good news and bad news on 2014 inmarsat pricing satcomsc181984.r84.cf1.rackcdn.com/dsnov13.pdfthat,...

II nmarsat has pledged to freeze itsFleetBroadband pricing for nextyear, stating that there will be no

price rises on the service up to theend of 2014. However, the companyhas also introduced plans to make asignificant increase in the cost of itsother E&E services, which will rise by48 per cent.

Inmarsat Maritime presidentFrank Coles announced theFleetBroadband price freeze during apresentation at the Digital ShipSingapore 2013 conference at theSuntec Singapore InternationalConvention & Exhibition Centre inearly October.

Mr Coles said at the conferencethat he could “categorically state thatwe (are) telling our channel that therewill be no changes in theFleetBroadband pricing for 2014 -where we have over 38,000 SIMsactive today.”

However, this commitment toFleetBroadband customers was soonfollowed by news that the companyhad chosen to follow a different strat-egy on its existing and evolved (E&E)services and is set to increase pricesby almost half in the new year.

Inmarsat distribution partnershave begun communicating with cus-tomers to explain that the companywill introduce a planned priceincrease on E&E services, with prices

set to go up by 48 per cent as of 1st ofJanuary 2014 on services for 2.4 kbpsFax and Data; 9.6 kbps Fax and Data;ISDN/HSD (64 kbps); MPDS; andF77 128 kbps ISDN.

This price increase is likely toimpact a significant number ofInmarsat’s maritime customers, withan estimated number of approximate-ly 60,000 E&E terminals in servicetoday, compared with the 38,000active FleetBroadband terminalsmentioned by Mr Coles.

In response to a request for confir-mation of the price increase fromDigital Ship, Inmarsat issued a state-ment to confirm the move and sug-gested that the change in pricing wasa result of a reducing number of userson its older satellite networks need-ing to cover the costs of maintainingthose services.

“In close consultation and broadagreement with its partners, Inmarsatrecently completed an annual reviewof its wholesale pricing strategy.Following this, the company confirmed to partners thatFleetBroadband wholesale pricingwill remain at its current levels andthat the company is investing furtherin new technologies to supportGlobal Maritime Distress and SafetySystem (GMDSS) services,” the state-ment said.

“Inmarsat also advised partnersthat, owing to the rate of customermigration from legacy E&E servicesto FleetBroadband and XpressLink,which continued to grow signifi-cantly, Inmarsat had carefully con-sidered the financial impact of maintaining legacy E&E services for a declining customer base. As a result, it was planning to align the value of the data services on itsFleet77 services with that of theincreasingly popular FleetBroadbandand XpressLink.”

IN THIS ISSUE

November 2013

electronics and navigation

continued on page 2

software

satcomsMarlink delivers 12 Mbpssatellite link – 4

C-Bird trialled in Germany – 6

Maritime VSAT – Q&A: with COMSYS,NSR and Euroconsult – 12

FutureShip used to optimise UASC newbuilds – 17

Hansa to optimisetrim – 20

Improving the ‘fit’ between docks andvessels – 26

Good news and bad newson 2014 Inmarsat pricing

Minerva installs ECDISto go paperless – 29

How to entice ship owners to supporte-Navigation – 39

Type specific ECDIS training?Think again – 41

There has been either good news or bad news for Inmarsat’s customer basethis month depending on your choice of service, as the company announces a

freeze in FleetBroadband costs but a significant hike in its E&E pricing

Ishima International Shipmangement in Singapore operates 27 ships in world wide trade. Captain Victorio Velonza has already installed Dualog Connection Suite on all the ships with a clear plan to move forward. “Our experience with Dualog is a combination of a user-friendly system and people you can trust. As we are now looking forward to introducing Internet onboard, we know that Dualog Connection Suite will provide exactly what we need to manageand take control in an eff ective way”, concludes a smiling Captain Velonza.

“Ready for the Internet”Captain Victorio Velonza, Q.C. Manager, Ishima Shipmanagement Singapore

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www.dualog.com(+47) 77 62 19 00 or [email protected]

Inmarsat has decided to raise itsE&E prices but hold FleetBroadband

at current levels

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SATCOMS

Digital Ship November 2013 page 2

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“Due to its contractual obligations,Inmarsat cannot confirm any specific fig-ures in relation to this alignment.”

Inmarsat pricing has been a controver-sial issue for the company over the lasttwo years, with two rounds of pricerestructuring causing something of a cus-tomer backlash in places, particularlyfrom the Association of MaritimeManagers in Information Technology andCommunications (AMMITEC) in Greece,which published an open letter markingits strong objections to the move.

The changes introduced during 2012and 2013 included reductions in bulkplans on FleetBroadband, but increases inthe price of Pay As You Go and legacyE&E services.

Despite the controversy, Inmarsat'spublished revenues from maritime sincethe price changes have seen consistentgrowth – which would suggest that, evenin the face of these industry objections,shipping companies have continued touse Inmarsat services at the new pricelevels, and the firm has still seen steadygrowth in activations of FleetBroadbandterminals.

Fourth GX satelliteIn addition to its pricing manoeuvresOctober also saw Inmarsat announce thatit had triggered an option to purchase afourth Inmarsat-5 satellite, under its exist-ing contract with Boeing Satellite SystemsInternational.

Boeing will immediately begin con-struction of the fourth Inmarsat-5 satellite,the Ka-band generation of the networkwhich will be used to provide GlobalXpress services, with the total cost of theoption and certain related expenditureexpected to be between US$220m andUS$250m.

The programme schedule from Boeinghas a satellite delivery date of mid-2016,and Inmarsat says that the fourthInmarsat-5 satellite will have a dual strate-gic role.

Initially the satellite will serve to pro-vide an early available spare in what thecompany calls "the unlikely event of a

launch failure of any of the first threeInmarsat-5 satellites."

Having another satellite constructedand ready would allow Inmarsat to morerapidly replace any spacecraft lost in alaunch failure and minimise any delay inestablishing the three-satellite networkrequired to achieve global service forGlobal Xpress (GX).

Inmarsat believes that this measure ofredundancy in its launch programmecould be expected to “encourage furthercommitments to GX.”

In the event that the fourth satellite isrequired as a spare in this way, the com-pany notes that the impact on total capitalexpenditure over the period to 2016 willbe broadly neutral as the insurance pro-ceeds from any loss would be expected tocover the construction, launch and insur-ance costs for the fourth satellite.

In the event the satellite is not requiredas a launch spare, Inmarsat says it is devel-oping “an incremental business case” todetermine how the fourth satellite might

be launched at a later date to increasecapacity and enhance network coverage.

“Our confidence in the Global Xpressprogramme and our target market oppor-tunities continues to grow. We havesigned multiple pre-sale agreements andreceived significant expressions of inter-est, some of which are tied to the comple-tion of global coverage with three satel-lites,” said Rupert Pearce, Inmarsat's chiefexecutive officer.

“This has encouraged us to not onlymove to a strategy to physically insure ourglobal service date with a fourth satellite,but also to consider incremental opportu-nities that have emerged and could driveenhanced returns via the launch of afourth satellite.”

“(The decision) reflects the fact that weare already close to incremental opportu-nities that could justify a fourth satellite,but our highest priority is our cominglaunch campaign and we will take time todevelop these plans in the coming year. Inthe meantime, our target markets can nowbe confident of our commitment to the GXglobal service delivery schedule.”

Inmarsat-B extendedInmarsat’s head of maritime safety servic-es, Peter Blackhurst, also announced at theDigital Ship Singapore 2013 conference thatthe company has extended the retirementdate of Inmarsat-B by two years, from 30December 2014 to 30 December 2016.

On that date Inmarsat will retire allservices provided by Inmarsat-B, includ-ing GMDSS distress functionality fromthe terminal. The company says that it is in the process of advising theInternational Maritime Organisation andchannel partners of this extension to thecessation date.

Inmarsat says that the extension hasbeen given because the numbers of vesselscontinuing to utilise the Inmarsat-B serv-ice is “still significant” and it believes thatadditional time is needed to allow vessels“to migrate to alternate services such thatInmarsat and its partners can continue toprovide the services that these vessel own-ers value highly and rely upon.” DS

continued from page 1

Infinity compatiblewith FB multi voice

www.navarino.gr

Navarino has announced that its Infinitycommunications management system hasbeen updated to be fully compatible with theSailor Fleet Broadband multi-voice service.

This new functionality means that mul-tiple crew calls can be made through theInfinity unit while not tying up the mainbusiness line of the vessel, says the Greek-based satcom company.

Infinity updates are pushed free ofcharge to all users each quarter, and noaction will be needed on the part of thevessel operator or master to upgrade thesystem.

Infinity is a maritime bandwidth man-agement and optimisation solution thatcan be used on ships equipped with satel-lite communications systems including,but not limited to, FleetBroadband orVSAT systems (Ka, Ku or C‐band).

A fourth I-5 has now been ordered.Photo: Boeing

Astrium Services has opened anew logistics centre in Rotterdam (TheNetherlands) to streamline the global dis-tribution of VSAT and MSS equipment.The new facility will be responsible fordelivery of all hardware components forAstrium Services' satcoms portfolio,including antennas, modems and spareparts, in addition to bundled solutionscontaining VSAT and MSS systems.

John Diercksen, an executive vice presi-dent of Verizon Communicationswith experience in technology invest-ments, has been elected to Intelsat’sboard of directors. He will also serve onthe Audit Committee.

Marine satellite antenna manufacturerIntellian has appointed Charlie Snookeas global director sales engineering, basedat its UK office in Southampton.

Inmarsat chief financial officer RickMedlock has decided to leave the compa-ny to take up a position with a privateequity-owned business. Mr Medlock willstay with the company until early 2014 asInmarsat searches for a successor.

www.astriumservices.comwww.intelsat.comwww.inmarsat.comwww.intelliantech.com

Charlie Snooke, new man at Intellian

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SATCOMS


mid May 2013 and was live by the end ofJune using the existing 1.5 m Ku-bandantenna on board Atlantic Explorer.Marlink says that one of its engineersinstalled a new 40W BUC (BlockUpconverter) prior to the commencementof services to enable the higher through-put, which was activated whilst the vesselwas out at sea.

Atlantic Explorer used the link to trans-fer survey data to shore, where it could beanalysed. Based on the results, surveyschedules could be amended. Marlinknotes that there was no need to wait forthe ship to return to port, nor to arrange tohave the data collected by a helicopter, asis usually the case.

Tommy-Konkol Dybvad, director of cus-tomised VSAT at Astrium Services, said:“Taking into account overheads, packet lossfor instance, the link enabled throughput ofapproximately 5 GB per hour. To put it intocontext, this is about 50 times morethroughput than an average offshore vessel

www.marlink.com

Marlink has announced that it has deliv-ered Ku-band VSAT services with a dedi-cated return link of 12 Mbps to a seismicsurvey vessel.

The Atlantic Explorer, owned byPetroleum Geo Services (PGS), used the

service during a four-week North Seaproject to transfer survey data to shore.

Marlink says that the throughput con-nectivity, equivalent to 120 GB per day,was an upgrade to the ship’s existingSealink customised VSAT service, which ithad previously supplied.

The connection was ordered by PGS in

Marlink delivers 12 Mbps satellite link for seismic vessel

DigiGone on Thuraya www.digigone.comwww.thuraya.com

DigiGone has announced that its videocommunications system and softwareplatform has been approved for use withThuraya’s IP terminals.

DigiGone says that its product, opti-mised for narrowband satellite channels,offers encrypted video and audio confer-encing, video streaming, Voice over IP(VoIP), IM Chat and file transfer using asmall fraction of the bandwidth neededfor some other video telecommunicationsolutions.

The company adds that the system canbe customised, depending on users’ band-width speed requirements and theirchoice of audio and video quality. Theycan raise or lower bandwidth at any timeduring a call for better image resolution orreduced cost.

“DigiGone is an important addition toour current service offerings and an ideal

tool to enable videoconferencing forThuraya IP, IP+ and MaritimeBroadband customers,” said RandyRoberts, vice president of innovation atThuraya.

“This cost-effective communicationssolution will be made available throughour extensive network of service partnersglobally for use across a variety of verticalmarkets including maritime, energy andhumanitarian NGOs.”

Michael Dunleavy, president andCEO of DigiGone, noted that he believesthat his company will be able to providesecure video and audio transmission for videoconferencing to Thuraya’s customers “with satellite airtime costsmuch lower than other teleconferencingservices.”

DigiGone says that the software nowcertified to work with Thuraya’sMaritime Broadband terminal can beinstalled on most PCs, laptops, tablets or smartphones.

The throughput available on the Atlantic Explorer was equivalent toapproximately 120 GB of data per day

www.mtnsat.com

MTN Communications has announcedthat Pullmantur Cruises has renewed itscontract with the VSAT provider, signingup for broadband communications, crewcalling and internet café services.

A Royal Caribbean International brand,Pullmantur offers Mediterranean,Caribbean and South American cruises. Ithas been an MTN customer for 11 yearsand has followed a bring-your-own-device(BYOD) strategy for both passengers andcrew.

Under the renewed contract, the Spanishcruise company will be updating the Wi-Fiinfrastructure on its fleet. MTN says thatthis update will enable more existing andnew communication offerings ranging fromspecialised apps, enhanced internet andsocial media access, and calling solutions.

“We want our guests to have the bestexperience possible in all aspects of aPullmantur cruise, and over the years we

Pullmantur extends MTN contracthave relied on MTN for consistency andreliability,” said Antonio Diez, CFO,Pullmantur Cruises.

“During our relationship with MTN wehave experienced the highest standards ofquality, reliability and responsiveness; thefull suite of products and services hasbeen more than suited to support our pas-sengers and crew. It is clear our visionsare aligned on how communications at seashould be managed.”

Chris Leber, executive vice president,commercial business development, MTN,said that his company was looking for-ward to continuing its partnership withPullmantur Cruises.

“We share the same passion and visionfor the future of communications at sea,”he said.

“We have the technology and infra-structure that meets, and exceeds, its crewand passengers’ expectations, and we verymuch look forward to serving this impor-tant organisation.”

O3b and Kymeta team up on flat antennawww.o3bnetworks.comwww.kymetacorp.com

O3b Networks, which recently launchedthe first four satellites in its planned Ka-band constellation, has signed an agree-ment with Kymeta to develop flat panelsatellite antennas for use on its network.

The two companies say that they willjointly develop the satellite tracking anten-nas and terminals to be optimised for thesatellite services that O3b will be offering.A prototype is expected by the end of2014.

Headquartered on the British island ofJersey, O3b Networks placed four Ka-band satellites in medium earth orbit(MEO) in June and is planning on launch-ing another four in Q1 2014 before starting

commercial services shortly after. Its maritime service will be aimed at

cruise ships and superyachts in LatinAmerica, Africa, the Middle East, Asia andAustralia, as coverage will be within 45degrees of latitude north and south of theequator.

US-based Kymeta holds the exclusivelicence for Metamaterials SurfaceAntenna Technology (MSA-T) which canbe used to develop flat panel antennascapable of forming beams for satellitecommunications.

“At O3b, we are striving to bring thebenefits of affordable, low latency band-width to a growing number of peoplearound the world and to deliver an everexpanding set of applications,” said SteveCollar, CEO of O3b Networks.

needs for heavy operational and crew use.”“A link of this scale was necessary in

order to facilitate the transfer of surveydata. The project was a success, with thelink providing massive amounts of band-width that enabled PGS and its client toconduct a highly operationally and costefficient offshore survey.”

Tore Morten Olsen, head of maritime,Astrium Services, also noted that the proj-ect “represents the very cutting-edge ofwhat is known as customised VSAT; thekind of services used by the offshoreindustry because every platform and ves-sel has different requirements.”

“This kind of high-level connectivity isnot an off-the-shelf product.”

“Our delivery supported PGS in pro-viding a very high-end service to its clientand in the very competitive seismic surveymarket, being able to offer advanced capa-bilities such as the electronic delivery ofsurvey data from vessel to shore makes allthe difference.”

“Kymeta’s flat, light, low cost and lowmaintenance antennas promise to provideO3b customers an extremely powerful,high-performance solution at a very attrac-tive price.”

“Kymeta antennas will have utilityacross all our market segments and we areexcited to be partnering together to devel-op this highly innovative and game chang-ing technology.”

Bob McCambridge, president andCOO of Kymeta, also added: “O3b’s net-work with fibre-like speeds is a naturalfit for Kymeta antennas that electronical-ly acquire and track non-geostationarysatellites.”

“The O3b network architecture is a per-fect fit for Kymeta’s unique technologyand capabilities.”

Kymenta’s flat antenna technology couldbe used with the O3b network

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SATCOMS

www.telenorsat.comwww.idirect.net

Telenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc)reports that it has chosen to implementiDirect’s Velocity product line as theground infrastructure platform for its newTHOR 7 high throughput satellite (HTS).

The satellite operator will deliver a Ka-band HTS payload of up to 9 Gbps ofthroughput across 25 spot beams, provid-ing capacity over the North Sea,Norwegian Sea, Mediterranean, Baltic Seaas well as the Middle East. This will coverEurope’s main shipping routes and oil andgas exploration areas.

Both companies say that the iDirectplatform will enable automatic, seamlessspot-beam handover across all beams on

www.o3bnetworks.com

O3b Networks and Huawei haveannounced that they have enabled a sys-tem to allow full 3G voice, data and videotransmission over satellite.

The companies report that O3b’s sys-tem has been tested in the HuaweiInteroperability Lab in Shanghai, China.The simulation tested performance andlatency over UMTS/3G mobile backhaullinks, including voice, data and video.

Furthermore, Huawei’s telepresence,video surveillance, unified communica-tion and datacom solutions have been ableto demonstrate interoperability withO3b’s MEO (medium-earth orbit) satellitesimulation system.

Huawei and O3b Networks say thatthey are working together to provide aservice that can act as a suitable alternativeto fibre with seamless voice, video anddata communications. The companies willprimarily aim at deployment of satellite-based broadband in remote land locations,but also on marine ships and drilling plat-forms in the ocean.

In addition, the two firms have said thatthey will work together to establish MEO

satellite backhaul capabilities for2G/3G/4G (LTE) systems for Malaysianservice provider Maju Nusa. Last June, O3bsigned a deal with Maju Nusa to provide3G Backhaul services across rural Malaysia.

“Huawei is glad to cooperate with O3bin providing high-performance satellitebased communication solutions,” saidPatrick Zhang, president, EnterpriseMarketing and Solutions.

“Huawei utilises advanced technolo-gies to save transmission bandwidth,increase speed, and overcome jitter intro-duced by satellites.”

Steve Collar, CEO, O3b Networks, alsoadded: “Winning Solution PartnerCertification from Huawei is an excellentendorsement of our network and furtherunderlines the quality of our offer aheadof our commercial launch in 2014.”

“Huawei testing and passing O3b’s net-work proves that O3b is almost equivalentto fibre for rural 3G/4G and enterprisecommunications deployment. By compar-ison, the latency of geostationary satellitesmeans that there is a noticeable delay invoice conversations and many mobile dataapplications either perform slowly or notat all.”

iDirect for THOR 7 O3b and Huawei enable 3G over sat

www.ses.comwww.kvh.com

SES and KVH have signed an expandedcapacity agreement to provide high-speedinternet access and voice over IP servicesto vessels traversing the Caribbean, theGulf of Mexico and coastal waters off theUS Eastern Seaboard.

As part of the multi-year deal, KVHwill utilise a 36MHz Ku-band transponderaboard SES’ AMC-21 satellite.

SES is a satellite operator with a fleet of53 geostationary satellites. The Ku-bandsatellite AMC-21, at 125 degrees West,provides coverage to all 50 Americanstates, the Gulf of Mexico, CentralAmerica and the Caribbean.

“KVH is expanding its mini-VSATbroadband network capacity around theworld to provide mariners with the con-nectivity they need at sea,” said BrentBruun, executive vice president of KVH’sMobile Broadband Group.

“This latest agreement with SES isaimed at delivering the reach and reliabil-ity a growing number of luxury yachts,

commercial vessels and US Coast Guardcutters need to seamlessly operate in deepand coastal waters.”

“Our mini-VSAT broadband service isgrowing at a rate of 35 per cent a year,reflecting our growing customer base andthe increased emphasis being placed onimproving ship crew welfare and opera-tional efficiencies ranging from real-timedata to better voyage planning andreduced emissions.”

John Matlaga, vice president ofEnterprise and Mobility Services for SES’North American region, also noted that“SES is making unprecedented invest-ments in new satellites, mobility beamsand increased capacity across our globalfleet to meet the fast-growing demand forconnectivity and mobile communicationscapabilities anywhere, including vitalshipping routes around the world.”

