Maersk signs 150-vessel IN THIS ISSUE FleetBroadband deal

SS hipping giant APMøller - Maerskhas signed one of

the biggest satellite com-munications deals in mar-itime history, having con-tracted with Marlink toretrofit over 150 vesselswith the Inmarsat Fleet-Broadband system overthe next two years.

The installations willspan the Maersk SupplyService and MaerskTankers fleets, which willbe equipped with Thrane& Thrane Sailor 500 termi-nals capable of runningFleetBroadband at its max-imum connectivity speedof 432kbps.

'Maersk Challenger', aMaersk Supply Service ves-sel, was the first vessel incommercial service to befitted with FleetBroadband,and the second phase ofthis communications pro-gramme will now pave theway for the conversion ofanother 150 vessels operat-ed by the Danish shippinggroup to the broadbandsystem.

"We are dedicated tocrew welfare, and installa-

tion of the relatively smallFleetBroadband terminalensures that we can offerinternet to our crews bythis autumn," said PeterFaurhøj, head of naviga-tion and communicationsystems at Maersk SupplyService.

"The installation of theFleetBroadband terminalshas been 'outsourced' tothe crews, on all our ves-sels. (They) have receivedan installation pack with acomputer, LAN Switch,radome mast and fittings."

"Feedback from the ves-

sels has been that it waseasy to do the job, andthey are very happy. Atpresent the record installa-tion took three hours, sowe can conclude that 'sizematters'."

Inmarsat is obviouslypleased to see its flagshipservice receiving a vote ofconfidence of this magni-tude from an industryheavyweight, and believesthat this deal, coupled withthe recent launch of the lastsatellite in the globalFleetBroadband constella-tion, could help the service

to become established as anew standard in maritimecommunications.

EvaluationThis contract is the culmi-nation of an extendedperiod of discussion andtesting, involving APMøller Maersk and athree-way partnership onthe provider side ofInmarsat, Marlink andThrane & Thrane.

"It started with contactfrom Inmarsat, they con-tacted AP Møller Maerskabout the possibility of tri-alling FleetBroadband,"explained Tom-SverreStrandberg, sales directorNordic/UK at Marlink.

"Then they (Maersk)contacted us to getinvolved, as we alreadyhad an airtime agreementwith them."

"(Our involvement)started in May of this year,we had a conversationwith Inmarsat about thesituation, and that endedup turning into a contract.We already had a relation-ship with Maersk, so I

IN THIS ISSUE

October 2008

electronics andnavigation

continued on page 2

software

satcomsIridium acquisition paves way for IPO - 5Furuno enters global Ku-band VSAT market - 6From start to finish - VSAT installation atSeaway Marine Transport - 10

Intership chooses Dualogfor 65 ships - 14

Satcom evolutionat Peter Döhle - 18

Unicom and Hartmann go for AMOS2 - 21Software upgrades forTMSA - Algoma CentralCorporation - 23

Maersk agrees new LRIT contract - 26

UKHO announces ECDISpartnership with Transas and Kelvin Hughes - 29

Technology and thetraining challenge - 31

Laying the blame for bridge design - Dr Andy Norris - 34

Maersk signs 150-vesselFleetBroadband deal

Danish shipping group AP Møller - Maersk has agreed the largest satcomretrofit deal in maritime history after confirming that it will install

Inmarsat’s FleetBroadband system on at least 150 vessels

The Maersk Frontier is one of 150 vessels to be fitted with FleetBroadband under the contract

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BridgING the gap

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SATCOMS

Digital Ship October 2008 page 2

Vol 9 No 2

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think we can say they were quite happywith us."

The initial contact from Inmarsat waspart of the company's Maritime FieldEvaluation (MFE) project, carried out totest the FleetBroadband service in real-lifeconditions with established companies,explains Sandro Delucia, maritime marketmanager at Inmarsat.

AP Møller Maersk was one of the oper-ators that Inmarsat was keen to seeinvolved in the testing programme.

"The whole process started in 2007, andthe MFEs started around February of thisyear," he told us. "(For Maersk) the MFEwas on one vessel, a tanker, but they werealso testing FleetBroadband on other ves-sels as well."

One of the first steps for Maersk in eval-uating the service was to do some initialtesting at its land-based offices, which iswhere Thrane & Thrane first becameinvolved in the project.

"On the hardware side, we had anadvantage where we were able to giveBGAN terminals (the land-based versionof FleetBroadband) to AP Møller Maerskto have a look at, since BGAN waslaunched two and a half years ago," saidJens Ewerling, product marketing manag-er, maritime satcom, at Thrane & Thrane.

"There were different applications theycould take a look at, and they could see thecore technology at a very early stage. Whenthey could see what was available thataccelerated the process and added credibil-ity to the system. That was a major help."

"I think what they were most curiousabout was things like 'what's the downloadspeed, how much contention is on the serv-ice?' - they wanted to witness those kinds ofthings. BGAN is essentially FleetBroadbandon land, it works the same way."

Having examined the performance ofthe system on land, Maersk had seenenough to progress to the next stage oftesting, with real FleetBroadband termi-nals on operational vessels.

"That was the second phase for us, sup-plying the FleetBroadband antennas, sothey could actually try out the real prod-uct," said Mr Ewerling.

"From this point on our hardware dis-tributor Polaris Electronics worked withthem to identify their actual require-ments. The biggest breakthrough was thecreation of packages for them, whereevery package included everything theyneeded for the vessel so they could actu-

ally install it themselves.""Polaris prepared kits for every single

vessel, to provide the right cables and soon to make the installation very easy.From the top deck they have tubes run-ning down to run the cables through, andthat tubing is already in place."

Mr Faurhoj of AP Møller Maersk notedthat Polaris Electronics had been "verydedicated in the whole process."

"All equipment was unpacked and test-ed with SIM card and computer beforeshipping to the vessels," he told us.

The simplified installation facilitated bythese kits has allowed Maersk crews toinstall the FleetBroadband systems, frombox to operational capability, in just threehours in some cases.

InstallationWith the installation schedule for the eval-uations completed, Maersk was ready tobegin testing how FleetBroadband wouldperform in daily operational use, in com-parison with the Fleet 77 already onboardmost of the ships.

The systems were installed initiallyalongside the existing satcoms onboardrather than as a replacement, so that thevessels would not suddenly be switchingoff their communications and expecteverything to run smoothly over the newantenna.

"It's quite a major step moving directlyacross from the operation and functionali-ty of a circuit-switched environment (likeon Fleet 77) straight over to IP on

FleetBroadband," said Mr Delucia. "They had to keep the Fleet system

operational and running at the same time.It is possible to move some of the func-tionality, as they saw in the trial, but thoseexisting operational systems have to bekept integral during the trial."

"When you move to an IP service yourinfrastructure has to catch up if it had beenpredominantly circuit-switched based.Once that's occurred then you can start tohave a kind of convergence, where thesethings start to come together. This is acommon trend that we've seen in peoplemoving to the new systems."

"You'd have to look at it on a vessel byvessel basis, and it depends on what oper-ational systems they use and whether theywant to keep certain systems in place for aset period of time."

As Maersk began to migrate some of itsapplications to FleetBroadband to see howthey would perform, Mr Strandberg notesthat the results were positive.

"The feedback we got (from crews hav-ing access) was very good, they were veryhappy with it," he said. "Especially thecrew, they could send e-mails, they coulduse the internet, they were very happy."

"We had to prove that FleetBroadbandwould actually deliver, and the feedbackwe have got is that it has exceeded theirexpectations on the vessels that have usedit for the trials," added Mr Delucia.

"We've conducted thousands of testson these vessels, and in other MFEs andindependent trials, and in most cases peo-ple have been exceptionally happy withthe performance. The key thing is that itdoes what it says it does. They pushed itto the limit, trying to break it, and itpassed the test."

Following the completion of the evalua-tion and testing period, Maersk has beenimpressed enough with the results to com-mit to a 150-vessel installation contract,with an option to increase this to 300 ves-sels in the future - a deal thought to be thelargest satcom retrofit contract in maritimehistory.

The next step for the partners in thiscase will be to find ways of extracting themaximum value from the high-speed con-nectivity that Maersk will have on board.Mr Ewerling has a few ideas about some ofthe possibilities that broadband couldopen up.

"(Remote diagnostics) are not being

A 'starter pack', created by Thrane distributor Polaris Electronics for each vessel,has allowed crews to install the system themselves in just three hours

Printed by The Manson Group Ltd

Reynolds House8 Porters' Wood

Valley Road Industrial EstateSt Albans

Hertz AL3 6PZU.K.

Satcom partners - Jens Ewerling, Thrane & Thrane; Tom-Sverre Strandberg, Marlink; and Sandro Delucia, Inmarsat

done at this stage, but might be a possibil-ity for the future, it all depends on whatthey use the system for," he told us.

"It's possible we could see a trendwhere you see FleetBroadband linked intoindividual systems, things like rudderhydraulics, even radar systems, thingslike that."

"The industry has to take the necessarysteps, but I think they arestarting to do that. I knowthat Maersk has 350 TransasECDIS (electronic chart dis-play information system),and Transas has a new soft-ware version that will enablethem to have remote soft-ware updates and maybemaintenance - maybe theywill do things like that."

"We think they will bringin more value added servicesas things progress, that willbe the next level of the serv-ice," added Mr Strandberg.

FleetBroadband150

The announcement of thisMaersk deal has also beenswiftly followed by the intro-duction of a new memberinto the FleetBroadbandfamily to complement the432 kbps FB500 and 256 kbpsFB250.

Inmarsat has announcedthat it plans to support a newentry-level FleetBroadbandterminal from mid-2009,with the FleetBroadband 150.

The company says thatFB150 terminals are expectedto cost less than $5,000 andoffer simultaneous voice andIP data up to 150 kbps, andSMS.

The first manufacturers ofFB150 hardware will beThrane & Thrane andAddValue, which is partner-ing with SpaceCom forantenna production.

When asked by DigitalShip if the release of the FB150 was a response to therecently launched, light-weight Iridium OpenPort128 kbps service, Inmarsathead of maritime businessPiers Cunningham insistedthat plans for the new termi-nal had been in developmentfor some time and that thisrelease was not a direct chal-lenge to Iridium.

"I'm sure they'll see it thatway, but in our mind the FB150 was part of our plans forthe evolvement of the mar-itime FleetBroadband serv-ice," he told us.

"When we contemplatedFleetBroadband back at theend of 2004, we had threeproduct variants pencilledonto the draft board. Wecommitted to delivering twoof them to deliverFleetBroadband capability to

Digital Ship


our core maritime customers. Now we'vedone that, the uptake is proven, we cannow afford to look at a more evolutionaryapproach."

"It's part of our planned portfolioenhancement, but it should worry them."

This new launch has coincided with theannouncement of the activation of the com-pany's 1,000th FleetBroadband terminal,

completed within the 10 months since theservice was introduced in November 2007.

Inmarsat has also reported that it hasbeen successfully carrying live test trafficover the newly-launched Inmarsat-4 F3satellite, and through its satellite accessstation in Hawaii, covering the PacificOcean Region.

The launch of this satellite, in August of

this year, was the final part of the networkrequired to take FleetBroadband global.

With these developments, and theendorsement of Maersk gained throughthis new retrofit contract, Mr Cunninghamnoted that FleetBroadband was "well on itsway to becoming established as the communications service of choice for themerchant market." DS

SATCOMS


Trac Networks and WavefieldInseis have announced the successfulimplementation of a stabilised DVB-RCSsystem onboard the M/V MaleneØstevold, a vessel engaged in worldwideseismic operations. C2SAT has providedthe antenna for use in the system.

Headland Media reports that it hasacquired Walport International, amaritime training film and crew entertain-ment company that has been in operationsince the 1950s. Headland Media alsocomprises the former TEAMtalkSatellite business.

www.blueoceanwireless.com

Maritime GSM provider Blue OceanWireless Ltd (BOW) has partnered withBank of London and The Middle East PLC(BLME), a London-based wholesaleSharia'a compliant bank, to provide assetfinancing for the continued roll out of itsservice.

This partnership provides access to anasset finance facility of $25 million to sup-port BOW growth targets.

BOW had previously been involved in anumber of fundraising initiatives throughthe introduction of new shareholders intothe business, as founder Claret Capital soldstakes in the company to Japanese commu-nications company NTT DOCOMO (seepage 6), Philippines mobile phone compa-ny Smart Communications, and Bank ofScotland (Ireland), a wholly owned sub-sidiary of HBOS Plc.

Irish remote communications companyAltobridge, which provides the technolo-gy for the BOW system, is also a share-holder.

BOW has also recently announced thesuccessful installation of its GSM serviceaboard the Happy Bird, owned by a com-pany in the Othello Shipping Company

Blue Ocean agrees $25mfinancing deal

SingTel and MCP (MaritimeCommunications Partner) haveannounced an alliance whereby SingTelwill offer MCP's maritime GSM and wire-less services over VSAT communicationssystems as part of its offering to the ship-ping industry.

Guard Commandant, Adm. Thad Allen'svision of a flexible, agile and modernCoast Guard," said Rear Adm. David T.Glenn, assistant commandant for C4&IT.

"It confirms our commitment to deliv-ering world-class C4&IT solutions in sup-port of the Coast Guard's missions of mar-itime safety, security and stewardship."

"The Coast Guard needs C4&IT toseamlessly communicate and share infor-mation. This plan identifies specific initia-tives and milestones so that we may con-tinue to meet this need."

The plan is available on the internet bynavigating to http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg6/ and clicking on the C4&IT StrategicPlan link.

www.uscg.mil

The US Coast Guard has published a newstrategic plan that it says will enhance andmodernise its 'Command, Control,Communications, Computers andInformation Technology' (C4&IT) in sup-port of the execution of its missions.

The C4&IT Strategic Plan identifiesgoals, objectives and initiatives in theareas of information, technology, andsecurity, set out over the next five years.

By targeting C4&IT efforts in each ofthese areas, the Coast Guard says it canwork to improve mission support while cre-ating a foundation for future enhancements.

"This strategy was inspired by Coast

US Coast Guard unveils new IT strategy

www.trac-id.comwww.c2sat.comwww.headlandmedia.comwww.singtel.comwww.mcp.com

group, and managed by Bernhard SchulteShipmanagement.

This installation was completed as part of a recently announced deal between BOW and Bernhard SchulteShipmanagement to install GSM services.The CAP BRETON (ex Christiane Schulte)was the first vessel equipped under theagreement.

Captain Mendoza of Happy Bird com-mented: "The service is easy to use andBOW SIM cards can be inserted into thecrews' own mobile phones. In a short time,it has proved reliable, robust and, mostimportantly, real value for money."

In other news, BOW has announced apartnership deal with satcom distributorNavarino Telecom to offer the BOW GSMsolution to Navarino's customer base ofmore than 400 shipping companies.

"We are committed to anticipating ourclients' differing and evolving businessneeds," said Konstantinos Katsoulis, VPsales and marketing, Navarino Telecom.

"The ability to provide a cost effectiveGSM solution, which also provides SMSand e-mail capability, is now a must forour product portfolio. We anticipate astrong take up for the BOW service fromour global client base."

www.orbit-techgroup.com

Orbit reports that it has received typeapproval for its OrSat Ku-band maritimestabilised antenna system from Anatel, theBrazilian telecommunications agency.

Orbit says that its OrSat technology isthe only antenna system of its kind to havealready received type approvals from

major satellite operators Intelsat andEutelsat, eliminating the need to individu-ally verify the RF performance of the sys-tem prior to entering into operation onthese networks.

Anatel type approval can now beadded to this list, meaning that serviceproviders in Brazilian waters can immedi-ately offer services over the OrSat system.

"This new additional approval marksanother important stepfor Orbit and, in particu-lar, for OrSat," said EhudNetzer, Orbit CEO.

"Following its recentbreakthrough successwith global Ku coveragecapability, this additionaltype approval means thatOrSat continues to distin-guish itself in perform-ance, in cost efficiencyand in service."

Orbit has also recentlyagreed a $1.6 million dealwith Milano Teleport toprovide additional OrSatsystems for Milano'sISeaGlobal broadbandmarine communicationplatform. This is an add-on order to a previouslyagreed contract of $1.9million.

This deal includes aservice agreement where-by Milano Teleport willprovide service and tech-nical support as Orbit'sAdvanced Service Centre(ASC) in Italy.

Brazilian type approval for Orbit VSAT

Orbit's antenna is the first to hold Intelsat,Eutelsat and Anatel approvals

www.stratosglobal.com

Stratos reports that it has successfullycompleted a FleetBroadband field trialwith the Royal Netherlands Navy(RNLN), and is set to supply the broad-band communications system to RNLN tomanage its daily operations at sea. RNLNwas the first organisation to commerciallydeploy the FleetBroadband service.

The three-month field trial was conduct-ed onboard the RNLN Van Kinsbergen inWestern European waters, including theWestern Baltic.

