Digital Ship

June/July 2011Maersk Tankers to deployCommBox on 70 vesselsMaersk Tankers is to install KVH’s CommBox network management technologyon 70 vessels in its fleet, taking the total number of its vesselsemploying the system to 120Maersk Tankers is to installthe CommBox communicationsmanagement systemfrom KVH aboard 70 vessels.This group of 70 ships is in additionto 50 existing CommBoxequippedvessels that joined theMaersk fleet following its acquisitionof Broström tankers in 2010.The system will be used on the120 vessels for least cost routingand to coordinate file transfers,e-mail, and internet access for bothbusiness and crew use."Maersk Tankers is the largestproduct tanker owner in the world,and as such, they recognise the needfor dynamic network managementonboard commercial vessels," saidMorten Aasen, managing director ofKVH Norway AS."The CommBox is the right solutionfor these vessels – it will allowMaersk captains and IT managers toclosely monitor use of each vessel’sonboard satellite communicationsMaersk Tankers is to increase the number of vessels in the Groupusing the CommBox to 120. Photo: Maersksystems, ensuring good performanceat a reduced cost.""With the CommBox QuickWeband QuickCrew software modules,internet access increases, which benefitscrews in their leisure time. Inaddition, crews get floating e-mailaccounts that will travel with themeven if they switch vessels."AcquisitionThe CommBox was originally developedby Norwegian company Virtek,which was acquired by KVH inSeptember 2010 for $6.5 million.Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVHCEO, said at the time of the acquisitionthat he believed “the capabilitiesoffered by Virtek’s CommBox technology(would) complement andexpand the comprehensive satellitecommunication concept that is at theheart of the TracPhone V7 and mini-VSAT Broadband solution.”At that time Virtek was supplyingthe technology to approximately 50different shipping companies, primarilybased in Scandinavia and NorthernEurope, with about 700 vessels installedand estimated revenues for 2010 ofbetween $2 million and $3 million.Since that deal however, and afterannouncing this new deal withMaersk, KVH has been able to confirmthat it has now increased thisnumber of units in the market bycontinued on page 2IN THIS ISSUEsatcomsInmarsat to introduce 9 voicechannels on FleetBroadband – 2Modern communicationsat Bernhard SchulteShipmanagement – 10VSAT at Spliethoff– Fair Service fora Fair Price – 14Swire Pacific Offshore – satcomsfor ‘Generation Y’ – 17software‘Shocking’ hazardtraining modulelaunched – 21Shell begins use of electroniccargo documents – 24FLAGSHIP maritime technologyproject draws to a close – 28electronics andnavigationKelvin Hughes and Consilium signtype-specific CBT agreements – 30ECDIS – isolatedunderwater dangers –Dr Andy Norris – 34© 2009 DUALOG AS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.“One Unique Interface”- Pietro Amorusi, Chief Information Officer, d'Amico Società di Navigazione S.p.A.From its headquarters in Rome, d’Amico Società di Navigazione S.p.A. operatesmore than 40 cargo ships in a worldwide trade. The ships are equipped with acombination of Inmarsat Fleet, FleetBroadband and VSAT systems.“We faced numerous challenges managing our ships due to the diversifiedcommunication structure. Dualog Connection Suite is a single and uniqueinterfacing tool.” says Pietro Amorusi, CIO of d’Amico. “The new solution hasdirectly improved our efficiency and, it saves us money.”www.dualog.com(+47) 77 62 19 00 or sales@dualog.com

SATCOMS NEWSVol 11 No 9Digital Ship Limited2nd Floor,8 Baltic Street EastLondon EC1Y 0UP, U.K.www.thedigitalship.comPUBLISHERStuart FryerEDITORRob O'Dwyer: Tel: +44 (0)20 7017 3410email: odwyer@thedigitalship.comDEPUTY EDITORJulie Ann Chan. Tel: +44 (0) 20 7017 3414email: julie@thedigitalship.comCONFERENCE PRODUCERSKarl Jeffery: Tel: +44 (0)20 7017 3405email: jeffery@thedigitalship.comCathy Hodge: Tel +44 (0) 20 7253 2700email: cathy@thedigitalship.comADVERTISINGRia Kontogeorgou: Tel: +44 (0)20 7017 3401email: ria@thedigitalship.comPRODUCTIONVivian Chee: Tel: +44 (0)20 8995 5540email: chee@thedigitalship.comEVENTSDiana Leahy EngelbrechtTel: +44 (0)118 931 3109email: diana@thedigitalship.comCONSULTANT WRITERDr Andy Norris (navigation)apnorris@globalnet.co.ukDIGITAL SHIP SUBSCRIPTIONSGBP £150 per year for 10 issuesSubscribe online atwww.thedigitalship.comor contact Stephan Venter onventer@thedigitalship.com,tel +44 (0)20 7017 3407UPCOMING CONFERENCESDIGITAL SHIP SINGAPORESuntec Convention Centre, Singapore18 - 19 October 2011DIGITAL SHIP KOREA28 October 2011DIGITAL SHIP ATHENSAthens Metropolitan, Athens22 - 23 November 2011DIGITAL SHIP TURKEY1 December 2011Printed byThe Manson Group LtdReynolds House, 8 Porters' WoodValley Road Industrial EstateSt Albans, Hertz AL3 6PZ, U.K.No part of this publication may be reproducedor stored in any form by anymechanical, electronic, photocopying,recording or other means without theprior written consent of the publisher.Whilst the information and articles inDigital Ship are published in good faithand every effort is made to check accuracy,readers should verify facts and statementsdirect with official sources beforeacting on them as the publisher canaccept no responsibility in this respect.Any opinions expressed in this magazineshould not be construed as thoseof the publisher.continued from page 1approximately 40 per cent, havingcompleted the shipment of its 1,000thCommBox.The company regards this to be a significantmilestone and part of a trend ofincreasing integration of on board IT networksand shipboard communications asa result of advanced mobile satellite communicationstechnology.“KVH is committed to providing thebest, most flexible, and most reliable satellitecommunications products and servicesfor our customers, and the CommBox isan integral part of our end-to-end line ofinformation technology and communicationssolutions,” says Mr Aasen.“The demand for this highly customisableonboard IT manager has been growingsteadily since its release, and we’requite pleased to be shipping our 1,000thunit with that demand still going strong.”“Clearly, the CommBox is the preferredsolution for fleet IT managers in need ofconvenient integration of onboard networkswith satellite communications services,and we are committed to keeping itthat way.”37cm VSATApart from its recent success with theCommBox, KVH has also announced thatit has completed the first shipments of itsnew TracPhone V3 system, a Ku-bandmaritime VSAT antenna measuring only37 cm in diameter.The company says that the units willarrive at their first owners' vessels completewith newly granted commerciallicence authority from the US FederalCommunications Commission (FCC).The new licence builds upon KVH'sexisting earth station onboard vesselSingTel launches second commercial satellitewww.singtel.comSingapore Telecommunications Limited(SingTel) has announced the launch of thecompany’s second satellite, ST-2.ST-2 is almost twice as powerful as ST-1, SingTel’s first satellite, which waslaunched in 1998 and which will eventuallybe replaced by ST-2.The new satellite, which was built byMelco, is a joint venture between SingTeland Chunghwa Telecom and will provide20 per cent more transponder capacity anda wider coverage footprint than ST-1.SingTel has an approximately 62 percent share in the joint venture, whileChunghwa Telecom owns the remaining38 per cent. ST-2 will have a wide-rangingfootprint of C-band and Ku-bandcoverage that will cover the Middle East,Central Asia, the Indian sub-continentand South East Asia.The wider footprint is expected to offercustomers in the maritime industry accessto satellite communications over largerareas while out at sea. The satellite willalso offer switching capabilities to meetthe demands of different regions.“This is an exciting milestone forSingTel and Singapore,” says Ms ChuaSock Koong, group CEO, SingTel.“Satellite services play an importantrole in SingTel's overall vision for the corporatebusiness market, enabling us tolead and shape key markets such as themaritime, oil & gas, media & broadcastand logistics industries.”