“Together, SES and KVH are puttingadvanced broadband and voice offeringsaboard ships and at the fingertips of pas-sengers and crew and playing a major rolein keeping them connected and in touchwith colleagues and family.”

Caribbean Ku-band deal for SES and KVH

the THOR 7 satellite.The platform will also establish an inte-

grated capacity pool that can be distrib-uted, enabling the development of serviceplans for individual terminals as well asfor groups across the entire coverage area.A global bandwidth management systemwill also be established to enforce ServiceLevel Agreements (SLA) at the group levelacross all beams.

Furthermore, Telenor SatelliteBroadcasting aims to leverage the iDirectplatform to facilitate inter-network roam-ing with other Ku- and Ka-band satelliteoperators, enabling end users to traveloutside of their service providers’ net-works, while maintaining coveragethrough a single service provider.

Telenor expects to launch the THOR 7satellite in the second half of2014, with the aim of increasingcapacity for current maritimeand energy customers and toenable Telenor SatelliteBroadcasting to expand its busi-ness in other markets.

“(The) THOR 7 Ka-band HTSpayload is strategically posi-tioned over the main shippingroutes and major oil and gasexploration areas in Europe,enabling our maritime and ener-gy customers to grow their busi-nesses and bring much neededcapacity into the region,” saidJulian Crudge, divisional direc-tor Network and Data Services,TSBc.

“There’s no better platformthan iDirect to bring our newcapacity to market, giving us theflexibility we need to capture abroad range of high-value mar-kets, whilst offering the possibili-ty for roaming between Ku- andKa-band satellites in the future.”

www.maritimebroadband.com

A ship management company in Germanyis to begin a trial of the C-Bird VSAT sys-tem from Maritime Broadband, followinga recent agreement.

The Hamburg-based shipping compa-ny has not been named, though installa-tion of the trial system has been confirmedto have been scheduled for October on theEast Coast of the US.

This trial contract is a result of a newagency agreement whereby Nordic ITMarine Communications in Germany hasbeen appointed as Maritime Broadband'sagent in the country. The company tri-alling the system is one of Nordic IT’sGerman clients.

“Working with Nordic IT offersMaritime Broadband the very bestfoothold in the important German market-place,” said Mary Ellen Kramer, CEO ofMaritime Broadband.

“The company is extremely well respect-ed in the shipping community in Germany.Nordic IT has over 800 vessels and shore-side users taking advantage of their opti-mised software and hardware solutions.We are excited to offer our premium globalVSAT package to their clients.”

Heiko Hoefer, owner of Nordic ITMarine Communications, also commentedthat he believes C-Bird has the ability tochange how communication is done in themaritime industry.

“Until now, C-band has been unavail-able to the commercial shipping marketworld, because of its size and weight,making it impossible to fit. C-Bird changesall that. It is easy to assemble and offersaffordable service,” he said.

“Ship managers and owners haveshown great interest in the benefits thatthe C-Bird antenna makes easy, such as a

global reach, easy assembly, and afford-able pricing including unlimited data atthe contracted speed. Added to that, thecrew can finally feel closer to the world bygetting all the voice and unlimited datafunctions that they would get at home.”

“I am very excited about the prospectsfor the coming months and years as Ibelieve that the C-Bird will not only be ofinterest to my existing clients, but alsoopen new client avenues as well.”

C-Bird trialled in Germany

The C-Bird antenna will be installed on aship operated by a Hamburg-based company

The iDirect system will help to manage spot-beamhandover on the THOR 7

p1-16:p1-14.qxd 18/10/2013 15:46

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SATCOMS


www.mcp.com

Maritime Communications Partner(MCP), a Telenor subsidiary which pro-vides phone coverage to cruise and ferrypassengers, has announced that it hasbeen chosen by Princess Cruises to equipone of its ships with on-board 3G wirelesscommunication services.

Built in 1995, the Sun Princess can carry2,022 passengers and 900 crew members.It has just finished its first Japan-basedcruise programme and will now continueon to other Asian and Australia itinerariesfor the rest of 2013.

“The most important thing for us is tomeet the needs of our customers’ passen-

The Sun Princess is now 3G enabled. Photo: Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises chooses 3G with MCP

www.satstreammedia.com

UK-based company Satstream Media hasannounced the launch of SatstreamNet, amulticast-IP content delivery networkdeveloped specifically for the maritimeindustry.

SatstreamNet uses onboard VSAT orTVRO antennas to receive media streamsproviding over the air content to vesselson separate satellite channels, which thecompany says can be done withoutimpacting the ship's existing communica-tions networks.

It notes that because the network oper-ates using IP multicast, it does not need tobe integrated into the onboard operationalcommunications network as there is noreturn channel data. SatstreamNet deliv-ers live video and audio streams as well asfile-based content to a Media Gatewayinstalled on the ship, which is connectedto a standard TV set. A handheld remotecontrol is used to select content from a listof menu options.

The company says that, becauseSatstreamNet operates independently ofthe operational communications network,

it has developed a Roaming Controller tosupport the movement of the vessel acrossmultiple satellite beams during the courseof its journey.

"With SatstreamNet we are aiming towork with a few select VSAT serviceproviders to enable them to provide richcontent to their customers," said RobUrwin, director of Satstream Media.

"We believe the timing is right, espe-cially now that MLC2006 has been rati-fied and is now in force in most coun-tries, to start adding value to the cus-tomer base beyond a standard broad-

band service offering.""We are not standing still however, as

we are already thinking into the futurewith the development of a softwareupgrade to support the streaming of Pay-Per-Download content. This will enablecontent to be streamed to the crews’ hand-held devices such as smart phones ortablets by connecting their MediaGateway to an onboard Wi-Fi network.Software upgrades can be downloaded tothe on-board equipment over the satelliteso there is no need to return the equip-ment to add new features."

www.sam-electronics.nl

SAM Electronics Nederland hasannounced that it has signed a series ofagreements with multiple airtime partnersto meet increased demand for its VSATservices.

The Rotterdam-based company says itis targeting offshore and dredging mar-kets and that, to date, it has sold andinstalled over 250 KVH TV and VSAT sys-tems on behalf of Belgian- and Dutch-based customers such as DEME, VanOord, Vroon and Wagenborg.

SAM Electronics Nederland says thatthe agreements it has signed with itsunnamed airtime partners enable it to pro-vide users with customised solutions cov-ering virtually any type of VSAT assemblywith any type of airtime subscription.

“Having successfully installed sophisti-cated IP-networked VSAT equipment forAllseas aboard Pieter Schelte, the world’slargest construction vessel, our increasedcapability and flexible solutions will be ofparticular interest to offshore and dredg-ing markets requiring the latest equip-ment and standards of performance,” saysSAM Electronics Nederland presidentJelmer Domela.

“Performance standards continue to beespecially crucial for crew welfare and ourlatest solutions will enable us to providecost-effective, all-inclusive TV, radio,video and messaging services during allstages of a voyage or operation aboardvessels of any type or size.”

SAM Electronics Nederland is a subsidiary of Hamburg-based SAMElectronics, an L-3 company.

www.thuraya.comwww.smart.com.ph

Thuraya has announced that it has beenselected by Smart Communications, aPhilippines-based wireless servicesprovider, for the launch of its new crewcalling service, Marino PhonePal.

The Dubai-based operator says that themulti-year deal will see it partner withSmart on network services and hardwarefor the maritime voice service.

Marino PhonePal is an expansion ofSmart’s current crew calling service, grow-ing from an existing Asia Pacific footprintto now include major sea lanes inAustralia, New Zealand, Indian Ocean,the Middle East, Africa and Europe(Thuraya’s coverage area).

Through this partnership, Smart willoffer low cost prepaid calls to seafarerswhile at sea using Thuraya’s SF2500 voiceterminals, says the Emirati satellite opera-tor, adding that Marino PhonePal cus-tomers will benefit from a connection atfixed prices.

“Ship owners and operators under-stand the value of making a robust crewcalling service available to their seafarers,”said Smart’s chief wireless adviser,Orlando Vea.

“Thuraya offers a strong and reliablesolution combined with attractive price

plans that fit these requirements. We areexcited to embark on this partnershipwhich is beneficial to all parties and, mostimportantly, will benefit seafarers aroundthe world.”

gers and ensure that their cruise experi-ence is fulfilling and satisfying at all levels– especially when it comes to keeping intouch with friends and family onshore andaccessing the mobile internet in their usualway,” said Fred Sorensen, managingdirector of MCP.

Eivind Madsen, CEO of MCP, also com-mented that “For MCP it is important todeliver solutions that take advantage of thelatest, smartest technologies in order tomove forward into the future and PrincessCruises shares the same mindset.”

“We are very excited to have been cho-sen by Princess Cruises to take this nextstep in the mobile revolution at sea –together.”

The Marino PhonePal service will nowoperate over the Thuraya network

Thuraya for Smart crew calling

SAM expands VSAT capabilities

Maritime entertainment delivery service launched

p1-16:p1-14.qxd 18/10/2013 15:46

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p1-16:p1-14.qxd 18/10/2013 15:46

SATCOMS


www.cobham.comwww.comtechefdata.com

Comtech EF Data Corporation hasannounced that it has completed interop-erability testing with a selection ofCobham maritime VSAT stabilised anten-na systems and the ROSS Open AntennaManagement (ROAM) protocol.

The interoperability enables Cobham’sSea Tel XX12 series equipped with IMAelectronics, including the 4012GX, 4009MK3, 5012 and 6012, to globally roamacross multiple satellite beams using theprotocol, maintaining connectivity whilemoving through different satellite foot-prints.

This product range can be added to theSea Tel USAT series, Sea Tel 3011, Sea TelXX06, Sea Tel XX09, Sea Tel XX10, Sea TelXX07 and Sea Tel XX97 antenna systemsutilising a DAC-2202 antenna controllerfirst implemented in November 2012, allproviding systems capable of interoper-ability with the ROAM protocol.

Comtech EF Data says that the ROAMprotocol offers a common managementinterface for its Roaming Oceanic SatelliteServer (ROSS) and third-party AntennaControl Units (ACUs) by providing ageneric set of commands, information,interfaces and status queries.

ROSS is a server that works in conjunc-tion with Comtech EF Data's Vipersat

Management System to facilitate on-the-move satellite communications for oceanicvessels. ROSS enables remote modems tointerface with stabilised, auto-trackingantennas, with vessel position data, satel-lite signal and management status con-stantly monitored to determine whensatellite handoff is necessary.

“The addition of ROAM and seamlesssatellite switching to our Sea Tel XX12series ensures that users experience highservice availability on a global basis,” saidCasper Jensen, vice president maritime forCobham SATCOM.

“Combined with IMA, which featuresan extended user interface, simple soft-ware updating, new remote managementcapabilities and enhanced network inte-gration, the Sea Tel XX12 series providessignificant installation, servicing andoperational efficiencies for global users.”

In related news, Cobham has alsounveiled its new SAILOR FleetBroadbandPush-to-Talk (SAILOR PTT) system,which will provide over-the-horizon com-munication via GSM and L-band satcoms.

Scheduled to launch in the fourth quar-ter of this year, SAILOR PTT integratesInmarsat’s L-band service with GSM serv-ices to enable long-range, secure, multi-user communication. Cobham expects thesolution to be popular within the workboat, OSV and fishing fleets.

SAILOR PTT will operate similar to

VHF but, unlike radio which is an openbroadcasting network, it will link vesselstogether in a private network. Cobhamsays that IP-based digital voice willimprove quality over analogue VHF voice,with no radio interference or backgroundnoise, and without the need for VHF infra-structure.

Additionally, all connectivity aspects ofthe SAILOR FleetBroadband terminal thatpowers PTT are available to provide con-nectivity and voice for crew welfare andoperations. SAILOR PTT is a hybrid solu-tion, with automatic least-cost routingover FleetBroadband and 2G/3G/LTEnetworks. The system will use GSM wher-

ever possible and switch toFleetBroadband when required. A voicetransfer protocol is used to minimise FBBbandwidth usage.

“SAILOR PTT has huge potential toenhance communications between vesselsin a fleet, especially those involved in hazardous or complex operations,” saidMr Jensen.

“Our PTT technology is alreadydeployed on land so we are keen to offer itto our maritime customer base. Theadvantages of PTT over traditional VHFgroup communication are clear; it really isthe easiest, most secure way to broadcastmessages to many people at once.”

Sea Tel XX12 now ROAM compatible

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p1-16:p1-14.qxd 18/10/2013 15:47

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SATCOMS


Maritime VSAT – Q&AThe maritime satcom market has seen huge changes in the last 10 years, with the growing number of VSAT installations

completely reshaping the landscape of communications in the shipping market. But where will we go to next? Digital Ship asked three major research groups to share their evaluations of the future of maritime VSAT

MM aking satcom decisions can bea difficult process for any ship-ping company. Modern sys-

tems will generally be supplied undercontracts that run from three yearsupwards, requiring the vessel operator topeek into their crystal ball to an extentand visualise their own requirements aswell as the market conditions a number ofyears down the road.

With this in mind, Digital Ship askedthree of the leading research companies inmaritime satcoms, who have each pro-duced detailed reports with predictions onthe future of this sector, to share some oftheir views on where the market is headed.

Conducted as a Q&A interview, witheach company being sent a separate ques-tionnaire, the three participants were:Simon Bull, senior consultant at COMSYS;Brad Grady, senior analyst at NorthernSky Research (NSR); and Richard Roithner,director of satcom at Euroconsult. Here’swhat they had to say.

1. Digital Ship: Based on your compa-ny’s research, how would you evaluatethe penetration of VSAT technology inthe maritime market today?

SB: Satisfactory - growth has beengood and in line with our forecasts overthe past five years.

However, this must be viewed in thecontext of the hard times that the maritimeindustry is undergoing and we believe thatthe maritime VSAT industry has workedhard to provide a solution which not justadds a huge amount of functionality andutility, but can actually allow a vesselowner to reduce their operational costs atmany levels.

BG: The question is really dependanton what sub-segment of the market youare considering – fishing, passenger ves-sels, merchant maritime, the offshore mar-ket or military & government.

Fishing and passenger vessels tend tosee the lowest overall VSAT for a couple ofreasons. Few leisure vessels venture farfrom shore-based connectivity when you

look at the larger population of vesselsover 30ft. Fishing vessels, although they doventure further from shore, typically havesmaller bandwidth requirements such ascatch monitoring/reporting.

Only now do we see advanced applica-tions such as weather monitoring, evaluat-ing market prices, and crew-centric servicesgaining adoption within the fishing market.

On the other hand, the offshore andMilitary & Government markets have veryclear bandwidth requirements, operatefurther away from shore and as such havefairly high levels of VSAT penetrationwhere almost all of the larger vessels, asizeable number of medium and anincreasing number of smaller vessels havea VSAT-based service.

In the middle are merchant maritime ves-sels. The global vessels tend to have a VSAT-based service, with higher operational andcrew-bandwidth needs driving adoption.Yet, MSS-centric services still are givingVSAT deployments a run for their money.Looking forward, NSR expects VSAT pen-etration to increase across all segments.

RR: The maritime VSAT industry,although starting to gain maturity, is still arelatively young market compared to L-band maritime satcom. Euroconsult esti-mates the number of active VSATs global-ly at around 10,000 today, growing at dou-ble digit rates in recent years, compared tomore than 275,000 active L-band devices.

Across the various maritime marketsincluding merchant shipping, fishing, off-shore support vessels, government & mili-tary, cruise ships and leisure vessels, weestimate that at least 110,000 vessels todayare potentially addressable for VSATs.This would put the current penetrationrate of maritime VSAT, even when conser-vatively estimated, at less than 10 per centof the addressable market with significantroom for growth.

While certain segments, such as cruiseships or off-shore oil & gas have obvious-ly achieved very high penetration ratesalready, the merchant shipping, fishing orthe leisure market still provide a lot ofupside potential. As a comparison, MSS

maritime broadband services (primarilyFleetBroadband and OpenPort) stood ataround 38,000 active terminals at the endof 2012.

2. Digital Ship: How do regional differ-ences in approach to technology affect theoverall take up of maritime VSAT sys-tems, in your view, and do growth trendsdiffer significantly between markets?

SB: We see technology differentiatingacceptance, take up and use by maritimesegment, rather than region.

BG: Growth does tend to differamongst different regions. As we see glob-al economic activity continue to shifttowards Latin America, Africa/IndianOcean, and Asia we also see a similaruptake in maritime VSAT activity.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say it is a dif-ference in their approach to technology, as Ithink a ship operating in the Indian Oceantends to have similar requirements as a shipoperating in the Pacific, but rather theirstage of development is a greater indicator.

In the Offshore segment for example,there is a greater emphasis across the sec-

tor towards the Indian Ocean and Pacific –which is helping to boost overall VSATuptake. Similarly, a new ‘pivot strategy’towards Asia in the military & govern-ment markets is helping to boost VSATrates throughout the Asia, Indian andPacific regions.

RR: It is true that there are still quitesome regional differences in the adoptionof maritime VSATs with Northern Europein particular as a leading market and earlyadopter today, followed by Japan andNorth America.

However, we see other regions current-ly catching up. In particular, Asia Pacific isgrowing strongly driven by a buoyantshipping and fishing market. While theusage of VSATs and its serving applica-tions still differ among the various regionsand markets, the increasing need for con-nectivity is however a trend observedacross all regions.

3. Digital Ship: In the last 5 years, wouldyou say that growth in maritime VSAT

has been at a surprisingly high level, asexpected, or underwhelming?

SB: As we mention in Question 1,COMSYS has not only published forecastsevery two years, but gone back and com-pared the results with what our researchshows actually happened two years later.We don’t know any other research firmwhich has the nerve to do this!

In both cases – 2010 looking back to2008 and 2012 looking back to 2010 – ourforecasts were within 2 per cent of the mar-ket performance, so we would judge thatmaritime VSAT has met our expectations.

BG: As an analyst, I’d like to say itwas expected because it is our job to prop-erly characterise the opportunity for mar-itime VSAT services to the industry. But,setting that aside, one of the things thateveryone can agree on is the rapid increasein the amount of bandwidth requiredacross the maritime market.

Mostly driven by the larger offshore,cruise, and government end-users, nearlyall segments of the maritime market haveseen their bandwidth needs increase. And,they don’t seem to be waning anytimesoon – if anything the past 5 years has onlyreally been a prelude to the bandwidthdemand within the maritime market.

So, has growth been at a surprisinglyhigh rate or as expected? I’d say that it hasbeen in the middle of that range – not quiteas explosive as the growth of smart-devices in the consumer markets, but it hasbeen steadily in the double-digits to highsingle digits over the past five years, whichis an impressive number for the satelliteVSAT market.

RR: The maritime VSAT market hasreally started to gain traction around themiddle of the last decade with decreasinghardware prices, better availability of C-and Ku-band over ocean regions, a multi-plication in service offerings, and a grow-ing number of specialised serviceproviders who saw the market opportuni-ties in increasing communication needs atsea, beyond what L-band could provide.

Since then, the market has experiencedsignificant growth with the number ofactive VSAT terminals growing at over 15per cent per year. Given the state of theglobal economic environment and the factthat the shipping industry has been goingthrough one of its most severe crises in

The panel consisted of (abbreviationsin brackets):

(SB) Simon Bull, senior consultantCOMSYS

(BG) Brad Grady, senior analyst,Northern Sky Research (NSR)

(RR) Richard Roithner, director ofsatcom, Euroconsult.

Who’s who: The Panel

‘We see technology differentiatingacceptance, take up and use rather than

region’ – Simon Bull, COMSYS

‘The maritime VSAT industry, althoughstarting to gain maturity, is still a relativelyyoung market compare to L-band maritimesatcom’ – Richard Roithner, Euroconsult

‘One of the things that everyone can agreeon is the rapid increase in the amount ofbandwidth required across the maritime

market’ – Brad Grady, NSR

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SATCOMS


2008/09, we found the on-going highgrowth in maritime VSAT at double digitrates in recent years to be beyond whatcould likely be expected.

For us, this clearly shows that communi-cations and connectivity has become a criti-cal part of the maritime industry. It alsoshows that satellite broadband connectivityprovides significant value and a return oninvestment for vessels at sea today.

4. Digital Ship: What particular aspectsof the market do you see as differentiat-ing the maritime VSAT market from themarket for VSAT systems in other areas,such as on land or in aviation?

SB: At the hardware level it’s relatedto the things like the advancement and costreduction of stabilised antennas; at the sys-tems level, it’s things like global beamroaming, multi-satellite operation, net-work management and control.