Radio Holland managed the installationof a Thrane & Thrane SAILOR 500FleetBroadband terminal onboard the ves-sel. The FleetBroadband system also wassuccessfully integrated with AmosConnectto manage all e-mail traffic.

Other applications successfully testedduring the trial included web browsing,instant messaging, video chat, eFax, andweather forecasting.

"The field trial of FleetBroadband fromStratos provided the ideal opportunity toevaluate the benefits of this new high-per-formance service in a wide variety ofdeep-water conditions," said Lieutenant(RNLN) Stefjan Veenstra, commandingofficer of the Van Kinsbergen.

"We determined that the service was soeasy to deploy that our crew could installit themselves. We found the overall per-formance of the service to be very good.We expect our enhanced e-mail and web-browsing capabilities will help elevate thequality of our education, training andcrew communications to new levels."

The successful RNLN field trial was thefirst in an extensive series of tests thatStratos is conducting to secure feedbackfrom ship managers on FleetBroadbandand its range of value-added services. Thetests are said to encompass all major geo-graphic regions and vessel types.

tributions to existing Iridium investors.GHL Acquisition's existing stockhold-

ers will then own approximately 55 percent of Iridium's common shares out-standing after the completion of the trans-action, while Iridium's current sharehold-ers will remain in the aggregate the com-bined company's largest shareholder, withapproximately 42 per cent of the commonshares outstanding.

Iridium's existing management team,including CEO Matt Desch, will continueto lead the combined company.

Completion of the transaction is subject to US Federal CommunicationsCommission approval and the satisfactionof usual closing formalities, and is expect-ed to occur in the first part of 2009.

In other news, Iridium has alsoannounced that it is to launch a low-costprepaid crew-calling plan called IridiumGoChat, that eliminates off-peak valuepricing in favour of a single round-the-clock standard per-minute rate using larg-er denomination prepaid cards with pro-gressive discounts.

Prepaid Iridium GoChat cards areavailable in 30, 45 and 60 minute capaci-ties. The Iridium service automaticallynotifies the caller with a warning tone andvoice message when one minute of timeremains on the card.

Existing calling cards will be honouredduring the transition period with the IridiumGoChat discounts automatically applied.

Iridium acquisition paves way for IPO

Digital Ship


Stratos secures FleetBroadband deal with Dutch Navy

www.iridium.com

Iridium reports that it has signed a 'defini-tive agreement' to combine with GHLAcquisition Corp, creating a new entitycalled Iridium Communications Inc thatwill apply for listing on the NASDAQ andcomplete Iridium's promised IPO.

GHL Acquisition is a 'special purposeacquisition company' sponsored byGreenhill & Co, which raised approximate-ly $400 million of gross proceeds earlierthis year, and is approximately 17.5 percent owned by Greenhill & Co.

The proceeds of the transaction willenable Iridium to be debt free, and valuesthe company at approximately $591 mil-lion enterprise value. The transaction wasunanimously approved by the Board ofDirectors of GHL Acquisition and Iridium.

Current shareholders of Iridium willreceive approximately $77 million in cashand 36 million common shares upon comple-tion of the transaction. The remaining cashheld in trust, approximately $324 million, willbe available to retire Iridium's current netindebtedness of approximately $131 million,and pay transaction-related expenses.

Greenhill & Co will invest approximate-ly $23 million in Iridium convertible debtprior to completion of the transaction, forwhich it will receive approximately 2.3million common shares ($10.00 per share)of the combined company. The proceedsfrom this investment will be used for dis-

RNLN's three month trial of the FB500unit proved successful

www.singtel.com

Singapore Telecommunications Limited(SingTel) has signed a shareholders agree-ment to form a joint venture withChunghwa Telecom. The new joint ven-ture firm will be tasked with the construc-tion of SingTel's newest satellite, ST-2.

This satellite is targeted to be deliveredin 2010 and will replace the existing ST-1satellite, which will be retired in 2011.

SingTel will have an approximately 62per cent share in the joint venture, while

Chunghwa Telecom will own the remain-ing 38 per cent.

Bill Chang, SingTel's executive vicepresident for business, commented: "TheST-2 satellite will offer significantly greatercapacity than ST-1, and wider coverage."

"We are well placed to meet the strongdemand for fixed and mobile satelliteservices, including our innovative IP-based solutions, which are transformingthe way our customers do business. Evenbefore its launch, about two-thirds of ST-2's capacity has been pre-booked."

SingTel joint venture to launch new satellite

www.norsat.com

Norsat International Inc. has announcedthat it has entered into a strategic partner-ship with Italy-based Navisystem MarineElectronics S.R.L., a provider of maritimevery small aperture terminals (VSAT).

Under the terms of the agreementNorsat will sell Navisystem's marine satel-lite terminals under the Norsat brand inNorth America, and Navisystem will actas a non-exclusive reseller of Norsat'ssatellite systems in Europe, the MiddleEast and Asia. In addition, the two compa-nies will explore opportunities for jointdevelopment projects.

"A 2008 objective for Norsat is to estab-lish a foothold in the global maritimesatellite communication market, and thisstrategic partnership is a key first step,"

said Dr Amiee Chan, president and CEO,Norsat International.

"Navisystem is a leading developer ofmaritime satellite terminals, making itsproduct offering a natural addition to ourportfolio of satellite systems. We look for-ward to working with Navisystem to fur-ther expand our product suite in an effortto become a strong player in the worldwidemaritime satellite communication market."

"Partnering with Norsat expands ourgeographic reach, enabling us to bettercapitalise on the global demand for mar-itime satellite communication systems,"added Dr Brunello Locatori, Navisystem.

"By leveraging Norsat's strong brandand leadership position in the portablesatellite terminal industry, we believe wewill be well positioned to effectively pene-trate the North American market."

VSAT strategic partnership


SATCOMS

Future Ku-band coverage areas will be filled after Eutelsat completes its scheduled launch programme in 2010

An extended feature with additionalinformation about the SafeComNetVSAT service will appear in theNovember issue of Digital Ship.

www.furuno.co.jp

Japanese marine electronics companyFuruno is to enter the satellite communi-cations market with the launch of a globalKu-band VSAT network namedSafeComNet.

The SafeComNet service is the result ofa partnership with satellite operatorsEutelsat and SpeedCast, who will providetransponder capacity on their network ofsatellites to deliver the airtime for theSafeComNet service.

An Automatic Beam Switching (ABS)capability integrated into the service willallow the onboard antenna to switchbetween different Ku-band footprintsaround the globe, allowing vessels travelling between different regions toenjoy seamless coverage without manualintervention.

The antenna to be used for this systemwill be provided by Orbit, whose OrSatsatellite equipment has been approved by

Intelsat, Eutelsat, SpeedCast and Brazilianoperator Anatel (see page 4)

Orbit notes that its antenna is the onlysuch system on the market to hold all ofthese approvals, which it says is advanta-geous in organising multi-beam switching.

Like most VSAT systems on the market,SafeComNet will include unlimited accessand usage on the Ku-band system for afixed monthly fee, with Furuno the singlepoint of contact on billing issues.

While the use of Ku-band systems doesinvolve compromises on coverage, as Ku-band is essentially a land-based servicewith satellites centred above land masses,Furuno and its partners are intending toextend the coverage available through thisservice over the next 18 months.

Eutelsat has committed to a launchschedule of seven new satellites betweennow and 2010, which will all carry Ku-band connectivity. While some of thesesatellites are expected to replace othervehicles coming to the end of their life

Japanese mobilecompany buys stake

in Blue Ocean

www.globalstar.com

Globalstar has announced that satellitemanufacturer Thales Alenia Space hasbegun production assembly, integrationand testing of the first Globalstar second-generation flight model satellites.

The new satellites, scheduled to begindelivery in less than a year, will be used to provide Globalstar's next-generation of mobile satellite voice anddata services.

In November of 2006 Globalstar signeda contract with Thales Alenia Space for thedesign, manufacture and delivery of 48

Globalstar next generation satellites go into productionsecond-generation satellites, followed inSeptember of 2007 by a contract withlaunch provider Arianespace to launch thesatellites beginning in the second half of 2009.

Globalstar will use the Soyuz launchvehicle for this project, which has beenused to successfully launch 32 Globalstarfirst-generation satellites.

"Today's announcement clearly demon-strates we're on track to meet our second-generation launch schedule," said TonyNavarra, president of space operationsand engineering for Globalstar.

"We are doing exactly what we set

cycle, this schedule will result in a netincrease of two satellites in the Eutelsatconstellation.

These satellites will offer new coveragein the mid-Atlantic Ocean region and thesouthern Indian Ocean region, areas whichhave traditionally lacked Ku-band VSATcoverage. As such, Furuno says that thiswill result in SafeComNet being able tooffer seamless coverage over most of theglobe, and covering all of the major ship-ping lanes.

SafeComNet is now available in five dif-ferent airtime packages ranging from 512kbps up and down links, right up to 4096kbps down and 1024 kbps up, for differentmonthly fees.

out to do and we are doing so on time andon budget."

Blaise Jaeger, Thales Alenia Space exec-utive vice president and general managertelecommunications, added: "With theproduction AIT (Assembly, Integrationand Test) phase for the second generationkicking off, after meeting all programmemilestones since its start in November2006, we are on schedule to start launchesas early as Q3 2009."

The Globalstar second-generation con-stellation has a 15-year contracted lifespanwhich secures the company's space seg-ment through at least 2025.

www.blueoceanwireless.com

Merchant maritime GSM communicationscompany Blue Ocean Wireless (BOW) hasannounced that Japanese mobile operatorNTT DOCOMO, Inc. is to acquire an 11.5per cent equity interest in the company, forUS$10 million.

This investment values Blue OceanWireless at a figure in excess of US$87 mil-lion, and was arranged and completed byClaret Capital, the private equity firm thatfounded BOW in March 2007. The invest-ment is an all primary issue.

DOCOMO's acquisition of this stake isthe most recent in a series of transactionswhich have aimed to raise BOW's profilein Far-East Asia.

BOW also has strong affiliations withDOCOMO's associate, the Philippine LongDistance Telephone Company (PLDT) andPLDT's wholly owned mobile subsidiarySmart Communications is a shareholder in BOW.

Blue Ocean Wireless' other significantshareholders are Dublin based privateequity firm Claret Capital, Irish remotecommunications company Altobridge,and Bank of Scotland (Ireland), a whollyowned subsidiary of HBOS Plc.

NTT DOCOMO's senior vice president,managing director of global business divi-sion, Toshinari Kunieda, commented: "Theacquisition of an 11.5 per cent sharehold-ing in Blue Ocean Wireless represents acompelling opportunity for us to invest ina business that immediately serves a vast,international market that is surprisinglyundersubscribed."

"This investment demonstrates ourbelief that BOW is uniquely positionedto serve a rapidly growing market sector."

"Moreover we recognise the value ofBOW's effective use of bandwidth, theefficiency of its systems, and its privacy-protection measures that provide it witha distinct competitive advantage overconventional satellite communicationservices."

Blue Ocean Wireless' CEO, RobertJohnson added: "We are delighted toannounce this investment by NTTDOCOMO, the world's leading, andJapan's best known, mobile communica-tions company."

"Our partnership with them willenhance our presence in the significantJapanese shipping market and also represents a strong endorsement of theglobal maritime GSM platform BOWis building."

Dómhnal Slattery, chairman of BlueOcean Wireless, also noted that: "We have,since our launch, identified two key targetmarkets for Blue Ocean Wireless - thePhilippines and Japan. NTT DOCOMO'sinvestment, together with the investmentof SMART Communications during 2007,represents a natural fit for our businessand reflects our success in building theworld's first GSM global merchant mar-itime network."

Furuno moves to satcom with global Ku-band

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SATCOMS


Stratos has announced it has signed anagreement with Thrane & Thrane toupgrade the Stratos Land Earth Stations(LES) to enable Enhanced Pre-AssignedData Reporting (EPADR).

EPADR increases the efficiency of maritime data reporting, allowing vessels to reliably send position reportsand comply with the InternationalMaritime Organization's (IMO) newLong Range Identification and Tracking(LRIT) regulations.

The LRIT regulations, which affect

approximately 45,000 seagoing vessels,take effect on December 31 of this year.

"This upgrade demonstrates our com-mitment to the safety and security chal-lenges faced by the IMO, the EuropeanMaritime Safety Agency, the US CoastGuard, flag states, ship owners, ship man-agers and application service providers inthe growing maritime industry," saidStratos president and CEO Jim Parm.

"By adding the vital EPADR communi-cations management component to ourLES-upgrade solution, we have shownthat we are prepared to exceed the IMO'sLRIT regulations."

Stratos and Thrane in reporting partnership

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www.caprock.com

CapRock Communications has announceda three-year agreement with Condux S.A.de C.V. to deliver VSAT communicationservices onboard its fleet of constructionvessels.

Condux, a subsidiary of Mexican-basedGrupo Protexa, specialises in a variety ofoffshore services, such as the installation,maintenance, restoration and modernisa-tion of platform facilities and the construc-tion of underwater piping.

CapRock will deploy a turnkey solu-tion that includes equipment, service,maintenance and support for a fixedmonthly price. The solution representsCondux' first adoption of an always-oncommunication service.

Under the terms of the agreement,CapRock will supply the construction ves-sels located in the Bay of Campeche withIP-based voice and data services.Additionally, Condux will utilise

CapRock's Out of Band Management(OBM) tool, which enables remote diagnos-tics to be used as a first attempt for servicerestoration in the event of an outage.

CapRock's Mexico office, located inCiudad del Carmen, will provide fieldsupport with local field engineers andlocally warehoused spare parts.

"We're beginning to see more and morecompanies similar to Condux migratefrom metered services to always-on con-nectivity for the operational benefits itbrings to them and their customers," saidCapRock Mexico country manager, SantosVenegas.

"With VSAT services, Condux' clientswill have unlimited access to communica-tions and be able to consistently stay incontact with regional offices and person-nel back onshore. We're pleased thatCondux will experience the value of VSATservices and even more pleased to havebeen selected as its communicationsprovider."

CapRock agrees Mexican VSAT deal

Digital Ship networkJoin the online community for the maritimeIT sector - get in contact with colleagues,renew friendships, meet possible businesspartners, and discuss on-the-job challenges

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www.palladiumtechs.com

Palladium Technologies has agreed tosupply the communications interface forThe International SeaKeepers Society's sci-entific data acquisition system.

The Society is a non-profit organisationthat helps scientists to obtain the data theyneed to understand the causes of, andsolutions to, oceanic problems.

Founded in 1998 by a group of yachtowners concerned about the deterioratingcondition of the seas, the Society's initialmission was to develop a compact, auto-mated and cost-effective oceanographicand atmospheric (and, in turn, climate)monitoring system that could be installedaboard yachts to provide data on thehealth of the world's oceans to scientistsand researchers.

Today, the SeaKeeper 1000 system is

deployed in almost 60 locations aroundthe world, on yachts, cruise ships, ferryboats, buoys and piers. It is designed tomonitor weather and near-surface oceanparameters continuously, and will nowtransmit data via satellite through an elec-tronic interface designed by PalladiumTechnologies.

Palladium Technologies will also incor-porate the sensor data from the SeaKeeper1000 system into its SiMON alarm andmonitoring control network, designed tooffer a real-time view of the status of ship-board systems and machinery.

Data can be transmitted from SiMONto organisations such as the ScrippsInstitution of Oceanography, the USNational Oceanographic and AtmosphericAssociation's (NOAA) National WeatherService, and the US National MarineSanctuaries Program.

International SeaKeepers to use Palladium


Stratos has introduced the latest incarna-tion of its AmosConnect service, with thelaunch of AmosConnect 8.0.

AmosConnect 8.0 is designed to beused with new broadband IP-based mar-itime satellite services such asFleetBroadband, VSAT, and the soon-to-be-available Iridium OpenPort, thoughStratos notes that it also supports all nar-rowband satellite connections.

AmosConnect 8.0 will offer web acceleration, FTP acceleration, extendedremote configuration, cost allocation, andextended message filtering in addition to its current features of e-mail messag-ing, automatic file transfer, and data synchronisation.

Stratos says that it has already complet-ed the replacement of its AmosConnecthub platform with updated hardware

technology and, after extensive testing,expects to begin operation at the end ofSeptember.

New vessel-side software is in develop-ment and is expected to be introduced inNovember.

In other news, Stratos also announcedthe commercial availability of itsAmosConnect Anti-Virus system at theSMM exhibition. AmosConnect Anti-Virus provides onboard protection againstinternet-based computer viruses and mali-cious software in the satellite broadbandenvironment.

AmosConnect did already feature virusprotection on the shore side of the net-work, however, AmosConnect Anti-Virusis the first Stratos service offering the samelevel of security on the vessel side.

AmosConnect Anti-Virus providesdaily, automatic downloads via small files(average 10 KB) to the ship's PCs.

Stratos launches AmosConnect 8.0

www.mcp.com

Maritime CommunicationsPartner (MCP) has launcheda new range of onboard GSMservices designed for themerchant marine market,with the introduction of itsCellAtSea HotSpot WirelessSolutions at SMM 2008.