“ST-2 will enhance our ability to offerbusinesses such as shipping companiesand DTH operators a one-stop ICT experiencethat will empower them to stay aheadof the competition.”The ST-2 satellite will provide a wider coverage footprint for SingTel’s satellite services(ESV) licence for the mini-VSATBroadband satellite communications serviceand 60 cm TracPhone V7 antenna.“This approval for the TracPhone V3means that all mini-VSAT Broadband subscriberscan enjoy 100 per cent FCCapproved,licensed service regardless ofwhich TracPhone antenna they choose,”said Mr Kits van Heyningen.“KVH's legal team has worked diligentlywith countries around the world toensure that our mini-VSAT Broadbandnetwork meets or exceeds their nationalrequirements, and receiving an FCC ESVlicense for the TracPhone V3 is an integralpart of that ongoing effort.”“Mariners now have an outstandingnew option for an ultra-compactsatcom solution that is far more affordableand faster than L-band services likeInmarsat.”DSFleetBroadband tohave 9 voice channelswww.inmarsat.comInmarsat has announced the developmentof a multiple voice calling capability forFleetBroadband that will allow up to ninesimultaneous voice calls through a singleterminal.The company says that it plans to introducethis new capability in the fourthquarter of 2011.Becoming part of the standardFleetBroadband service, the multi-voicecapability will offer additional telephonelines, each with their own +870 telephonenumber, to support up to nine concurrentvoice calls.Inmarsat says that the service will workon existing FleetBroadband terminals withjust "minor modifications" needed,depending on the terminal."Ship owners and managers can nowaccess up to 9 telephone lines from a singleterminal, allowing them to assign telephonelines for specific requirements, and also tomore easily separate the business and operationalcommunications needs from thoseof the crew," said James Collett, seniordirector of maritime business at Inmarsat."We see this as being particularly beneficialfor crew communications."Inmarsat has also announced a date forthe commercial introduction of its newFleetPhone service, planned for 30th June2011.FleetPhone hardware will be producedby Beam Communications, which alsodeveloped Inmarsat’s IsatPhone Pro dockingunits. There will be two variants ofFleetPhone: the Oceana 800 and Oceana 400.The Oceana 400 is a below-deck unitwith an IP53 (rainproof) rated enclosure. Itfeatures a POTS/RJ11 interface, enablingfive standard corded/cordless phones orintegration to a PABX system.The Oceana 800 is an IP54 rated terminal,with integrated Bluetooth for voice communications,a colour LCD display for phonebookand SMS access, a side SIM port for theuse of temporary SIM cards, an active privacyhandset, and in-built speakerphone.In addition, the Oceana 800 terminalfeatures a dedicated internal GPS receiverthat can provide tracking and instant messagingwith a single button press.Digital Ship June/July 2011 page 2

SATCOMS NEWSVessel tracking available on Marlink VSATwww.marlink.comMarlink has introduced a new vesseltracking service for customers of itsWaveCall VSAT solution.Available as part of Marlink’sCustomer Portal service, the vessel trackingfunction allows WaveCall customersto identify the exact location of all activevessels in real-time.Status and communications statistics foreach vessel are available, so that positioningcan be identified and plotted at any giventime, with no on-board set up required.Users of the Portal can also access datasuch as bandwidth usage, terminal managementand support enquiries.“Vessel tracking has always been availableto customers of our high-end Sealinksolution and we have now introduced theservice for WaveCall customers so theyare able to manage their fleet more efficientlyby easily keeping track of each vessel’slocation,” said Tore Morten Olsen,CEO, Marlink.“Vessel tracking is one of a wide rangeof services available at our CustomerPortal, which is designed to offer vesseloperators and owners increased control oftheir satellite communications services.”In other news, Marlink has alsoannounced that it has reached an agreementwith Intellian Technologies wherebythe Korean company will become an officialsupplier of VSAT antennas to be usedin Marlink VSAT services.Intellian offers a range of VSAT communicationsand satellite TVRO antennas.“Marlink has been established formany years as a market leader in the provisionof satellite communication services,so we are delighted that they have selectedIntellian as one of their premium VSATantenna manufacturers,” said Eric Sung,president and CEO of Intellian.“Intellian prides itself in designingadvanced technical solutions that providethe constant and consistent communicationscapabilities that our customersdemand.”“Our relationship with Marlink willmean that an even wider customerbase will have access to our world leadingtechnology.”Both companies will be able to offer serviceand local support for customers globally.FleetBroadband tracker launchedVessels with Marlink’s WaveCall product can be tracked from shorevia the Customer PortalITC buys Broadpointwww.globalsatellite.usGlobal Satellite USA has introduced atracking system that integrates with theInmarsat FleetBroadband terminals manufacturedby Thrane & Thrane, SatLink,Glocom, and JRC.The GSAT Track FleetBroadbandTracker allows a ship to be tracked anywherein the world. The hardware requiresno additional power, just needing to beplugged into the FleetBroadband systemto begin transmitting position to a trackingplatform at GSatTrack.com.The tracker contains six status indicatorlights to display the current status of theterminal, and a single Ethernet port toplug into the Fleet Broadband.“Having listened to our customers, wewanted to develop an all-in-one packagethat provided broadband connectivityonto the boat and tracks it in one simplesolution,” said Martin Fierstone, CEO ofGlobal Satellite USA.“The FleetBroadband Tracker providesan excellent, easy-to-use IP connectionthat capitalises on functionality whenspace is a premium.”Indicator lights on the unit display thestatus of the tracking systemwww.itcglobal.netwww.broadpointinc.comITC Global reports that it has entered intoa definitive agreement to acquire the satelliteoperations of Broadpoint LLC, aprovider of VSAT and communicationsservices to the oil and gas sector in theGulf of Mexico.Broadpoint's satellite communicationsbusiness provides customers with managedcommunication services includingbroadband IP networking, MPLS, voiceover IP, real-time video and internetaccess.Its managed satellite communicationssolutions include stabilised, portable andfixed satellite communications servicessupported by its teleport and networkoperations centre located in Harahan,Louisiana.ITC Global's worldwide coverage footprintand support services will be avail-able to Broadpoint customers after theacquisition is completed, thoughBroadpoint will retain its core cellulartelecommunications business followingthe deal."Broadpint is a respected serviceprovider that has built a top-tier marketpresence and a track record of responsivesupport for demanding customer requirements,"said Joseph Spytek, vice presidentof business development for ITC Global."The acquisition supports ITC's strategicgoal of growing its already strongpresence in the global resource segmentin addition to providing a strong beachheadinto the Gulf of Mexico's oil and gasmarket for our customer base.""Our vision is to fully integrate theBroadpoint operations into ITC Globaland firmly establish ITC as one of a veryshort list of companies able to providefully managed networks on a truly globalscale."Satcom Direct has become aDistribution Partner for Inmarsat’ssatellite phone services, including theIsatPhone Pro.Alphatron Marine's PABXAlphaconnect 48 and 128 systems, and relevanttelephone sets, have been typeapproved for use on all ships and mobileoffshore units by DNV. The Alphaconnectproduct line is developed and produced atthe company’s own facilities in Denmark.Errol Olivier has been appointed aspresident and chief operating officer(COO) of MTN. Prior to joining MTN,Mr Olivier served as the president andCEO of Broadpoint, and was formerlypresident and COO of CapRockCommunications.Tom Eaton has been appointed as presidentof Harris’ global communicationsservices business. Mr Eaton served