However, the biggest differentiator inour opinion is really down to the operators– the logistics required to install, serviceand maintain VSAT installations acrossglobal vessel fleets is extremely challeng-ing and frequently underestimated by agreat many people.

The sea is a harsh environment and thereliability that most VSAT maritime servic-es provide is not an easy thing to achieve –definitely a greater challenge than mostlocations on land will face.

BG: Beyond some of the morestraightforward differences in operatingenvironments or ground infrastructure –one of the key differences from the othermobility markets is that demand withinthe maritime market tends to be driven bya combination of critical business andcrew-centric applications.

More so than land-mobile or aviationmarkets, maritime VSAT networks increas-ingly need to be designed to accommodatean extremely large variety of traffic fromdatabase replication or real-time drilling orsituational awareness applications operat-ing over a highly secure link, to poweringFacebook or streaming video on a tablet orsmartphone.

Aviation markets do not tend to have arequirement for both operational and gen-eral internet access, yet. We do see someneed for these dynamic network designson the land-mobile side, but for the mostpart land-mobile deployments areenabling specific services such as satellite-news gathering, or supporting disasterrelief services.

Overall, maritime networks tend to havesome of the most sophisticated networkdesigns to enable these different business,operational, and crew-centric services tooperate over the same infrastructure.

RR: The maritime market is one of theharshest environments on the planet, in par-ticular for communication devices. Shipsconstantly move and are continuouslyexposed to extreme weather conditions,challenged by water resistance, corrosion,wind, limited place on deck, potential block-age, etc. This alone makes the maritimeVSAT market a very distinct and differentmarket compared to other VSAT markets.

Compared to other mobile VSAT mar-kets, on land or in the aeronauticaldomain, the maritime market is a fairlyestablished and mature market with yearsof experiences and a learning curve for a

number of specialised service, equipmentand application providers who have estab-lished a vast portfolio of proven solutions.

The ecosystem for maritime VSATseems now well established and serviceshave become an essential part of the mar-ket, which is not yet the case in the othertwo domains mentioned.

5. Digital Ship: There is, to some extent,a ‘chicken and egg’ aspect to the maritimeVSAT discussion, where shipping com-panies may feel that the ‘killer apps’ todrive VSAT adoption are not there, butapplication developers will not invest indeveloping high-data applications for amarket without a proliferation of broad-band connectivity – how do you see thisplaying out in the future?

SB: We do not consider that this is thebiggest problem – rather the issue is thelow-tech nature of many shipping compa-nies which simply do not have theresources or expertise to implement andoperate highly complex systems.

This is partly due to the fact that there isa shortage of staff within the maritimeindustry generally and finding good peo-ple who both understand the challengesbehind a maritime operation and are ableto bring the IT skills as well is very hard.

BG: End-users are already deployinghigh-data applications over their VSATlink – real-time HD video conferencing,

doing database replication between themaritime remote server and an onshoredatacentre, etc. So, I do not think it is amatter of ‘developing’ the applicationsthemselves but rather optimising the cur-rent best-of-breed applications to the high-er latency of a satellite connection.

This is where specialist serviceproviders (either the current maritimeservice providers or newer start-ups) canreally bring value into the market – takingexisting applications that enterprises aredeploying across their shore-based loca-tions and optimising them to run over aVSAT connection.

This is also where HTS (HighThroughput Satellite) will help tremen-dously – increasing the pipe to accommo-date a larger number of the ‘best of breed’applications out-of-the-box, or with mini-mal optimisation.

RR: Euroconsult believes that the mar-itime VSAT market has reached a point ofmaturity, where solutions are proven

enough for stakeholders to recognise itsvalue. We also see clear commitments fromplayers along the value chain to furtherinvest in the maritime VSAT market, in par-ticular with satellite operators deployingmore and more capacity over the oceans aswell as service providers and equipmentmanufacturers investing in enhanced prod-ucts and value-added services.

This, combined with the increasingneed of connectivity on board ships, andthe evolution of broadband applications onland should lead to a positive upwards spi-ral driving applications for maritime users,which in turn will move the maritimeVSAT industry forward as a whole andlead to a multiplication of applications inthe future.

6. Digital Ship: HTS (High ThroughputSatellite) systems have generated muchof the recent hype in maritime satcoms,from providers like Inmarsat, Intelsat,O3b and Telenor – with these systems setto be launched in the next few years, whatdo you expect the market reaction to be?Will the effect on the mass market be lim-ited for the foreseeable future?

SB: HTS has some way to go in itsdevelopment before we can see what it willbring in the long term – i.e. beyond thissecond generation of satellites that are upor going up.

I have no doubt that the effect will be

very beneficial to the maritime industry.Data consumption is simply exploding atevery level that we cover in our researchand the maritime industry is no exception– more bandwidth for less money soundsattractive, but it’s actually more likely tomean a lot more bandwidth for a similar orslightly higher monthly price.

It also shouldn’t be forgotten that con-trol, management, reliability and availabil-ity also have their place in the cost struc-ture of a service.

BG: I think the market response isalready fairly positive when you considerHTS as a whole. Where the argumentbreaks down is when you talk about‘which HTS’ rather than ‘if HTS’.

There will be some maritime segmentsand some end-users within those segmentsthat will be more cautious in their adop-tion of HTS, but others are already signed-up and waiting for the service to beenabled. Service providers have made thefirst step in this regard, by incorporating

HTS systems into their network designsand service offerings to end-users.

HTS systems (both from geostationaryorbital arcs like Inmarsat, Intelsat orTelenor, but also from Middle-Earth Orbitsuch as O3b) will have an impact across allsegments of the maritime market – fromhigh-end cruise-ships or oil platforms allthe way down to fishing vessels consider-ing a broadband VSAT connection for thefirst time.

The effect overall – definitely positive.Service providers and end-users alike willbe paying careful attention to these earlyadopters in the next 12 – 24 months as theyevaluate their own HTS plans. Key though,will be matching the right service to theright end-user for the right application.

RR: As outlined before, we see a sig-nificant amount of investment in capacityover oceanic regions including regular Ku-band, but to a greater extent in new gener-ation HTS systems.

Some systems such as Inmarsat’sGlobal Xpress or the Intelsat EPIC satel-lites will have a strong focus on maritimemarkets, but also other systems such asTelenor’s Thor-7, the Viasat-2 satellite andeven O3b have dedicated HTS capacityover the oceans.

The impact of these HTS systems on themaritime VSAT market is still uncertain, butwe expect a significant increase in data traf-fic and the available bandwidth per vessel,enabling a range of new applications forend users. Other impacts should include adecreasing price per Mbps, a decrease inhardware prices, and ultimately new mar-itime VSAT markets that would have his-torically not been addressable for VSATs.

However, one has to be careful whenlooking at the increase in capacity supplythrough HTS systems, differentiating thetotal amount of capacity over ocean regions(aggregate) and the amount of capacityavailable to a single ship at any given pointin time. Given the multispotbeam architec-ture of HTS systems, the two measures willbe substantially different and the availablecapacity per ship, although growing signifi-cantly, may not grow to levels that somereports might suggest.

7. Digital Ship: Where would you expectto see major growth / decline for the threemajor frequency bands that are likely todominate in the next five years (L-band,Ku-band and Ka-band)? What kind ofmarket share would you expect to see foreach by 2020?

SB: COMSYS would not expect tosee any real decline – a change of use pro-file is more likely to be the major outcome.Ultimately, this will then change the wayinvestment is made in capacity in thesefrequencies.

BG: In terms of number of In-serviceUnits, the combination of broadband andnarrowband units gives the lead to anMSS-based solution – across the globe.

Looking at the maritime broadbandsatellite market, MSS-based services con-tinue to lose market share to the VSATofferings – from both FSS and HTS-basedofferings. They will remain the largestbroadband satellite offering in the mar-itime market, with roughly 65 per centof the market by 2020, as smaller andsmaller vessel sizes continue to demandbandwidth.

Video conferencing is already happening at sea – high-data applications like this willdrive uptake of VSAT systems. Photo: TANDBERG Corporation

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Although VSAT-based offerings contin-ue to make strides in terms of antennaprices and installation costs, MSS-basedbroadband connectivity will still havesome of the lowest cost of entry into themaritime broadband market.

However, geostationary HTS-basedsolutions (at C-, Ku- and Ka-bands) willmake strong in-roads throughout the mar-itime market. Higher overall throughputwill help boost adoption within the higher-end segments such as Offshore and thehigher-end passenger markets, where thebetter value-proposition will appeal to themerchant segment.

The Middle-Earth Orbit (where O3b isthe sole player as of now) will be a strongplayer in the highest of high-end markets –large cruise-ships, military & governmentvessels, and the offshore market.Combined, both GEO-HTS and MEO-HTSwill account for roughly 10 per cent of In-service Units by 2020.

Traditional FSS capacity (C- and Ku-bands), will account for the remaining 25per cent of the market by 2020, downslightly from 2012 figures. Of that, Ku-band will account for the vast majority ofIn-service Units.

Merchant maritime vessels will helpcontribute the majority of growth for FSSKu-band, as increased emphasis on man-aging costs while at sea and the growingglobal coverage of FSS Ku-band capacityhelp drive adoption rates.

Overall, across FSS, HTS, and MSS thereis a steady shift towards emerging markets– within Latin America, Middle-East &Africa, and Asia. More maritime trafficcontinues to move into the Pacific andIndian Oceans, all while we see a levellingoff of demand from established marketssuch as North America.

RR: L-band will definitely remain theleading frequency band in terms of numberof active terminals, due to regulatoryrequirements as well as its higher reliabilityand availability compared to higher fre-quency bands. Usage and ARPUs of L-bandmay, however, decline over time with serv-ice revenue primarily driven by VSATs.

Looking at maritime VSAT only,Euroconsult expects that Ku-band willremain the leading frequency band account-ing for approximately 57 per cent of all mar-itime VSATs by 2020 (versus 72 per centtoday). Ka-band is expected to experiencegrowth starting in 2014 with a major accel-eration, however, not likely before 2015/16.

We believe that there will be a market forboth Ku- and Ka-band depending on theend user requirements and that both fre-quency bands will continue to see growth.Ka-band should account for close to 30 percent of active maritime VSATs by 2020.

8. Digital Ship: Would you expect thenumber of companies offering satellitecommunications services to the maritimeindustry to increase or decline in the next5-10 years? Why?

SB: We would expect it to do whatthe industry has always done – grow withnew entrants, shrink with failures, but ulti-mately show a steady increase in compa-nies providing service.

In the VSAT industry there is alwaysroom for niche players able to bring a par-ticular customised solution to customersthat can drive real competitive advantage

from it. Sure there will be commoditisa-tion, but for those who want or need some-thing above and beyond the standardpackage there will always be companieswilling to meet their need.

BG: The market continues to be lean-ing more towards consolidation, ratherthan expansion in terms of the number ofservice providers. As some of the recentacquisitions have shown there are someclear advantages with larger purchasingpower, and end-user diversity.

Having a larger end-user base allowslarger purchases of satellite capacity – at bet-ter prices – which can then be carriedthrough ultimately to the end-user.Similarly, and especially important in this

day and age, having a diverse base of end-users (both in terms of market segments,and geographic coverage) allows companiesto ride-out the merchant market slowdown,or near-term government uncertainty.

What we are not seeing too much any-more are satellite operators moving intothe service provider market as we sawwith Inmarsat and Ship Equip. If anything,the more recent trend of Inmarsat sellingoff the energy-centric part of Stratos toRigNet might be a sign of an emergingtrend over the next 5 – 10 years. The excep-tion is the wholesale capacity side of thegovernment & military market, whereservice providers have to compete againstcapacity providers.

All said, the market will still remaincomprised of the larger players – who canprovide coverage and service across theglobe, and specialist companies focused onserving specific segments or regional mar-kets. Overall, however, the market seemsto be pointing towards on-going consolida-tion for the next 5 – 10 years.

RR: The number of service providersin the maritime market, in particular formaritime VSAT, has been increasing sig-nificantly over the past ten years, fromapproximately 10-15 in the middle of thepast decade to over 70 today.

Given the achievable economies ofscale and a number of smaller providersthat seem to be struggling financially, weforesee increasing consolidation over thecoming years which may reduce the totalnumber of service providers, partially off-set by some new entrants.

9. Digital Ship: Current economic condi-tions in shipping, as in most other indus-tries, are as tough as they have been inliving memory. How do you see thisaffecting the take up of VSAT, and doyou think an upturn in fortunes wouldsignal a significant change in the sector’sapproach to satellite communications?

SB: See our answer to Question 1. Nodoubt improved conditions in the mar-itime industry would help the penetrationof the technology, but we would take theposition that the VSAT service providersare actually helping to give the maritimebusiness some of the tools needed to climbout of the hole the industry is in.

BG: Not necessarily, and I’ll cite the

old saying “Necessity is the mother ofinvention” – or adoption. If merchant ves-sel owners were to suddenly see marginsimprove overnight, I think there would beless incentive to adopt new or innovativeapproaches than if they continue to bepressured (as they are likely to remain).

Sure there are regulatory requirementsdriving some uptake of broadband connec-tivity, but one of the key determiners ofadoption continues to be a cost/benefitanalysis from the vessel owner/operator.

Already, merchant vessels are findingnew ways to improve overall profitabilitysuch as running at reduced speeds to con-serve fuel. VSAT can take that a step fur-ther and enable advanced routing and tripplanning to further save fuel and increasemerchant vessel profitability. Without theon-going pressure to improve margins,another benefit for adopting satellite com-munications would be lost.

Numerous studies across not only themaritime market, but almost all commer-cial enterprises point towards revolutionsin IT – new infrastructure, workflows andapplications – as a key to improving effi-ciencies and ultimately, profitability.

What is not going to go away are the

regulatory requirements – ECDIS, GMDSS,the ‘seafarer’s bill of rights’, etc. These willall ‘force’ some type of adoption for thosesubject to the regulations, but it is theseother challenges that will help boost rev-enues for service providers. Overall, a con-tinued focus on increasing profitability,combined with regulations will help satel-lite adoption.

RR: As stated earlier, we were some-what surprised how little impact thetough economic environment had on thegrowth of maritime VSAT over the pastyears, which clearly shows the importanceof communications and connectivity at sea today.

However, it is hard to quantify the realimpact as growth would likely have beeneven stronger without the global financialcrisis. We believe the industry will contin-ue to grow at a healthy rate with the num-ber of active VSATs growing at a CAGR ofapproximately 12 per cent over the comingten years.

10. Digital Ship: Where would you expectto see the greatest innovation take placein the next 10 years – antenna technology,types of transmission technology (e.g.different frequencies, lasers etc), or soft-ware / network technology?

SB: Really difficult question becausethere is so much innovation in the satcomsindustry today and much more that couldchange. If I had to choose one thing, mybet would be on antenna technology.

BG: Antenna technology is perhaps anarea that has the greatest potential for inno-vation, but it is not a single piece of the pie.

A continued decrease in the cost toaccess space will help drive new and inno-vative approaches in the space segment,while material sciences continue toimprove on the ground segment.

The truly innovative product will beable to take advantage of innovation acrossthe value-chain, from antennas to trans-mission technology to software or net-working technology. In that sense, thegreatest innovation will likely come fromthe software and networking technologythat binds all of this innovation together.

However, the greatest innovation willcome from companies that can combine allof these different innovations into a com-pelling value-proposition to end-users.

RR: Euroconsult expects to see a sig-nificant evolution in the efficiency of sys-tems and thus the bandwidth available pervessel, driving all sorts of innovation interms of applications like real-time videostreaming and cloud applications previ-ously unthinkable on board a vessel in themiddle of the ocean.

We also see many interesting innova-tions on the antenna side of the market,like flat panel antennas that reduce thenumber of moving parts of maritime VSATsystems. New innovative companies suchas Kymeta are expected to drive new tech-nologies in that domain.

HTS services will take an increasing share of the satcom market in coming years

In-depth research reports from each of the participants in our Maritime VSAT Q&A are available.

COMSYS: COMSYS Maritime VSAT Report (published biennially). www.comsys.co.uk

�SR: Maritime Satellite Markets. www.nsr.com

Euroconsult: Mobile Satellite Communications Markets Survey, Prospects to 2022; and Maritime Telecom Solutions by Satellite, Global Market Analysis & Forecasts.www.euroconsult-ec.com

DS

p1-16:p1-14.qxd 18/10/2013 15:48

SOFTWARE Digital Ship


www.gl-group.com

United Arab Shipping Company (UASC)has partnered with FutureShip on a proj-ect to find the most efficient design for itsfuture containerships.

When the shipping line decided toorder new 14,000 TEU and 18,000 TEUvessels it invited various shipyards tosubmit their designs. The four shortlistedbuilders then provided detailed informa-tion so that FutureShip could assess thehydrodynamic performance of eachdesign.

FutureShip, a GL company specialis-ing in maritime consultancy and engi-neering services, calculated the totalcosts of transport per container-mile.

The four sets of design for both 14,000and 18,000 TEU ships went throughnumerical tank towing tests based onComputational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)simulations. FutureShip ran thousandsof tests to determine the speed-powerrelationship for the two ship classes.

Hyundai Heavy Industry (HHI) out-performed the competition in the 14,000TEU category and also designed the mostefficient single-skeg vessel at 18,000TEUs, DNV GL reports.

UASC signed a letter of intent follow-ing the tests and HHI proceeded with thedesign, enrolling FutureShip for formalparametric optimisation with the objec-tive of reducing fuel consumption asmuch as possible.

More than 35,000 hull shape variantswere investigated for each hull design,says DNV GL. For final validation, pro-fessional model tests were conducted atthe Hamburg Ship Model Basin.

UASC has now ordered five 14,000TEU vessels from HHI, with six onoption, and five 18,000 TEU vessels withone on option. The new ship designs are

currently being finalised at HHI withdeliveries scheduled between 2014 and2016, including all options.

UASC has also decided to implementFutureShip’s ECO-Assistant, an interface

which selects the most efficient trim forevery voyage.

A new version of the ECO-Assistanttrim optimisation tool, which incorpo-rates a fuel consumption calculator, hasrecently been released. ECO-Assistant4.0 also features system usage monitor-ing, benefit reporting and an e-learningmodule to speed up familiarity with thesystem.

Developed in partnership withHamburg-based ship operator NSC, thefuel consumption calculator predicts fuelconsumption for the actual load condi-tion, while also taking into account speedand ambient conditions.

FutureShip says that the hydrody-namic knowledge base behind the sys-tem’s trim optimisation is used to gener-ate this information. Performance dataand semi-empirical corrections are

utilised to provide fuel consumptioncurves that reflect individual hull foul-ing, ambient conditions, fuel quality andengine characteristics.

Björn Eichhorn, fleet director of NSCSchifffahrtsgesellschaft, said: “The ECO-Assistant data gave us the capability to

reliably compute fuel consumption atdraft and speed conditions not coveredby model tests or sea trials.”

ECO-Assistant’s new reporting fea-ture can generate PDF reports for periodsor voyages, stating usage and achievedsavings. These reports can be used forSEEMP (Ship Energy EfficiencyManagement Plan documentation).

To design the new e-learning module,FutureShip says that it has built on theexperience gained from working withcustomers on some 600 installations ofECO-Assistant over the last three years.Through this module, crew members canfamiliarise themselves with ECO-Assistant, whether for an initial intro-duction, or for a brush-up on a certainfeature.

Karsten Hochkirch, head of fluid engi-neering, FutureShip, noted: “ECO-Assistant can achieve efficiency improve-ments of up to 6 per cent. A typical 7,500TEU container vessel operating at a slowsteaming speed can reduce its CO2 emis-sion by 2,740 tonnes per year by usingthe system.”

“Additionally, ECO-Assistant can be integrated with a vessel’s cargo plan-ning system to realise even greater fuelsaving potential, optimising ballastwater management.”

DNV GL started operating as onecompany in September as a result of themerger between Det Norske Veritas(DNV) and Germanischer Lloyd (GL).

Applied Weather Technology(AWT) has appointed Haydn Jones as itsnew CEO. Mr Jones had previouslyworked for Nera, ChartCo, the UKHO andFugro Satellite Positioning before joiningAWT in early 2013, taking the role of mar-keting director and business developmentmanager.

Veson Nautical, the US developerof the Integrated Maritime OperationsSystem (IMOS), is opening a new office inLondon. Headed by George Giovas,Veson’s regional director of Europe andMiddle East Operations, the new UK officewill serve as headquarters for these tworegions and Africa, and will house dedi-cated sales, consulting, and technical pro-fessionals for EMEA.