Having previously beenactive in the provision of GSMand internet services onboardpassenger cruise and ferryvessels, this new service aimsto enable mobile telephonyand WiFi internet in remotelocations with small numbersof people, such as aboardcommercial ships.

The system works by cre-ating these HotSpots in smallareas around the vessel, withthe number of spots requireddependent on the number ofpeople that might be expect-ed to use the service, or theareas where coverage wouldbe required.

The system can be provid-ed through the provision of aCellAtSea SingleSpot, orTwinSpot, or with total cov-erage throughout the vesselwith what the company callsa FullSpot.

The company says thatprices will be considered ona case by case basis at pres-ent, as the system gets upand running, but notes that itwill be "competitive" withother system providers.

MCP is owned byNorwegian telecom compa-ny Telenor, which providesroaming capabilities withGSM networks around the world.

Digital Ship


www.newwavebroadband.com

Canadian satellite services operator Telesathas signed a contract with NewWaveBroadband to provide the equivalent ofthree transponders on Telesat's soon-to-belaunched Telstar 11N satel-lite. NewWave intends to usethis capacity to deliver VSATbroadband services to mar-itime and other markets.

NewWave currentlyoffers services to approxi-mately 500 vessels globally,which the company hopeswill grow as its capabilitiesincrease.

The new Telstar 11Nsatellite will provide Ku-band transponder capacitywith high power over four

key areas, including the Atlantic Ocean;Western and Sub-Saharan Africa; Westernand Central Europe and North Africa;and North and Central America, as wellas the Caribbean.

Launch of T11N is scheduled between

December 2008 and February 2009."Our customers operate in very chal-

lenging environments and the newTelstar 11N coverage and power provideideal coverage for their requirements,"said NewWave Broadband managing

director Steve McCabe. "Securing this capacity strengthens

NewWave's ability to deliver the highestquality broadband services in both devel-oped and developing markets, wherewe've had limited options in the past."

NewWave Broadband contracts for Telesat transponder space

MCP launchesmerchant

marine GSM

SATCOMS


SS eaway Marine Transport (SMT)manages a fleet of vessels operatingon the US Great Lakes, the St

Lawrence River and the waters of easternCanada, including 22 self-unloading ves-sels and 12 gearless bulk cargo vessels.

Over the last couple of years the com-pany had come to realise that its opera-tional demands were beginning to out-strip the capabilities of its satellite com-munications systems, and decided toexplore the possibilities for an upgrade.

As the first step in this process, thecompany turned to its other maritimeneighbours in the region, to find out moreabout how they were handling their com-munications and to discuss whether or notthere were better alternatives out there,explains Captain Jim Pound, director ofoperations, Seaway Marine Transport.

"Two organisations on the Great Lakes,the Lake Carriers Association (LCA) onthe US side and the Canadian ShipownersAssociation (CSA), of which SMT is amember, formed the CSA/LCA WorkingGroup on Communications," he told us.

"(The purpose of the group was) to shareinformation on communications platforms,to explore the potential for volume pur-chasing of satellite communications equip-ment, cost savings through shared broad-band services, and ongoing service mainte-nance using common spare parts. Withother companies in the same position asSMT the CSA/LCA group was formed."

SMT decided it would be beneficial towork with the other companies by sharingits own experiences, with the expectationof developing a coordinated approach tofinding a communications solution.

In addition to SMT, CanadianSteamship Lines (CSL) and AmericanSteamship Company (ASC) were alsokeen to work on developing a betterunderstanding of possible satelliteoptions. With similar concerns and techni-cal requirements, these companies set towork developing a common proposal for asystem that would meet their present andfuture needs.

Operational needsOne of the first steps in the satcom selec-tion process was to gain a full understand-ing of where the companies wanted to gowith their IT systems, and what would berequired to get there.

In this respect, integration was one of thekey ingredients in SMT's overall IT strategy,explained John Brenton, director, informa-tion services, Seaway Marine Transport.

"Connecting remote sites that move onthe water is very different from setting upa connection to a remote office on land," hetold us.

"Having outdated shipboard communi-cation systems can be a significant barrierto advancing a modern IT solution acrossthe company. Our goal was to create anintegrated company-wide informationsystem that touches all functional areaswithin our office and our fleet."

"Modern vessel communications wouldprovide real-time shipboard access to thesame information and services that havebeen available to shore personnel. It wouldchange the way we conduct business."

Changing the way SMT does businessmeant introducing a faster system thatcould provide better value for money, witha look ahead to extending the life expectan-cy of the onboard communications.

"Our vessel communications antennasystem employed a non-broadband satel-lite based system and analogue cellulartechnology," explained Capt Pound. "It isvery old technology, is inefficient, and atrisk of failure."

"The existing satellite configurationwas launched in the 90's with a designedfuel capacity for 12 years. With that periodcoming to an end, service availability wasnot guaranteed."

The cost of transferring ever-increasingamounts of data began to become prohibi-tive over a system that was neverdesigned to be used in such a fashion, andvoice capabilities were also starting todeteriorate, said Capt Pound.

"The existing satellite system has lowspeed data transmission capacity and ahigh cost of operation," he told us.

"It currently takes up to one hour tosend an e-mail with a relatively small fileattachment such as a Coast Guard icechart to a ship, and will cost nearly $60.00per transmission. As a recent example, a

safety recall sent to the fleet as an e-mailattachment cost over $800 in satellite air-time costs and tied up the ship-shore e-mail exchange for two hours."

"The ability to contact a vessel fromshore to the ship's phone is becoming moredifficult as the telephone companiesreplace analogue cellular systems with dig-ital. Digital technology has reduced thecoverage area over the Great Lakes to areasvery close to shore. There is increasing dif-ficulty in maintaining the satellite antennaeand analogue phone equipment due to lackof available replacement parts."

The inability to transfer significantamounts of data or communicate easily byphone had also created an increased

administrative workload for shipboardpersonnel dealing with unreliable commu-nication systems for voice, data, and fax.

"Ship-shore data transmissions werenot reliable and required monitoring andfrequent call backs to the vessel to con-firm transmission or receipt of data," saidCapt Pound.

"Manual shore-based processes use apaper-based photocopy and distributionmethod to send information to all ships.Documents representing large electronicfiles which cannot be transmitted aretherefore copied to CDs and distributedthrough the ship's mail system, slowingtransfer of important information."

"Purchasing information, maintenanceinformation and human resource informa-tion has become an every day part of theinformation exchange required to ensureeffective operations of today's vessels.Quality systems implemented to enhancevessel performance have placed an addi-tional load on the communication systems- the systems that have over time become

our communication links to the shore havebecome overwhelmed and costly."

One of the final requirements thatpushed SMT to the point where its satcomconstraints became untenable was theincreasing demand from authorities forvoyage information. These requests beganto strain the satellite systems, alreadyoverburdened with operational traffic,close to breaking point.

"Over the past decade regulatoryrequirements for vessel reporting haveescalated," said Capt Pound. "Security hastaken over as the primary concern for ves-sel reporting. Real time information on ves-sel position, cargo onboard, destinations,personnel and so on, is required on a con-tinually tighter timeline. Methods ofreporting have changed from hand deliv-ered forms to e-filing on the web."

"SMT vessels on average complete a tripcycle in just less than 5 days. Going in andout of port requires reporting prior toarrival, upon arrival, prior to departing andon departure. The reports are required bycustoms, immigration, port state control,home land security and port authorities."

"In many cases the information sent toone body is the same information sent toanother. Some of this information isrequired by fax and some by e-mail andsome by web applications. This duplica-tion and quantity of data transmitted is astrain on our limited personnel resourceson the vessel and taxing to our communi-cation systems."

VSAT TrialsHaving outlined existing frustrations andexamined the different options availableon the market, SMT decided to proceedwith trials of a Ku-band VSAT system, tosee if it could provide the answers.

"Two key points first attracted us toVSAT broadband satellite technology," MrBrenton told us.

"First, VSAT airtime plans can offer afixed cost per month that can be shared bya number of ships. Once you establishyour bandwidth requirements, a fixed costper month allows some accuracy in thecommunication budget process.Previously, monthly costs increased withusage and we incurred additional roam-ing charges with cellular phone plans."

"Second, a change in bandwidthrequirements could be handled with aprogramming change by the serviceprovider and would not require a change-out of the basic VSAT antenna hardware.The one-time investment in a VSAT anten-na installation can deliver a range of band-width possibilities. With the anticipatedincrease in shipboard communications,we felt we must be able to ramp up to

From start to finish - VSAT installation at SMT

As the cost of transferring data over its aging satcom system began to spiral, Seaway Marine Transportdecided it had had enough - and joined with a group of local ship operators to explore new satellite options.

Capt Jim Pound and John Brenton of SMT spoke to Digital Ship about the company's VSAT project

Increasing satcom costs convinced SMT that the time was right to move to VSAT

meet future growth - and VSAT wouldmeet that need."

In the summer of 2005 SMT proceededto run a series of tests with three broad-band satellite service providers, simulat-ing a vessel connected with a broadbandsatellite signal to the company's shore-based corporate network.

"We had two fixed parabolic antennaemounted temporarily on therooftop at our head officewith a third antenna at anoth-er offsite location," explainedMr Brenton.

"The shore trial providedus with the experience ofbroadband satellite telecom-munications. We demonstrat-ed clear phone quality withbetter-than-expected latency,performed large file transfersand sent and received faxtransmissions reliably. Weeven demonstrated basicvideo conferencing usingstandard web-cams."

While it was a good placeto start, the shore trial couldnot provide the experience ofhow the broadband signalwould work under actualmaritime conditions, withadditional parameters likevessel motion, geographiclocation, weather or otherfactors.

As a result SMT decidedto proceed to a sea trial,where a single vessel, theCanadian Progress, wasselected and an existingonboard computer worksta-tion was connected to thenewly installed VSATantenna.

"One thing we learnedfrom the sea trial is that loca-tion of the antenna is criti-cal," said Mr Brenton. "Inthis case, after careful sur-veying of the available spaceand considering interferencefrom radar equipment andother onboard obstructions,the 3-foot pedestal waswelded onto the deck abovethe bridge."

"Everything went well,until one dark night, the shipwas backing up and had touse the searchlight to spotthe shoreline. The captainfired up the light and posi-tioned it towards shore -right onto the gleamingwhite radome of the newVSAT antenna. A greatshowcase for the antenna;not so great for lighting upthe shoreline."

"The ship was able to use asecondary spotlight until themain light was permanentlymoved to a better location.On the positive side, welearned from our mistakes."

As SMT continued to gath-er information from these seatrials, and the additional tri-als done with various anten-

nas ashore, the communications teambegan working on putting a business casetogether, to see how an investment in oneof the three trialled VSAT systems might fitin with the company's overall objectives.

"The business case described the histori-cal trend of increasing communication costs,the increasing need for timely communica-tions, and the decreasing reliability of com-

munication systems," said Mr Brenton. "We were also able to describe our

experience with the successful shore andsea trials."

The cost of the airtime to be used overthe VSAT system also needed to be includ-ed in this business plan, and Capt Poundnotes that defining the costs that wouldactually accrue under different service

offerings proved somewhat tricky."Determining of the airtime package

was the aspect which resulted in the mostdiscussion and confusion," he said. "Therewere many variations and even to thetechnically aware members of the group itwas difficult to compare the options pre-sented to the group."

"Airtime cost going forwarded needed


Digital Ship

to be predicable and reasonable. Scalingour broadband requirement to meet theneeds of the vessels and to needs of ourbudgets was paramount."

"Part of the issue was determining whatwe felt was required to operate the shipwith the present data requirements andprojecting immediate increases that couldbe realised with the new system. We knewthat any broadband system would increaseour communication capabilities. Ensuringwe had the right starting point was criticalin having a system that met our needs andhad buy-in from all those using it."

InstallationFollowing the successful completion of itstrials, and the development of a businesscase acceptable to the company manage-ment, SMT decided to proceed with a VSATinstallation programme, agreeing a deal withRadio Holland and ITC Global NetworkingSolutions to provide the service.

"Once we received Board approval toproceed with the installations, the nextstep was planning installation of VSATsolutions across the fleet of active ships,"said Mr Brenton.

"We met with Radio Holland and ITCGlobal Networking Solutions to discuss ourbandwidth requirements. ITC would designthe satellite services and build the appropri-ate size of network to fit our needs."

One important consideration SMTidentified when deciding upon the size ofthe network was ensuring that prioritywas given to voice communications with-in the bandwidth available to each ship.

"We made some assumptions allowingeach vessel to make one voice call all at thesame time," said Mr Brenton. "Unusedbandwidth is returned to the pool avail-able to any of the other ships in the SMTfleet for data transmissions or multiplephone calls from the other ships."

"There was a certain level of complexi-ty because this network build involvedthree separate shipping companies, andtherefore three different network configu-rations. ITC connected the clients via pri-vate circuits to their co-location in Miami.From there, the data was backhauled totheir respective corporate offices."

"Radio Holland set up a secure FTP sitein order to share large documents relatingto the site survey and installationsbetween all parties. This became invalu-able as the project progressed and the sur-veyor could post survey drawings and

photographs that were then available to usin the SMT office, the installation crew,and the Radio Holland project manager."

SMT also decided to facilitate theprocess by arranging vessel installationsduring the winter layup period while theGreat Lakes, canals and seaways arefrozen over and ships are scheduled forannual maintenance.

"The installation on the SMT fleet wasorganised in two phases, with the first 14ships installed by spring fitout 2008, theremainder of the fleet planned for comple-tion by spring fitout 2009," said Mr Brenton.

"Dealing with half of the fleet in eachphase allowed us to work with a manage-able number of ships, which was impor-tant as we were coordinating installationsin multiple layup locations."

Site surveyOne of the most important early lessonsthe SMT team learned during the VSATinstallation process was the necessity ofperforming a comprehensive survey of theinstallation area, to spot potential prob-lems before they arise.

"The site survey is required to deter-mine the optimal antenna location, mastheight, the placement of below-decks elec-tronic hardware and connections to theshipboard network and phone system,"Mr Brenton explained.

"The main idea is to eliminate or at leastminimise blind sectors - where the anten-na can't line up with the satellite because itis blocked by an onboard obstruction. Theideal antenna location is affected by anumber of factors, including the size ofavailable deck real-estate, vibration fromengines and onboard machinery and prox-imity to radar units."

"Running cables and power from theantenna to the communications room onthe vessel needed to be considered in theonsite survey. We used existing environ-mental surveys or scheduled new surveysto be aware of asbestos issues that couldbe encountered in running cables throughbulkheads and above ceiling areas. Thesurveyor made drawings and took manyphotographs that were included in the sitesurvey to help determine the antenna loca-tion and mast height."

The results of the surveys allowed SMTto calculate what type of mast needed tobe constructed for each ship, to carry the110kg, 50-inch SeaTel VSAT antennas andfix them in the optimal position.

"The antenna masts were a tripod designwith a work platform to access the servicepanel under the dome, they range in heightfrom 8 to 16 feet," said Mr Brenton. "Themasts were custom fabricated and distrib-uted to the layup ports where they werewelded in place awaiting the antenna."

"The cables and power lines were runinside the ship and up to the pedestalaccording to the site survey plan. With themast welded onto the deck surface, ashore crane was used to hoist the antennaonto the mast where it was securely boltedto the top plate."

"As the service provider, RadioHolland's technicians were responsible formaking the connections to the antenna,the ship's gyroscope, and the final com-missioning. Fine-tuning adjustments wererequired to the antenna control unit oncethe vessels were moving."

The VSAT was then connected to aCisco switch to connect the shipboard net-work, allowing SMT to create separateVLANs or virtual networks for controllinginternet access and bandwidth allocationdown to the individual workstation level.With these systems all in place the vesselwas now broadband-enabled and ready tore-enter service.

Experience so farHaving only just begun its VSAT journey,the SMT team notes that it has learned anumber of important lessons aboutinstalling and running the communica-

tions system over its short time with thetechnology.

"There are technical challenges in set-ting up the backhaul from the networkoperating centre to head office, obtainingphone numbers and e-mail addresses,ensuring class of service throughout thesystem to provide clear voice quality sig-nals," said Mr Brenton.

"Some thought has to be put into the IPaddressing scheme onboard the ship to becompatible with the shore, now that yourships become part of the total corporatedomain."

"Be aware of the limitations of VSAT tooperate in all conditions. With Ku-bandtechnology, degradation of the satellite sig-nal can be due to adverse weather condi-tions local to the ship, or at the ground sta-tion teleport. Rain-fade may cause degrad-ed voice, slow data, and network outages."

"Something as simple as keeping thesatellite radome clean reduces the effectsof dirt build-up etching the radome sur-face. A smooth clean radome surfaceallows rainwater to disperse quickly."

As the installation project progresses,Capt Pound notes that the team hasrefined and updated its deploymentschedule, based on the number of mem-bers of the joint working group willing tojoin in with the move to VSAT.