asHarris CapRock's global operationsofficer and formerly led the business' governmentdivision.Intellian has appointed Jon Harris assenior director of global sales & businessdevelopment. Mr Harris formerly managedthe European sales and service operationof another satellite communicationssystems provider, and has over 20 years’experience in the marine telecommunicationsfield.Intellian has also opened a sales andsupport office, Intellian B.V. in Rotterdam,Netherlands as part of its global expansionwithin marine markets. The new officewill be able to provide sales and technicalassistance to Intellian customers.Marlink has opened a new customersupport office in Stavanger. Based on theWest Coast of Norway, the new office willaccommodate Marlink’s field engineersand logistics personnel.Globe Wireless has appointed DonWamsley as the senior vice president ofcustomer care. Mr Wamsley previouslyworked for JDS Uniphase andHughes Network Systems.Telaurus has appointed GeoffDavison as product manager – valueaddedservices. Mr Davison joinsTelaurus with 20 years’ experience inelectronics, having spent the last 10 yearsat AND Group.Radio Holland Connect has beenawarded Gold Partner status under theInmarsat Connect Accreditation programmefor service providers. The companyoffers communications services fromInmarsat, Iridium and Thuraya, as well asVSAT connectivity.www.satcomdirect.comwww.alphatronmarine.comwww.mtnsat.comwww.harris.comwww.intelliantech.comwww.marlink.comwww.globewireless.comwww.telaurus.comwww.imtech.nlwww.inmarsat.comDigital Ship June/July 2011 page 4

SATCOMS NEWSMTN and ERZIA deploy RDS onSpanish research vesselwww.mtnsat.comwww.erzia.comMTN Satellite Communications (MTN)and ERZIA, a provider of VSAT maritimecommunications in Spain, have jointlyannounced the installation of MTN’sRapid Deployment System (RDS) on theSpanish research vessel BIO Hesperides.The RDS solution enables offshoreenergy vessels to establish voice and datacommunications using a temporaryturnkey Ku-band satellite connection andVSAT equipment. The RDS is designed toprovide VSAT communications on a temporarybasis to vessels that require remotebroadband access.The Spanish vessel, bound for the lastsegment of a Spanish National ResearchCouncil-led Malaspina expedition, neededrapid deployment of a temporary broadbandsatellite communications solutionfor the voyage. MTN/ERZIA says that itsteam subsequently managed to install theRDS within one day.“The solution from MTN is essential formeeting the Malaspina expedition's objectives,”says Jordi Sorribas, CTO of Unidadde Tenologia Marina.“Broadband communications allow forus to conduct real-time transmission ofdata such as the vessel's position and altitude,as well as the depth of the ocean andits physical and chemical characteristics.”“We transmit this data direct to shorenow, instead of relying on an onboarddata-processing technical specialist to doso. And the entire system can be repairedand reconfigured remotely in case of anyfailure or needed operational changes.We can even have new software installedremotely as new demands for the projectemerge.”News of this new installation followedshortly after the official opening of a newteleport in Spain developed under a jointventure between MTN and ERZIA.The teleport will serve as a centralisedgateway for MTN's VSAT communicationswith coverage over the Americas,Europe, and Asia. The facility is located inSantander, in northern Spain.The new facility is one of the first inthe world to provide C- and Ku-bandcommercial service as well as X-bandservice for government customers at asingle location.The Santander teleport can see all of thesatellites in the GEO orbit from 60W to65E, covering a region from WesternAustralia to North America, theMediterranean Sea, and the Indian andAtlantic Oceans.“The combined resources of MTN andERZIA within the Santander teleport offerefficient and innovative managed networkingtechnologies from a new and farreaching international satellite gateway,”said Richard Hadsall, CTO at MTN.“Our intent is that this new facilitywill lift the whole industry to a far morecompetitive position by creating attractiveopportunities for not only MTN butfor Spanish and European serviceproviders, enterprise and even consumersubscribers.”FleetBroadband for 211 vessels in India and Germanywww.shipindia.comwww.harren-partner.dewww.stratosglobal.comsonnel and administration.Under its deal with Bremen-basedHarren & Partner Ship ManagementGmbH & Co. KG (H&P) Stratos reportsthat it is nearing completion of its deploymentof an integrated FleetBroadbandsolution, including several Stratos applications,on 55 commercial vessels.The deployment on the last 15 of theH&P vessels will include accountingauthority and point-of-activation services,as well as the AmosConnect CrewCommCenter, online Stratos Dashboardand Stratos ChatCards.To enhance internet security an encryptedVirtual Private Network (VPN) via IPSec hasbeen implemented between Stratos’ LandEarth Station in Burum, The Netherlandsand H&P’s corporate office in Bremen.H&P uses the encrypted VPN’s remotedial-in option from Bremen to connect to allits vessels providing direct access to eachFleetBroadband terminal, the system’s firewalland the captain’s computer system.H&P will use the data connection fornumerous onboard applications, includingplanned maintenance systems, purchasesystems and remote management.“In the design and implementation ofthis FleetBroadband network, Stratosdemonstrated its ability to customise anadvanced system to our precise requirements,”said Caspar Graf von Spee, H&Pdirector.“We appreciate being able to secure thistype of comprehensive solution – includingnew terminals, airtime, cost-containmentapplications, remote-access tools, our owne-mail domain and encrypted VPN tunnel –from a single provider.”Intellian announces 83cm Ku-band antennawww.intelliantech.comIntellian Technologies has announcedthat it is to release an 83cm 3-axis Kubandstabilised VSAT communicationsantenna, to begin shipping in September2011.The antenna will feature Intellian’sgyro-free satellite search algorithm,to find and lock ontothe satellite without using aseparate input from the vessel’sown gyro-compass.The company also says thatit has incorporated a "highergain performance design" toallow the v80G to increaseoperational dependability onthe edge of a signal footprint.The three-axis v80G hasunlimited azimuth, and usestwo cables between the v80G’sADU and BDU by combiningthe BUC power and TX signalinto one cable. The other cablecarries the RX signal.The antenna has an elevationrange from -15° to +110°,a maximum roll of +/- 25° andpitch of +/- 15°.Intellian has developed anAntenna Control Unit (ACU)for the v80G that supports Wi-Fi connectivityfor control and monitoring of thesystem. A Bluetooth Connection Moduleis also provided to connect directly withthe antenna dome.The antenna supports a range of BlockUp Converters (BUC) including NJRC 4w,8w, Codan 8w mini BUC.Intellian’s 83cm VSAT unit will begin shippingin September 2011Tesacom granted Iridium licence in PanamaThe Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) isto deploy an integrated FleetBroadbandsolution on its fleet of 156 vessels, whileHarren & Partner Ship Management ofGermany is to equip 55 ships with the satcomtechnology. Both companies have partneredwith Stratos on the new installations.SCI is India's largest shipping company,and will implement theFleetBroadband system in conjunctionwith Stratos’ AmosConnect 8 communicationsoftware, as well as introducingcrew communications via AmosConnectCommCenter and deploying the BlueOcean Wireless (BOW) GSM service.AmosConnect 8 integrates vessel andshore-based office applications, incorporatinge-mail, fax, telex, GSM text, interofficecommunication, and access for mobilepersonnel into one messaging system aswell as bringing ship-relevant data to acentral information page.AmosConnect Crew CommCenter provideseach crewmember with a separateaccount for calling, private e-mail andSMS at flat rates.SCI says it expects to deploy the internetcafé function of the system later this year,and that it hopes to improve crew welfareand promote crew retention as well asincrease productivity and control costs."In our ongoing mission to ensure optimalbusiness efficiency, crew productivityand cost control, we understand the criticalimportance of broadband connectivity,"said Kailash Gupta, SCI's director, perwww.tesacom.netwww.getdatacom.comCommunications provider Datacom hasannounced the launch of its new solutionfor electronic Notice of Arrival/Departure(eNOAD) compliance.eNOAD is a requirement by the UnitedStates Coast Guard (USCG), which obliges arepresentative (i.e. the captain or fleet operator)of a vessel to notify the USCG uponarrival and departure at the US border.Fulfilling this obligation, says Datacom,can create an administrative challenge,especially if vessels were not previouslyTesacom, a provider of telecommunicationsolutions in Latin America, hasannounced that the company has beengranted licences to provide Iridium voiceand data communications in Panama, thefirst company to have such a licence in thecountry.Tesacom has developed and certified aVKI Tesacom product, for use on theIridium global network, providing integratedvoice, data, e-mail and vessel monitoringsolutions for the Panamanian maritimesector.