Royal Dirkzwager, KVSA andPort+, service providers based inRotterdam, Amsterdam and Antwerp, willlaunch a new version of the Ship2Reportsystem by the end of the year, which willbe accessible on tablets and smartphones.Ship2Report provides real-time informa-tion on vessel positions and movements.Once version 2.0 is launched, the develop-ers expect to roll out new features andmodules every two months.

www.veson.comwww.awtworldwide.comwww.dirkzwager.comHaydn Jones, new CEO at AWT

FutureShip to optimise UASC newbuilds

UASC will implement the FutureShip ECO-Assistant software program

p17-27:p1-14.qxd 18/10/2013 16:14 Page 1


SOFTWARE

Sea chefs hires Adoniswww.adonis.no

Norwegian software developer Adonissays that it is to provide its HumanResources modules to sea chefs, a Swiss-based agency which recruits and manageshospitality staff for cruise ships.

The Adonis solution will cover web-based recruitment, crew management, andpayroll. Adonis says that its systems havebeen installed at the sea chefs’ Hamburgand Limassol offices and are now beingdeployed on board a number of cruise ves-sels.

“Adonis will streamline our adminis-trative procedures, eliminate manualworkaround and increase efficiency in thecrewing departments,” said MichaelScheler, general manager of sea chefs.

“This will improve the service qualityto our crew and cruise line clients, whilewe reduce operating costs of crewingdepartments and thus improve contribu-tion to the company's bottom line.”

“It was likewise important for us thatthe technology provided by Adonis wasconsidered to be most designed for thefuture growth in our global operations we

are expecting in the coming years.”In related news, Adonis also reports

that it has released version 4.10 of itsPersonnel Manager software, which makesit possible to send SMS to any crew orother personnel directly from the HumanResource and Payroll system.

The system has featured a ‘Send e-mail service’ for many years, butAdonis notes that many of its customersconsidered e-mail not to be fully trust-worthy as a communication channel totheir employees.

E-mail addresses tend to change whenan employee changes their internetprovider, says Adonis, adding that mobilephone can prove a more stable tool forcommunication.

From the Adonis Personnel Manager,SMS can be sent about upcoming expirydates, changes in travel itineraries, or anyother information requiring an immediatenotification to the employee.

The SMS function can also be used fromthe newly released Adonis WebRecruitment Service 3.0: to send login cre-dentials, or informing the applicant if theyare accepted for the job or not.

Korean Register patents world’s first ‘Smart Fleet’ app www.krs.co.kr

The Korean Register has obtained a patenton its ‘Smart Fleet’ app which waslaunched earlier this year.

The classification society says that theapplication delivers up-to-the-minuteinformation on vessels, fleets, surveys,audits and port state control to a smart-phone or tablet. Surveyors and othersworking in the field can access survey andtechnical information using the app onAndroid and iOS platforms.

‘Smart Fleet’ provides a complete ves-sel register, information on PSC deten-tions, classification rules, fleet lists, sur-vey status, reports and schedules, amongothers.

Two levels of information are available.The ordinary user can view basic informa-

tion while owners of KR classed ships aregiven visibility over the full range of data.

‘Smart Fleet’ also includes functionssuch as a push notification system toreceive urgent messages concerning PSCand technical updates, as well as a survey-or locator which identifies the KR surveyoffice nearest to the phone user.

Jung Dong-Jae, general manager of KR’sinformation technology team and incharge of developing the application, said:“The Smart Fleet app is a great tool that isalready making efficiency improvementsto shipping companies. Today, busy peo-ple expect instant access to quality, reliableand bang up-to-date information and thatis exactly what Smart Fleet delivers.”

“We have already seen a rapid take-upof this app and we expect many more usersto come online soon. Obtaining the patent

demonstrates that we have developedanother piece of unique technology for our global customerbase.”

KR chairman andCEO Chon Young-Kee also commented:“The award of apatent proves KR’sexceptional IT tech-nology skills and Ifirmly believe we leadthe way in softwaredevelopment for shipclassification.”

“We will continueto research, innovateand launch more soft-ware products toimprove the service

and satisfaction we deliver to shippingcompanies across the world.”

ADNATCO-NGSCO fleet installsUnique solution

www.uniquegroup.comwww.marorka.com

Unique System FZE has announced that ithas been contracted to deliver Marorka’sship performance monitoring solutions tothe ADNATCO-NGSCO fleet (Abu DhabiNational Tanker Co – National GasShipping Company).

Unique System FZE, a Unique MaritimeGroup company, will act as agents for theIceland-based energy management com-pany Marorka under the deal.

The project’s objective is to implementenergy management systems on the entirefleet of ships operated by UAE-basedADNATCO-NGSCO. The first stage of theproject includes the installation of shipperformance monitoring systems on boardsix vessels: two LNG vessels, two bulk car-riers and two oil tankers.

To monitor the vessels’ fuel consump-tion, Marorka’s Onboard EnergyManagement System has been selected,together with Marorka Online, a fleetreporting tool. The system gathers datafrom various instrumentation points andprovides real-time information on the

overall efficiency of each vessel.“Unique System FZE is known for its

superlative technical knowledge and cost-effective solutions,” said Dhia Hussain,project manager at ADNATCO-NGSCO.

“Backed by first-rate support fromMarorka and factory-trained service engi-neers locally, we are confident that the on-board support for this project in terms ofinstallation and commissioning of the sys-tem will be instrumental in achieving thedesired results.”

“Moreover, Unique System FZE andMarorka provided us with comprehensivetechnical input and support prior to thestart of this project, which has helped tobuild the necessary level of confidence andtrust. They have also carried out on-boardsurveys to check the type and status of theequipment that must be interfaced withthe system.”

Venkatesh Rao, division manager,Marine at Unique System FZE, said: “Wehave always strived to deliver the best intechnology to our marine clients. We firmlybelieve that Marorka is a pioneer in energymanagement solutions based on extensiveresearch and development activities.”

KR’s apps can be used to access a range of services

The Mubaraz LNG vessel at a discharge port

RS to use NAPA software www.rs-class.org

www.napa.fi

The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping(RS) is to use NAPA software, the classifi-cation society and the Finnish softwarehouse have announced.

During design review of a newbuildingproject or during existing ship modernisa-tion, RS will use NAPA to assess andapprove various calculations, such as stabil-ity calculations and statutory compliance.

“We believe the RS transition to NAPAwill bring us additional competitivenessby enabling us to provide classificationservices in less time and with higher qual-ity,” said Pavel Shikhov, RS chief operat-ing officer.

“It is very likely that use of NAPA byRS will promote the adaptation of thismodern software application to theRussian market where the shipbuildingindustry is ramping up.”

Carl Johan Schauman, vice president ofsales at NAPA noted that the company hasa long history of cooperation with theClass Societies, maritime authorities,design agencies and shipyards globally.

“NAPA software has been type-approved by RS for a number of years, andwe are very pleased to welcome RS to thegroup of NAPA users as well,” he said.

“We are convinced that now when RSbecomes a user of our software, we willtogether be able to support the Russianmarine industry in a very effective way.”

p17-27:p1-14.qxd 18/10/2013 16:08 Page 2

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p17-27:p1-14.qxd 24/10/2013 12:06 Page 3

tems available on the market and match-ing our complex operational require-ments,” said Hurtigruten CEO DanielSkjeldam.

Sigrid Hov Fodnæss, Hurtigruten’s ICTproject manager, explained that the com-pany has “worked very hard on the pre-installation phases in order to ensure thatour business needs are translated intoeasy-to-use systems that can benefit theorganisation in the long run.”

“We are pleased with progress to dateand we have already been able to demon-strate how this innovative IT can help toimprove on-board and shoreside opera-tions. We look forward to completing theremaining installations in the monthsahead,” he said.

Fidelio says that a particular challengeof the project has been the Hurtigruten’scontractual schedule obligations. The


SOFTWARE

www.fcruise.com

German IT provider Fidelio Cruise hasreplaced shipboard systems on twoHurtigruten vessels and plans to completesimilar installations on the other ten shipsin the Norwegian coastal cruise compa-ny’s fleet by the end of 2014.

Fidelio says that Hurtigruten’s 12 ves-sels will all receive new ShipboardProperty Management System software,especially tailored for their coastal opera-tions, as well as Fidelio’s MaterialsManagement, Fleet Management, iCrewand Simphony systems.

After the MS Kong Harald in January2013, the MS Polarlys went live with thenew software in September.

“We decided to install Fidelio Cruisesoftware across our fleet following exten-sive analysis of advanced software sys-

Fidelio equips Hurtigruten

The MS Polarlys went live with the software in September

www.interschalt.de

German developer Interschalt says thatHansa Shipping has placed an order tointegrate a trim optimisation module intothe loading computer of 30 of its contain-erships.

Hamburg-based Hansa has been usingInterschalt’s MACS3 loading computer forits own container fleet for several years andit has recently ordered 30 TROP modules.

Interschalt says that its TROP softwareoptimises trim with regards to the currentloading condition and main engine power.It adds that as an integrated module of theMACS3 loading computer, TROP alsoensures best possible ballast distribution.

The software provider says that 30 con-tainer vessels ranging from 2,500 to 6,500TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) arebeing equipped under the deal.

Hansa’s managing director DieterMackeprang said: “Combining the load-ing computer with a sophisticated modulefor improving efficiency by optimisingtrim is another step in the right directionto being able to offer a modern, energy-efficient fleet to our charterers.”

“Our vessels are equipped with state-of-the-art software technology. WithTROP, every customer can optimise trimeasily and hence save fuel and money.”

Hansa orders trim optimisation module

The HS Paris, one of 30 ships that will implement the trim optimisation technology

Unisea launches Emergency

In related news, Interschalt reports thatit has also introduced a new stowage plan-ning software called StowMan, which itexpects to be market-ready in the secondquarter of 2014.

The software was developed in cooper-ation with Professor Rune Møller Jensenof the IT University of Copenhagen, whodemonstrated its use at a recent user con-ference in Germany.

StowMan makes it possible to planstowage by taking into account trim bycargo instead of ballast water, for exam-ple, as well as load limits and hazardousgoods handling. Interschalt says that ithelps avoid unnecessary restowage andallows for shorter port laytimes.

The German developer says that thesoftware can reduce stowage planning to amatter of seconds and save costs, e.g.through reduced laytimes or by decreas-ing the volume of ballast water neededand replacing it with cargo.

For the final development phase ofStowMan, Interschalt says that it will be involving customers and that the first cooperation partners are alreadysigned up.

“Aided by the input of pilot customers,we will ensure that the software is maxi-mally adapted to the needs of future users,”said Interschalt CEO Robert Gärtner.

www.unisea.no

Norwegian developer UniSea haslaunched an emergency management soft-ware application to add to its softwareportfolio.

UniSea Emergency is designed to helpcompanies manage information flow andresources better during a crisis and duringdrills. It is built around an emergency log,described by the company as a kind of inte-grated workspace with a live data feed.

When a user creates a log entry, all pre-vious communications related to the calleror the relevant crew member are displayed.

The Emergency Manager updates ashared list of objectives, which is reflected

www.scisys.de

SCISYS has said that its marine integrationsoftware MACSYS is being used to inte-grate the systems on board a new TwinHulled Offshore Raider (THOR) vesselfrom CTruk UK.

MACSYS integrates the engines, lights,electrics, Radar, GPS, VHF and internalcomms, charting, as well as electro opticalinfra-red cameras and laser ranging sys-

tems onto a single display.Each crew member can access the vari-

ous systems and pass control via a “han-dover take control” function.

SCISYS says that the ability to integrateany known and future element of a ship’sinstrumentation and controls into a singlescreen is unique to MACSYS. The IT compa-ny says that it allows vessels to be easily re-purposed and adapted and removes costlyequipment disposal, upgrade and re-fit costs.

MACSYS integrates systems on THOR

in the workspace for all users of the system.A meeting and task solution is also

available, to help the organisation drive aplan of action.

Predefined meeting templates allow forthe creation of tasks directly in the meet-ing minutes. Every user works out of theirpersonal task list, and all managers alsohave a list of tasks they have delegated.When a task has been completed, a mailnotification is sent to the one who delegat-ed the task.

Authorised personnel can access UniSeaEmergency from their own computer,iPhone, iPad or Android device, while thesystem can also be displayed live on a bigscreen in the Emergency room.

schedule of daily calls to 34 ports along theNorwegian coast cannot be deviated from,meaning that the new systems have had tobe installed whilst the ships have contin-ued to run as usual.

Challenges specific to Hurtigrutenincluded the high frequency of port rota-tion and the complex handling of passen-gers, crew, and car transport, all cen-tralised in one software program. In addi-tion, continuous crew rotation on a 22 dayshift has presented a challenge for trainingon the technology.

Fidelio says that it is now addressingspecific issues relating to the operation ofthe MS Fram, an expedition vessel whichcruises in the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans.

“Fidelio Cruise has embraced this proj-ect as a great opportunity to serve thisindustry and to come up with the most

innovative IT solutions designed and builtto support Hurtigruten’s business model,”said president Antonius Heuer.

“We have partnered successfully withthem in developing new software systemssuch as the Port Handling module and theHousekeeping module, specificallydesigned for an ‘on schedule’ business.”

“These new developments expand ourexpertise into a new sector and haveenriched our portfolio of products,” hecontinued.

“We are delighted with progress todate and we are proud that we have beenable to fulfil all of our customer’s require-ments. We are looking forward to a suc-cessful fleet deployment with benefits forindividual business units and their prof-itability, as well as for passengers and, lastbut not least, crew.”

p17-27:p1-14.qxd 18/10/2013 16:08 Page 4

p17-27:p1-14.qxd 18/10/2013 16:09 Page 5

SOFTWARE


www.teromarine.no

Norwegian IT company Tero Marine haswon new contracts with RK OffshoreManagement Ltd, to install its TM Mastersoftware on 26 offshore vessels, andIndonesian offshore company Logindo to implement software on several of its ships.

The TM Master application includescrewing, maintenance, purchasing andstock control within the same system, withthe aim of facilitating fleet management.

Under a five-year agreement,Singapore-headquartered RK Offshorewill lease the software from Tero Marinefor a contractually fixed annual sum,which has not been disclosed.

The Bergen-based developer says that the leasing contract covers 26 RK Offshore supply ships, with the possi-bility of extending this to an additional 15 vessels.

“We aim to ensure the process is aserror free as possible,” said SatishKanakasabai, technical manager at theTero Marine office in Singapore.

“For the system to deliver optimumperformance from the word go, we make

sure everyone using the software is prop-erly trained first.”

Rupesh Tiwari, of RK Offshore, notedthat the leasing element of the contract hasbeen an attractive option because it helpsto keep operating costs predictable.

“This gives us greater flexibility, as itmeans we do not have to make a heavyinvestment in advance,” he said.

The deal with Logindo meanwhile cov-ers software implementation on threeships but with the possibility of beingextended to include the company’s entirefleet of 35 vessels, says Tero Marine, hop-ing the contract can help open severaldoors in the region.

“Logindo is a fast growing company,and one of the biggest in offshore shippingin the region,” said Mr Kanakasabai.

“Over a relatively short period of time,they have expanded their fleet with a largenumber of vessels and are an excitingcompany for us to work with.”

Tero Marine managing director JanErik Hårvei also noted that “This is ourfirst local client in a new and exciting off-shore market, and something that isgoing to mean a great deal for our futuredevelopment.”

A recently launched research project, part-ly funded by the EU, will look at creatinga model for digitally managing the vari-ous maritime regulations emanating frominternational, European and nationalauthorities.

The three-year R&D project, called e-Compliance, will focus on establishinga cooperation model between regulationsetting and enforcement authorities, both for port state control and IMO regu-lations.

It will also aim to demonstrate auto-mated compliance management throughmodelling of regulations in electronic for-mat and harmonised e-Services for con-trols and inspections. Finally, the projecthopes to additionally formulate recom-mendations for e-maritime policies.

In the maritime domain, regulations arecreated by numerous different bodies,with little co-operation between them,says e-Compliance. As such, there is a sig-nificant lack of cohesion between the vast

array of regulations and the possi-bility of conflicting regulations isvery real.

By creating a model for manag-ing regulations digitally and cre-ating services for all the differentstakeholders, e-Compliance saysthat it can harmonise these regula-tions and reduce the burden forthose having to enforce the regu-lations as well as those who mustcomply.

e-Compliance consists of 10partners: BMT Group Ltd, DetNorske Veritas (DNV), DanaosShipping Co Ltd, INLECOMSystems, The NetherlandsOrganisation for AppliedScientific Research (TNO), TEMIS,Acciona Infraestructuras, PORTICBarcelona, Norsk MarintekniskForskningsinstitutt AS (MARIN-TEK) and the MaritimeAdministration of Latvia.

www.VIKING-life.comwww.VIKINGsafetyshop.com

www.saatsea.com

VIKING, a marine and fire safety equip-ment manufacturer, has acquired a major-ity stake in Saatsea, an IT start-up whichoffers cloud-based onboard training andcompetence management systems.

The company, headquartered inEsbjerg, Denmark, has been renamedVIKING Saatsea.

VIKING says that through the onlinetraining system crew members can com-plete and register module-based theoreti-cal and practical assignments, with up-to-date competency assessments for marineand offshore inspections.

Saatsea has developed a training sys-tem for crew members of EmergencyRescue and Recovery Vessels (ERRV) andis authorised to conduct assessment onboard ERRV vessels against the OPITOApproved Standard for OODTP.

The cloud-based solution ensures that the system works even when thevessel is not on the internet. The infor-mation is synchronised automaticallywhenever the vessel has the opportunity

to come online.The system is also designed to manage

the upcoming regulatory requirements fordocumentation of STCW refresher coursesfor all IMO vessels.

“We’re always on the lookout for any-thing that can make doing business easierfor our customers while improving safetyon board the vessels,” said VIKING CEOHenrik Uhd Christensen.

“This addition to the VIKING portfoliohas the potential to positively influencecustomer financials as well as safety.”

“They think out of the box – andthey’ve built a great solution. Now, withthe VIKING brand and global presence,we can help them expand in the globalmarket far faster than would otherwisehave been possible.”

Saatsea director Kim Baarsøe added:“First and foremost, we are a team of solu-tion developers. To take things further, weneeded the help of a partner where wecould become part of a broader solution.And VIKING has always stood out for usas a global company that has the world-wide reach we could leverage, as well asan end-to-end quality approach rightacross the value chain.”

R&D project to create a model for managing regulations

e-Compliance aims to create cohesion in regulations from various authorities

RK Offshore agrees TM Master dealVIKING acquires Saatsea

www.essdocs.com

Electronic Shipping Solutions (ESS) hasannounced that Zeeland Refinery hasadopted CargoDocs for Barges.

CargoDocs offers electronic bills of lad-ing (eB/L) and supporting documents forthe Tanker, Barge, Bulker and/or Linermarkets. Zeeland Refinery, in Vlissingen(Netherlands), is the first company in theAmsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA)region to go live on CargoDocs for Barges.

ESS says that Zeeland Refinery createda customised interface which allows nomi-nations to be received directly within thecompany’s mass balance system. This is

the first multi-party, electronic interface ata refinery or terminal in the ARA market, itadds, and the first time that loading detailshave been distributed automatically from aloading terminal to all participants in thetrade chain.

Zeeland Refinery’s Ann Veraverbeke,manager Valorisation, said: “The move toeNominations via the CargoDocs processbrings Zeeland Refinery a step forward inelectronic handling of their logisticprocesses. After completing a comprehen-sive test phase, the nominations for exportby barges will from now on be processedvia the ESS platform interfacing with therefinery’s logistic system.”

Zeeland Refinery is a joint venturebetween Total and Lukoil. Litasco, whichis responsible for Lukoil’s internationaltrading activities, used CargoDocs forelectronic barge nominations unilaterallyfor over 18 months before ZeelandRefinery developed the interface to acceptnominations to their refinery IT system.

Ms Veraverbeke said: “The differentteams of Litasco Group, Zeeland Refineryand ESS have been working closelytogether to make this successful. AtZeeland Refinery, we are looking forwardto benefiting from the efficiency gains inthe electronic nomination and documen-tation process and thank the project team

for their efforts.”William Harwood, head of operations,

Litasco, added: “Litasco is pushing for-ward electronic solutions in the ARA bargemarket to modernise the way we do busi-ness. Electronic nominations transfer infor-mation as data packages, cutting out dou-ble input and summary spreadsheets. Thatenables the company to have live informa-tion about a nomination once it has beensent, accepted, rejected or amended.”

“Most importantly for prompt invoic-ing and cash flow it gives immediatenotification of barge loadings, not onlyfor the first receiver, but right down thetrade chain.”