"We projected an installation timelineof four years," he said. "This in reality hasbeen reduced to a 2 year implementationplan."

"Our initial request was for supply ofover 100 satellite antennae and relatedshipboard equipment. This was based onall members of the CSA/LCA joining theproject. The final project numbers are 62planned or completed installations."

"Installation costs were compared, andwith experience at SMT with the installa-tion of a trial system we were comfortablein our assessment of the different propos-als and the proposed solution timelinesgiven by the suppliers. There was alsoflexibility allowed depending on whetherwe wanted a turn key installation or sub-contract part of the installation process."

To date SMT and the other members ofthe CSA/LCA alliance have completed theinstallation and commissioning of 48 sys-tems, with another 14 systems to be com-pleted over the next 6 months. The com-panies hope that their initial success willnow endure in the broadband environ-ment of the future. DS

SATCOMS


VSAT masts were custom fabricatedfor each ship

SATCOMS


II ntership Navigation, based inLimassol, Cyprus, has recentlyagreed a deal to equip its fleet of 65

vessels with the latest communicationssystem from Norwegian satcom solutionprovider Dualog.

The new Dualog Connection Suite sys-tem is expected to be implemented on theentire fleet by the end of 2008.

Lars Martinussen, sales managerEurope with Dualog, says that the compa-ny is particularly pleased to receive anendorsement of this kind for its new sys-tem, with Dualog having agreed to installthe Connection Suite on about 150 vesselsfor various clients since it was releasedabout six months ago.

As the latest generation of the Dualogcommunications system, which has beenin the market in its previous guises since1994, the new product is geared towardshelping vessel operators manage theircommunications in an environment whereincreasing amounts of data are beingtransferred across a multitude of differentsatellite options.

The system aims to move on from pre-vious capabilities to allow better control ofbroadband systems like InmarsatFleetBroadband, Iridium OpenPort andVSAT, and 'future-proof' shipping compa-nies' IT networks, to some extent.

Mr Martinussen notes that the idea ofhaving a flexible system, which can beadapted as the communication systemsevolve, was a big part of the discussionswith Intership that led to the signing ofthis agreement.

"The contract we have made withIntership, we kind of see it as a sign of thetimes," he told us. "They are very forward-looking and have invested in long termrelationships, everything they are doing atthe moment is looking at the long term."

"They sat down and looked at whattheir needs are today, and what thoseneeds will be tomorrow, and as a part ofthis evaluation they called us in. Theyevaluated not only our solutions, but alsothe company and our strategy."

Intership was looking ahead to havingbroadband onboard its vessels, and want-ed to put itself in a position where it coulddeal with these opportunities and chal-lenges as they arose, quickly and in anintegrated fashion.

Implementing the Dualog system wasseen as part of this programme, to have amanagement system in place that coulddeal with changes in the communicationssystems and services that the companymight introduce going forward, withbroadband and other technologies.

"What you see with Shipdex (a standard XML protocol that Intership hasbeen involved in creating) is anotherexample of this forward thinking, they arevery aware of what's happening in the

market and are looking to find ways to increase operational efficiency," said Mr Martinussen.

"They have a holistic approach to thecompany IT systems, and communications isone of the things that keeps this all running.Capt Adami (Intership managing director)has spoken of communications being mis-sion critical for Intership, to be able to man-age the business but also to enable the crewsto be able to communicate."

"It's a big contract for us, but for us it'snice in that it proves that we've been doingthe right things in what we've tried todevelop with the Connection Suite."

Capt Eugen Adami, managing directorof Intership, has been heavily involved inthe project since the very beginning, work-ing with Dualog to include the precisekinds of capabilities his company requiredwithin the package, and was impressedwith what he has seen from theNorwegian outfit.

"Intership is very proud to have beenable to assist Dualog in developing thenew Connection Suite," he told us. "TheDualog team is very committed to devel-oping and implementing a state of the artsoftware offering most flexibility."

"We felt throughout the developmentperiod very well attended by Dualog andnever experienced them falling behindagreed deadlines. (They are) an excellentteam of professionals and we just wishthat many other owners and managersunderstand the added value in the DualogConnection Suite and expand the usergroup quickly. The more users the betterthe software will be."

FunctionalityDualog has incorporated a range of newfunctions into its software-based systemwhich it hopes will make controlling an

increasingly complex communicationsnetwork a little bit easier for maritimeoperators.

"One of the new things that we have isa 'Remote Config' function, which was oneof the main reasons that Intership wereinterested in this solution, as it enables fastand easy deployment of the vessel com-munications," explained Mr Martinussen.

With the Dualog system the shoreadministrator can access the vessels' sys-tems via a web-based portal and configureor make changes to the onboard commu-nications set-up. These changes are sentover the satellite system and automatical-

ly applied within the ship's network.This is made possible by uploading all

of the communications and personnelinformation about the vessels and theircrews at the initial implementation stage,so that only small changes will have to betransferred as they are required.

"Everything is pre-processed and pre-configured on shore, so that when thecompany wants to do new installations orupgrades or updates (of the communica-tions systems), everything is done onshore and then sent over to the vessel,"said Mr Martinussen.

"The Captain doesn't have to involvehimself with the installations, it's just amatter of inserting a CD. The CD is whatwe call the Start Packet, everything is pre-programmed. When that's inserted you ini-tialise the Start Packet, which has all of theinformation about the crew, the users,about communications thresholds and lim-its. Everything is installed from day one."

The installation is carried out in twosteps, with the first step being the inser-tion of the CD that initiates the installa-tion, and the next the input of the compa-ny's own information.

"There's the actual software itself, and

then the content that goes into it about thespecific ships and specific informationabout that company," Mr Martinussentold us.

"The Start Pack has the CD with the actu-al software, then you have the specific infor-mation on another CD or maybe on a USBstick. This is installed and populated auto-matically, the user is prompted to enter thesecond CD or USB stick by the program."

"They will also include, before the instal-lation, the communications set-up of theship - what are the carriers, is it Fleet 77, isthere broadband, is there Iridium? Thesewill be in the system from the beginning."

Once that initial set-up has been com-pleted, those onboard the vessel will notneed to have any further involvement, asthe shoreside administrator can access andcontrol the vessel system from the compa-ny offices.

While the idea of sending updatesover the satellite on a regular basis might concern those worried about thecosts involved, Mr Martinussen says thatthe amount of data contained in theupdate files is not enough to become amajor expense.

"It's marginal, (the updates) just hookon to existing traffic," he said. "I'm not surehow many bytes it is, but it's marginal."

"It's the same with the configurationchanges going back and forth. It just hookson to other messages that are going over,the idea is not to use the satellite connec-tion for this alone. You can instruct it to dothat if you wanted to push the changesthrough, but normally you wouldn't do that."

Routing and controlAnother feature of the Dualog system isthe ability to keep track of exactly howmuch traffic is being sent over whatevercommunications systems are onboard thevessels, and control exactly what kind ofdata is permitted to be sent over the dif-ferent technologies.

The shore user can click on any vesselin the fleet and get an instant overview ofcommunications traffic, such as the num-ber of messages sent, received and pend-ing, or the number of megabytes that hascrossed the satellite systems.

"You can get a list of the transmissionrates, the size of the files, duration of con-nections in seconds," said Mr Martinussen.

"We will soon also be releasing a func-tion where you can tag costs to each andevery vessel, so you will also be able to seethe price of each connection and each mes-sage. That's something we are working onat the moment that will be released short-ly. It will allow you to create statistics andreports for all of the e-mail traffic acrossthe fleet."

The Connection Suite system also letsthe user define the type of data and file

Intership chooses Dualog for 65 shipsIntership Navigation is currently in the installation phase of a contract to install Dualog’s latest system aboard its fleet,

to help manage its communications as it looks to enter the broadband era. Digital Ship spoke to Lars Martinussen,Dualog, about how Intership will be able to benefit from this system

Morten Lind-Olsen, CEO Dualog (centre), celebrates the new contract with Dieter Rohdenburg and Capt Eugen Adami, Intership Navigation

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• Context and presence informationUsers can see who is online and available for contactClient software available for PC’s, laptop, mobilephones, Blackberry’s, PDA’s

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SATCOMS


sizes that are permitted with any of thecommunications that they have onboard, toprevent the company from receiving largebills for transmitting data inadvertentlyover one antenna instead of another.

"We had a situation last weekendwhere a ship had VSAT installed and itwent down," said Mr Martinussen. "Thesystem is programmed that when theVSAT is down it will automatically go tothe back-up redundant system."

The system will also switch over to dif-ferent threshold limits that apply to thatparticular satcom option, so, for instance,large files that the company might behappy to send over VSAT but not over theback-up system will be queued and onlyreleased when the VSAT is back online.

"With the VSAT they might be doingweb surfing or using Skype or something,but if the VSAT's gone down and you'reusing Fleet 77 or something, with highvariable costs, the system will know 'ok, Ican only send business e-mail now'," MrMartinussen explained. "The Captaindoesn't have to decide, it's taken care of bythe system."

"The Captain can force a message to gothrough if he feels it is important, but thethresholds can be set to anything that thecompany wants. They can set those levelsand change those levels as they wish, fromthe shore office, the Captain doesn't haveto be involved."

User profilesAnother feature of the system that MrMartinussen feels is valuable to a compa-

ny administering communications acrossa large fleet like Intership is the ability forusers to carry a single profile across thewhole network, that will ensure that e-mail messages will be delivered to themon whichever vessel they log on to.

"If you have a company with 10 ves-sels and 250 crew members, all of thecrew members will be integrated into thesystem with the Start Pack, so each crewmember can go from vessel to vessel andhave the same e-mail and the same priv-ileges in each place," said MrMartinussen.

"There are two types of users, 'station-ary users' and 'global users'. A stationaryuser might be someone like the ChiefEngineer, this is a pre-defined role on thevessel. The Chief Engineer might beallowed to do a certain amount of thingsin the system, access certain functions."

"Each crew member is what we call a'global user', in that their e-mail will followthem wherever they go, on any of the shipsor even on shore. On the vessel, he logs-into tell the system 'ok, now I'm here'. Thenthe system, on board and ashore, is awarethat he is registered on that ship in thatlocation. The shore office can then also seewho is logged-on on that vessel."

To log-on to the system the crew mem-ber enters the dates during which theywill be aboard the vessel, and they willthen be registered to that ship for theduration of their time onboard.

"I might sign in to a vessel for the nextthree weeks, and then all of my messagesduring that time will already be there

when I log in next," Mr Martinussenexplained.

"Their webmail goes to our offices inTromsø (in Norway), and is then copied tothe vessel where the user is logged in. Thesystem knows that 'Mr Ardiles has justlogged on on that vessel', so it knows thatit has to send a copy of all of his new mes-sages to the ship."

"All of the messages are still stored inTromsø, so when Mr Ardiles returns hometo his family he can still use his Dualogweb address to log-in and read all of hismessages."

This will include all of the messagesthat were too large for transmission overthe satellite and were prevented frombeing sent to the vessel because they did-n't pass the programmed threshold. Thesemessages will still be accessible to thecrew member from home when there is nosatellite issue, or at any internet café any-where in the world.

The programmed user profiles alsoextend to access privileges under the sys-tem, which will follow the user aroundand determine what kind of communica-tions systems that particular person isallowed to work with.

"Access to the system is defined on theshore side, so the shore office can decidethat the Captain can only have access to,say, the webmail and current traffic andan overview of the users," said MrMartinussen.

"Then other things like configuring thecommunications equipment, thresholds,IP addresses, that the Captain doesn't

need access to, can be hidden. It's all userprofile based."

SubscriptionWith Intership and Dualog having onlyannounced their deal at the end of August,the companies are still in the early stagesof installing these systems aboardIntership's 65 vessels.

"The process is going on at the moment,they are now in the phase of starting todeploy this," Mr Martinussen told us.

"They've already been thinking a lotabout how to optimise the system and useit to bring efficiency into the operations, forthe business traffic and the crew traffic."

"For us that has also been valuable, theyare challenging us to get the best out of thesystem."

Payment for the Dualog system isbased on a monthly subscription, wherethe user company buys the right to use thesystem and have access to Dualog's sup-port centre. There are no set-up feesinvolved with introducing the systemonboard the vessels.

"Many other companies do airtime andservices all in one package, but this is ourcore business," said Mr Martinussen.

"We sell this as a service with a sub-scription, it's transparent for the cus-tomers. What they pay each month for theservice is what they pay."

"There's no installation costs, no CapExinvolved with this. There's no specialhardware or any other software needed,we keep it all generic so you can install itand it's ready."

DS

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SATCOMS


SS atellite services provider Vizadahas recently launched a range ofnew satcom management applica-

tions, which aim to help shipping compa-nies deal with the challenges and threatsthat arise from the use of the industry'snext generation of broadband IP-basedtechnologies.

Among the companies looking at newways to enhance their operations throughthe use of advanced satellite communica-tions systems and applications is Germanshipping group Peter Döhle Schiffarts-KG,which has been testing some of Vizada'snew systems in preparation for a potentialoverhaul of its IT network.

One of the new tools the company hasfound particularly useful is Vizada'sSkyFile Anti Virus software, used to pro-tect against malware such as viruses,Trojan horses, worms, spyware, andadware.

The installation CDs for the softwarewere sent to four vessels for testing at theend of August, and Michael Dittmer, ITand communication coordinator fleet,Peter Döhle Schiffarts-KG, says he hasalready noticed some improvements.

"We have it running at the moment onfour vessels, trading in different regions,and it's been working quite well," he told us.

"The problem we used to have withthe virus programs we would use onboard was that they were quite old,because the newer versions had to beactivated and updated online. We had tochoose an old version of the previousanti-virus program and update this byCDs sent from shore."

"With this we realised there were a lotof problems, a lot of viruses were comingthrough. We had incidences where partswere destroyed, and the computer didn't

restart anymore, the normal situation withviruses."

"Ok, to repair it the crew can do it quiteeasily, it takes about half an hour, but withthe new system that's all eliminated. Theydon't need to repair the system or rebootthe system, so it's easier for them."

With the new system, updates are builtto work over a satellite connection and arekept as small as possible. Having theseconstant updates has meant that PeterDöhle has been able to have the latest pro-tection on its computers, which hasreduced the likelihood of malware gettingthrough.

Dealing with SpamThe system is also used to stop Spam e-mail being delivered to the vessel, wastingmoney as the unwanted bytes cross thesatellite connection.

"We use blacklists for Spam, using web-mail remote configuration," Mr Dittmerexplained.

"If I get a report of spam mail from an e-mail address I immediately block it, afterit has been on the vessel once. Normallywe don't get much spam, but one of thebiggest problems is when agencies get aTrojan in their system that spreads out thee-mail addresses to the spammers, orsomething like that. However, we don'thave big problems with spam."

The protection system works in layers,with the shore side working to removeSpam and other obvious threats, while thevirus protection is located on the vesselcomputers themselves.

To this can be added Vizada's newTerralink Data Manager, allowing the ITand communications officer on board toset up a personalised firewall, and, ifrequired, apply this setting in one click to

all work stations and PCs on board."It needs to be on the ships because the

crews can carry viruses with them on USBsticks," said Mr Dittmer. "The system onthe ship's computers will see it there."

"It is installed centrally, and then oneach of the workstations, so that theupdates that come in on the e-mails areinstalled on all of those computers. Theinstallation on the workstations is easy,basically press 'Next', 'Next' and 'Finish'!"

"We're testing it on the four vesselsnow, to get experience with it and see ifthere are certain things we need to adjust,and see how the Captains and crewswould handle the upgrade. But it has allworked out better than I expected."

The incessant ingenuity of virus andmalware creators means that the anti-virussoftware needs to be periodically refreshedwith a new search engine. If the databasefiles alone were to be updated, withinabout one year the system would becomeoutdated and struggle to deal with the newviruses lurking in cyberspace.

"The daily updates come by e-mail, thenthey are automatically routed through thesystem into a special folder, then the sys-tem is updated," said Mr Dittmer.

"But every 3 months we have to send outa CD with an improved 'engine' for the pro-gram, that's too big to send it via e-mail.With the daily updates though, we aremuch better protected than we werebefore."

Updates to the database are providedby internet security company Sophos,though those sent via Vizada's system dif-fer from the regular anti-virus updates onemight be familiar with on a home or officecomputer, as the files are reduced as muchas possible to their minimum size, usuallyin the region of 50 per cent.

Vizada says that the resulting files aver-age around 40 kilobytes per day, with sev-eral files of approximately 10 kilobyteseach sent to the vessel daily to ensure thatthe latest updates are added to the system.

Peter Döhle has also been trialling anew prepaid crew communications sys-tem alongside its tests of the SkyFile anti-virus software, which it hopes will help tobetter manage crew access to the satcomnetwork.

"At the moment we have been imple-menting SkyFile 7.0, with prepaid phonecards, these are on the way to the vessels,"Mr Dittmer told us.