“This announcement reinforces thestrong relationship we have maintainedwith Iridium since 2007, as well as ourcommitment to the region,” said JoseSanchez Elia, CEO of Tesacom.“Acquiring this licence enables us toexpand the Iridium footprint, bringingadvanced voice and data communicationsinto Panama. Tesacom’s first-rate customerservice and after-sales service inSpanish, Portuguese and English, makesus uniquely qualified to serve end-customerswithin the region.”Datacom to launch eNOAD solutionrequired to carry a satcom system withaccess to the internet.As a result Datacom and KVH havejointly created a system for the workboatsector, incorporating KVH’s mini-VSATbroadband system using 60cm or 30cmantennas, and offering specialised rateplans.“This solution now makes it affordablefor vessels like tugs, barges, and fishingboats to get reliable broadband service,”said John Poindexter, CEO of Datacom.“There’s no better combination of size,speed, and coverage on the market today.”Digital Ship June/July 2011 page 6

SATCOMS NEWSPiracy calls on Iridium now free of chargewww.iridium.comwww.thrane.comAs part of its anti-piracy initiative Iridiumreports that it has made all calls from shipsequipped with its communications terminalsto the UK Maritime Trade Operations(UKMTO) centre free of charge, effectiveimmediately.The UKMTO office in Dubai is the primarypoint of contact between merchantshipping and naval forces patrolling thehigh piracy risk zone off the Somali coast.UKMTO has direct communication toall naval assets in the area and plays a keyrole in coordinating the naval responsewhen pirates board and attack ships.Under Iridium’s calling plan, all callsto the UKMTO +971 number will be connectedthrough the Iridium network freeof charge.“As a service to our important maritimecustomers, we strongly support theimprovement of communications for shipswho may encounter piracy,” said DanMercer, vice president and general manager,Europe, Middle East, Africa &Russia, Iridium.“Recognising that Iridium can providea critical communications lifeline in apotentially life-threatening situation, it isour responsibility to support the crew byremoving any barriers to free and opencommunication with authorities.”Iridium notes that it has been workingwith its partners to outfit an increasingnumber of ships with ‘citadels,’ wherecrews can take refuge and wait safelywhen pirates board.A key element in the citadel strategy isa stand-alone, secure communications linkto the outside world, so the crew can connectwith rescue operations.Thrane & Thrane has announced thelaunch of a non-SOLAS voice distresscalling system using FleetBroadband,via its ‘SAILOR 3771 Alarm PanelFleetBroadband’.Inmarsat says that the company’srecently launched Voice Distress (Non-SOLAS) Calling service provides full priorityaccess in both ship-shore and shoreshipcommunication in emergency situations,together with pre-emption for distresspriority calls initiated by activationof the ’red button’.The service is able to interrupt nonurgentcalls once the distress button hasbeen activated and give full priority tosubsequent emergency communications.A voice distress call from theFleetBroadband system will be connectedto an operator at an MRCC (MaritimeRescue Coordination Centre). EachInmarsat-4 satellite region has a nominatedMRCC; RCC Australia, RCC DenHelder (Netherlands) and RCC Norfolk(USA), which assesses the call and directsdetails to a suitable rescue co-ordinationcentre closer to the scene of the incident.The SAILOR 3771 Alarm PanelFleetBroadband has been designed for integrationwith Thrane & Thrane’s SAILOR150, 250 and 500 FleetBroadband terminalsand is the first system in the market to providethe Inmarsat Voice Distress (Non-SOLAS) calling functionality.“Inmarsat has, throughout its existence,strived to provide the broadest and mostefficient means of enabling the seafarer tomake contact with the appropriate authoritiesin times of distress or trouble,” saysPeter Blackhurst, head of maritime safetySeveral companies are now offeringcitadel communication packages with aconcealed external satellite antenna andcabling that cannot be easily disabled bythe pirates on the ship.“The anti-piracy patrol zone is solarge that naval forces are seldom able tocome to the aid of a vessel under attackbefore the pirates take over the ship,” saidMichael Capocchi, president and CEOof Beam Communications, one of thecompanies offering Iridium-based citadelsolutions.“It becomes difficult, if not impossible,for a rescue attempt to be made withoutendangering the lives of the hostages. Thisis why it is critically important for militaryauthorities to confirm that all crewmembersare safely barricaded inside thecitadel before any attempt can be made tostorm the ship.”Thrane & Thrane launches FB voice distress systemservices, Inmarsat.“The new voice distress service willenhance safety for any vessel where theoption is fitted to its FleetBroadband terminals.We are also working towardsbringing the system to the IMO in order toestablish it as a full part of GMDSS in thefuture.”The SAILOR 3771 has a ‘red button’ which will activate distress calling,with priority and pre-emption, on FleetBroadbandBroadband by Powerline for shipswww.gentay.co.ukBritish IT supplier Gentay has launched awireless network solution for vesselsusing ‘Broadband by Powerline’ (BPL)networking technology.Gentay says it has devised a system forestablishing a large, stable combination ofa wired and wireless network on board avessel, using power cables to carry networktraffic.The network system developed by thecompany was subsequently tested in collaborationwith Wallem Group, anddemonstrated during sea trials that theBPL technology was equal to conventionalnetworks with regards to speed, capacityand stability, according to Gentay.The aim of the technology is to removecertain disadvantages which Gentay hasidentified in the current wired or wirelessnetwork options usually used on board,such as time consumption in installation,and the expense or difficulties of repairingfaulty networks.