Zeeland Refinery adopts CargoDocs for Barges

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Digital Ship

Enhanced Productivity.

www.gl-maritime-software.com

GL ShipManager.You need a smart solution that supports your technical, quality & safety and crewing requirements, overall operations, and procurement and

www.sener.es

Spanish company SENER Ingeniería ySistemas has announced that Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group hassigned a licence agreement to useFORAN, a computer-aided design/ com-puter-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) system.

The deal covers the complete imple-

mentation of FORAN, comprising: FormsGeneration, General Arrangement &Naval Architecture, Hull Structure,Machinery & Outfitting, Electrical Designand Advanced Design & Drafting.

SENER says that Eastern’s engineersand designers have been trained over thesummer and have now started a projectusing FORAN: a multipurpose supportvessel of 340 feet.

US shipbuilder to use SENERCAD/CAM system

From right: Verónica Alonso, SENER; Kenneth R. Munroe, Eastern Executive Vice Presidentand Chief Operating Officer; Rodrigo Pérez, SENER; and two Eastern IT specialists

www.veson.com

Veson Nautical has launched IMOSLive, acloud-based version of its flagshipIntegrated Maritime Operations System(IMOS) product.

The Boston-based developer says thatthis hosted option eliminates the need forup-front IT infrastructure investment andmanagement, in-house installation of soft-ware, and internal hardware and softwareupkeep.

IMOSLive clients are provided withhosting services but also software mainte-nance support by Veson Nautical. Theycan host their IMOS applications onregional cloud server instances and con-nect to IMOS from anywhere via a webportal. Additionally, they can opt forVeson-managed upgrades. Data is pro-

tected with 256-bit SSL encryption.“It is a scalable way for shipping com-

panies to get up and running with IMOSquickly,” says Sean Riley, vice president ofcommercial operations at Veson.

“On top of IMOS' industry standardworkflows, IMOSLive provides quick andresource-efficient implementation. Eachserver instance's security is guaranteed, soclients can leave infrastructure and main-tenance concerns to us.”

IMOS is comprised of core Chartering,Operations, and Financials modules,plus optional add-on functionality forbunker management, cargo scheduling,trading and risk management, demur-rage, pooling, reporting lightering,Veslink, and LNG. IMOS can also inter-face to third party systems and marketdata feeds.

Veson Nautical announces cloud-based IMOSLive

www.eye-share.com

Norwegian company Eye-share, whichdevelops invoice automation software,reports that it has won new contracts witheight shipping companies during the firsthalf of 2013.

Its new customers are: MOL LNG, StarReefers, K Line LNG Shipping UK Ltd,Anthony Veder, Rederiet Stenersen,Anglo Eastern UK, Norwegian CarCarriers, and Maestro Ship Management.

Eye-share says that its software digitis-es invoices and other documents which

are streamed into workflow processes,and is now in use by about 40 shippingcompanies.

The company notes that its applicationsare integrated with a number of ERP andfinancial and procurement softwaresuites, which it says helps to remove paperfrom work processes.

The documents are scanned, distrib-uted and processed in a workflow thatincludes all necessary approvers, whilecompatible Apps allow users to approveinvoices anywhere via their tablets orsmartphones.

Eye-share wins new customers


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SOFTWARE


www.gl-group.com

The newly merged DNV GL organisationhas announced that Hapag-Lloyd willimplement GL HullManager as its centralmonitoring and reporting tool for hullmaintenance activities.

DNV GL started operating as one com-pany in September after the mergerbetween Det Norske Veritas (DNV) andGermanischer Lloyd (GL) was approved.

GL HullManager is part of DNV GL’sfleet management software portfolio andprovides ship managers with hull inspec-tion and thickness measurement support.Ship owners can use the system to plan,track and implement the inspection strate-gies for their fleets.

“We are convinced we can get an easierand faster overview of hull conditionsacross the fleet and much better prepara-tion for dry dockings with GLHullManager,” said Lutz-Michael Dyck,director of Technical Fleet Management atHapag-Lloyd.

Sebastian Eggert, the GL softwareaccount manager responsible for the liner

shipping company, noted: “Hapag-Lloydset us a very stringent set of requirementsthey needed the system to meet and weare very glad we were able to match theirexpectations.”

DNV GL says that the project hasalready started and the teams will look todeliver the first vessel groups during thecourse of this year. Hapag-Lloyd has morethan 150 vessels in service.

Launched in 2011, GL HullManager

keeps track of the condition of a vessel’shull on a ship specific 3D model completewith the ship’s structural details. It sup-ports the hull integrity process, frominspections to reporting and conditionassessments of tanks, cargo holds andcoatings, by means of crew inspectionsand thickness measurements.

The crew can mark any coating orstructural failures on the 3D model, suchas marking an individual finding or

adding a photo and description, which canthen be assessed by superintendentsonshore.

The system can make information onthe condition of hull structures availableto any employee across the company, oncethe inspection results have been approvedand synchronised. Stored in a lifecycledatabase, hull condition data for eachindividual vessel can be traced over timeallowing sister vessels from the same fleetto be compared.

DNV GL says that a dashboardoverview of the entire ship is also avail-able to allow the company to more easilypinpoint any critical findings by crew orthird-party inspectors.

GL HullManager is currently used onmore than 350 vessels worldwide, thecompany says, and was recently upgradedwith a mobile client version.

Upcoming extra features in develop-ment include an automatic proposal forthe amount of steel to be replaced for a drydock tender specification, integration ofhatch cover tightness measurement resultsand hot spot marking functionality.

Hapag-Lloyd to implement GL HullManager

Hamburg Express will be among the vessels to use GL HullManager

http://videotel.com

Videotel has launched a new Ports andPilots catalogue comprising over 70 courses.

Areas covered include navigation andship handling, human elements andresource management, maritime securityand environmental protection, personalsafety, port facility and ship cargo opera-tions.

Courses are delivered via a range ofmedia: video, interactive CBT (computerbased training), booklets and interactivemaritime training courses. Training cantake place in groups or by self-study, onboard, on shore or online, while Videotel’scloud-based Continuing CompetencyManager (CCM) provides continuoustraining assessment.

“A great deal is expected from person-nel working in this specialist field,” notesNigel Cleave, CEO of Videotel MarineInternational.

“The breadth and depth of expertiserequired is vast, and Pilots and port work-

ers operate in an area where human errorcan have very serious consequences, bothfinancially and in terms of human life.”

“It is almost unthinkable to those out-side our industry to observe that the sim-ple act of a Pilot or port worker joining orleaving a vessel can result in a risk ofdeath or serious injury,” he continues.

“Weather conditions, behaviour ofother vessels – even human factors such asfatigue – have a very significant effect onoperations in this arena. Ultimately allthose working in the sector must takeaction to ensure that in addition to techni-cal skills, they fully understand the haz-ards of even relatively straightforwardprocedures such as the transfer process,take responsibility for their own safetyand carry out the necessary steps to miti-gate the risks involved.”

Videotel’s portfolio of related coursesincludes Pilot on Board, Pilot Transfer,Ship Call, Safe Gangway and LadderOperations as well as its Boarding andLeaving a Vessel at Sea course.

http://hps.jotun.com

Norwegian coating manufacturer Jotunsays that Eitzen Chemical has decided toimplement its Hull Performance Solutions(HPS), which includes a data managementsystem to measure the impact of itsantifouling paint system, on two chemicalcarriers.

Launched in 2011, HPS comprisesSeaQuantum X200 antifouling and a toolthat helps shipping companies measurethe impact of the system on the energyefficiency of their vessels. The product isbased on a no-cure-no-pay businessmodel.

Eitzen’s first vessel, Siteam Discoverer,applied SeaQuantum X200 to the hull atthe COSCO Dalian Shipyard in China inMay, while the next vessel will dock inOctober later this year.

“Through several years of measuringour vessel's performance, we recognisethat the correct choice of antifouling is one

of the low hanging fruits when it comes toincreasing our vessel's energy efficiency,”says Rasmus Kjaer, general manager tech-nical for Siteam Discoverer at EitzenChemical.

“Eitzen Chemical is aware of its envi-ronmental responsibility and we strive tocomply with and maintain high standardsin order to reduce the environmentalimpact from our operations.”

“We are therefore excited to see the firsthull performance measurements on thetwo vessels and the effect the coating hashad on their fuel consumption, emissionand operating efficiency.”

Jotun says that, compared to marketaverage antifouling, SeaQuantum X200 isexpected to deliver an improvement inpropulsion efficiency of 15 per cent on aship that maintains its speed over 60months.

Eitzen Chemical operates a sailing fleetof 50 ships, mainly coated and stainlesssteel vessels.

www.seagull.no

Norwegian company Seagull has releasednew additions to its portfolio of computer-based training (CBT) programs, as well asrevisions to a number of existing modules.

The new releases include: Principle ofAssessment; Onboard Assessment; Oilrecord book – part 11; Galley operations 3– food handling; Electric propulsion – fun-damentals; and Marine environmentalawareness, Environmental Challenges.

Major revisions have been made to twoSteering gear modules: operation; andconstruction and maintenance. Minoramendments have also been made toIntroduction to computers; MLC 2006 –basic introduction; Galley operations –

workplace and equipment safety; Galleyoperations – hygiene; and Drug and alco-hol policy and testing.

“Owners and seafarers alike are facingan increasing array of demanding legisla-tive requirements and Seagull’s extensivelearning modules are designed to ensurethey are able comply with these,” saidRoger Ringstad, Seagull managing director.

“For instance, the Maritime LabourConvention, 2006 came into force inAugust and, as with our original MLCmodules, the revised addition with theintroduction of the Portuguese languageassists seafarers and shore-based staffalike to make themselves fully aware oftheir rights and obligations in the event ofnon-compliance with the convention.”

HPS calculates impact of antifouling paint

Seagull expands CBT portfoliowww.huttons-chandlers.com

Ship supplier Hutton has released a newProduct Guide in electronic format.

The new Product Guide listsmore than 10,000 items of marine,maintenance and safety equipmentavailable for purchase. It is availableonline, downloadable from the web,and on USB sticks.

It also provides customers withan online ordering tool for its vari-ous products.

Hutton’s managing director AlexTaylor said: “The website offers theability to download the catalogueand save on a PC or handheld device

– which is great for use onboard shipwhere an internet connection is not alwaysavailable.”

Hutton’s electronic Product Guide

Videotel launches new Ports and Pilots catalogueThe Guide is now online

p17-27:p1-14.qxd 18/10/2013 16:09 Page 8

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p17-27:p1-14.qxd 18/10/2013 16:09 Page 9

SOFTWARE


Improving the ‘fit’ between docks and vesselsThe costs involved with inefficient management of terminal operations and vessel scheduling can run into tens of

thousands of dollars per day – applying modern software systems and changing the approach to this process can lead to significant improvements, writes Robert Kessler, PortVision

TT he challenge of matching the rightvessel to the right dock has becomeincreasingly difficult with higher

barge and ship traffic volumes, the grow-ing variety of liquid petroleum productsthat must be transferred, and increasingcost pressures.

This challenge can now be alleviatedwith the advent of enterprise terminalmanagement tools that streamline the jettyor dock scheduling process and enabletighter collaboration among stakeholders.

This article will explore vessel schedul-ing best practices using tools that matchexisting ship and cargo characteristics withthe terminal’s dock restrictions, warnschedulers when there is a dock fit conflict,and support all of the key processes associ-ated with dock fit, berth scheduling, andberth activity logging.

How does a cargo scheduler select thebest vessel for the job, and a dock sched-uler select the best dock for a specific ship?

Typically, a cargo scheduler uses manytools to evaluate the vessel's history, safetyrecord, and configuration. One of the firstquestions asked is whether the vessel has allrequired documentation and certifications,in order to avoid lengthy inspections andthe possibility of non-compliance issuesthat will delay the discharging process.

Vessels also must have all necessaryequipment, such as vapour recovery sys-tems in the case of gasoline cargo, withoutwhich they will be turned away from thedock. Additionally, the age of the shipcomes into play, and there is a separate setof criteria for vessel vetting, which can bean annual process for older ships, or a two-to-four year process for younger ones.

Vessels also must meet all necessarydocking criteria. Not all berths can handleeach type of vessel including ships andocean or inland barges. There are dockrestrictions related to the overall length andbeam of the ship, the maximum distancefrom the bow to the centre of the manifold,and the vessel’s ability to accommodate themaximum safe draft of the dock.

Vessel owners may also have their ownassociated requirements related to under-keel clearance which, if not met, mightrequire short loading and result in deadfreight penalties.

The Army Corps of Engineers publishesinformation about dock depth permits,which dock owners and managers mustrenew on a periodic basis. Some vesselsmight violate these permits if they arebrought in to dock.

Meanwhile, tidal movements will affectpermitted depth on a daily basis. The tidewindow is calculated and published eachmonth and, depending on the day and time,a vessel with, say, a 40-foot draft might notbe authorized to proceed inbound to a dockwith a 42-foot depth until there have beentwo hours of flood tide.

Dock Schedulers also must take intoaccount the most recent sounding survey,

which is generally taken every six monthsat high-density, high-traffic docks.

Vessel cargo is another factor. There arehundreds of types of liquid cargo, eachwith different viscosity levels that canaffect pumping speed and discharge effi-ciency. In a busy terminal operating athigh capacity, the efficiency benchmarkmight typically be one hour for tying up,two hours each for connecting and discon-necting the hoses, and a total of 24 hoursfor the entire transfer process from thestart of pumping to completion.

A vessel that pumps at a slower ratethan average would need to be scheduledat dock for a correspondingly longer peri-od. And yet any such delay affects othertraffic that is waiting to dock and transfer.

There also are physical dock criteria toconsider. For instance, each dock withloading arms will have a different maxi-mum height, and the associated air draftbetween the water line and vessel’s mani-fold, both of which are tied to the loadingarm’s warranty.

Some ships have masts that are too highto clear the loading arms. While they maybe able to come into dock, they might not beable to exit without reducing ballast, whichmany docks will not allow.

If a dock doesn’t have mooring winches,vessels must guarantee they have soft linesrather than wires that might harm bargesloading on the other side of the dock, andthat they can meet the requirements formovement fore, aft and off the dock so asnot to harm the loading arms or cause a spill.

Hose configurations are also important.For instance, a ship arriving with a gaso-line cargo might have prepared its 8-inchlines with reducers in order to adapt themto connect with the dock’s 12- or 16-inchlines. If all of this has been done on thestarboard side and the dock schedulerrequests the vessel to arrive portsidealongside, then the crew will have to dis-connect and reconfigure, causing delays.

Worse, the ship might not have reduc-ers at all, which in some cases can lead to a

24-hour delay while the proper parts arefabricated and installed. Gangways arealso important: if a ship doesn’t have itsown gangway, the terminal will need toprovide a shore gangway, which may notbe available if and when it’s needed.

Comparing dataClearly, there are a large number of com-plex issues to consider and evaluate, andeach terminal has unique restrictions.

For instance, it may be that dock onecannot be used if there is a ship at docktwo. Or that dock three can handle twobarge movements, or only one ship job atany given time.

All relevant ship characteristics must becompared with current terminal condition

and restrictions. Plus, there are additionalvessel fit criteria related to third partyservices.

As an example, some pilots operate indaylight only, and in many case tugs mustbe ordered well in advance of bringingships in, as part of the inbounding pilotnotification process.

It’s also important to know whether thevessel is using an approved local agent orits own, out-of-town agent. Many dockoperators prefer a local agent who is famil-iar with the area’s rules and customers, andthis can become part of the vessel fit criteria.

The cost of poor vessel fit can be extreme-ly high. The cost to anchor one vessel duringa delay can be as much as $25,000 to $30,000a day, which covers the pilots, tugs, andcargo transportation delay.

Few refineries keep more than three tofour weeks of crude inventory in theirshore tanks, because of the lost incomeresulting from idling that much product,so any delay in transportation very quick-ly impacts the refinery production flow.

All of these issues can create a complexdecision matrix when scheduling dockjobs. To mitigate these risks, dock sched-ulers generally maintain a database con-taining all of these details.

They use this information to choose ves-

sels, and also consult the data during day-to-day scheduling tasks. It can be difficult toaccess this information, however, in a quickand efficient way during a busy day withmany vessels to schedule and expedite.

There are additional challenges, otherthan dock fit, that face schedulers. Often,dock schedulers rely on experience and sev-eral spreadsheets and references to makedecisions about what job goes on what dock.

This cumbersome and error-proneprocess can now be eliminated with theadvent of enterprise-class terminal man-agement systems that include dock man-agement tools.

These systems can offer an end-to-endmarine terminal optimisation solution thatdramatically improves the visibility,speed, productivity and efficiency ofmarine dock operations, by combining ves-sel tracking, job scheduling, activity log-ging, and high-value business intelligence,utilisation, and demurrage reporting into asingle integrated platform.

Using a software system creates the pos-sibility for the operator to manage a com-prehensive set of dock fit rules that, onceconfigured, allow the dock scheduler to benotified of any violations to the rules whenscheduling ships, and for this warning tocontinue to be displayed collaborativelythroughout the scheduling process until itis corrected.

Using software in this manner will clear-ly improve on the process of operating withcomplex spreadsheets that may not be accu-rate, and Word documents that schedulersmust reference on a daily basis.

Using an integrated modern softwareapplication can also ensure that all informa-tion is input into the system, so anyone canmanage the schedule. All information isalways up to date, and all information iscollaborative. Anyone with access authori-sation can see it at any time.

Terminal operators have smaller andsmaller margin for error as they manageday-to-day workflow in an increasinglycomplex environment. Vessel fit is a keyelement that, when managed well, canmake a big difference in expediting trafficflow, reducing cost and managementheadaches, and avoiding costly delays.

Today’s enterprise terminal manage-ment systems offer important dock andberth management tools that significantlyenhance vessel fit effectiveness and allother aspects of operating waterborne ter-minal docks.

Efficiently managing the arrival and departure of ships at terminals can be worth tens of thousands of dollars per vessel per day

About the authorRobert Kessler isdirector businessdevelopment enter-prise software withPortVision, a providerof business intelli-gence solutions for the

maritime industry. For more informationvisit: www.portvision.com

DS

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ELECTRONICS & NAVIGATION


AIO for PC Maritime ECDIS

lights lists, radio signals lists and tidetables.

“The Russian Federation has confirmedthat the use of digital tide tables, digitallists of lights and digital lists of radio sig-nals are acceptable alternatives to paperversions of the same publications, subjectto their inclusion in the vessel's safetymanagement system and approval by aclassification society,” said JosephineWashington, product manager (publica-tions) at the UKHO.

“This is an important and welcomedecision, as it means that all Russian-flagged vessels can now take advantageof the benefits offered by digital nauticalpublications when it comes to faster andmore efficient voyage planning and navi-gation.”

“69 flag states have now approved theuse of ADMIRALTY Digital Publications,including 17 of the 20 largest flag states,covering more than 75 per cent of theworld's fleet of vessels over 2,000 grosstonnes. The rapid rate of flag stateapproval for digital publications in thepast 18 months demonstrates the speedwith which maritime navigation is transi-tioning from a paper-based world to a dig-ital one. It is also testament to the progres-sive attitude among leading flag statestowards the use of technologicallyadvanced navigational tools, as well as thedegree of confidence that they have inAdmiralty Digital Publications.”

www.pcmaritime.co.uk

ECDIS manufacturer PC Maritime hasannounced that it is to add UKHO'sAdmiralty Information Overlay (AIO) tothe functionality of its Navmaster ECDIS.

AIO is a free service to AdmiraltyVector Chart Service (AVCS) customersand is claimed to be the only service avail-able that includes worldwide AdmiraltyTemporary and Preliminary Notices toMariners (T&P NMs) as an overlay onENCs and new ENC Preliminary Noticesto Mariners (EPNMs).

AIO also includes the results of theAdmiralty Assurance Programme, areview of the world’s ElectronicNavigational Charts (ENCs) being under-taken by the UKHO (United KingdomHydrographic Office) to identify andresolve significant differences betweenENCs and existing paper charts.

AIO automatically updates AVCS bydisplaying information directly ontoENCs. For the PC Maritime ECDIS, thisinformation is incorporated into its RoutePlanning & Monitoring with an intelligentsearch function.

“We spent time thinking how we couldmake our implementation of AIO moreuseful to navigators,” said AnneEdmonds, marketing director of PCMaritime.

“Navmaster users can check theirroutes against T&P NTMs and ENC-spe-cific NTMs at the planning stage. Weadded an intelligent ‘Search’ and ‘Go-To’function to make it quicker for the naviga-tor to locate relevant Notices by eithernumber or name.”