"It's easy to use, and that's what I like,there are less buttons involved. There'sless administration on all sides when youuse the prepaid function, less work for theCaptain, less work for the administrationin our office."

"It separates the business communica-tions from the private ones, it's not toogood to have them all mixed in togetheron one invoice and have to separate them.I expect that the prepaid function will saveenough in administration to cover some ofthe installation cost. I want to unify every-thing and make it simple, and the bestway to do that is with the scratchcards."

As well as removing the cost of thisadministration, Mr Dittmer wants to makethe system more straightforward so thatthe crews can eliminate unnecessary workonboard and concentrate on their coreresponsibilities.

"If it's simple it leaves more time fornavigating the vessel," he said.

"Sometimes it gets too much, with all ofthe new equipment that's come on boardin the last few years, like AIS, ECDIS, LRITis also coming up. I want to try and makethe communications easier for the Captainto manage, so he can concentrate on moreimportant things."

Iridium OpenPortIn addition to its new communicationssoftware tools, Peter Döhle is also current-ly testing Iridium's latest maritime offer-ing, the 128 kbps, IP-capable OpenPortsystem, which is to become commerciallyavailable in this final quarter of 2008.

"We use, at the moment, Inmarsat-Bhigh-speed data and Fleet 33, and Fleet 77is in most general use on our vessels,"explained Mr Dittmer. "Now we havestarted to look at Iridium."

"We are interested in broadband, wewant to be one of the users in this market.For this we decided to test the Iridium unit."

Installation of the Iridium system wasalso done at the end of August, for fulltesting in real operational conditions.

"We are looking at how the system isrunning out on the oceans, to see how reli-able it is," he said.

"Usually at the beginning you will have

Satcom evolution at Peter DöhlePeter Döhle Schiffarts-KG is currently in the process of evaluating a range of new satcom options,

testing a variety of tools as well as a new broadband satellite antenna. Digital Ship spoke to Michael Dittmer, IT and communication coordinator fleet at Peter Döhle, about upgrading vessel communications

Peter Döhle is currently testing its new satcom tools on four vessels (Photo: Ian Cochran)

Digital Ship


problems with every unit, but for our firsttrial with this I can actually say that itwent 100 per cent perfectly. Crew voiceusage, the Captain's voice usage, all wentperfectly."

"I always listen to our Captains.Sometimes I test a new version of some-thing in the office, install it, and see howit's working or if it will work better thanthe existing system. Wereceive messages from theCaptains and they tell uswhat they like and don't like,and we tell that to the serviceproviders."

"When the vessel returnswe will see how it all wentonboard and examine whatto do next - and look at theprices!"

There are a couple ofadvantages in the Iridiumsystem that Mr Dittmerbelieves might be beneficialto his company if it were toproceed to a full scale instal-lation of the equipment.

"The advantages we seewith this at the moment arethe antenna having no mov-ing parts, the worldwide cov-erage, the small size and theeasy installation," he said."The equipment is quitecheap too, and we think theseare quite big advantages."

"Even if you think aboutcoming up the NorthwestPassage, where Inmarsat willnot cover the polar area,Iridium will be a good solu-tion. It doesn't fulfil theGMDSS requirements yet,but you still have the abilityto communicate in all ofthose areas. We don't operatethat much in the area, butyou never know where ourvessels will have to go."

"The beta testing we aredoing at the moment, first wewant to see if it is running, ifeverything is in good condi-tion and we can trust to sendit out to the ships. After thatwe will start to look a littledeeper and see what else wecan do with it. But at themoment, reliable voice and e-mail communications is themost important thing for us."

Inmarsat has recentlyannounced the launch of acomparable system toIridium OpenPort with theunveiling of itsFleetBroadband 150 system,due to be commerciallyavailable early in 2009.

This small-sized antennawill allow for voice and IPdata services up to 150 kbps,and will be available for lessthan $5,000 - in the same costrange as OpenPort.

While Mr Dittmer hasbeen made aware ofInmarsat's plans for the serv-ice, for the moment he ishappy with the results he has

seen from his Iridium unit."I saw that was announced, but the

antenna is the difference for me," he told us. "The Iridium OpenPort is like an

Inmarsat-C, there are no moving parts andshadows won't be a big problem like itmight be with all of the other systems witha moving antenna."

In spite of this, Mr Dittmer says that he

would have no plans to remove any of thecompany's existing Inmarsat equipmenteven if it decides to invest in IridiumOpenPort.

"The Fleet equipment that we have now,I can say that it's generally very reliable, it'sbetter than the Inmarsat-A or -B!" he said.

"We won't take out an existing installa-tion when it's still working, we wouldn't

take out a running Fleet 77, for example.We might keep that running to use thingslike ChartCo, that's a good tool."

"Maybe in the future we will look atchart updates and those things online, wewill see, but we'll keep our existing sys-tems. At the moment we're in the begin-ning with this. As time goes on we'll real-ly see what we can do."

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DS

Nautical Control Solutions, makersof the FuelTrax marine fuel managementsystem, has announced the addition ofTorqueTrak 10K to the list of sensors mon-itored by application. TorqueTrak 10K

takes measurements in real-time, convert-ing most driveshafts into a rotating sensorby mounting a strain gauge to the shaft.

SpecTec has appointed MicaelaRebizzi as senior sales manager for theeast coast of the United States and centraland eastern Canada. Ms Rebizzi, who hasbeen with SpecTec since 1999, is to relo-cate from Cyprus to SpecTec's Norwalk,Connecticut office.

SOFTWARE NEWS


www.marinesoftware.co.uk

UK based Marine Software has announcedthat it is to supply a package of its soft-ware systems to Tallink/Silja Line, forinstallation aboard the 48,300gt BalticPrincess, a recent addition to the fleet.

The package will include the modulesMarine Planned Maintenance, Marine

Storekeeper, Marine Purchasing Systemand the Marine Safety Manager, and fol-lows on from a similar contract to supplythe modules to the Tallink vesselSuperstar earlier this year.

During the build at the Aker Shipyard,Marine Software was contracted byTallink to set up the Marine PlannedMaintenance (MPM) system. The setup

Second Tallink deal for Marine Software

www.fueltrax.comwww.spectec.net

Open source software releasedThe ‘Baltic Princess’ was delivered from Aker Yards with the planned maintenance system already installed

www.hitt-trafic.com

Dutch company HITT reports that it willbe releasing a new open source softwaresystem, which aims to allow authorisedusers to interpret and process relevantinformation from port authorities.

The company's IVEF (Inter VTSExchange Format) hopes to create a standardised port information for-mat, so that port authorities and sub-scribers can work with the same

information and reduce the chance ofmiscommunication.

This open standard, which is the basisfor the communication software, isdeveloped in collaboration with othersuppliers in the maritime market.

HITT says it has already success-fully established exchange of infor-mation systems between parties such as the Dutch Coast Guard, all majorDutch VTS centres, the offshore industryand pilots.

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www.getbme.com

American company Data TechnologySolutions (DTS) has launched a new web-site which aims to directly connect cus-tomers with marine electronics and satel-lite communication products, using a sim-ple online purchasing process.

The website, www.getbme.com, isoperated by DTS subsidiary BlueWaterMarine Electronics and contains detailedproduct information, photographs of allequipment and accessories, and a pricing

structure for a full line of marine electron-ic products along with over 1,000 satellitecommunication products and accessories.

"With our line continually growing, it isreally important that customers haveaccess to new and upcoming products asthey arrive," said DTS engineer JonathanBronzulious.

"We have created www.getbme.com toserve as our primary information resourcefor clients in need of purchasing marineelectronics along with our standard satel-lite communications product line."

Online purchasing for marine electronics

commenced at the Marine Softwareoffices but was completed on board thevessel during the final days leading up todelivery.

The MPM system was also integratedwith the vessel's Kongsberg MonitoringSystem, to allow the latest equipment run-ning hours to be automatically imported.

The Baltic Princess system now has the

ability to add pictures and files against theplanned maintenance history records anddefects system. The Marine Storekeepermodule was also delivered with a barcodescanner, enabling the crew to quickly issuespares and speed up stock checks.

The Baltic Princess is now in operationbetween Tallinn, Estonia and Helsinki,Finland.

Planning and optimisation software for Flinterwww.quintiq.com

Flinter, the fifth largest maritime shippingcompany in the Netherlands, has chosento install a system by Quintiq, and imple-mentation partner The Logic Factory, toprovide a planning and optimisation solu-tion for crew and voyage planning.

In the first phase The Logic Factory will

build a solution for Flinter based onQuintiq standard technology, to plan nau-tical, technical and crew management.

This is hoped to provide Flinter withimproved transparency throughout its net-work-wide planning chain, and give plan-ners more control over the planning process.

Development began in mid-June 2008and the solution is expected to go live in Q4.


SOFTWARE NEWS Digital Ship

http://forecast.weather.gov/mwp/

The US National Oceanic andAtmospheric Administration (NOAA) haslaunched a new internet portal, offeringmarine weather forecasts and real-timecoastal wind and water condition informa-tion for the south east United States.

The portal is the result of a two-year, $579,546 NOAA-funded project implemented within the Southeast CoastalOcean Observing Regional Association,through the University of North Carolina/Wilmington.

The site is an experimental product

developed in cooperation with NOAA'sNational Weather Service and the IntegratedOcean Observing System (IOOS).

"The goal is to supply people witheverything they might need to know tomake the smartest decisions," said ZdenkaWillis, NOAA IOOS programme director.

"Easier access to timely and usefulwater, weather and climate informationwill save lives, property and resources."

The portal is part of IOOS, a tool fortracking, predicting, managing and adapt-ing to changes in the marine environment.

To visit the website, go to http://forecast.weather.gov/mwp/.

Internet weather data from NOAA

Real-time US coastal information from NOAAThales in Barco software takeoverwww.thalesgroup.com

www.barco.com

Thales has announced that it has com-pleted the acquisition of Barco's softwaredevelopment unit for maritime safetyand surveillance.

The agreement covers the sale ofBarco's OPSCenter software componentsfor use in the maritime domain, and also includes a license for Barco's devel-opment toolbox for operational displaysystems.

Barco will continue to provide hard-ware-based visualisation solutions formaritime applications, such as LCD dis-

plays and rear-projected video walls.Barco's software development unit for

maritime safety and surveillance, locatedin Stuttgart, Germany, provides surveil-lance, navigation and other services formaritime rescue and coordination cen-tres, coastal surveillance systems andvessel traffic management and informa-tion systems.

"This move represents a key elementin Thales' ambition to further strengthenour position in the growing market of maritime safety and surveillance," said Jean-Georges Malcor, senior-vicepresident of Thales and head of its navaldivision.

Solstad to install SIS softwarewww.sismarine.com

Star Information Systems (SIS) has agreeda contract with Solstad Offshore to installSIS software, including maintenance,docking/projects, purchasing and assetmanagement modules, onboard 42 off-shore vessels, including 8 newbuildings.

The system will also be deployed at itshead office in Skudeneshavn, Norway,and at offices in Bangkok and Singapore.

"We had been using one supplier formany years, and this system had problemsto fulfil our planned maintenance systemrequirements," said Solstad IT managerFrode Skaar.

"We realised that we would need morefunctionality than was available from our

current supplier. We determined ourrequirements, wrote technical specifica-tions and sent this out to main suppliers."

The selection process for the new sys-tem lasted almost a year, and featuredlengthy testing, including a pilot projectwith two planned maintenance systems.

"We visited other Star users, and talkedto them about their experiences. Some ofthem had the kinds of functionality thatwe were after. In terms of the solution,Star had the solution that met Solstad'srequirements best," said Mr Skaar.

Star Information Systems' director ofsales, Martin Karlstad, commented: "Weare very proud to supply a quality-mind-ed offshore operator like Solstad, and lookforward to a long relationship."

Unicom and Hartmann go for AMOS2www.spectec.net

Unicom of Cyprus, the ship managementarm of Sovcomflot, has placed an orderwith SpecTec for the supply ofAMOS2Quality management systems to71 vessels.

AMOS2Quality is the Quality andSafety module of the new AMOS2Enterprise Suite, the newly released ver-sion of the AMOS software system.

The new Maintenance andProcurement modules of the AMOS2package were officially presented duringSMM 2008 in Hamburg.

Unicom is part of the SovcomflotGroup, which is one of the oldest existingcustomers of SpecTec. Sovcomflot's firstAMOS order was placed in 1987 for thethen M/V Astor, on behalf of Black SeaShipping Company (BLASCO).

AMOS2Quality supports modules rele-vant to ISM, TMSA, Risk Assessment,Audits and Surveys, and Questionnaires,and SpecTec notes that over 400 of thesystems have been supplied during thelast twelve months.

SpecTec also agreed a contract withHartmann Group of Leer, Germany, forthe installation of the full AMOS2 systemon board 12 new Anchor Handling

Vessels to be built by Fincantieri in Italy. It is the second contract awarded for

the full AMOS2 Enterprise Suite, follow-ing an earlier agreement with MarlowNavigation of Cyprus.

The first vessel under the Hartmanncontract is to be delivered by 1st Quarter2009.

SpecTec has also released its financialresults for the first half of 2008, reportingan aggregated turnover of $23 million.This figure is in line with company pro-jections for the period.

During the first six months of 2008SpecTec notes that it has delivered morethan 200 new licences for its AMOS soft-ware system, and is expecting to reach itsyearly target of 500 licences.

In addition to these new contracts thecompany has also had 114 licenceupgrades of customers moving to themost recent version of AMOS BusinessSuite.

SpecTec is currently trying to expandits business away from the maritime sec-tor, and has seen activity in the oil and gassector this year account for 25 per cent oftotal turnover, a figure it hopes to increaseto 50 per cent within the next two years.

SpecTec Group companies' financialreports are audited by Deloitte.

AA lgoma Central Corporation is thelargest Canadian flaggedshipowner, operating a fleet of

product and chemical tankers rangingbetween approximately 10,000 and 20,000dwt.

With plans to expand its fleet by 50 percent by the end of 2008, the companyrecognised that it might begin to struggleto fulfil its information and data require-ments with its existing IT infrastructure.

One of the chief concerns in this regardwas the need to be able to have an accuraterecord of its operations for compliancewith the TMSA (Tanker Management SelfAssessment) programme, and its succes-sor TMSA2, says Kevin Reid, directorquality systems, Algoma CentralCorporation.

"TMSA is very near and dear to ourhearts, it's a set of best practices, whereOCIMF and other stakeholders got togeth-er and developed these KPIs," he told us.

"How the vetting system used to workbefore was that the oil majors used to vetthe ship by coming to the vessel and doingan inspection, they'd make a big SIREreport and tell you about non-conformitiesand this and that."

"TMSA was the first vehicle where theship operator has had to say 'these are themanagement systems that I have in place'.It was really a combination of ISM codes,ISO quality stuff, and Exxon Mobil wasinvolved."

Gathering all of this data together, intoa system where it can be recorded and dis-played in a manner that is satisfactory forthe members of OCIMF and their TMSAguidelines, can be achieved reasonablywell with a basic IT system if the companyhas a small number of vessels.

However, as the size of the fleet startedto grow, Mr Reid realised that a moresophisticated, integrated system would beneeded to keep the growing amount ofdata under control.

"For TMSA you need to capture yourmanagement leadership, accountability,how you hire, fire and train people, relia-

bility, maintenance, cargo, management ofchange, many things," he said.

"We can tell the oil companies we haveall of these things in place, but they’revery much about 'show me, don't tell me'.So we wanted to use our software to beable to do that."

TMSA2 includes similar requirements,but with an updated reporting format thatallows users to send the required informa-tion through an online portal.

"For TMSA2 you get to complete yourcompliance on a web application, and thenthat gets turned into a PDF and gets e-mailed to the different vetting services,like Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP and so on,"said Mr Reid.

"Then they look at it and say 'ok, we'lllook at this company, this company'sahead of that one' and things like that.That's really your first step in the doorfrom an operator's perspective. Before, it was more a case of the oil companiesgoing to a ship operator and vetting a ship, but not the shore managementsystem."

Software choiceWith the functionality it was looking forfairly clearly defined by the parameters ofTMSA, Algoma began to search for a sys-tem that could provide these kinds ofresults while also fitting in with the exist-ing structures that the company wanted to retain.

After an examination of a number ofdifferent applications the company decid-ed to install a comprehensive fleet man-agement system from Norwegian compa-ny ShipNet that it felt would help it toreach its TMSA goals.

"We went with this product for a cou-ple of reasons," Mr Reid explained. "Ourend-users, the shipboard folks and theshore folks, looked at a number of differ-ent vendors. It was important to us to haveas strong a quality safety managementvehicle as we could, and we balanced thatup with our needs for a good HR and pay-roll section."

"ShipNet did a customisation on thatfor us, in the past we had information allover the place but nowhere could wecome together and say 'this is every-thing'. It was important for us to have itall in the one place."