“Low cost practical networking solutionswill open the door to many applicationsthat will be of great use to the maritimeindustry but have been unaffordablebecause of the prohibitive costs of installingthe required physical network on board,”said Martin Nygate, director of Gentay.Mr Nygate notes that IP CCTV could beone prime example of an application thatcould be easily installed and operatedusing the BPL system.Integrated FB andVSAT service fromTelemarwww.telemar.seTelemar has launched a new integratedVSAT and FleetBroadband service, namedSeaCall Duetto, offering global satelliteconnectivity for a fixed monthly fee.The service is managed via the TelemarOffice Connect onboard server, whichcontrols selection of the different systemsand the transfer of data between shipsand shore.This switching is done automatically,so the user does not have to manuallychoose the appropriate satellite communicationsoption for their particular location.Various communications optimisationoptions are also managed by this service.While the FleetBroadband service willcome into effect in areas where Ku-bandcoverage is unavailable, Telemar says that,in its overall experience testing the newservice, the vessels using the system onlyneeded to switch over from the VSAT fora few hours over a period of some months.Telemar also says that it will soon beoffering the Duetto product with a numberof additional optional extras, such asits SeaView IPTV@sea and Vision@seaservices.These applications allow crews to viewmultimedia content from PCs or TVs andallow officers to communicate via videocalling through the use of video-ondemandand secured satellite capacity.Modular maintenance contracts canalso be included with the satellite communicationspackage.Elektrikom toexpand VSATcapacitywww.vsat.euwww.telenorsbc.comTelenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc) hassigned an agreement with maritime VSATprovider Elektrikom for the provision ofsatellite capacity from its 1°West orbitallocation.Utilising capacity on TSBc’s IS 10-02Spot 1, Elektrikom will manage and deliverVSAT services throughout Europe."The additional capacity on IS 10-02Spot 1 will be used for maritime VSATservices, providing shipping vessels,specifically in the Mediterranean, withmuch needed capacity to support additionalbroadband communication services,demanded by crew to stay connected at alltimes, whilst at sea," said Andre Eerland,CEO of Elektrikom."This is the first contract we have signedwith TSBc and look forward to workingwith them in the very near future to growour capacity requirements at 1°West."TSBc says that its next satellite, THOR7, due to commence commercial service in2014, should also expand the satellite servicesavailable to maritime customers via itsnetwork.Digital Ship June/July 2011 page 8

Integrated communications at Port of AntwerpDigital Shipwww.portofantwerp.beThe Port of Antwerp has launched theAntwerp Port Community System(APCS), a collaborative venture providinga network of systems and solutions forelectronic communication in the supplychain.APCS is a project governed by theAntwerp Port Authority and Alfaport,covering the entire port, with the aim ofwww.vizada.comVizada has announced the launch ofVizada XChange, a new platform designedto provide a secure communications environmentthat integrates voice and broadbanddata for ship operations and crew.The platform supports data, voice,VoIP and local networks. The companyclaims that it enables ships to become ‘virtualmobile offices’ encompassing localarea networks and dynamic intranets foradministration and crew.Vizada XChange consists of a wall orrack mounted box component whichinterconnects on board IT with the corporatenetwork as well as a web portal. Theplatform incorporates voice, VoIP andbroadband data and is compatible withmaking the supply chains that interactwith the port more efficient, transparentand reliable.Various companies within the Antwerpport have, over the years, developed awide range of IT applications which havenow been brought together under APCSin an attempt to offer customers bettertransparency and efficiency in their supplychain.APCS, available for containers, break-Vizada launches XChangeother maritime communications connectivityservices (including InmarsatFleetBroadband, VSAT, etc.).Ship administrators can use the VizadaXChange portals to choose their connectivity,configure access for crew and captains,re-bill and split costs.“We’ve already seen some solutionsreleased in recent years, but VizadaXChange is so much more than just a box,”says Patrick Decool, director of new products,Vizada.“This is a complete service offer that wehope will change the way people managetheir maritime communications. VizadaXChange is not only versatile in its simplicity,but incredibly performant and Ireally believe that the end-users are goingto enjoy using it.”bulk and bulk, merges different IT applicationsinto one solution, which simplifiescommunication between Port Authority,Customs & Excise, shippers, forwarders,rail carriers and logistic service providers.“(The new system is) creating morewww.globalstar.comGlobalstar has announced that six newsatellites are being prepared for the secondin its series of launches under itssecond-generation satellite constellationprogramme.Launch services provider Arianespaceand satellite manufacturer Thales AleniaSpace have begun the necessary testingand integration process in preparationfor a July liftoff, which will use the Soyuzlaunch vehicle.Globalstar plans to conduct twoadditional launches of six satellitesper launch in 2011. Globalstar plansto integrate the 24 new secondgenerationsatellites with eight firstgenerationsatellites that were launchedin 2007.The new satellites are designed tosupport Globalstar's current line-up ofvoice, Duplex and Simplex data productsand services.transparency, along with faster and moreefficient exchange of information. APCSsupports part of the supply chain andbrings visibility to cargoes within ourport,” explains Alfaport chairman, WalterVan Mechelen.Globalstar plans launch of new satellitesGlobalstar’s planned July launch will bethe second in a series of four, with thefirst (pictured) successfully completed inOctober 2010. Photo: ArianespaceThe world’s most powerful alliance for FleetBroadbandAt the forefront ofMobile SatelliteServices for 30 yearsInnovative solutions toenhance standardsatellite communicationsOffering customers the mostcomprehensive productportfolio on the market• On-demand solutions for any size or type of maritimeoperation, anywhere in the world• 24/7 global customer support• World-leading suppliers through one of themost trusted and experienced providerswww.marlink.comSee how we can enhance your maritime satellite communications experience – contact MarlinkTel (24/7) +32 70 233 220 · Fax +32 2 332 33 27 · information@marlink.comOSLO • LONDON • HAMBURG • BRUSSELS • ATHENS • DUBAI • MUMBAI • SINGAPORE • TOKYO • WASHINGTON DC • HOUSTONDigital Ship June/July 2011 page 9

SATCOMSModern communications atBernhard Schulte ShipmanagementHaving implemented a new Microsoft based communication platform across its organisation in late 2009,Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) has spent the last year refining the use of the technologyto maximise productivity. Christos Vassiliou, BSM IT manager, told Digital Ship about the projectBernhard Schulte Shipmanagement(BSM), as one of the largest shippingcompanies worldwide, operateswith over 1,200 employees in more than 30offices, and owns and manages a multitudeof vessels sailing all over the globe.The size, complexity and geographicalarrangement of the organisation require ahigh volume of internal communication,with the company having additionallyhad to deal with the challenges of integratingthe operations of HanseaticShipping, Dorchester Atlantic Marine,Eurasia Group and VorsetzenBereederungs- und Schiffahrtskontorwhen they merged to form BSM in 2008.In these circumstances it became clearthat the conventional communication systemsused within the company were nolonger able to keep up with its growingdemands, and the decision was taken toinvest in a new, consolidated communicationsolution.As a result, in December 2009 BSMdecided to implement Microsoft’s OfficeCommunicator software system to formthe foundation of this project.The software provides users acrossover 30 BSM offices worldwide with onestandardised communication interface,and is also now being used at sea, aboardone trial vessel.According to BSM, the communicationtechnology, which integrates services suchas telephony, e-mail, instant messaging,video conferencing and data sharing, is atime and money saver that has made aconsiderable impact.BSM management is spread across variouslocations – a demanding setup leadingto hours of internal overseas communicationand requiring people to travel ona daily basis.Additionally, with BSM operating aworldwide organisation, various ongoingprojects would require team leaders andteam members to work in various differentlocations.This spread of key resources would resultin more than 100 hours of internal overseascalls daily, as well as dozens of employeestravelling around the world for internalmeetings every day – a situation that wasless than optimal, as Christos Vassiliou,BSM IT manager in Cyprus, recalls.