TECHNOLOGY - NAVAIDS SAM's NACOS IV IBS' is fitted on board Fisher's Speciality. designers seek to provide a full field of vision to the operator, also focussing on the displays, on careful design of alarm systems, and to give a recognisable look and feel between different subsystems. These all help the operator make the right decisions when in a stressful situation. The Company has recently delivered the first of four systems ordered by Samsung and Hyundai for incorporation on the QatarGas vessels, which are being constructed for the QSG/QGII expansion project. QatarGas is the first company to purchase the K- Bridge solution. The total value of the four systems is said to be worth approximately $3.2 mill. The first of the systems successfully passed its factory acceptance tests in South Korea, last May. Another company that works comfortably with DNV NAUT-OC notation, and the more extensive AW notation, is SAM Electronics of Hamburg. The company's latest Series 5 range of navigation and command systems (NACOS) is available in nine configurations. They all feature a fully integrated radar, and electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS) with interactive on-screen highresolution displays. The latest NACOS also forms an integral part of SAM Electronics' new series of Ship Control Centre (SCC) total bridge assemblies, which was introduced at the SMM Exhibition last September. The SCCs combine navigation, communication, propulsion control and alarm monitoring functions through a series of newly designed 23-inch flatscreen monitors that can also be provided in a retractable design. Comprising a standardised package of common hardware and software, which can be adapted to the individual requirements of ship operations, they significantly reduce engineering costs at the point of installation. According to a company spokesperson, it meets the growing requirements from the shipyards for a proven singlesource supply of turnkey bridge systems. To date, SAM Electronics has commissioned over 150 NACOS systems. SAM is participating in the EU-supported Design, Operation and Regulation for Safety (SAFEDOR) project, and as a result, the company anticipates further design refinements in its NACOS components. SAFEDOR was launched in 2005 with Germanischer Lloyd as project co-ordinator. It is the single largest maritime safety programme to be funded by the EU, which has contributed 12 of the Eur20 mill budget; the remaining sum is being met by the consortium of 53 partners drawn from all sectors of the European maritime industry. The four-year SAFEDOR project advocates a risk-based approach to maritime safety, wherein safety is regarded as a basic design objective rather than as a constraint. SAM Electronics is a member of the SAFEDOR project steering committee, and is making a direct contribution involving the development of new safety-critical energy distribution networks, as well as technical and ergonomic improvements to bridge layouts. The work will involve replacing switches and local area networks with a single programmable logic controller, and touch-screen panel for direct control. In May last year, the UK's Kelvin Hughes confirmed that it had fitted bridge systems certified to DNV NAUT-AW onboard two SAM's new Ship Control Centre (SCC) total bridge assembly. vessels, the Stena Arctica, and SCF Baltica, both being built at Hyundai Heavy Industries Ulsan shipyard in Korea. The two 113,600dwt ice strengthened crude oil tankers were fitted with Manta IBS with multifunction workstations, operating on a dual redundant CanBus network. As defined by the notation AW, the bridge is equipped with a grounding avoidance system. The officer of the watch is able to perform all the bridge functions pilot station to pilot station under normal operating conditions. ERGOPOD controls were fitted to the navigator's chairs. ERGOPODS is Kelvin Hughes' patented user machine interface with its display systems, utilising a tracker ball and three buttons. Although the interface is usually mounted on a desktop, and can be used to control a variety of systems including radar, ECDIS, and HAP, it was in this case installed in the navigators chair arm, and enabled the office of the watch to select and remotely operate any of the displays. The facility is particularly useful in rough sailing conditions, allowing the navigator to remain seated while carrying out his job. The development of IBSs or SSCs, as they are also known, is in a state of continuous evolution, differing in the equipment that is installed, the technology used, and in layout. New technologies will enter the market place and be adopted by some manufacturers and passed over by others in favour of an alternative concept, and as Brian Sherwood of Process Contracting Limited wrote, in the September 2004 issue of Lloyd's Register's Horizons magazine, 'The scale of this variation means that a fully prescriptive approach to the installation and integration of new systems is not achievable, so safe and effective operation will depend on vigorous risk assessments, supported by sound ergonomic criteria.' TO 34 TANKER<strong>Operator</strong> • March 2007
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