"I'm not a technical guy, I'm an end-user of the technology, of the software.When it fails, I get on the phone. I'm notgoing to go fix anything, and nobody'sgoing to ask me to. So my experience isfrom the user perspective, and this was

what we needed." The ShipNet Fleet Management system

implemented by Algoma includesplanned maintenance, inventory control,procurement, quality, safety and environ-mental management, crew and financialadministration, distribution and replica-tion systems.

These modules connect to the compa-ny's extended organisational softwareinfrastructure, feeding necessary data intodifferent parts of the organisation.

"We had a Lawson enterprise systemthat was kind of like the 'mothership', wewanted to integrate everything into that -purchasing, payroll, finance, all of that,"said Mr Reid.

"We wanted to be able to track howmany hits we had on different elementsof the ISM code, of the ISO 9000 standard,of the ISO 14000 standard, and TMSA aswell. So, while from a proactive perspec-tive we need to have these procedures inplace to support TMSA, we also wantedto be able to identify where we weremissing things."

One function of the new software

A software upgrade for TMSA Tanker operator Algoma Central Corporation’s fleet is expanding, and with this growth comes added pressure in keeping

up with the requirements of TMSA. The company realised that the only way forward was to implement a new fleetmanagement system. Digital Ship heard from director of quality systems Kevin Reid, about Algoma’s TMSA upgrade

In the past we had information all over the place, but nowhere could we come togetherand say 'this is everything' - Kevin Reid, Algoma Central Corp

Digital Ship


“We can tell the oil companies we have all of these things in place, but they're very much about ‘show me, don't tell me’.

So we wanted to use our software to be able to do that.”

- Kevin Reid, director quality systems, Algoma Central Corporation.

SOFTWARE


that was useful in this regard was anaudit section where certain types of information would be highlighted and recorded.

"We can do internal audits, externalaudits, customer audits, using the samesystem the whole way along," said MrReid. "Within the software you can listyour findings, organise them, identifywho's responsible for them, who it's beenassigned to, with follow up dates, so wecan have one vehicle to handle all differenttypes of audits."

"For example, one of the elements ofTMSA is whether there is ECDIS onboard,and whether or not there has been suffi-cient training in using ECDIS. Each timethat came up as a 'hit' in an audit we want-ed to be able to capture it."

"Some people might say that with afour or six ship fleet it might seem easy tocount these things on your fingers, but it'seasier to let the technology take care of itfor you. I'm sure other operators with acouple of hundred ships would find this areally big job."

"Then you can build reports later ontracking where you had the hits, are youtrending badly in certain areas. Is naviga-tion a big issue, is safety an issue, or docu-ment control? This is very effective inanswering those questions."

As well as the convenience of having a computer organise the information for the user, rather than keeping track of the data manually, Mr Reid also foundthat having the system in place enabled

Algoma to cut down on the number of steps needed to have informationapproved.

"With the software the audits getsigned off within the system," he told us."Before, we had a paper system where aperson would do the audit, review itwith the boss, bring the findings to himand then back to the office, where they'dbe shipped around the office and differ-ent people would look after differentparts of it."

"We're trying now to get away fromthat paper system to having everythingbuilt into one application. You can buildthe workflow to include the steps youwant and notifications will be made to thepeople who need to know. It's all veryconfigurable."

"We wanted to be able to close theloop electronically, so that we wouldknow in the office when things weredone. It has a lot of traceability of who'sdoing what, whatever detail you want onthe output side you're able to build intothe system. That wasn't only for our ben-efit, from a TMSA compliance perspec-tive we wanted to make sure that thatwas tight enough."

Document controlAnother key feature of the system thatappealed to Mr Reid and the Algoma teamwas the increased level of document con-trol that the fleet management systemwould provide for them.

"We had an opportunity to put in the

big manuals we had in a PDF document,"he told us. "One of the worst things iswhen a new third mate or second engineerjoins the company and are given the man-ual and told to go read it."

"There's tons of stuff, there could be anemergency response plan, the safety man-agement manual, all of that sort of thing,that could be put on the screen for access.Then it can also be amended easily, withour paper system you had to fill out aform, change the manual, compile it, andsend it out in the mail."

"The software allows us to build thedocuments in small chunks that can besent out over the satcom system. Againthis is all traceable, you can see who hasopened it, who revised it, and have thecontrol you need."

Responsibility management is a keyaspect of the system, and a function that isextremely helpful to Algoma in maintain-ing the standards necessary for TMSAcompliance.

Making sure that crew members areaware of what they are required to do, andwhen they are required to do it, is funda-mental in maintaining the high level ofoperational effectiveness that OCIMF willexpect, said Mr Reid, and proving that those systems are in place requiressoftware.

"If a third engineer or second matewants to know what they're responsiblefor, it's not a case of 'there's the 500-page

manual, go read it'," he said. "In the software set-up we can have

the third engineer, or whoever, tell us'you need to be aware of this, this, andthis', lay out the responsibilities, andhardwire that into the role. Then ifthere's a change in that document forthat role, when you sign in you get a redscreen that lets you know."

"We operate on a 'month-on, month-off'system, so we have a lot of turnover on amonthly basis. When they come back theycan see the changes since they were away.With our paper system the master had toprint things off, copy it, put it in a binderfor the crew to come look at it when theyget a chance."

"It was cumbersome and not very effec-tive, and we had no real means from theoffice to verify if the third engineer actual-ly read the changes."

Mr Reid says that having these newfunctions, and other functions includedin the system that are also needed to

ensure TMSA2 compliance, has reallyimproved Algoma's business processes,and not just in terms of following TMSAguidelines.

"It's a 'show me, don't tell me' world,and this helps us with our due diligencedefence if anything was to go wrong, or isseen as wrong from an audit perspective,"he told us.

"TMSA really was the driver for all ofthis, because we have to be able to demon-

The audit system has been a big improvement on its paper-based predecessor

“We’re trying now to get away from that paper system to having everything built into one application.

You can build the workflow to include the steps you wantand notifications will be made to the people

who need to know.”

Digital Ship


strate to our customers, and their vetting,that we have systems in place - this showshow they work, this is how we managethem, and so on."

"We moved to an upgraded platformwhich provided stronger ship man-agement processes and document control, and this has allowed us todemonstrate TMSA2 compliance more effectively and tomanage ship operationsmore efficiently."

VSATWhile it has been busy in try-ing to implement its newTMSA compliant software,Algoma has also recentlyoverhauled its onboard hard-ware and satellite communi-cations systems, to cope withsome of the demands pre-sented by its increasing needfor data.

"We were running 1998-style software technology,and it didn't need a lot ofhorsepower up until about ayear ago," said Mr Reid.

"The captains started com-plaining 'I can't do this,there's no USB ports, I can'ttake photos and uploadthem', so we decided toupgrade from the kind of386-type technology withoutany plug-ins to modernhardware."

"And, like anything, theold software would run onthe old machines but notrun on the new ones. Theguys at home had five or sixgenerations further thanwhat we had on the ships,so it was a logical thing to upgrade."

With the need to replacethe computer hardwarebecoming unavoidable,Algoma also decided to gothe whole hog and update itscommunications system, tocreate a modern, high-specIT infrastructure across theorganisation.

"We had lots of differentcommunications systems alltrying to serve the sameprocess, to get the voice andthe data ashore, we hadwireless, Inmarsat-B, cellu-lar phones," Mr Reidexplained.

"If we wanted to get dataa shore the captain almosthad to divert to get the cov-erage he was looking for,and then another thing thatreally drove us into thisnext step was the US CoastGuard's reporting require-ments over the internet.These were the things thatpushed us to VSAT."

Algoma conducted suc-cessful sea trials of a new broadband VSAT system during the secondhalf of 2007, in conjunction

with Telesat, and has since gone on toimplement the technology.

"Since then we've deployed VSAT onanother three vessels, and it's been verysuccessful," noted Mr Reid.

With such a wide-ranging change in its IT infrastructure, Algoma has had to make a number of changes to its operations and the way its people

are used to working, but Mr Reid ishopeful that the end results will be worthall of the effort.

"We're certainly not there yet, westarted looking at systems about a yearago, looking at different vendors, and wedid run into resource issues on our sidehaving people available to work on it,"he said.

"We have had challenges to deal with,but we're now very close on the safetymanagement side, and then we'll moveonto document control and things likethat. We have one guy on our side veryinvolved, if he got hit by a truck we'd havesome problems, but we've been workingon this for a year now and hopefully it'llbe just a little longer." DS


ELECTRONICS & NAVIGATION NEWS

www.km.kongsberg.com

Kongsberg Maritime has signed an agree-ment to purchase the UK based sonarcompany GeoAcoustics Ltd, for approxi-mately NOK 42 million.

The company says that the acquisitionwill enhance its market position by bring-ing in GeoAcoustics' products to comple-

ment Kongsberg's portfolio.GeoAcoustics has 30 years of experience

in the underwater acoustics market, and hasenjoyed success with its side scan sonarsand technology for sub-bottom profiling.

In 2007-08 GeoAcoustics had aturnover of approximately NOK 42 mil-lion and had 43 employees, including sub-sidiaries in Mumbai and Singapore.

Kongsberg acquires sonar company

www.dnv.com

Kongsberg Maritime's Polaris BridgeOperation (Ship's Bridge Simulator) andGMDSS simulators have received newDNV certification, to meet the standardsfor Bridge Operation Simulator with classnotation Nautical Safety All Waters(NAUT-AW).

This approval was granted according tonew standards laid out in DNV Class A -Standard for Certification of MaritimeSimulators No. 2, which is based on therequirements of STCW Convention,Regulation I/12.

The approvals are valid through July2013 and join those received for KongsbergMaritime's Neptune Engine Room andCargo Handling simulators in January2008, those being the first simulators toreceive approval to the new DNV standard.

The new standards have been intro-duced to ensure that simulators present anappropriate level of physical and behav-ioural realism in accordance with recog-nised training and assessment objectives.

"The standards in realism required toachieve the new DNV approval are veryhigh, reflecting the graphical fidelity andcomputing power that is available now,"comments Amer Walayet, product advi-

sor, ship's bridge simulator, at KongsbergMaritime.

"We continue to improve the realismof our Polaris simulators in line withtechnology, using commercial off theshelf components."

Kongsberg has also recently unveiledplans for its next generation AnchorHandling Simulator (AHS). Currently indevelopment, the new AHS is scheduledfor release before the end of 2008 and isbeing developed in parallel with abespoke AHS for Maersk Supply Service,following a co-operation agreement thatwas signed in February 2008.

The new AHS is focused on providingaccurate ship movements and the calcula-tion of external forces acting on the ship.The company has developed a new 'line'module to represent the wire, chain orrope acting on winches, guide pins orother Anchor handling equipment.

It can be rendered in variable resolutionand takes into account the entire range ofactions possible for a line, including: ten-sion and forces, free hanging (catenarycurves), interaction (or wrapping) aroundrigid bodies (deck, hull, etc) and interac-tion with objects at ends or in the middle(winch, shark jaw, pin, drum/roller, chas-er, anchor, plough, etc).

DNV approval for Kongsberg simulators

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New simulator standards aim to ensure an appropriate level of realism

www.thrane.com

Hans Buch A/S and the ESL Group havebeen awarded a contract by AP Møller-Maersk for the provision of Long RangeIdentification and Tracking (LRIT) solu-tions, using Thrane & Thrane's SAILORTT-3000 LRIT terminal.

In addition to the stand-alone terminal,the solution consists of the ESL LRITMonitor Unit (LMU) specifically designedfor interoperation with the Thrane termi-nal. The LMU continuously monitors arange of vital indicators, pro-viding the crew with both visu-al and audio notification ofoperational status.

"The SAILOR TT-3000 LRITmini-C terminal is specificallydesigned for global trackingapplications, with more than40,000 terminals deployed glob-ally," said Henrik Christensen,CEO of the ESL Group.

"In addition, it is the onlyInmarsat-C and mini-C terminalsupporting the new EnhancedPre-Assigned Data Reporting &Polling protocol, which willsafe-guard the AP Møller-Maersk fleet for long term com-pliance with the LRIT require-ments."

In addition to the hardware,Hans Buch and the ESL Groupwill handle the total LRITProject Management.

In other news, Thrane &Thrane has added three newhazardous environment, ATEXapproved, handsets to its rangeof VHF and UHF handhelds,

expanding the SP3500 family to seven dif-ferent models.

Thrane notes that the SAILOR SP3540VHF ATEX GMDSS is the only ATEX cer-tified portable VHF that offers GMDSSfunctionality, meaning it can be used forboth onboard communication and to ful-fil safety requirements if an incidentshould occur.

To ensure GMDSS requirements aremet the unit is shipped with a Lithium bat-tery, making it ready for use straight outof the box.

Maersk agrees LRIT contract

More than 40,000 SAILOR LRIT terminalshave been deployed

www.transpondertech.se

Saab TransponderTech has been selected to supply coastal AutomaticIdentification System (AIS)base stations as part of acoastal maritime traffic network for Germany'sFederal Water and ShippingAdministration.

The contract was awarded to Saab by ESGElektroniksystem undLogistik GmbH, the primecontractor for the AISDeutsche Küste programme.Saab will supply 100 R40AIS base stations, with allproducts to be delivered bythe end of 2008.

ESG will develop andintegrate all of the softwarefor the system from itsfacility in Wilhelmshaven,and will also provide full documentation and operatortraining.

"The AIS Deutsche Küstenetwork will improve moni-toring of maritime trafficand make a significant contribution to increasedsafety at sea and preserva-tion of the marine environ-ment along Germany'scoastlines," said GunnarMangs, vice president ofsales and marketing, SaabTransponderTech.

"With this system,

Digital Ship

Digital Ship Ship October 2008 page 27

Improved multiplexer from Actisense www.actisense.com

Actisense reports that it has upgraded itsNDC-4 NMEA data multiplexer to intro-duce greater flexibility, allowing the con-nection of up to five NMEA talker devices,with the combined data from all inputscopied to ISO-Drive NMEA outputs.

A new option to have the NDC-4 facto-ry preconfigured for AIS (automatic iden-tification system) operation or as anAutoswitch has also been included, so thatit can be used straight out of the box with-

out needing configuration. Thereafter, any factory preconfigured

option can be changed by the user as andwhen required.

When the NDC-4 is preconfigured forAIS operation, one input is set to 38400baud and the NMEA filter prevents anyAIS data from going out of the low speed(4800 baud) output.

Alternatively, the Autoswitch preconfig-ured option automatically switches datafrom one of four NMEA 0183 input devicesto the two NMEA 0183 outputs (by default

one at 38400, one at 4800), bydetermining the highest prioritydevice with good data.

This makes the system usefulfor switching between multipleGPS or AIS devices.

Phil Whitehurst, managingdirector, Active Research (par-ent company of Actisense)noted: "Due to high levels ofcustomer demand, we haveintroduced these two newmodel codes, which allows pre-ordering of our most popularNDC-4 configurations.Customers will be able to installthe unit within minutes - andwithout needing a PC present tochange the settings."

Saab to provide German AIS systems

The multiplexer can be pre-configured for AIS integration

www.transpondertech.sewww.trimble.com

Trimble Navigation Ltd and SaabTransponderTech have announced a coop-eration agreement with the aim of inte-grating marine navigation solutions fromboth companies, to provide improved dif-ferential GPS (DGPS) services at sea.

The integrated solutions will deliverDGPS error correction messages throughautomatic identification system (AIS)coast stations and networks, which willaugment the existing marine DGPS broad-casts from coastal beacon stations.

The two companies are collaborating todevelop interfaces connecting Saab's AISand Vessel Tracking Management &Information System (VTMIS) with TrimbleDGPS reference station and integrity mon-itoring software.

The integrated solution will utiliseTrimble's Charisma and Coastal Centresoftware for integrity monitoring of the

DGPS data prior to transmission throughboth the beacon transmitters and AIS sta-tions. The integration will also permit theSaab AIS/VTMIS operator to monitor theperformance of both DGPS services.

"Many coastal states are installingshore-based AIS networks to monitor ves-sel traffic in their coastal waters, and virtually all ocean-going ships arerequired to be equipped with an approvedAIS transponder with a built-in GPSreceiver," said Gunnar Mangs, vice president of sales and marketing, Saab TransponderTech.

"This makes AIS an ideal solution forDGPS transmissions, augmenting thebeacon DGPS networks around theworld. Utilising these two DGPS tech-nologies will provide an important layerof redundancy and reliability for this crit-ical navigation safety application, ensur-ing uninterrupted DGPS service underconditions of heavy weather or highinterference."

Saab and Trimble to integrate systems for DGPS

www.jrc.com

Japan Radio Company (JRC) reports that ithas developed and received certificationfor a new solid state S-band marine radarsystem, which it says is the world's firsttype approved solid state radar complyingwith the latest IMO regulations.

Certification for the new system wasprovided by EU-notified body QinetiQ.

The new JRC model JMA-9172-SAradar complies with new IMO radar per-formance standard MSC. 192 (79), which is

applicable to all IMO radars installedonboard vessels on or after 1 July 2008.Draft approval certification was issued toJRC on 12 September 2008.