“There is no centralised management,there is no one place where all the managersare based, we have directors andmanagers in almost all offices,” he told us.“Imagine all those daily meetingswhere directors and managers have to talktogether, imagine the time that is requiredto set up such meetings and all the communicationscost.”“Sometimes the meetings would have tobe done on site because there would besome kind of presentation or very importantdiscussions and they would have to travel toone place or the other to be together.”Integrating theorganisationBSM subsequently decided to begin itscommunications overhaul with the introductionof the Microsoft systems at theend of 2009, starting initially with a fourmonth test phase.With the results of this trial deemedsuccessful by the company BSM deployedthe technology throughout the organisationin April 2010.In the year since the system was firstdeployed BSM has continued to refine andimprove the set-up, having now upgradedthe Office Communicator to the MicrosoftLYNC platform.BSM is currently in the process ofimplementing the new version of the solution,a single integrated communicationsystem which Mr Vassiliou notes has createdhuge time and cost savings.“If you have to look up a phone number,this is a waste of time,” he says.“Maybe it takes half a minute or aminute for someone to find the number ofthe person they want to call. Time is wastedtrying to phone the contact person invain. The caller might leave messages,Digital Ship June/July 2011 page 10wait for a return call and eventually haveto call again.”“At times there is no option to leave amessage or the recipient does not returnthe call promptly, or at all.”BSM has established that a significantvolume of internal calls are not answereddirectly and do not result in a call-backas the intended recipient has not beenmade aware that someone was trying tocontact them.“About a third of the calls we make [atBSM] are missed calls and are notreturned, maybe because of a lack of anotification system, or device that can takea voicemail,” notes Mr Vassiliou.‘Organisations that invest in unified communications can create a good return oninvestment’ – Christos Vassiliou, Bernhard Schulte ShipmanagementSimilarly, Mr Vassiliou also points to thetime-related issues with e-mail. If an e-mailis delivered, the sender has little controlover the time frame in which the e-mail ispicked up and does not know how long itwould take for the recipient to answer.Further time is taken up by the confusionthat can be caused by the use of multipledifferent instant messaging (e.g. MSN,Skype, AOL, Yahoo Messenger) and Voiceover Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems.BSM’s IT department says that it hasspent an unnecessary amount of time onadministration of these varied applications,and notes that the presence of differentsystems creates the need for additionalsecurity precautions.“Before the implementation of the newsystem, VoIP channels between someoffices were in use,” said Mr Vassiliou.“However different models and makesof telephony systems were giving us ahard time due to numerous compatibilityissues.”“Video Conferencing (VC) room unitshave also been in use since early 2008.Following the deployment of the unifiedcommunications system, some of these VCunits have been integrated into LYNC andcan now be called within a LYNC session.”With all of these obstacles taken intoaccount, BSM has figured out that overallmore than ten per cent of working time iswasted in the process of looking for theright contact person and in the process oforganising the contact or meeting.“All these things waste our workingtime, so productivity is decreased,” saidMr Vassiliou.“Organisations that invest in unifiedcommunications can create a good returnon investment with regards to productivity,flexibility and communication.”Real timecommunicationsApart from the time wasted, the previousconventional communication systems alsoincurred direct tangible, monetary costs.The company set-up had comprised theuse of traditional land based telephonelines as well as mobile phones, creating acost factor which, especially for a large,geographically spread organisation, couldbecome substantial.The Microsoft Office Communicatoroffered a solution to this by providing asingle platform to integrate real-time servicessuch as VoIP based telephony, videoconferencing, instant messaging, presenceand data sharing, as well as near-real-timeservices such as e-mail, text messagingand voicemail.The platform is a set of products that isdesigned to provide a consistent unifieduser interface and user experience acrossmultiple devices and media types. Itallows users to communicate within thesame company without having to changeinterfaces, with data also able to be sharedacross the same platform.Real-time communication for BSM mostimportantly consists of telephony, andwithin the new communications solutionall intra-organisational telephone calls areintegrated into the software system.Instead of using conventional telephonelines, the system utilises VoIP as atransmission technology. VoIP allows forinternet-based calls between offices in differentcountries, as well as to home workersthat have connected their telephone to

Digital Shipthe unified communications platform.The option of connecting mobilephones to the platform is now also available,which the company says in manycases dispenses with the need to carry alaptop when travelling – all communicationmethods are made accessible withnormal mobiles which have LYNC integratedsoftware installed.LYNC essentially allows the user tomake a phone call without having to pickup the phone. The platform provides thetelephone and mobile phone number, and,with a click on a symbol, a call utilisingVoIP can be initiated.If the recipient of a call is not at theirdesk, LYNC offers the option to have allcalls forwarded to a LYNC compatible andconnected home phone or mobile device.“We can utilise the system any way wewant, this is a big advantage,” notes MrVassiliou. “For people that have to be 24/7available this is a must.”If face-to-face communication isrequired the system allows for video conferencingacross global offices from withinthe same platform, simplifying groupcommunication.If a presentation is to be discussed, thesystem allows for desktop sharing,enabling several users to see the presentationlive on their respective screens.A shared whiteboard feature is alsoincluded, allowing people to more efficientlywork together on a project regardlessof where they are.Instant messaging (IM) is another featureintegrated into the communication solution.Instead of having to sign up to variousdifferent IM providers, all IM communicationis centralised and incorporated intothe interface used for telephony, videoconferencing and near-real-time communicationservices.This unifies IM communication for theusers, as well as reducing the administrationalcomplexity for IT support.If data needs to be distributed withinthe company, users can utilise the platform’sdata sharing solution. Data packagescan be shared with other users withinthe system instead of sending the dataacross via e-mail.In this case it is uploaded onto the communicationsplatform, where it is madeaccessible only to authorised users.Near-real-timecommunicationApart from real-time communication services,the communications platform furtherintegrates solutions for near-real-timecommunication, where the action of a userreaches the recipient with a certain delay.As such the platform comprises an e-mail program, as well as the option to textmessage to LYNC-integrated companymobile phones or leave a voicemail.These services are part of the same userinterface that includes the telephony,video conferencing and data sharing.In addition to incorporating communicationmeans already in use, albeit on differentsystems, the platform further featuresa tool that is called ‘Presence’.This allows the individual user to makehis or her data, such as name, position,geographical location and office position,picture and contact details available toother users, and enables the user to fullyintegrate their Outlook calendar into theplatform and thus share appointmentsand availability for communication.The tool additionally recognises when auser is in a phone call and sets their statusaccordingly, regardless of whether thecaller uses a desktop phone, mobile orhome phone – as long as they are connectedon LYNC.Presence also shows how long a personis available for, according to their schedule,so another person wishing to contactthem can therefore determine whether thetime frame is long enough for the particularcall, or if it will make sense to wait untila more convenient time.The availability status is colour coded,to make it instantly recognisable if a personcan be contacted. The colour codedinformation window is visible on all communicationmethods.A user who receives an e-mail canCompany employees can access a range of communications options with just a single clickUnlock the Potential of Internet On Boardwith Dualog® Connection Suite.www.runelarsen.biz © 2011 DUALOG AS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.Contact the Maritime Communications Expertstoday about what really concerns you.(+47) 77 62 19 00 or sales@dualog.com | www.dualog.comDigital Ship June/July 2011 page 11