PC Maritime is also an AdmiraltyDigital Distributor and can provide ECDIScustomers with charts, installation, train-ing and on-going support. Existing usersof Navmaster ECDIS can upgrade theirsystem and all new customers will receivethe latest AIO-compatible software.

News of this PC Maritime developmentcame shortly before UKHO issued anupgrade to its AVCS CD service to the S-63 format (Edition 1.1) on October 17th.

S-63 is an industry standard overseenby the International HydrographicOrganization (IHO) that provides

Hydrographic Offices and ECDIS manu-facturers with the tools to protect, viaencryption, the data within ElectronicNavigational Charts (ENCs) and toauthenticate the originator of the ENCs.

The IHO will withdraw S-63 Edition 1.0on December 31st and it has alreadyreleased Edition 1.1, which ENC serviceproviders will be required to use fromJanuary 1st 2014.

UKHO has announced that it willupgrade its AVCS CD service to S-63 1.1two and a half months before the deadline.From October 17th, AVCS CD users willno longer receive 1.0 format disks, unlessspecifically requested via their AdmiraltyChart Agent.

AVCS with S-63 1.1 is already availablein DVD format and there is no extra cost toupgrade to S-63 Edition 1.1 on CD orDVD.

Jason Scholey, product manager forAVCS at the UKHO, said: “AVCS usersneed to transition to the latest version ofthe S-63 security standard by the end ofthe year in order to remain compliant, butthere are plenty of benefits in making theswitch as soon as our S.63 1.1 CD servicegoes live from 17 October.”

“By upgrading to S-63 1.1, users willbenefit from fewer warning messages thanbefore and with no requirement to changethe security scheme certificate, as newerECDIS models come with the IHO certifi-cate used by S-63 1.1 (IHO.CRT) pre-installed.”

“The UKHO is working hard to pro-vide as much information and guidance aspossible to our customers in order to helpthem to make a smooth, seamless transi-tion and to enjoy all of the benefits.Thanks to S-63 1.1, ECDIS users areassured of the security of their ENC data,the authenticity of their charts and thecontinued compatibility of all S-63 compli-ant chart services and ECDIS models,whilst enjoying faster, simpler and moreeffective ENC handling. Put simply, thismeans more secure and efficient naviga-tion.”

The UKHO has prepared some adviceto support AVCS customers who are mak-ing the transition to S-63 1.1. A list of com-patible ECDIS models, individual ECDIS

installation guides and videos can befound under the Support and S-63 tabs atwww.ukho.gov.uk/AVCS

The UKHO portfolio has also beenstrengthened by the recent announcementfrom the Russian Federation confirmingthat it has issued flag state approval forAdmiralty Digital Publications, meaningthat vessels flying the flag of the RussianFederation are now able to use ADP tomeet carriage requirements for nauticalpublications.

The Russian Federation is the world'seighth largest flag state, as measured by the number of vessels, and this deci-sion allows the 2,322 vessels flagged bythe Russian Federation to carry digitalnautical publications in order to meettheir SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) car-riage requirements for nautical publica-tions, instead of carrying their paperequivalents.

With confirmation of this approvalfrom the Russian Federation, UKHO saysthat a new landmark has been reached inthe acceptance of digital nautical publica-tions for voyage planning and navigationpurposes, with over 75 per cent of theworld's vessels over 2,000 gross tonnes insize now permitted to carry the electronicversions of the documentation.

Russia has now joined other flag stateslike Panama, Marshall Islands, Liberia,Singapore and Greece in approving thecarriage of digital publications, such as

AVCS is being upgraded to the new edition of S-63

exactEarth sat-AIS data for US Coast Guardwww.exactearth.com

exactEarth, based in Ontario, hasannounced that the Marine Exchange of Alaska (MXAK) will provide its AISdata to the US Coast Guard (USCG)under a 12-month contract awarded in September.

The Marine Exchange of Alaska cur-rently contracts with exactEarth for Alaskasatellite AIS data, and will provide theexactEarth data to the USCG in addition tothe coastal AIS data for Alaska from over 100 terrestrial AIS receiver sites thatit already provides under a separateUSCG contract.

“We appreciate the opportunity to con-tinue providing satellite AIS data to the

USCG”, said Chan Smith, regional salesdirector for exactEarth-USA.

“By providing the data through theMarine Exchange of Alaska (MXAK), we can capitalise on their expertise in providing data for the Nationwide AISprogramme.”

Captain Ed Page, a retired Coast Guardofficer and executive director of theMXAK, noted: “In working withexactEarth, it has become evident combin-ing Terrestrial and Satellite AIS data pro-vides both tactical and strategic informa-tion that is invaluable to the Coast Guardand other agencies as well as to the entiremaritime community in aiding safe,secure, efficient and environmentallysound maritime operations.”

Dates for your diary:Digital Ship events 2014 - see page 36

p28-44:p15-25.qxd 18/10/2013 16:29 Page 1


Minerva to go paperless Digital Ship

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www.transas.com

Minerva Marine, a Greek company whichoperates oil and chemical tankers and bulkcarriers, has chosen Transas to shift topaperless navigation, the IT supplier hasannounced.

The Minerva fleet is to be equippedwith Transas ECDIS and the TransasAdmiralty Data Service (TADS) for thesupply of ENCs. Five vessels have alreadybeen commissioned and are currentlyimplementing the transition proceduresfrom paper to paperless navigation.

Transas says that Minerva Marine hasdecided to deploy additional back-uparrangements both for hardware and soft-ware, including Transas TX-97 vectorcharts, and to implement satellite trackingof its vessels through the TransasFleetManager Online system.

Capt Dimitrios Stamoudis, safety &quality manager, said: “We have decidedto move forward despite the slow processof ECDIS implementation in the industrythe last few years.”

“We consider that paperless navigationis an enormous navigational change andtherefore we have developed an analyticalManagement Of Change Process whichwill help our Masters and the NavigationOfficers to familiarise themselves with thenew requirements and to obtain the equip-ment's maximum capabilities before

switching to paperless.”“Our goal is to enhance the safety of

navigation and to complete the change inthe most effective way.”

In related news, Transas also reportsthat it has installed a range of new simula-tors at the Estonian Maritime Academy inTallinn and at Goodwood MarineServices’ premises in Mumbai, India.

The Estonian contract, whose amount

was not disclosed, was awarded followinga tender process.

The deal covers a DNV Class A mainbridge simulator with 270 degrees visuali-sation and three secondary bridges with120 degrees visualisation each, allequipped with conventional and Azimuthcontrols. Transas has also installed anECDIS classroom with capacity for 10trainees.

The Minerva fleet will be equipped with Transas ECDIS

The Tallinn facility has additionallyreceived a full mission Engine RoomSimulator, which enables training of crewsfor LCC tankers, Ro-Pax carriers, cruiseand container vessels. Transas says thatthe simulator platform can be easily recon-figured, making it possible to changebetween different ship models in just afew minutes.

Finally, a GMDSS class equipped withthe TGS 5000 software from Transas willbe delivered to enable training to obtain aGeneral Operator Certificate or RestrictedOperator Certificate.

Transas says that it has partnered withthe Estonian Maritime Academy, whichwas founded in 1919, for more than tenyears.

At Goodwood Marine Services mean-while the equipment will be used for train-ing in ship handling, including bridgeteam management and situational aware-ness training courses for all deck officers.

The new installation includes a fullmission bridge simulator, the NTPRO5000, with 270 degrees visualisation and aGMDSS simulator, the TGS 5000. Sixtrainees can be taught simultaneously.

Transas says that its simulators willallow Goodwood Ship Management toprovide ECDIS courses in compliancewith requirements issued last Decemberby India’s Directorate General ofShipping.

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www.wartsila.com

Wärtsilä has won a contract to supply itsControl & Communication Centre (3C) toa Canadian shipyard which is buildingtwo dual-fuel LNG ferries.

The 3C is an integrated bridge control,navigation, and communication control sys-tem, and will form part of an extensive con-tract covering a range of onboard systems.

The contract was issued in August byChantier Davie Canada (Davie), Canada'slargest shipyard, which is building twoRo-Pax passenger ferries on behalf of theSociété des traversiers du Québec (STQ).

Besides the 3C, the deal for each vesselincludes the supply of 20DF engines, anLNGPac fuel storage and treatment sys-tem, and electrical power and automationsystems.

The Finnish manufacturer says that itwill also provide the yard with site man-agement and commissioning services.

The Ro-Pax ferries will operate on LNGfuel. Wärtsilä says that its dual-fuel enginetechnology allows a seamless switch toother fuels should it be necessary.

“Wärtsilä's extensive know-how andexperience in developing dual-fuel tech-

nologies, together with our systems inte-gration capabilities, brings significantadded value to customers seeking envi-ronmental compliance with operating costreductions,” said Magnus Miemois, vicepresident Solutions, Wärtsilä Ship Power.

“By being able to offer a total solutionsoffering and integration support to theshipyard, we can reduce scheduling riskswhile increasing efficiencies and loweringcosts.”

According to Wilco van der Linden,head of business development forMerchant, Cruise and Ferry Solutions atWärtsilä, “these orders highlight the globalemergence of LNG as a prime fuel for fer-ries, and prove the value of our dual-fuelsystem for the uninterrupted and safe trans-port of passengers, cars and rolling cargo.”

The two Ro-Pax double ended passen-ger ferries are each capable of accommo-dating 432 passengers and 8 crew mem-bers, and offer capacity combinations forup to 115 car equivalent units or 16 tractorsemi-trailers.

They are scheduled to start service in2015 between Tadoussac and Baie-Sainte-Catherine on the Saguenay River inQuébec.



Wärtsilä 3C for dual-fuel LNG ferries

Emsys upgradewww.emsysmarine.com

WR Systems has announced that it hasupgraded Emsys to measure mass emis-sions rates in anticipation of the EU’sMRV initiative.

With the proposed introduction of theEU’s monitoring, reporting and verifica-tion (MRV) of carbon dioxide emissionsfrom maritime transport, the maritimeindustry is investigating the variousallowable options to record and verify itsCO2 footprint, says Emsys.

Within the proposal, ANNEX 1,Method D allows for direct measurementof CO2 from engines, boilers, incineratorsand other emitting devices.

WR Systems already has TypeApproval (from ABS) for the measure-ment of mass emissions using its laser-based Emsys Emissions MonitoringSystem (EMS). The latest upgrade uses in-stack exhaust gas mass flow sensors tomeasure the total output, and calculationsprovide stack emissions rates in kilogramsper hour (kg/h) and total mass emissionsin kilograms and tonnes (kg/tonnes) foreach measured gas, including CO2.

WR says that it has received a numberof orders for Emsys emissions mass flowsystems for new-build contracts in the FarEast, with its current order book stretchinginto 2015.

“Emsys was always designed as a toolto help owners comply with the relevantemissions regulations, but additionally toprovide data which can allow optimisa-tion of vessel performance,” said SimonBrown, WR’s director of InternationalMaritime Business.

“WR’s Emsys program was created tomeet the requirements of both IMO andmarket-based instruments (MBIs); there-fore, we became the first company to type-approve a marine EMS for this purpose inSeptember 2010. The maritime market isconstantly changing, scrubbers are nowbeing rapidly implemented to meet theforthcoming SOX regulations, and Emsyshas proven itself the compliance monitor ofchoice on many different scrubber types.”

“Many new technologies and vesseldesign features will be introduced and datafrom Emsys will help verify the efficacy ofthe reductions claimed using our new andunique mass emissions flowrate option.”

UK and Russia collaborate on Arctic navigation

www.gla-rrnav.org

The General Lighthouse Authorities of theUK and Ireland (GLAs) report that theyhave begun working with TheInternavigation Research and TechnicalCentre in the Russian Federation toimprove shipping safety across hazardousnew high Arctic routes by introducingcompatibility in advanced navigationtechnologies.

The UK – Russia cooperation refersspecifically to the development of interop-erable resilient position, navigational andtiming (PNT) technologies; furthering thedevelopment and standardisation ofeLoran in the UK and Ireland and itseChayka equivalent in Russia.

Arctic shipping routes have onlybecome viable in the past few years due tomelting polar ice, allowing a reduction inshipping times between Asia and Europeof around a third. Shipping traffic throughthe Northern Sea Route alone has quadru-pled in the last year, according to theNorthern Sea Route Administration.

This sharp increase in shipping traffic,however, is adding to safety risks in theArctic region, along with hazards such asperennial ice cover, unpredictable weath-er, and reduced availability of GNSS datathat ships rely on to navigate.

GNSS is also vulnerable to interferencefrom space weather and threats from jam-ming by criminal means. Therefore, boththe GLAs and the Russian authoritiesbelieve that advanced resilient navigationtechnologies are vital to ensure that ves-sels can travel these shipping routes safelyand efficiently, even if GNSS systems fail.

"These new routes are undoubtedly anexciting prospect, and offer great advan-tage in terms of reduced fuel usage andconsequent benefits for the environment,"said Adrian Mundin, Nautical Manager –

Safety and Environment, at the UKChamber of Shipping.

"There are issues of safety still to beaddressed, for example the ability to con-duct search and rescue in such remoteregions and the quality of hydrographicsurvey. We look forward to hearing theoutcome of this activity and would sup-port any development that is set toimprove navigational safety."

Martin Bransby, Research &Radionavigation Manager at the GLAs,also commented, "Resilient PNT is increas-ingly accepted as requisite to shipping safe-ty around the world. The GLAs are recog-nised as technical leaders in this field, andit’s of paramount importance that we col-laborate with other leading nations toencourage worldwide excellence in ship-ping navigation safety and efficiency."

Dr Victor Tsarev, Director General ofthe Internavigation Research andTechnology Centre added, "There aremany technical areas of mutual interest forthe development of eLoran in the UK &Ireland and eChayka in Russia for which afuture exchange of information and tech-nical cooperation will be beneficial forboth parties."

The UK recently became the first in theworld to begin implementing initial oper-ational capability of differential eLoranstations that will provide alternative posi-tion, navigation and timing informationavailable to ships equipped with eLoranreceivers. Seven stations along the Southand East coast of the UK will deliver initialoperational capability by summer 2014.

South Korea, which was the victim of a16-day GPS jamming attack by NorthKorea last year, has also expressed that itwants to establish an eLoran alliance withthe UK. Currently, South Korea is pursu-ing its own rollout of differential eLoranstations, due for full capability by 2020.

The integrated control, navigation and communication system will be installed on the Ro-Pax ferries

www.veripos.com

Veripos, an Aberdeen-based supplier ofGNSS positioning services to the offshoreindustry, has introduced a multi-frequen-cy system featuring GNSS heading, L-band positioning and wireless communi-cation capabilities, the LD7.

Compatible with both GPS and Glonassnetworks, the 272-channel systemincludes an additional processor for on-board configuration and customisedapplications separate from its GNSSengine.

Wireless options include Bluetoothconnectivity and full-band UHF radiomodem for transmission and reception of

RTCM or RTK corrections.Veripos says that, with

2GB internal memory, theLD7 features interface facili-ties for data output, timingand event marks. It also has asecond antenna port forGNSS heading.

Executive vice-presidentRichard Turner said that withits heading capability, thesystem is aimed at surveycustomers, allowing them toderive GPS and Glonass posi-tioning from a single receiverand so significantly reduceoperational times and costs.

New Veripos GNSS mobile for offshore positioning

The receiver is compatible with both GPS and Glonass

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www.km.kongsberg.com

Kongsberg Maritime has announced thatit has been awarded a contract by aGerman shipyard to deliver an integratedcontrol system to a newbuild 80m windturbine service vessel.

Owned by Danish company DBB Jack-Up, the vessel will be equipped with nav-igation, automation and manoeuvring sys-tems, and Kongsberg’s recently launchedLAN-based Radar system.

The Norwegian developer says that‘Composite Picture’ Radar CP360 is anintegral part of the K-Bridge navigationsystem to be installed.

CP360 distributes digital radar signalson a local area network (LAN), allowingradar images from multiple transceivers tobe combined and displayed as a singlecomposite picture, eliminating blind sec-tors and providing a single 360 degreeview, covering different ranges, aroundthe vessel.

The wind turbine service jack-up vesselbeing built by Nordic Yards in Wismar(Germany) will also be equipped with a K-Chief Alarm Monitoring & Control System,K-Thrust Thruster Control System, K-Bridge Integrated Navigation System andK-Pos DP-22 Dynamic Positioning.

Kongsberg says that key systems areaccessible through its K-Master system, adual redundant, seated aft and forward

bridge solution, which willact as the control centre forvessel navigation,manoeuvring and jack-upoperations.

Access to operationalelements of the DP System,Radar system, ECDIS andThruster Control areplaced in the armrest pan-els of the Operator chairs.

“This is the very defini-tion of a Full Picture deliv-ery, as it covers all key tech-nology systems for naviga-tion, automation andmanoeuvring,” saidSebastian Jobs, managerOffshore Division,Kongsberg MaritimeGmbH.

“The integration of ournew network Radar solu-tion and use of K-Masterpositions this newbuild asone of the most advancedJack-Up service vessels inthe world, and we are con-fident that our latest tech-nology will integrateseamlessly to supportgreater operational safetyand efficiency during navi-gation and operations.”


Kongsberg Maritime reports that the InstitutoMexicano del Transporte (IMT) is using itsPolaris bridge simulator at the researchfacility it opened in August in Queretaro.

Ordered in April 2013, the multi-pur-pose simulator accommodates differentbridge console configurations, instrumen-tation arrangements, hydrodynamic shipmodels and initial exercise areas coveringnavigable waters and adjacent shore linesfor the ports of Lazaro Cardenas,Manzanillo, and Veracruz.

“The simulator is vital for us to provideresearch grade services in Mexico relatedto port and coastal area research anddevelopment such as coastal structures,hydrodynamics, sediment transport, fieldstudies and port development studies,”said IMT's Miguel Montoya, manager ofthe new simulation facility.

Tristan Ruiz Lang, coordinator of PortEngineering and Geospatial Systems, IMT,added: “This is a very flexible simulatorinstallation that offers the ability to func-tion as a wide variety of vessels includingnaval ships, merchant deep-draught, shal-low-draught, and small boats, all of whichcan be simulated in harbour project devel-opment scenarios.”

“Any waterway, any vessel, can now bedeveloped here in Mexico."

Kongsberg to equip newbuild service vessel

Kongsberg will deliver an integrated control system to the80m vessel. Photo: OSK-Ship Tech

Polaris in MexicanR&D facility

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www.martek-marine.com

UK-based manufacturer Martek Marinesays that it has supplied 125 NavgardBNWAS (Bridge Navigational WatchAlarm Systems) to Tidewater’s fleet on thecoast of Africa, in a six figure contract.

Martek says that Navgard is the onlysystem available which has type-approvalfrom all major classification societies.

The company notes that this can be important for fleets using differentclassification societies because gettingadditional certification for unapprovedBNWAS can prove onerous and expensive.

Lyall Smith, Tidewater’s regional tech-

nical manager, said: “I chose Navgard forour African fleet of offshore support ves-sels because the system had no hiddencosts – our own engineers fitted them, theinstallation did not disrupt our operationsat all, it already had type approval underABS and all our flag states, includingUSCG and Martek were able to obtainblanket plan approval quickly and at verylittle cost.”

Martek says that Navgard is designedto be easily installed. Screwed connectionsavoid the need for soldering and a bridgemotion sensor is built into the device’scontrol panel.

The company says that, while manysystems require separate interface mod-

ules to be wired to the panel using differ-ent wire types, Navgard’s alarms andresets are wired directly to the controlpanel using a single wire type.

Martek explains that it started theinstallation project for Tidewater by train-ing the fleet’s engineers while the first fewvessels were in dry dock in Las Palmas. Itthen supplied the equipment for the engi-neers to continue the installation.

Navgard uses real-time data logging,providing operational evidence in theevent of an incident, and requires a masterpassword to be disabled. The system alsonotes when it is switched on and off sothat checks can be made to ensure it isbeing used continuously.

www.jeppesen.com/marine/commercial

Jeppesen has introduced FlatFee licensingfor its official Electronic NavigationCharts (ENCs), with the Boeing subsidiarynoting that the system should helpmariners to better predict annual chartingcosts.

Vessels can buy a one-year subscriptionto some or all of nine worldwide zones ata fixed price. They can then view and usethe charts, for both voyage planning andnavigation, without limitations.

If sailing needs change, additional zonesubscriptions can be added without hav-ing to create new licences. Jeppesen saysthat it uses a variation of existing licensingmethods to ensure accurate processing ofHydrographic Office commissions.