The solid state radar is a model withinJRC's JMA-9100 series, and is available asa two-unit solid state system comprisingthe new scanner and display unit of theradar series.

JRC has designed and built the solidstate transceiver and processing units in-house, key devices in the new NKE-1532scanner unit.

JRC solid state radar receives type approval

Germany will join the growing number ofmaritime states to install AIS-basedcoastal surveillance and traffic manage-ment networks."

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ELECTRONICS & NAVIGATION NEWS

Wärtsilä expands in Francewww.wartsila.com

Wärtsilä has acquired Navelec SAS, aFrench company specialising in marinenavigation and communication systems,electrical marine services, and control andautomation services. The value of the dealhas not been disclosed.

Navelec's main office is located in LeHavre, in France, with branch offices in St.Nazaire and Brest, and it includes flyboats, ferries, carriers, tugs and cruiseships among its customers.

The company's annual net sales were Euro7 million in 2007, and it employs 45 people, of

which 26 are field service personnel. Navelec's businesses will be integrated

into Wärtsilä Services' business in France,where all employees will continue asWärtsilä employees.

Wärtsilä acquired Navelec from Sociétéfinancière pour l'industrie et l'agriculture(Sofia).

Wärtsilä also reports that its subsidiaryin Singapore, Total Automation Pte Ltd,has been re-named as WärtsiläAutomation Services Singapore Pte Ltd.

Total Automation Group has been 100per cent owned by Wärtsilä since 2006,and employs more than 600 people.

www.l-3com.comwww.tss-international.comwww.kelvinhughes.comwww.kongsberg.com

L-3 Aviation Recorders, a division ofL-3 Communications, has announcedthe production of its 10,000th marine voy-age recorder, having introduced its firstcommercial voyage recorder in 2001.

Kelvin Hughes reports that it hasproduced the world's first X band solidstate radar for marine and land basedapplications based on its SharpEye tech-nology. The combination of solid stateand pulse doppler technologies delivershigh reliability and low through life costcoupled with detection capability that is a

substantial improvement on traditionalsystems.

Teledyne TSS has expanded itsglobal sales and support network with theopening of a new facility in Singapore.The new premises are located with theTeledyne Geophysical facility at LoyangBase in Singapore. The office is being man-aged by Anthony Gleeson, who hasmoved from the UK and taken-up perma-nent residence in Singapore.

Kongsberg Maritime has becomethe majority owner of Lodic AS, creatorsof the ShipLoad 3-D vessel model system,resulting in the establishment of a joint venture between the two compa-nies. Kongsberg has also acquiredMetasystems AS, whose IntelligentElectronic Applications in software, sen-sors and instruments will be completelyintegrated into Kongsberg Maritime.

Kelvin Hughes' X-band solid state radar

www.kongsberg.com

As part of the company's new Green Shipstrategy, Kongsberg Maritime hasannounced that it is working withAustrian power train and instrumentationspecialist AVL to integrate AVL's sensortechnology with its own vessel manage-ment systems.

The aim of this project is to provide acontinuous engine performance monitor-ing system that can increase vessel fuelefficiency whilst reducing fuel costs.

AVL's sensors, first developed as part ofits engine performance and optimisationsystem AVL EPOS, are based on galliumorthophosphate crystals, which can operatein temperatures up to 600°C, as opposed totraditional quartz crystal sensors that canonly operate up to around 275°C.

Kongsberg will use these sensors tooffer continuous engine performancemonitoring through its integrated sys-tems, such as the K-Chief automation sys-tem, MBB VDR and the FleetMaster elec-

tronic logbook."Unlike previous systems, our sensors

are fitted to points on the engines andremain there throughout their lifetime.This means that they are able to continu-ously monitor the engine's performanceand constantly provide detailed analysisof the situation whenever required,"explained Dr Ruediger Teichmann, AVL'sglobal business segment manager, com-bustion measurement division.

The AVL EPOS system, combined withKongsberg's integrated systems, are cur-rently working together onboard HöeghAutoliners' 6,100 vehicle capacity car car-rier the Höegh Detroit, which the compa-nies are calling the 'Green Ship Project'.

The system uses a 'traffic light' systemto notify crew of any performance prob-lems, where 'green' indicates that systemsare working normally. This information iscurrently used onboard and sent manual-ly to the shore office, however, as the trialcontinues automatic reporting to the shoreoffice via Inmarsat will be implemented.

www.sperrymarine.northropgrumman.com

Sperry Marine has been selected byNovorossiysk Shipping Company(Novoship) to supply integrated bridgesystems (IBS) for 10 new tankers beingbuilt in Korea and China.

The newbuilds include four 112,000deadweight ton (dwt) tankers at HyundaiHeavy Industries in Korea and six 156,000dwt tankers at Nantong Rongsheng inChina, for delivery in 2008-2009.

Each of the ships is being fitted with acomplete navigation package thatincludes radars, electronic chart displayand information system (ECDIS), digitaladaptive autopilot, steering controls,gyrocompasses, voyage data recorder,automatic identification system and otherassociated sensors and systems.

Sperry Marine will provide engineeringsupport for installation, commissioningand sea trials through its offices in Korea

and China.Sperry also introduced a new family of

multisensor marine speed log products atthe 2008 SMM exhibition, with the newNAVIKNOT 600 series utilising a satellitespeed sensor that yields dual axis speedover ground.

The NAVIKNOT 600 systems use a twinGPS antenna array to measure the ship'sheading, velocity, course and attitude,while the unit's processor uses GPS data,integrated with output from rate gyros, tocalculate longitudinal and transverse speedover ground with accuracy of about 1 percent or 0.1 knots, whichever is greater.

In the docking mode, the display showsa graphic diagram with rate of turn, bowand stern side-to-side speed over groundand other useful data.

The satellite speed log can serve as astandalone device or be integrated with asingle-axis electromagnetic or Dopplerspeed log.

Sperry IBS for 10 Novoship tankers

Kongsberg and AVL team up on engine monitoring

The IBS includes integrated ECDIS, VDR, AIS, and other navigational systems


UKHO announces ECDIS pre-loading dealsELECTRONIC & NAVIGATION NEWS Digital Ship


www.ukho.gov.uk

The United Kingdom HydrographicOffice (UKHO) has agreed partnershipdeals with Transas and Kelvin Hughes,whereby both navigation manufacturers'ECDIS (electronic chart display informa-tion system) equipment will come pre-loaded with the Hydrographic Office'sAdmiralty Vector Chart Service (AVCS).

AVCS, launched in April of this year,integrates official Electronic NavigationalCharts (ENCs) from national hydrographicoffices across the globe, along with newlymanufactured Electronic NavigationalCharts (ENCs) for gaps in key areas, to pro-vide a comprehensive world series.

The combination of Transas ECDIS andAVCS data will be known as the TransasAdmiralty Data Service (TADS). TADScompiles the ENC data set into the inter-nal format of a Transas ECDIS system,allowing for easy installation and updat-ing of official System ENC (SENC) data onits systems.

A similar situation is envisioned withKelvin Hughes' ECDIS equipment.

"UKHO recognises that this partneringagreement is a major step towards creat-ing a compliant digital service that notonly fulfils the requirements of themariner, but assists them during the tran-

sition towards the proposed ECDIS man-dation that comes into force from 2012,"said Mike Robinson, UKHO CEO.

"It also offers a single- source packagefor those already using ECDIS, as well asthose considering its purchase ahead ofmandation."

"OEM partners are clearly a key ele-ment in the delivery of global, official elec-tronic charting services, and are key to

An extended feature with additionalinformation about UKHO's ECDIS pre-loading agreements will appear in theNovember issue of Digital Ship

driving forward the adoption of compliantnavigational information."

"It is fundamental that we foster rela-tionships with them to allow our cus-tomers to derive the proven benefits fromthe use of ENC data whilst removingsome of the complexities and inconsisten-cies that have inhibited use to this point.This close level of collaboration willensure that data displays appropriatelyand that the hardware and software workseamlessly for the mariner."

UKHO is currently obtaining ENC datafor Malaysia, Indonesia and Colombia (thelatter distributed via IC-ENC). With fur-ther agreements close to being concluded,UKHO says that ENC coverage willincrease by a further 10 per cent over thenext few months.

In total, since the launch of AVCS, 694new ENCs have been added to the service,and UKHO says it is on course to deliverits commitment of covering the top 2000ports in the world and the major routesbetween them within twelve months ofthe initial launch.

www.absolutesw.comwww.panama-psa.com

A group of vessels managed by BernhardSchulte Shipmanagement have becomethe first vessels in the Panama Registry tobe issued Long Range Identification andTracking (LRIT) Conformance Test Reportcertification.

The certification, necessary for IMOLRIT compliance, was performed by PSCHoldings and Absolute Software, in asso-ciation with Telaccount Overseas (aBernhard Schulte affiliate), and Vizada.

PSC Holdings and Absolute Softwaresay that the LRIT Conformance Testingapplication is the fastest automated sys-tem available in the industry for assessingcompliance.

The companies note that 35 vessel ter-minals were simultaneously tested andcertified within two days of their beingappointed as LRIT Testing ASP forPanama. Certificates of conformance wereissued to all LRIT conformant ships.

The partners in the project are hopingthat the new automated system will helpto optimise the number of vessels that canbe certified during the approval process,from the more than 7,000 vessels withinthe Panama Registry.

OEM partners are a key element in thedelivery of electronic charting services -

Mike Robinson, UKHO

Panama beginsLRIT certification

www.bluetraker.com

Slovenian company EMA reports that ithas launched the world's first Long rangeidentification and tracking (LRIT)

transponder that operates over theIridium network, with the release of itsBlueTraker LRIT.

The new system is compliant with IMOresolutions on LRIT, and operates any-where in the world thanks to Iridium'sglobal coverage.

The BlueTraker system createsAutomatic Position Reports (APR), thatinclude the identity, position and time anddate of the ship, which can be reportedevery 15 minutes.

It operates by connecting the transceiv-er to a power source via a standard cable,and can submit transceiver details uponrequest from a flag state data centre.

The company began taking orders forthe system on September 1 2008, for deliv-ery from October.

Iridium-based LRIT transponder launched

BlueTraker's Iridium-based LRIT unit

www.jeppesen.com

Jeppesen Marine has launched a newupdating service that can transmit Noticesto Mariners, new charts and new charteditions to ships at sea via the internet,called C-MAP Updating Service Online+.

The service will be available to JeppesenMarine's C-MAP Professional+ and C-MAP ENC chart database subscribers.

Using Jeppesen's C-MAP CM-93/3compression format, the system can com-press large amounts of navigational data toa size more suited to online transmission.

Ships will need to download approxi-mately 6 MB to 9 MB of data per week (forglobal coverage) for the C-MAP ENCdatabase, and less for C-MAPProfessional+.

"The significance of this new service isthat ships can update their chart data withthe same reliability as the updates distrib-uted on a DVD, without the trouble ofarranging delivery of the DVD to the ship,"said Willy Zeiler, marketing and communi-cations manager, Jeppesen Marine.

"Any subscribers to either of our chartservices with a high-speed connection tothe internet, such as FleetBroadband,VSAT or wireless, will be able to beginusing this free of charge. With easierupdating, crews are more likely to navi-gate by up-to-date charts, which con-tribute to improved navigation and saferoperations."

C-MAP chart subscribers can down-load the software application from thewebsite www.c-map.no.

Online update service from Jeppesen

McMurdo is renowned as a world leading manufacturer ofmarine safety equipment for both SOLAS and non-SOLASFishing vessels, providing a range of distress beacons andsafety equipment for both crew and vessel.

www.mcmurdo.co.uk

Be safe. Be found. EMERGENCY LOCATION BEACONS

McMurdo, Silver Point, Airport Service Road, Portsmouth, PO3 5PB UK Tel: +44 (0)23 9262 3900 Fax: +44 (0)23 9262 3998 [email protected]

R1 WATERPROOFHANDHELD VHFRADIODesigned specifically tomeet worldwidelegislation, and exceedsthe demanding IMOrequirements for GMDSSsurvival craft radios. It is100% waterproof anddesigned to cope withthe toughest marineenvironments.

R2 HANDHELDGMDSS VHF RADIOThe R2 GMDSS fullyfeatured 19 channel VHFradio is built to meet thelatest stringent IMO,GMDSS and ETSIstandards, this reliableand easy to use radio is100% waterproof.

NAV-7 TRI CHANNELPROFESSIONALCOLOUR NAVTEXNAV-7 supports reception ofall three NAVTEX frequencies;the 518 KHz Englishlanguage service,490 KHz nationallanguage and4209.5 KHz longrange services.

CommercialShipNet is represented by six regional offices located in Oslo, London,Norwalk, Dubai, Singapore and Tokyo. The offices are headed by a RegionalManager reporting to the Managing Director and playing an active role in theShipNet management team.

Each Regional Manager runs a team made up of Sales Managers andImplementation Consultants. These teams are the key resources responsiblefor the management and development of all aspects of ShipNet’s relationswith our customers and the market.

We are inviting applications for the following positions:

• Regional Managers – located in Tokyo, London & Oslo

• Sales and Account Managers – located in Houston, Rio de Janeiro,Athens, Hong Kong, Singapore, Oslo, Hamburg, Rotterdam, London &Copenhagen

• Implementation Consultants – we are looking to expand our pool of resources with shipping professionals offering specialist knowledge withinone or several of the following disciplines: Financial Management;Commercial Management; Procurement; Safety & Documentation;Planned Maintenance

Multiple Positions available in all regional offices

Improving Business Processes

A MEMBER OF THE INCHCAPE SHIPPING SERVICES GROUP

TEAM UP WITH THE MARITIMEINDUSTRY’S STRATEGIC PARTNER

More information on ShipNet, the positions and how to apply can be found at www.shipnet.no

ShipNet is the strategic partner and global provider of ERP solutions to the world’s largest and most progressive shipowners, charterers, operators and ship managers.

We are embarking on a bold and exciting expansion, that will see a higher range and quality of services offered to the maritime industry. Highly qualified and motivated team players are the basis for our expansion, so we are looking for the right kind of people to fill the following positions.

OperationsShipNet Operations is responsible for QA, Global Customer Support, BestPractice Methodologies, System Documentation, Data Services and VesselCommissioning.

The department is headed by our Operations Director reporting directly tothe Managing Director and comprises of nine Operations Managers workingwith a pool of Business Analysts in Chennai, India. This pool of BusinessAnalysts will be operated on a job-rotation basis, enabling and securing thehighest level of professionalism in QA, Support and Best Practice deliverymethods. We are expanding our team in Chennai to a total of 30 BusinessAnalysts and are seeking candidates with experience and exposure in oneor several of the following business areas: Financial Management; Commercial Management; Procurement; Safety & Documentation;Planned Maintenance; Crewing & HR.

We are also seeking candidates for the following managerial positions:

• QA Manager – located in Chennai, India

• Support Manager – located in Chennai, India

We are launching a new Disbursement Management outsourcing serviceand are seeking qualified staff for the following positions:

• DA Executive – located in Chennai, India

Research & Development ShipNet R&D is responsible for the development of all ShipNet systems and applications and is structured into dedicated functional teams working in specificbusiness disciplines and product lines. We are looking for team leaders that bring with them experience of development and design of maritime ERP systems.

• .Net Team Leaders – Financial, Commercial, Procurement, Safety & Documentation, Planned Maintenance, Crewing & HR – located in Chennai, India

• .Net Developers – located in Chennai, India

Digital Ship


II t is safe to say that continuous devel-opment of IT systems and communica-tions technology is creating the poten-

tial for greater safety and efficiencies in theoperation of modern commercial vessels.Immediate navigational information can beoverlaid and cross-referenced on a singlescreen, while faster and more powerfulsatellite communications and software sys-tems allow the ship's master to be backedup by support teams operating on-shore.

Studies by Det Norske Veritas (DNV)into the use of electronic chart displayinformation systems (ECDIS), presentedto IMO as part of the protracted discus-sions of a mandatory carriage requirementof the charting technology, are a primeexample - DNV's figures, for a variety ofships on a number of different worldwideroutes, showed that groundings could bereduced by more than one-third if ECDISwas fitted.

However, the key word inthis debate points to the rea-son why, despite all of ouradvances, accidents still hap-pen - and that word is 'poten-tial'. While technology has the'potential' to improve condi-tions, at the end of the day it isthe humans on board thattake the critical decisions andact based on the informationavailable.

How these people workwith the onboard technologywill be key to unlocking the'potential' advances thisequipment promises.

Captain George Sandberg, professorand director of nautical science simulationat the US Merchant Marine Academy, isright at the front line in this regard, work-ing to try and help tomorrow's seafarersgain the maximum situational advantagefrom the tools at their disposal - and headmits that this is not always easy.

"We've certainly been faced with thechallenge of new equipment in seafarereducation," he told us. "GPS has become

very important, ECDIS is coming on line,ECS, NAVTEX, AIS, Integrated BridgeSystems."