SATCOMStherefore instantly determine whether hecan call the sender back for a question thatneeds clarifying or whether that person isbusy, and until what time.Software platformThe communication platform is based onMicrosoft software. Initially BSM choseMicrosoft Office Communicator, whichhas been updated to Microsoft LYNC asnew versions have been released.The LYNC platform requires the use ofboth physical and virtual servers to runthe integrated solution, as Mr Vassiliouexplains.“Successful LYNC platform deploymentrequires the use of at least two physicalservers and a number of virtualservers each having a specific role,” hesaid. “Integration with telephony alsorequires LYNC compatible telephonedevices.”“This is the basic infrastructure. Ofcourse additional servers and gatewaydevices are required for redundancy foruninterrupted telephony service if LYNCenterprise telephony is deployed.”Voicemail messages can also be deliveredto Outlook as audio files. Thisensures that voicemail messages can bepicked up from anywhere in the worldwhenever internet access is available.The platform further allows call forwardingfrom the LYNC client to a user’sintegrated mobile phone, home number orto a colleague functioning as a backup.“The LYNC server is centrally hosted inBSM Datacenter and it is controlled by theBSM Cyprus IT Dept,” said Mr Vassiliou.“Local offices require only minimal ITsupport to set-up the client application onusers’ computers and provide brief training.The vital role of LYNC telephonyincreases the infrastructure requirementsand BSM is now planning to setup localLYNC servers for redundancy and uninterruptedtelephony service.”“When you deploy such a system isvery important to have reliability. Youcannot rely on a single server or a singleinternet provider or a single location.”Unifying communicationsat seaOf course, in addition to its more than 30land based locations BSM has a multitudeof vessels at sea at any one time, also actingas ‘floating offices’.To maximise the impact of the implementationof a unified communicationsplatform it is not only the employees in theoffices ashore that have to be connected tothe communication solution, but also themasters at sea.BSM’s vision is to make all employeeswithin the company available on the sameplatform, and allow them to be contactedusing all featured communication services.“In this vision the vessel becomesanother user in our directory,” said MrVassiliou.“We know the presence of the vessel; weknow the presence of the captain. On theother side the captain knows if the personhe wants to contact is in a meeting or available.He can contact them anytime. Imaginethe flexibility that the system provides!”“How many times do masters makecalls to the office trying to reach a personwhen the person is not there? So you saveon communication costs from the side ofthe vessel as well, because the master willget in touch with the person when he isavailable. Or he can just chat, which ismuch more flexible sometimes.”In order to evaluate the suitability ofthe communication platform for use onboard BSM vessels a trial was initiated,with a first sustainable system installed onthe container carrier ‘Mary Schulte’.Company employees’ profiles displaycontact details as well as informationabout the person’s schedule andavailabilityFor the system to function on board theforemost requirement for BSM was tohave an ‘always on’ internet connection.To enable this constant internet availability,the company decided to equip theMary Schulte with a mini-VSAT systemfrom KVH.The satcom service was deployed inmid-November 2010, and was the first systemof its kind to be installed on a BSMvessel. A FleetBroadband 150 was alsoinstalled, as a back-up solutionThe ‘fixed fee’ connection to the internetprovided by the VSAT system enablesthe vessel to become an active participantin the LYNC-based unified communicationplatform.The captain’s availability for communicationcan be instantly determinedthrough the ‘Presence’ tool, and telephonecalls over VoIP, as well as instant messaging,become possible.“The location of the vessel and thesatellite signal level is important for asolid internet connection without interruptions,”notes Mr Vassiliou.“So, depending on this parameter thecaller can initiate a VoIP session withoutinterruption in areas where the satellitesignal is strong, or compromise by usingIM which is reliable and smooth even inareas with weak satellite signal.”“Further to that, the ‘Presence’ featureallows the vessel to have online informationon the status of their contacts onshore, and saves time avoiding calls topeople that are not available to answer.”One result of a four month trial periodof the unified communications system onthe Mary Schulte was a significantincrease of in the mini-VSAT traffic to andfrom the ship.From a data volume of approximately340 MB in the first month of the VSATdeployment the traffic skyrocketed to justbelow 2 GB in month four of the trial period.So far there are currently 11 BSM vesselsthat use a VSAT system and so areconsequently in a position to avail of thenew communication platform.BSM says that it expects this number toincrease to nearly 100 over the next coupleof years.BSM also says it has seen a high level ofuser satisfaction since the introduction ofthe new platform, assisted by the fact thatthe set up and user introduction periodhas been quick and uncomplicated.“Initially LYNC access was provided tothose people identified with the higherneeds of overseas communication andtravelling,” notes Mr Vassiliou.“The response was very positive andsoon the software was as important tothem as their cell phones. By the end of2010 our platform had over 850 registeredusers. The client software and the integratedOutlook module have clear and easy tolearn functionality.”“A brief training of 30 minutes is morethan enough for an average user to make asolid start with this new technology.People use the LYNC platform with confidenceand comfort and they feel that theyhave in hand a great tool which helpsthem increase productivity and makestheir working life much easier.”Return on investmentThe implementation of a single communicationplatform across all of the offices,and potentially all of the vessels, of a globalcompany obviously requires a significantinitial financial investment.For BSM, given the size and distributionof the company, the initial investmentwas “substantial”, however the companyis confident that the return on investment(ROI) from integrating its communicationswill prove to be considerable.After a trial period of more than a yearBSM believes that this has been verified,and is today so convinced of the benefitsof the move that it speaks of a “guaranteedROI” on the project.Conventional intra-organisational telephonecosts between branches, to homeworkers as well as to company mobilephones have been dispensed with, andoffices in various geographic locations canavail of the benefit of least cost routeimplementation.“We have a huge number of callingsessions on a daily basis – ourOCS/LYNC platform statistics forJanuary/February 2011 (before the installationof LYNC telephony) showed thatcalls and conferences were exceeding 120sessions per day with an average durationof 15 minutes and 2.2 participants per session,”notes Mr Vassiliou.