The ENC provider says that FlatFeestreamlines the process of purchasing andusing ENCs, while also simplifying PortState Controls.

“Initial reports from vessels testing ourFlatFee licensing have been overwhelm-ingly positive,” said Gary Minard,Jeppesen director, global marine sales andmarketing.

“This new solution is better meetingour customers’ needs by helping over-come both the hassles and unpredictablecosts associated with using ENCs aroundthe world.”

BNWAS retrofit for Tidewater’s African fleet

www.datema.nl

Dutch company Datema Nautical Safetysays that its pay-as-you-sail (PAYS) distri-bution service for ENCs has been installedon 13 cruise vessels for Holland AmericaLine (HAL).

Datema says that ENCTrack allowsusers to pay only for the charts their ves-sels have actually used. Compatible withany ECDIS systems, the service eliminatesthe need for license management.

HAL expects to eventually have all 15

ships in its fleet on the service, saysDatema.

Its 13th vessel to be equipped, the MS Rotterdam, also received the new GTTS-3000 tracker unit. The GTTS-3000transceiver was developed by GTTSystems, a partner of Datema NauticalSafety in the field of tracking and tracingsystems.

Jethro Beck, staff captain, MSNoordam, notes: “ENCTrack system is aneasy, user-friendly service which is a greathelp to the voyage planning and naviga-

tion officer due to the ability to plan a voy-age using cells which do not need to bepaid for, or licensed, until the vessel actu-ally sails through the cell’s footprint(which is automatically logged via thetracking system with no user inputrequired).”

“Another great tool is the update facili-ty which is available even whilst at seathrough the ENC4SAT and e-mail correc-tions service. If there are ever any queriesor concerns a prompt response is alwaysavailable by e-mail or over the phone.”

Datema ENCTrack for HAL

Jeppesen introducesFlatFee for ENCs

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Satellite evidenceused in tanker case

www.transas.comwww.farsounder.com

FarSounder and Transas have announceda partnership that will see Transas inte-grate FarSounder's navigation sonar sys-tems into the Transas Navi-Sailor 4000Multifunction Display series.

They say that this integration willenable the FarSounder-500 andFarSounder-1000 sonars to be controlleddirectly from the Transas software withthe FarSounder navigation data displayedon top of the ECDIS/ECS chart.

Additionally, presentation of a 3D pic-ture from FarSounder will be displayed inthe Navi-Conning display and in a specialNavi-Sailor panel.

FarSounder is a US-based electronicsmanufacturer specialising in underwateracoustics and a developer of real time 3Dsonar systems used for navigation andobstacle avoidance.

“We are pleased and excited to workwith Transas, a market leading ECDISmanufacturer,” said Cheryl Zimmerman,FarSounder's CEO.

“Our companies are both focused on

increasing marine safety by offering our cus-tomers an advanced level of decision sup-port and marine environment awareness.”

“This integrated solution will serve anexpanded base of commercial and yachtcustomers who recognise the importantsafety role that 3D Forward Looking Sonaris having on 21st century navigation.”

Evgeny Karizhenskij, product develop-ment director, Transas Technologies,noted: “It’s a very ambitious project forTransas that will bring essential benefits toour customers, such as advanced safetyand expanded navigation capabilities.”

The UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency(MCA) says that it has, for the first time,successfully used satellite imagery as pri-mary evidence in a maritime pollutionprosecution.

Maersk Tankers Singapore has paid atotal of £22,500 in fines and costs afterpleading guilty to a breach of UK legisla-tion at Truro Magistrates Court.

On 25 February 2012, a satellite operat-ed by the European Maritime SafetyAgency (EMSA) detected a ship trailing aslick in the waters between Land’s Endand the Scilly Isles. A report was made tothe MCA.

The ship was identified as theSingapore-registered tanker Maersk Kiera.The slick itself was within 12 miles of land.

When contacted by FalmouthCoastguard, the Master of the MaerskKiera confirmed that the vessel wasundertaking tank cleaning and associateddischarge following carriage of a cargo ofpalm oil, but that it was complying withinternational requirements.

Under the Dangerous or NoxiousLiquid Substances in Bulk Regulations1996 (SI 3010), discharge of palm oil slopsis only permissible over 12 miles from thenearest land.

Maersk said that its vessel hadstopped cleaning tanks before it waswithin 13.5 miles of the coast. However,the satellite imagery showed a slick trail-ing behind the vessel when it was within12 miles of land.

Following this the owners of the tankeradmitted a breach of the UK PollutionLegislation. They were fined £15,000 witha £120 victim surcharge and prosecutioncosts of £7404.88 were awarded.

Captain Jeremy Smart, head of enforce-ment at the MCA, said: “This is the firsttime satellite imagery has been successful-ly used as primary evidence in a maritimepollution prosecution brought by theMaritime and Coastguard Agency. TheAgency will use all means available toidentify and prosecute those carrying outillegal discharges within the UK PollutionControl Zone.”

www.nautissim.com

Dutch developer VSTEP has announcedthat it has delivered a range of new simu-lators to two US training facilities andanother in Spain.

The Maritime Academy of Toledo’sOhio school will be one of the centres pro-vided with new simulators, which it willuse as a demonstration centre. The projectis expected to be implemented through2017 in four phases.

The first phase will include a Class-AFull-Mission Bridge simulator and a simu-lation radar classroom for 16 students,both of which are certified for US CoastGuard approved courses.

These simulators are expected to be upand running by January 2014. Additionalphases include a tug boat simulator, cranesimulator, and eventually an engine roomsimulator.

The terms of the contract call for TheMaritime Academy of Toledo to commitapproximately $100,000 to launch the proj-ect, with the remainder being financedover ten years with a subscription modelfor the simulators.

The Academy’s current navigation,radar, and engine room simulators wereover 20 years old when they were dam-aged in October 2012 as the result of apower fault from an underground trans-former explosion.

“For more than eight months wesearched for a company suited and willingto help us replace the current simulators,at a cost we could afford while we wait forour insurance claim to be paid,” saidRenee Marazon, president of the MaritimeAcademy of Toledo.

“We negotiated with several companieswho simply wanted too much money.

VSTEP was able to provide us with thehighest standard of simulation, but at anaffordable price.”

The project was discussed withVSTEP’s NAUTIS Maritime SimulationDivision in late July and VSTEP staff madea site visit to determine the suitability ofthe Maritime Academy campus to serve asa demonstration centre. The Dutch manu-facturer says that within two months apartnership was forged.

“Toledo was a perfect fit for VSTEP as aNAUTIS Simulation Centre. Toledo is 45minutes from an international airport andis centrally located on the Great Lakes.Once the new simulators are installed,VSTEP will use Toledo as a technologydemonstration centre for its customers inthe region,” said Ms Marazon.

“Our new VSTEP simulators will allownot only our cadets to get the best trainingpossible, but also allow us to expand ourprofessional mariner training courses.This is just another step in making Toledothe key centre for maritime training on theGreat Lakes.”

“If you look at what it would have costto purchase and install all these simulators,plus licensing and other fees, we would belooking at upwards of one million dollars.However VSTEP worked with TheMaritime Academy to make this muchmore affordable over the ten-year period.”

In Alabama meanwhile, SeaSchool-Mobile has also acquired a NAUTIS FullMission Bridge Simulator and InstructorStation.

VSTEP says that, together with its USpartner Annapolis Simulation, it isinstalling the simulator in the school’scampus in Bayou La Batre, near Mobile.

The DNV certified NAUTIS Full MissionBridge Simulator features a 180° external

view angle, which exceeds the minimum120° exterior view angle required for DNV Class B simulators. It allows for training in Advanced ship handling & manoeuvring, ECDIS Model Course 1.27,Radar/ARPA Model Course 1.07, VHFRadio Communications, NavigationalInstruments (GPS, AIS, Echo Sounder, andSpeed Log), and GMDSS RadioCommunications Model Course 1.26.

Victor Tufts, VSTEP North Americasales manager, said: “Together with ourNorth American partner AnnapolisSimulation, we are very happy to includethe SeaSchool in the NAUTIS family.”

“The acquisition of this Simulator andInstructor Station guarantees realistic sim-ulator training of the highest quality forthe SeaSchool students for years to come.”

SeaSchool provides US Coast Guardapproved courses and STCW-95 compli-ant training.

Finally, in Spain VSTEP notes that ithas recently delivered and installed itsNAUTIS Desktop Trainers at the AiguaSea School in Palma de Mallorca.

The NAUTIS Desktop Trainers coverECDIS Model Course 1.27, Radar/ARPAModel Course 1.07, VHF RadioCommunications, Navigational Instruments(GPS, AIS, Echo Sounder, Speed Log) andadvanced ship handling & manoeuvring.

VSTEP says that the equipment can beused to provide certified training in com-pliance with the latest STCW requirements.

Steve Brand, director at Aigua SeaSchool, said: “We are very happy with thepurchase of these advanced desktop simu-lators. The professional installation andsupport received from VSTEP during theproject has been excellent. These new sim-ulators will allow us to further enhancethe training curriculum at our Sea School.”

New installations for VSTEP simulators

3D sonar on Navi-Sailor

FarSounder’s technology can create 3D sonar models, with the data then displayed on the Transas ECDIS

The satellite image of the oil slick used inthe case. Photo: EMSA MDA

p28-44:p15-25.qxd 18/10/2013 16:30 Page 7

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www.londonpandi.com

The London P&I Club notes that thetimetable for mandatory implementation ofECDIS is advancing and insists on theimportance of familiarisation on specificequipment and proper use of the technology.

The first deadlines for mandatoryECDIS carriage have passed: passengerships of 500 gt and upwards, tankers of3,000 gt and dry cargo ships of 10,000 gtand upwards constructed on or after 1 July2012 now have to carry ECDIS. The nextphase-in will be in 2014 for existing pas-senger ships of 500 gt and over.

In its most recent StopLoss bulletin, theClub notes that it expects a number of newlegal, procedural, technical and humanresource issues to arise with the develop-ment of e-navigation.

One such issue is the potential risksinvolved in replacing more traditional

means of voyage planning and monitoringwith advanced technology, it said, addingthat the incorrect operation of ECDIS wasa causative factor in a number of recentgrounding accidents.

Where ECDIS is used as the primaryplanning and monitoring system on-board, accident investigation reports haveidentified deficiencies in the level of train-ing and a lack of understanding as con-tributory factors.

The P&I Club cites as an example thegrounding of a laden bulk carrier in restrict-ed coastal waters as investigated by theUK Marine Accident Investigation Branch.ECDIS was the primary monitoring system.All officers had undertaken generic ECDIStraining, but not “equipment specific”training for the ECDIS type onboard.

The duty officer made prematurecourse alterations to avoid a risk of colli-sion, but failed to effectively monitor the

London P&I Club highlights ECDIS trainingship’s position and track on the ECDIS,also failing to notice the activation of thevisual grounding warning alarm.

The ship’s draught was 10.6m, but thesafety contour was set inadequately at10.0m. The bridge management team wasunaware that the anti-grounding audiblealarm had been disconnected. The locationof the ECDIS unit on the bridge was notconducive to an effective operation.

The insurance underwriter insists thatnot only should the ECDIS / user interfacebe as user-friendly as possible, but it isalso essential that the navigator is effec-tively trained in the proper use of ECDISand understands the limitations of theequipment and its primary role as a deci-sion support system.

The statutory requirements for ECDIStraining are covered in the STCWConvention, the ISM Code and SOLASChapter 5. The IMO ECDIS Model Course

1.27 should provide the navigator with therequired level of understanding, compe-tency and confidence for application in allaspects of navigation.

However, the P&I Club insists, with avast array of ECDIS manufacturers there isa challenge for the navigator to reach anacceptable degree of competency in a spe-cific onboard system. Familiarisation ontype-specific ECDIS, whether provided bythe manufacturer, manufacturer’s agent ora trainer, has been identified as a priorityfor training.

An additional challenge is to ensure thequality of such training, both generic andfamiliarisation, is of sufficient quality toreduce the risks associated with this tran-sition to the new technology, whilst satis-fying the scrutiny of external parties, suchas Port State Control, where the focus willbe on demonstrating operational compe-tency on the ship’s ECDIS equipment.

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Kongsberg Seatex, a wholly-owned sub-sidiary of Kongsberg Maritime, is launch-ing SpotTrack, a multi-target laser-basedrelative position reference system.

Primarily intended for DynamicPositioning (DP) operations, SpotTrack isa motion-stabilised rotating laser sensorthat delivers range and bearing measure-ments. Kongsberg says that it uses a detec-tion system and tracking algorithms fortrue target recognition – minimising lock-on to false reflections.

“Laser-based reference systems repre-sent an established technology, butSpotTrack introduces a new level of relia-bility and ease of operation for this type ofproduct,” said Vidar Bjørkedal, VP sales &customer support, Kongsberg Seatex.

“The sensor itself is a completely sealedunit, with all moving parts housed inside,so the system is less prone to mechanicalwear from exposure to the elements.”

SpotTrack is typically used in conjunc-tion with satellite positioning, microwavebased systems and subsea positioning. Itcan act as one of the three position refer-ence systems required for the DP3 Class.

“With the addition of SpotTrack to ourextensive reference systems portfolio,Kongsberg Dynamic Positioning customersnow have the choice of a complete range ofabove surface and subsea reference sys-tems developed by Kongsberg,” said Gard

Ueland, president of Kongsberg Seatex.Though SpotTrack will primarily be

used as a DP reference system, it can sup-port other operations including automaticdocking systems and vessel traffic moni-toring.

By utilising roll and pitch stabilisationfrom a motion reference unit, SpotTrackcan track targets even at high elevationangles. Kongsberg says that this makes itsuitable for close-by operations, such as3D positioning for maritime construction.

www.net-logic.co.uk

UK-based developer Net-Logic reportsthat it now has 2,000 units of its wirelessBridge Navigational Watch Alarm System(BNWAS) operating on ships and yachts.

The type-approved wireless BNWASuses a mesh network that monitors avail-able signal paths. If one of these pathsfails, the system re-routes to ensure itremains active in the event of a modulefailure.

“When we launched this product twoyears ago many people questioned its abil-

ity to work wirelessly through the struc-ture of a large yacht, let alone a ship,” gen-eral manager Dave Norton recalls.

“The actual results of the installationshave been impressive, we have the sys-tem fitted throughout the world on pas-senger ships, bulk carriers, LNGs, megay-achts – you name it. We have fitted it and it’s proven beyond doubt that thistechnology is the future for this type ofapplication.”

Net-Logic says that the system can befitted in a single day with no disruption tothe interior or cabling infrastructure.

Laser-based DP launched

SpotTrack is a multi-target positionreference system

www.atobviaconline.com

AtoBviaC, the UK-based company whichcommercialises the BP Shipping DistanceTables, says that it has carried out areview of LNG trades to ensure that keyports and vessel manoeuvres in this sectorremain covered.

AtoBviaC, whose tables are used byRasGas, GDF Suez and BW Gas, notes thatLNG vessels attract the highest charterrates, and consequently require absoluteaccuracy for voyage and capacity planningif journeys are to prove financially viable.

“Vessels’ schedules are always beingmodified, and the tables are a perfect wayto verify that voyage changes can be done

on time,” said Vincent Guillevic, shippingsuperintendent at Yemen LNG.

“They are also very simple to use with animportant list of specific LNG destinations,and options, like being able to manuallymodify or add waypoints on automaticroutes, make this application a must-have.”

Capt Trevor Hall, director of AtoBviaC,also added that: “This review is of impor-tance not only to our LNG clients, but alsoto every vessel owner and operator wework with.”

“We have been able to make sure that ourroute tables continue to set the standards forrouteing and distance information for themaritime industry, delivering high quality,realistic calculations of journey options.”

Net-Logic BNWAS hits 2,000

LNG trades reviewed for BP Shipping Distance Tables

p28-44:p15-25.qxd 18/10/2013 16:31 Page 10

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Digital Ship


Making e-Navigation work in an industry with a range of different proprietary technologies could prove extremelydifficult and very costly for shipping companies – what is really required is a common architecture that will allow

different systems to work together as required, writes Fred Pot, Marine Management Consulting

How to entice ship owners to support e-Navigation

II n 2006, at its 81st session, the Interna-tional Maritime Organisation’s Mar-itime Safety Committee (MSC) decid-

ed to include in the work programmes ofthe NAV and Radiocommunications andSearch and Rescue (COMSAR) Sub-Com-mittees a high priority item on ‘Develop-ment of an e-Navigation strategy’.

The stated aim of the IMO in this regardis to develop a strategic vision for e-Navigation, to integrate existing and newnavigational tools, in particular electronictools, in an all-embracing system that willcontribute to enhanced navigational safetywhile simultaneously reducing the burdenon the navigator.

E-Navigation has been defined duringthis process as “the harmonised collection,integration, exchange, presentation andanalysis of maritime information onboardand ashore by electronic means to enhanceberth to berth navigation and related serv-ices, for safety and security at sea and pro-tection of the marine environment.”

In the intervening years since this initia-tive was first mooted IMO’sCorrespondence Group on e-Navigation(CG) and IALA’s e-Navigation Committeehave almost exclusively focused theirefforts on developing requirements for theshore-side part of the system architecture.

For example, Annex 2 of the CG’s reportto IMO’s NAV sub-committee (NAV 59)focused on the requirements for the systemarchitecture of the “Maritime Cloud” andhow shore-based authorities could use it,while IALA’s e-Navigation Committeeseems to focus mostly on the shore-basedauthorities’ systems architecture.

So far ship owners have not proposed,let alone accepted a common ship boardsystem architecture that will accommodatee-Navigation solutions.

Yet, ship owners will likely be expected

to foot the bill for shipboard implementa-tion of e-Navigation solutions. This willlikely require them to acquire, install,maintain and train users of significantlymore complex systems and it will likelyincrease the volume of wireless communi-cations between ship and shore.

Primarily because of the additional costof implementing e-Navigation solutions onnew ships, most ship owners oppose oreven attempt to block adoption of e-Navigation solution carriage requirementsat the IMO level. They are using their FlagStates and their associations (InternationalChamber of Shipping, BIMCO, Cruise LineInternational Association, Intertanko, etc)to resist new carriage requirements.

In response, Port and CoastalAuthorities may well elect to start enforc-ing such carriage requirements in theirregions rather than wait for IMO to man-date them.

What can we do to prevent local author-ities from enforcing regional, possiblyincompatible carriage requirements? Whatcan we do to gain ship owners’ support for e-Navigation? Can we quantify the cost savings that e-Navigation will bringthem? If we can’t do that, can we addressother needs/issues/problems that shipowners face? What are these needs/issues/problems?

e-Nav issuesTo stay competitive, ship owners mustreduce crew size to the minimum levelrequired by their Flag State, recruiting crewsfrom a variety of countries each with theirown language and culture and with varyinglevels of training and (system) competency.

Another issue is the increasing cost ofmaintenance and repair of on board systems.Their number, cost and complexity continueto grow. e-Navigation carriage requirements

will undoubtedly add to this growth. Systems invariably come with their

own, often embedded, proprietary com-puter that is typically not able to commu-nicate with the outside world because it isproprietary and closed. Many of these sys-tems require traveling specialist serviceengineers to remote ports for maintenance,repairs and upgrades.

A related issue is vendor lock-in.Electronic equipment and systems are typ-ically selected by the shipyard and offeredwith the ship as a package that can bechanged, but the change order fees tend tobe significant.

The result is that ship owners typicallyare prevented from using their own criteria(cost, maintainability, features, intuitive-ness, quality, reliability, etc) to select onboard systems. Also, the lack of inter-ven-dor compatibility prevents ship ownersfrom ‘Mixing-and-Matching’ systems fromdifferent suppliers.

The result is that ship owners are typical-ly locked into a single vendor’s support andservice for each system. That suits vendorsbecause they can, and often do, charge a pre-mium for their support and services.

The changes in crew characteristics inconjunction with the increasing mainte-nance cost of a growing number of com-plex proprietary on board systems makeremote monitoring, trouble shooting,repairing and upgrading systems a mustrather than a nice to have.

Plug-n-playTo gain ship owner support for e-Navigation, I propose that we develop aproposal for an on board system architec-ture that addresses e-Navigation infra-structure requirements but also addressesship owners’ issues:� Cost of maintaining a growing number

of ever more complex systems� Vendor Lock-in� Lack of Inter-Vendor Compatibility

and resulting inability to Mix-n-Match systems

� Increasing volume and cost of wireless communications between ship and shore

Specifically, I believe that we should pro-pose a ship board system architecture thatis based on a secure Local Area Network(LAN) with a ‘Maritime’ version ofUniversal Plug-n-Play (UPnP) and addremote servicing capabilities for each sys-tem on the ship board network.