"Even Position Prediction Displays arestarting to pop up on the market, these aredisplays that can project the ship's posi-tion based on its manoeuvring characteris-tics, using real-time wind, tidal and cur-rent information fed into a computer."

Introducing these new technologies to

bright young cadets can be difficult, notleast because the academies themselveshave to re-evaluate their approach totraining as the onboard environment con-tinues to change.

"This is all new stuff, and we may havebeen caught a little off-guard," said CaptSandberg. "However, we did have someadvance warning."

"Back in 1990 the maritime administra-tion in the US, together with SNAME, had

a 'ship of the future' conference and in thenavigation session it was said that naviga-tion systems would be integrated with'easy to read, inter-switchable displays,which require minimal training'."

"At the human factors session it wassaid that ships of the future would useautomated systems and would requirecrew members with 'relatively high levelsof technical competence and certification

in multiple fields, as well as significantlyhigher levels of specific training'. I thinkthey probably hit it right on the nose."

The argument, in 1993, that technologywould require the mariner's basic skills toevolve, is apparent today in the approachthat modern cadets are taking to their sea-farer training.

"I think, in 2008, that many marinershave embraced the new technologies anduse it routinely," said Capt Sandberg. "Iteach cadets, and after a year at sea theycome back and they're reporting that theships' crews do embrace this technologyand use it widely on board."

"Advanced navigation systems arebeing fitted and used aboard ships at arate faster than best practices are estab-lished. Many ships today are using ECDISroutinely, but the best practice for the useof that equipment has not really beenestablished."

"Do the majority of today's marinersknow how to use this new equipmenteffectively or correctly? And, of even moreconcern, due to self-teaching, do they real-ly understand the capabilities of theequipment, or do they have misunder-standings of how to use it?"

"At the (US) Merchant MarineAcademy the class of 2012 has justentered. In 2012 ECDIS will be required onsome types of vessels, and in 2013 it'll berequired on most commercial vessels, sowe're really working with officers that aregoing to be manning vessels where thatequipment is required. It's important thatwe don't wait until 2012 to change the cur-riculum, we must do it right now."

To support this point, Capt Sandbergreferences a comment made by Dr BarryStrauch of the US NTSB at a NauticalInstitute / USMMA Seminar on BridgeResource Management earlier this year,where Dr Strauch said that: "Traditionaltraining primarily ensures familiarity,overlooks proficiency, and overlooksmost challenges presented by highly auto-mated systems."

As integrated bridge systems grow in popularity, and ECDIS is set to become a mandatory requirement, onboard technology is increasing the tools available to modern mariners. These tools, however,

are only useful to a seafarer that is comfortable with their operation. Captain George Sandberg, of the US Merchant Marine Academy, told Digital Ship about the training challenge of technology

Technology and the training challenge

with the new JUE-250 FleetBroadband FB250, users can make voice calls while simultaneously maintaining one or more high-speed data connections, providing a significant improvement in operational efficiency and in the convenience for officers and crew

one of the most innovative and useful aspects is that existing users with a JUE-33 Fleet 33 installed onboard need only to replace the below deck unit to upgrade to the JUE-250 FleetBroadband FB250– keeping the same antenna and same cabling that is already installed on the vessel

since 1915

visit www.jrc.co.jp to find out more

Maritime academies are facing the challenge of teaching cadets on a range of new equipment


ELECTRONICS & NAVIGATION

"Having been involved in maritimetraining with cadets for the past 18 years, Ithink I'd have to agree with him," saidCapt Sandberg. "We do not get into thebasic technology at an early level."

"These young people are computer lit-erate, and they grasp the concepts veryquickly, but they really don't have the fullunderstanding of the capabilities of thesystems they're using. They can figure outhow to use it, but don't understand all theproblems that are involved with it."

"I think it's important that we, as edu-cators, identify the new knowledge andskills that must be accomplished. I don'tthink we've done that fully yet, we need tohave a basic knowledge of understandingan individual's needs to fully understandhow to use ECDIS - not just how to oper-ate it but the full capabilities of that pieceof equipment."

New skillsOne area of concern that Capt Sandbergpoints to is the relevance of traditionaltraining techniques in a changing world.While many or most basic skills must stillbe mastered regardless of the technology,he believes that the methods throughwhich this knowledge is imparted andtested need to be updated and supple-mented with the latest systems.

"We need major restructuring of the cur-riculum to include this knowledge and theseskills, and the sequencing of prerequisitecourse at maritime institutions is absolutelynecessary," Capt Sandberg explained.

"At the MMA one of the last courseswe taught was radar, it was viewed as akind of a capstone course. Now we'regoing to move it up to the freshman yearas part of an electronics course that leadsup to the Bridge Resource Managementcourse. We've had to change the sequenc-ing of the curriculum to keep up with thetechnology."

However, it is not only cadets who areaffected by this training challenge, notedCapt Sandberg.

"Officers serving at sea will also needtraining to acquire these knowledge andskills," he told us. "For many serving at seanow, this new equipment is being putonboard with very little training at all."

"Five year license renewals shouldinclude certification on new equipmentnot recertification of old skills, some ofwhich are no longer in use. I just renewedmy licence for the tenth time, and I justrecertified my radar certificate for thetenth time. That recertification requiredme to demonstrate skills that were exactlythe same as the same skills I did the veryfirst time."

"Over that five-year licence renewalperiod, look at what new technology hasbeen put on the bridge of the ship - that'swhat officers need to be certified on, noton something that is old."

One technology that could relieve someof these immediate training pressureswould be the introduction of an 'S-mode',a default standard mode for marine equip-ment currently in the early stages of devel-

opment at the IMO level, and backed bythe Nautical Institute, among others.

With S-mode, any particular type ofequipment, for example an ECDIS, wouldhave to come fitted with a button thatwould cause the system to revert to a stan-dard functional display when pressed.This display, and the information withinit, would be identical across all brands ofthat equipment, regardless of the manu-facturer of the system in question.

This would allow any person using thatECDIS, if they were unfamiliar with the

display they were faced with on a new vessel, for instance, to revert to a standard set-up with which they wouldhave had prior experience and training,if required. This would also give themtime to get comfortable with the featuresof the particular equipment at morerelaxed moments.

"We've heard a lot about S-mode interms of how pilots will be able to use it regardless of the ship, or when newcrew come on board they can use it, and Iagree with that," said Capt Sandberg. "Butfrom a training point of view I think it'svery important."

"We have an ECDIS lab at the MMA,like most schools do, but most schoolscan't afford a full-blown laboratory withevery type of ECDIS that's out there. Aswell as not being able to afford it, thereisn't time in the curriculum to teach every-body about every type of equipment."

"Within the US, the passing grade fornavigation subjects is 90 per cent. If youthink that electronic charting is replacingterrestrial navigation, I think that our stu-dents really need to be trained to the 90per cent level in the use of the electroniccharting systems."

"If there was an S-mode out there wecould do that fairly easily, because itwould be standard. We could train themto a very high level in the S-mode, andwhen they left the academy and sailed ontheir first ship they can continue on afterthat and learn the particular type of equip-ment that it has."

Wherever you navigate. We are with you. Integrated Bridge Systemby Raytheon Anschütz

Upon pressing a single softkey, the radar shows the “no go areas”. It never was easier to fi nd out the pro-per course change to avoid danger – a milestone for your safety at sea.

'Most schools can't afford a full-blownlaboratory with every type of ECDIS' -

Capt George Sandberg, USMMA

Digital Ship


Information overloadOne of the persistent arguments againstthe introduction of new bridge technolo-gies is the possibility of distraction causedby 'information overload', something thatCapt Sandberg has had plenty of experi-ence with in the training field.

"There is so much information on thebridge of a ship now, all with the intent ofmaking navigation moresafe," he said.

"However, there's only somuch that an individual canreally comprehend and effec-tively process, especiallyunder pressure or fatigued,or under unfavourable envi-ronmental conditions.Information overload can beconfusing, and cause delayin the performance of neces-sary actions."

"I'm working with cadetsthese days who think theyneed to call every ship outthere just because they knowthat ship's name. This has ledto a delay in taking action,the rules of the road do notcall for you to talk to otherships before you take action."

Interested in learningmore about the subject ofinformation overload, CaptSandberg looked for aca-demic studies into the phe-nomenon that might helphim to understand how thiscan affect the work of bridgeteams, and their training.

"I looked for a maritimestudy about informationoverload and I couldn't findone, but I did find one thatwas done by the military,looking at the performanceof a control commander, thepeople in charge of theguns," he told us.

"They did a study withtwo groups, one group had aresource-rich environment,all of the bells and whistles,everything that was techno-logically available. The sec-ond group was resourcepoor. They had everythingthey needed to do the job,but not all of the extra bellsand whistles."

"They found out that theresource rich group were lessable to prioritise informa-tion, they would spend timelooking at minor thingsrather than being able to pri-oritise what's important.Information inspection tookprecedence, they spent moretime looking at the informa-tion than trying to takeaction. They found that theamount of strategic thoughtcan be greater in an underresourced environment. Thatis really a concern for mewhen we look at this newtechnology."

With these concerns inmind, Capt Sandberg points

out that he believes that technology isstill an asset to the maritime industry,but that the industry must be willing tochange and adapt to this new environ-ment, and create a balance between thenew skills and old traditions.

"I'm not against new technology by anystretch of the imagination, but I think it'schanging the role of the watchstander on

the bridge of the ship to that of a monitorof the equipment rather than being a deci-sion maker," he said. "The technology ismaking the decision for them."

"I think that will result, in the longterm, in the loss of the strategic planningskills necessary to navigate the ship safely.The old timers are going to have it, but thenew generation coming up, who have

been living with the new technology,might lose that basic strategic ability tomake those decisions because the machinehas done it for their whole career."

"Those are some of the challenges we'refacing as educators with new technologies."

Meeting those challenges will be a keystep in improving safety for the next gen-eration of mariners. DS

TT here appears to have been amarked increase in the number ofvoices raising concern about the

design of modern bridges. Much of this isbeing expressed very vocally by end usersand is certainly not just an attack by aca-demics working on cosy theories.

There is a feeling among users thatmaritime professionals are not beinginvolved in the user aspects of bridgedesign and that user interface decisionsare being made 'by young software engi-neers, who have never been to sea'.

It is felt that the statutory requirementson bridge design do not cover many of theareas that cause frustration, and that time-established conventions for layout andfunctionality are being changed at thewhim of designers with little knowledgeof what is established practice.

It is also considered that being builtdown to a cost is the major influence onmany designs, rather than being fit forpurpose. On many high value ships, suchas passenger vessels and chemical carriers,the bridge can form an almost insignifi-cant part of the total expense, but it is feltthat to save minimal fractional costs gooddesign is often neglected.

It is even being said that some newbridges are now worse than poor exam-ples of a few years ago. Sometimes evenbasic concepts have been ignored, such asbeing able to dim displays.

What went wrong?Perhaps one aspect of what has gonewrong is the increased number of newbuildings that have been going throughthe yards in recent years. This may haveled to experienced design teams being inshort supply.

Many suspect that continued cost cuttingedges out the experienced mariner, whowas traditionally a member of the team.

Another real problem is the much high-er complexity that is built into modernbridges. Traditional methods of access anddisplay are not necessarily consistent withthe extra functionality, and so the design-

er is often forced to incorporate changes tolong-established methods, which can beconfusing to the user.

Importantly, software controlledprocesses are much more common and acomputer style interface, complete with'qwerty' keyboard and display, can be eas-ier to design and cheaper to implement.

Its use, without appropriate training, isunlikely to be as immediately evident as asystem mainly comprised of dedicatedbuttons, switches and indicators.

Some modern bridges are extremelycommodious but it sometimes leads to thespace being used to put functions manymetres apart that should be close together.

Despite all this, there are some goodbridge designs, which are well thought outand should be a joy to use. Unfortunately,often because of very real practical difficul-

ties in staffing, many companies are notensuring that all operators have been ade-quately trained to use the bridge.

Almost inevitably, this also leads tocomplaints by bridge users that it has notbeen properly designed.

Legislation andstandards

As most people are aware, this is not anew problem and IMO has put effort intotrying to improve the situation.

SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 15(Principles relating to bridge design,design and arrangement of navigationalsystems and equipment and bridge proce-dures), introduced in 2000, should havebeen a major advance.

This Regulation is at a high level but itis clear as to its intentions. However, whatis not clear is how the vast majority of flagStates are ensuring that bridges complywith it.

The classification societies have led thethinking in bridge design for many years,more recently in combined efforts underIACS, the International Association ofClassification Societies.

In 2004 IACS submitted to the MaritimeSafety Committee of IMO a unified inter-

pretation for Bridge Design, Equipment,Arrangement and Procedures (BDEAP),based on Regulation 15. This has evolvedinto IACS Recommendation R95.

MSC noted that this document "...wouldbe a useful instrument to be applied for thepurpose of survey and certification untilthe time of delivery of the ship."

It also "...noted that the templates devel-oped by the European ATOMOS projectprovide an alternative approach to demon-strate compliance with SOLAS V/15."

Interestingly, MSC came to the conclu-sion "...that there was no need to developa new instrument to demonstrate compli-ance with SOLAS RegulationV/15."

R95 remains a recommendation andthere is no commitment by IACS membersto use it as a minimum standard. It has beenused as an input for the development ofIMO's recently adopted performance stan-dards for Integrated Navigation Systems,and likewise is being used in the ongoingwork on Integrated Bridge Systems

Unfortunately, at least in the foresee-able future, there is no likelihood that itwill become mandatory for these two stan-dards to be made applicable to all ships.

Bridge designMuch of the equipment comprising abridge is type approved. This means that aunit, such as an ECDIS, has been designedto conform to a detailed technical stan-dard firmly based on IMO performancestandards. The performance of a sampleunit is independently checked and a typeapproval certificate is issued.

The bridge designer has to incorporatea mix of type approved units and othersubsystems into a logical, systematic andpractical layout that meets IMO visibilitycriteria from the conning position.

The non type approved functionalitycan include many switches, indicatorsand displays that are often the subject ofmuch criticism concerning their place-ment and appearance.

Even type approved equipment causesproblems as procurement can just follow'the best deal'. In the worst case, this endsup with equipment from a number of dif-ferent manufacturers, even when formingone major subsystem, such as navigation.

This results in a variety of differentways of control and access of informationbetween the separate units, which cancause confusion to the operator.

More generally, there are 'islands of

integration', where there is some continu-ity across major subsystems but not acrossthe whole bridge. Few bridges feel totallyintegrated in use.

Poor bridge design contributes to oper-ator confusion and fatigue - and thesestates can clearly lead to accidents.

According to a 2008 report from theInternational Union of Marine Insurance,major or partial losses have increased by270 per cent during the last decade. Muchof the rise in accidents has been due toincreased instances of human error.

There are a number of reasons thatcould contribute to this rise, but poorbridge design is potentially one of them.

Next stepsFlag States should be closely monitoringuser experiences. If they confirm that thereis a growing concern with some modernbridges the flag State is theoretically in thebest position to help sort the problems.

In particular, they need to confirm thatmodern bridges under their flag meet therequirements of SOLAS V/15. If not theyshould demand changes.

Unfortunately, it is a sad state of affairsthat many flag States do not have theexpertise or the resources to be able toproperly check this out.

It would therefore be in the huge interestof seafarers and the environment if the clas-sification societies could agree that all newbridges were properly designed to meetSOLAS V/15, as demonstrated by the appli-cation of R95 or the ATOMOS templates.

Seafarers do need to make sure thattheir concerns are being heard by influen-tial bodies. If the company will not listenthey should seek assistance from their pro-fessional institute or union. Their concernswill be taken very seriously and, if neces-sary, totally confidentially.

There is no doubt there are bad bridgesbut there is also no doubt that there areinadequately trained seafarers. Manycompanies still assume that bridge staffcan move from ship to ship with little orno familiarisation of the equipment.

The volatility of bridge staffing doescreate huge problems in ensuring ade-quate training but just because it is diffi-cult does not remove the requirements.

Companies are very good at ensuringthat staff have the appropriate qualifica-tions as laid down by STW, but the need forfamiliarisation on safety-related equipmentrequired under ISM is often neglected.

The changes in bridge technologies available in recent years has been vast, and integrated bridge systemshave brought an unprecedented amount of data into the navigator’s situational consciousness.

In spite of this, many criticisms remain over the design of vessel bridges, and their lack of usability. Dr Andy Norris looks at some of the factors that have influenced bridge design

Laying the blame for bridge design


ELECTRONICS & NAVIGATION

Many companies are not ensuring that all operators have been adequately trained to usethe bridge (Photo: Flensburger-Schiffbaugesellschaft)

Dr Andy Norris has been well-known in the maritime navigation industryfor a number of years. He has spent much of his time managing high-technavigation companies but now he is working on broader issues within thenavigational world, providing both technical and business consultancy tothe industry, governmental bodies and maritime organizations. Email: [email protected]

DS