting the need forsoftware and firmware updates to beavailable, particularly to cope with retro-spective changes in regulations.

This IMO circular highlights theresponsibilities of governments, equip-ment manufacturers and shipowners inmaking this happen. It is essential that itsguidance is followed.

As reported in the November 2010issue of Digital Ship, the old ‘fit-and forget’procurement model for navigationalequipment is now outdated.

Dr Andy �orris has been well-known in the maritime navigation industry for anumber of years. He has spent much of his time managing high-tech navigationcompanies but now he is working on broader issues within the navigationalworld, providing both technical and business consultancy to the industry, gov-ernmental bodies and maritime organizations. Email: [email protected]

Despite a slow start, AIS has proven to be a useful tool to modern shipping since its introduction as a mandatoryrequirement, as it has integrated with other onboard navigational equipment, writes Dr Andy Norris

AIS proves its worth

AIS signals can be useful, but it is their integration with other technologies that can provide the greatest benefits

DS

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PLUG AND CONNECTReduced installation time

Minimal maintenance and lower cost of ownership

Utmost reliability satisfying stringent environmental standards

Remote IP access and firmware upgrade

Gyro-free satellite search

v60 (24”) | v110 (41.3”) | v130 (49.2”)

www.intelliantech.com/vsat

Intellian Americas Intellian EMEA & APAC

FROM INSTALL TO OPERATE

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digital ship magazine (april 2011)

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