We all have experienced Plug-n-play inaction, for instance when we add a printerto the router on our home network.

As soon as the printer’s network cable isplugged into the router, the printer uses itsDHCP client to obtain an IP Address fromthe router’s DHCP host. You can then con-nect your computer to the printer, get sta-tus information (ink-levels, out of paperwarnings, etc.) and start using it.

To do that your computer needs infor-mation from the printer. The printer pub-lishes that information on its internal webserver or lets you download its proprietaryapplication to your computer that interactswith the printer.

The international standard for UPnP(IEC 29341-x) doesn’t require that a systemthat wants to use UPnP to connect itself toa network first identifies itself with a secu-rity certificate that proves that it is trust-worthy and not malicious.

Such ‘authentication’ would need to beadded to the maritime standard so that itrequires that only systems whose securitycertificate is on a ‘White List’ are allowedto use ‘zero configuration’ UPnP to beadded to the network.

This white list of systems that have atrusted security certificate would be creat-ed by the shipyard and maintained by theship owner or his system integrator. A sys-tem’s security certificate would be issuedby the vendor and IMO would authorisevendors to issue certificates for the systemsthey sell.

The ‘White List’ would include securitycertificates of trusted systems/nodes/services that are offered in theMaritime Cloud (See Annex 2 of the CG’sreport to NAV 59).

The Universal Plug-n-Play standardwould further need to be amended torequire that all systems advertise on theirwebserver:� A detailed description of the system’s

functions and controls � Vendor details including the Vendor’s

IMO authorisation to issue security certificates

� The system’s model number and, if applicable, its certificate of compliance with the IMO performance standard for such systems (i.e. Radar, ECDIS, etc.)

� Serial NumberA huge range of systems across the ship are required to communicate. Photo: Interschalt

p28-44:p15-25.qxd 18/10/2013 16:31 Page 12

� System Software Version and a link to the file on its webserver that contains a history of version upgrades

� Warranty Status� Service Subscription details (expiration

date, payments, etc.)� A link to the System’s ManualsThis would also need to include a link tothe system’s Maintenance & Settings WebPage on its webserver that lists the currentconfiguration, details of subscriptions tosoftware updates, and, if the system is asensor, then a measure of its accuracy andan indication of the system’s health (per-haps marking the time of the system’s last‘Heartbeat’ and any alarms generated bythe system).

Maritime Plug-n-Play should not belimited to adding local systems to the shipboard network. Systems on the ship boardnetwork should also be able to useMaritime Plug-n-Play to subscribe to trust-ed services that are available in theMaritime Cloud:� Electronic Chart Updates� Weather Information� Maritime Safety Information� Remote monitoring of on board systems� Etc.

ConnectionWhen a new system uses (Maritime) UPnPto connect itself to the on board network,then all other systems that are already onthe network can be set up to connect with(to ‘discover’) the new system, just like anycomputer on your home network can beconnected to (discover) your printer. Such

Machine–to–Machine (M2M) connectionsare called subscriptions.

M2M subscriptions of systems (sub-scribers) to other systems (publishers) onthe ship’s network or in the Maritime Cloudwill need to be managed. Only those sub-scribers whose system’s security certificateis on the White List should be allowed tosubscribe to another (publishing) system.

Ship owners will want to add to theirWhite List the security certificates of(shore-based) subscribing systems thatthey and their vendors use to remotelymonitor, trouble shoot, repair and upgradeon board systems.

Furthermore, to ensure availability ofmission critical systems the master will wantto have the option to limit maintenanceaccess to such systems to periods when theyare not needed for controlling the ship.

‘Subscriber Pays’ functionality shouldbe one of requirements of the communica-tions system infrastructure. This willrequire establishment of an invoicing sys-tem that bills subscribers for the cost oftheir subscription message traffic for eachcommunications channel that is used tocarry the traffic.

Shipboard and shore-based subscriberswill want to use a sophisticated least costmessage router that prioritises subscrip-tion message traffic and either routes it viaa communications channel that is currentlyavailable or use a ‘Store-and-Forward’ sys-tem by putting it in a message queue to betransmitted via a lower cost channel thatwill become available later during the voy-age (i.e. Cellular, WiMAX, VHF Data

Exchange, WiFi and future technologies).The ship board router will need to base

its predictions of availability of lower costcommunications channels on:� The communications equipment that is

available on board� The ship owners’ cost to use each

channel� Communications channel coverage

maps� The voyage planThe ship's router will need to share its chan-nel address and availability predictionswith shore-based subscribers’ messagerouters by publishing this ‘channel connec-tion’ information on the Maritime Cloud.

For communications billing purposesand to enable least cost routing, subscriptionmessages that use a wireless digital commu-nications channel between ship and shorewill need to indicate the ID of their sub-scription and specify their maximum accept-able message delivery delay (latency).

ImplicationsThe major implication of this proposal isthat all systems, both on board and in theMaritime Cloud, are amended to includeMaritime Plug-n-Play functionality.

Vendors are likely to charge a premiumfor such systems and for remote monitor-ing and servicing such systems, thus driv-ing up the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO),however, establishing this system architec-ture for the maritime industry will lay thegroundwork for establishing a common(Android-like) ship board platform (cloud)that all applications can use, including theproprietary systems that currently requiretheir own proprietary boxes, each withtheir own power supply, network cabling,processor, operating system, data storage,user interface, etc.

An example of a common platform suchas I am describing is the Open Source proj-ect that created the Marine SystemsSoftware Architecture (MARSSA).

Work on MARSSA began in 2008 by ateam of marine software engineeringexperts and mariners at MARSEC-XL(Marine Software Engineering Center ofExcellence). On the 14th of February 2011MARSEC-XL donated the very first ver-sion of MARSSA to the Open SourceCommunity and the work on MARSSA hascontinued as an open source project hosted

by MARSEC-XL Foundation since then.MARSSA sets out to provide a Reference

Architecture (RA), which will serve as abase for the development of standards and,at the same time, an architecture to supportthe integration and interoperability of soft-ware-dependent devices and systems onboard and on shore.

The RA learns from other domains suchas avionics and automotive, however itdirectly addresses and takes into accountthe specificity of the maritime domain. Itprovides an architectural blue print for aset of products / systems based on thepool of previously successfully implement-ed solutions and combined with a set ofnew requirements.

Experience in other industries hasshown that a common platform signifi-cantly reduces the need for proprietaryboxes. MARSSA will allow vendors tofocus on the quality of their applicationrather than on the whole stack (i.e. cabling,power supply, processor, operating sys-tem, data storage, user interface, etc.).

They can re-use proven software com-ponents and the functionality offered bythe common onboard platform to developtheir proprietary solutions thus significant-ly reducing their development cost andimproving their quality. The cost of net-work cabling and the cost of building-insystem redundancy with automatic fail-over will also decrease significantly.

Furthermore, developers other than thoseemployed by hardware system vendors willbe able to offer their own related innovativesolutions. The effect of this increased compe-tition will be to turn the current ‘sellers’ mar-ket’ into a ‘buyers’ market’.

It will decrease the cost and increase thequality and the number of available solu-tions for ship owners to choose from andallow them to mix-n-match solutions thatbest fit their selection criteria.

And it will provide a system architec-ture that fully supports all possible e-Navigation solutions….



DS

About the authorFred W. Pot is principal ofMarine Management Consult-ing and can be reached [email protected]. Forfurther information on

MARSSA visit www.marssa.org

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p28-44:p15-25.qxd 18/10/2013 16:32 Page 13

Digital Ship


An industry group led by The Nautical Institute and including some heavy hitting maritime stakeholders has expressed itsconcern about the confusion it sees in the market when it comes to ECDIS training – specifically in relation to familiarisation

requirements for the equipment. The Nautical Institute’s David Patraiko spoke to Digital Ship about the issue

Type-specific ECDIS training? Think again

WWhen IMO's NAV54 subcommit-tee meetings concluded in July2008 the Organization was able

to reveal, after years of discussion anddebate, that its members had reached a con-sensus in favour of making ECDIS technol-ogy a required fit for ocean going vessels.

July of 2012 saw the passing of the firstdeadline in the scaled implementation peri-od for the technology, requiring new pas-senger ships above 500gt and new tankersabove 3,000gt to be fitted with ECDIS.

Since then mandatory carriage of theequipment has been extended to newcargo ships above 10,000gt, from July2013, and will include new cargo shipsabove 3,000gt and existing passengerships above 500gt from next summer.

The final class of ships to be covered bythe carriage requirement, in July 2018, willbe existing cargo vessels above 10,000gt.

The introduction of mandatory ECDISto tens of thousands of vessels in theworld fleet over the course of the six-yearimplementation schedule also brings withit the need for the crews of these ships tobe trained in the use of the technology – apotentially daunting task given the scaleof what’s involved.

The ECDIS Training Consortium (ETC)in Germany, for example, last year notedthat, according to its research, approxi-mately 250,000 officers worldwide couldbe required to complete the training nec-essary for compliance with regulations bythe completion of the implementation

schedule.All of these seafarers will be required to

complete a generic ECDIS course accordingto the requirements of the ManilaAmendments to the STCW (2010), reachinga level of competence equivalent to that setout in the IMO’s Model Course 1.27.

This course is essentially used to provethat the student understands and has alevel of proficiency in the general use ofECDIS in a navigation context, and canapply that in their work.

In addition to this, according to section6.3 of the International Safety Management(ISM) Code shipping companies will alsobe required to ensure that personnel “aregiven proper familiarisation with theirduties”, while section 6.5 states that thecompany should “maintain procedures foridentifying any training which may berequired…and ensure that such training isprovided for all personnel concerned.”

While the generic training require-ments for ECDIS derived from the IMOModel Course seem to be the generallyaccepted standard across the industry, theinterpretation of the requirements withinthe ISM Code as it relates to the ability tooperate the specific ECDIS equipmentinstalled on each ship have led to someconfusion over what exactly is necessary.

In an attempt to create some guidanceon this issue, at the end of 2012 an indus-try group, led by The Nautical Instituteand including stakeholder associationslike OCIMF, Intertanko, InterManager

and the ISF, among others, published an‘Industry Recommendations for ECDISFamiliarisation’ document which it hopedwould offer some generally acceptablestandards.

This guidance note and its accompany-ing checklist were also published in the December 2012 issue of this magazine (downloadable fromwww.thedigitalship.com, see page 31).

However, approximately one year on,it would seem that this confusion stillexists, as David Patraiko, director of proj-ects at The Nautical Institute, explained toDigital Ship.

Regular readers of this magazine, oranyone involved with vessel navigation,will no doubt be fully aware of the wideranging availability of ‘type-specific train-ing’ for ECDIS – and while many shippingcompanies may believe that such training isnecessary to maintain compliance with therequirements of the ISM Code, Mr Patraikonotes that this is not exactly accurate.

“This is where some of the confusioncomes in, and it’s around this term ‘typespecific’. When we sat down as this indus-try group we gave a lot of thought to it,and one thing we asked was ‘where didthis term type specific come from?’,because IMO never said anything abouttype specific training. It’s not in any IMOdocumentation, yet everyone talks about‘type specific’,” he told us.

“As we dug we realised that it camefrom the fact that, with ECDIS, a lot of the

manufacturers offer their own trainingcourses – which is great – and they refer toit as ‘type specific training’, which it is.That’s perfectly fine. But then Flag admin-istrations cottoned on to this, and I think itstarted with the UK saying ‘you musthave type specific training’ (see MCAMarine Information Notice 442).”

“I know Australia originally said ‘typespecific’ but when they saw what cameout of this industry group they changed itto ‘demonstrate familiarisation’. I don’tknow of any other countries that require‘type specific’, I think it’s starting to diedown a little bit. It crept in to the industrywith the very best of intentions.”

Demonstratingcompetence

The Nautical Institute and its partners inthe industry group are keen to clarify thepoint that it is ‘familiarisation’ rather than‘type specific training’ that is the standardrequired when it comes to operating a par-ticular piece of ECDIS equipment.

“Our message is fairly simple, in thatthere are two requirements – one is forgeneric training, and that should be close-ly aligned to the model course 1.27 whichwas revised last summer, and the other isthe need to familiarise, which is coveredby the requirement from the ISM code,”said Mr Patraiko.

“Both of these are based on demon-strating ‘competence’. So you need todemonstrate competence that you can doeverything in the Model Course, and then,when you join a ship, before you take thewatch you need to be able to demonstratethat you’re familiar with the equipment.”

This requirement for familiarisationcould be then be achieved, for example, bythe new crew member joining a ship sim-ply demonstrating to the captain or firstofficer that they are competent in usingthis brand of ECDIS – as there is norequirement that a specifically qualifiedinstructor is present to ‘grade’ thisprocess.

“That’s a ‘grey area’, for the ModelCompetence in specific models of ECDIS is key – but the methods of achieving that competence can be varied

‘IMO never said anything about typespecific training’ – David Patraiko, The

Nautical Institute

p28-44:p15-25.qxd 18/10/2013 16:32 Page 14



Course and the familiarisation. The STCWand the IMO don’t go into what the quali-fications are for the assessor, so that is a bitof a grey area,” notes Mr Patraiko.

“If you’ve done your generic course anddemonstrated competencies to, presum-ably, a qualified instructor, and then yougo on board a ship and look at the list offamiliarisation tasks and demonstrate thatto somebody in authority – then yes, youshould be good to go.”

Mr Patraiko says that, from a practicalpoint of view, demanding actual type spe-cific training adds a significant extra bur-den that might not actually be necessary.

“From a shipowner’s point of view or atrainer’s point of view or anything else,that’s a huge demand. What is it that youactually want – is it that you want typespecific training or is it that you want themto be familiar with the system that they’reusing?” he asked.

“The bottom line is that you need to befamiliar. Now if you become familiarthrough type specific training that’s great,but there are other ways.”

“There’s e-learning, there are extendedhandovers, on board training, there are lotsof ways to become familiar. At the end ofthe day it really doesn’t matter how youbecome familiar, as long as you are.”

Definition andinterpretation

Given the importance of proper use ofECDIS to the navigation of a ship it mayseem inappropriate to some that it wouldbe left up to the shipping companies them-selves, and their representatives, to be theultimate judge of ‘competence’ in the useof ECDIS.

In theory, leaving competence open tointerpretation by specific officers could

lead to later doubt about that decision, par-ticularly after an accident. For example, if awatchkeeper has come on to the ship forthe first time and spent ten minutes on aparticular new brand of ECDIS, theshipowner might say they were competentbut someone wishing to make a claimagainst them may argue differently.

Despite this, Mr Patraiko maintains thatit is still right and proper that the shippingcompany should be responsible for thesedecisions, and that it remains the bestapproach to take.

“The familiarisation puts the onus onthe shipowner, which is correct. Theshipowner has to ensure that anyone usingtheir equipment is familiar with its use,”he told us.

“It’s simple, straightforward stuff. Andit’s not just the ECDIS, it’s any safety criti-cal piece of equipment. It’s just commonsense.”

“Everything is open to interpretation,and with a lot of these things you can’t nailit down. For that matter, the ISM codeitself is not prescriptive, it’s descriptive. Itsays you need to identify risks and youneed to identify how you’re going to con-trol that risk – that’s basically what the ISMcode says. It’s up to each shipowner them-selves which risks. If the IMO tried to iden-tify every risk in the shipping industry westill wouldn’t have it.”

This even extends to the ECDIS ModelCourse itself, which Mr Patraiko notes issimilarly open to being interpreted differ-ently by different readers.

“Even the Model Course is ‘guidance’,and it’s up to each Flag State as to howthey follow the Model Course or whetherthey follow the Model Course. And eventhat is still dubious, the Model Course isbased on a recommended 40 hours of train-

ing, though a lot of administrations outthere do a lot less than 40 hours and claimthat that’s perfectly adequate,” he said.

“The Model Course is there as guidancein the hopes that it will offer some sort ofstandardisation across the industry.Although the Model Course recommends40 hours, a recommended time, the time isnot what we’re concerned about – it’s thecompetence. But even the Model Course,particularly the new one revised last year, itspecifically lays out all of the different tasksthat you have to show competency in.”

“This is the same with any regulation,any convention. Nothing that comes out ofthe IMO is law, there is no such thing asinternational law. Every convention thatcomes out, whether it be SOLAS, MAR-POL or whatever, has to be interpreted byeach administration.”

However, while both the Model Courseand the ISM ‘familiarisation’ requirementmay be open to interpretation, the ModelCourse at least describes a suggestedcourse timetable and a detailed teachingsyllabus with the learning objectives forthe student.

A similar IMO list of objectives forfamiliarisation has not been produced,which helps to fuel the potential for vari-ous different interpretations of the require-ments – and it is for this reason that TheNautical Institute and its partners createdits own ECDIS familiarisation guidancedocument.

“The industry got together and said‘look, there’s a lot of confusion around this– we say you have to be familiar, but whatdoes that mean?’. So the industry (via thisstakeholder group) came up with a list,and that’s the list that we published,” saidMr Patraiko.

“We did a huge reference with this, wesent it out all over the world to get peopleto comment. It’s a six page list, it’s quiteextensive – we’ve had people look at it andtheir first reaction is that it’s too much, butthen they study it and come back to us andsay ‘actually, you’re right’. If you lookthrough that list, there isn’t a single thingon there that, if you were familiar, it couldcause an accident.”

Mr Patraiko notes that the list containedin the guidance document published bythe group originally came from a bookwritten by regular Digital Ship columnistDr Andy Norris on ECDIS, published byThe Nautical Institute.

“As he was writing that, he kept thinkingin the back of his mind ‘they need to knowthis, they need to know that’ – so he startedmaking a list. The original list is actually anAnnex in his book, so it came about quitelogically,” Mr Patraiko explained.

“Before we published the book, wethought that this list was really importantso we sent it all over the world to be com-mented on and we got lots of commentsback. It was so important that, even thoughthe book is a commercial product, wemade that list freely available on the web-site. A lot of shipping companies havesince adopted that into their SMS (safetymanagement system).”

Until such time as an official standard-ised list of familiarisation objectives forECDIS were to be released shipping com-panies could likely rely on this guidancedocument as a useful reference in makingtheir own decisions on displays of compe-

tence in using specific equipment.Were the assessor in any particular

familiarisation case to follow this list,which a whole range of industry bodieshave agreed is sufficient to show compe-tence, it would be hard for anyone to arguethat such competence in the use of thatECDIS has not been demonstrated – partic-ularly when you have bodies like OCIMFaccepting it as suitable for their SIREinspections, as Mr Patraiko notes.

Clearing confusionFor The Nautical Institute and the industrystakeholders involved in the production ofthis ECDIS guidance document the funda-mental message to be conveyed is that‘type specific training’ and ‘familiarisation’should not be confused.

Ultimately it is the Flag State that willdetermine the particular regulations for itsships, but in essence, for a shipping com-pany to be in compliance with the ISMcode it simply has to be completely satis-fied that its crew are fully competent inusing the model of ECDIS installed on theship on which they are serving.

Once they are satisfied with that, thenthe familiarisation required can be said tohave successfully taken place.

Type specific training will most certainlybe very useful in achieving this – however,Mr Patraiko stresses the point that it is justone of a number of routes to familiarisation,and likens to the process to driving a car.

“You want a good robust generic test tostart with, here in the UK my kids aregoing through driver training and the testto be able to get your driving licence is fair-ly robust,” he explained.

“After that, if you want to rent a car youneed to take 10 minutes to familiarise your-self with where the specific buttons andknobs are, and you’re good to go. Youdon’t need to relearn it from the startagain, you don’t need to go on a Toyotaspecific training course before you can renta Toyota car.”

In the end, the ultimate goal is toremove uncertainty for the market andsmooth the path to effective training inECDIS across the industry as the finalstages of the mandatory implementationdeadline approach.

“This all started a couple of years ago,we got together with all of these otherorganisations and said ‘we’re worried’. Wehad an initial meeting and established thatyes, there’s a lot of confusion around this,”said Mr Patraiko.

“The aim of these guidelines is to takesome of that confusion out of the market.IMO says that you must be confident, but,from an industry point of view, this iswhat we feel is meant by being competent.So it’s very complimentary to the IMO butjust in a little more detail.”

“This was approved by 12 organisa-tions, international bodies, and went out toall of their membership for approval. Soit’s pretty solid stuff.”

DS

The ECDIS familiarisation trainingguidelines document published by The�autical Institute and backed by a rangeof industry stakeholders can be down-loaded at http://bit.ly/17Ck8sl

ECDIS is a critical piece of equipment – and as such requires proper familiarisation

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