“That is a minimum of 33 hours of zerocost international telephony per day, consideringthat one or more people wouldpay for an international telephone callduring each session. These numbers areexpected to triple once LYNC telephony isfully deployed.”“If we add up the savings in the highlyreduced travelling expenses as people canperform online presentations and haveshared whiteboards beyond the use ofvideo conferencing, the ROI is guaranteedwithin a very short time.”Costs are further reduced on companycalls to third parties – instead of payingfor the full international rate, the call isrouted through the organisation’s branchservers, and only the local rate for phonecalls is charged.“Imagine someone in Cyprus wants tocall someone in Hong Kong, UK orGermany; the unified communicationssystem can route the phone call from theCyprus server to the Hong Kong serverand that server will initiate a phone call tothe third party,” said Mr Vassiliou.“So, forget overseas calls!”Other benefitsAfter a utilisation period of over a yearBSM, and Mr Vassiliou in particular, havealso been pleased with the effect that theintroduction of a unified communicationplatform had on the simplification of ITadministration, enabling the IT departmentto maintain a single platform ratherthan a multitude of different services.“Unified Communications is not a singleproduct, it is an environment,” said MrVassiliou.“It consists of several products whichare integrated together under one interface.Within one software [the user] canswitch between different actions just withthe click of a button.”The set up and update of user accounts,which is a vital requirement for the functionalityof an all-encompassing communicationplatform, is simplified. It takes nomore than 15 minutes for installation andconfiguration.BSM has seen a significant reduction inrequired travel as a result, with meetingsover video conference becoming increasinglyaccepted.“We had a huge decrease in travellingin 2010,” notes Mr Vassiliou.“People were travelling all over theworld to have meetings with shareholders,directors and managers. Forget all that!Now we are doing all meetings, evenimportant committee and managementmeetings online. There is no need to travelto another country for a meeting anymore.”“The user has a lot of flexibility. FromOutlook he can initiate instant messagingor a voice call without having to changethe interface.”The whole process of intra-organisationalcommunication is thus believed tobe operating at a vastly improved level ofefficiency compared with the previousinfrastructure, and financially the incorporationof the platform has proven a valuableinvestment for BSM.The voyage from inefficient communicationusing various different systems hasnow reached an end for BSM with theimplementation of the unified communicationsplatform. Tried and tested over a considerableperiod on shore and onboard thesystem has proven its value both financiallyand in terms of user satisfaction.The success BSM has had in deployingthe unified communication system onboard a vessel, as well as in the offices, hasalso convinced the company to continueequipping its fleet with the higher-usageinternet solutions necessary to facilitatethe communications platform.In fact, the experience had been so satisfactorythat BSM says that it would recommendthe implementation of such a systemfor any larger maritime organisation, and ispositive that an ROI is guaranteed for companiesthat have extensive branch to branchoverseas communication and a lot of intraorganisationaltravel.DSDigital June/July 2011 page 12

RADIO HOLLAND CONNECT: AIRTIME ANYWHEREWE CNNECT AT SEAFOR ALL YOURC NNECTIVITY SOLUTIONSwww.imtechmarine.comAN IMTECH MARINE COMPANY

SATCOMSVSAT at Spliethoff –Fair Service for a Fair PriceSpliethoff Group of the Netherlands is currently in the process of rolling out a new VSAT communications networkaboard its ships, having conducted an extensive vendor review to make sure that the company was gettingthe best possible value for its investment. Peter Van de Venne, Spliethoff, told Digital Ship about the processAt the end of 2010 the AmsterdambasedSpliethoff Group, thelargest shipowner in the Netherlands,announced a deal to expand the useof VSAT across its fleet, signing a threeyearcontract with Radio Holland coveringan initial 16 vessels, and potentiallyexpanding to 50 ships.Under the deal Radio Holland, as partof the Imtech Marine group of companies,was tasked with managing the introductionand installation of the entire network,including hardware, airtime and maintenanceof the onboard systems.Now, after approximately six monthssince the beginning of the implementationproject, Spliethoff is running RadioHolland’s Ku-band service on 13 vessels,with eight more in the process of beingupgraded.With the fleet also using KVH’s mini-VSAT service on another of its shipsSpliethoff will soon have a significantnumber of its vessels running with VSATservices installed.The major driver for the company in itsdecision to embark on this project has beento offer improved services to its crews,while also opening up additional opportunitieson the operational side, by increasingits usage of satellite communications.However, with the trend in data trafficonly likely to continue upwards in thefuture, Peter Van de Venne, director of ITfor Spliethoff, decided that a change in satcomservices was required – and that thecompany would look to obtain a “fairservice for a fair price.”To introduce the kind of functionalitieshe had in mind Mr Van de Venne quicklycame to the conclusion that Spliethoffwould have to look at moving to a VSATsolution, with satcom bills likely to escalateto an unmanageable level if operatedon a pay-per-use basis.“VSAT Ku-band is the only system currentlyon the market where you can obtainreasonable speed for an always-on internetconnection at a high but manageableprice,” he told us.“It provides our crew the much appreciatedinternet access and on the businessside it speeds up communication (not havingto wait for e-mail exchanges a few timesper day), and gives captains access to relevantonline information like port and cargodetails. It also gives our vessel supportengineers the ability to provide remotesupport by directly taking over PCs.”“During a pilot, we found out that ourvessels were ‘burning up’ about 10-15 GBper month each. That would translate intoa lot of US dollars when paying per use, aswith FleetBroadband or F77, and we didnot want to wait for the, at the time noteven officially announced, Inmarsat Kabandsatellites.”Selection processSpliethoff conducted an extensive selectionprocess to choose a new partner toprovide its Ku-band connectivity, withone of the key criteria being the availabilityof coverage on a near-worldwide basis,to be able to meet the demands of the company’sglobally trading fleet.“When we started with our first pilot,suppliers only had bandwidth availableon a few satellites and the AutomaticBeam Switching (ABS) was not easy tooperate and sometimes faltered,” notedMr Van de Venne.“The ABS issue is now available frommost providers however, and also coveragehas been improved.”Despite this, Mr Van de Venne doesnote that VSAT is still not a truly globalservice, and that Spliethoff will continueto maintain its installations of a variety ofInmarsat services on its ships in tandemwith the VSAT installations.“Still there are several areas, like theIndian Ocean for example, that are notfully covered,” he said. “This is why wekeep FleetBroadband (or F77) as backup.”“Before VSAT, we were and are stillusing FleetBroadband, F77 and Sat-C.Before that we also used mini-M, and Sat-B and Sat-A.”Another important aspect of the selectionprocess for Spliethoff was maintainingflexibility in the hardware it installed,Digital Ship June/July 2011 page 14so the decision was taken to use equipmentthat would be widely compatiblerather than implementing a proprietarysolution.“We decided to select an antenna(choosing one from Sea Tel in the end) thatis used or allowed by multiple airtimeproviders,” said Mr Van de Venne.“This gives us, in principle, freedom toswitch airtime provider if needed. Healthycompetition is always good for consumers.”In the end, after having proven its abilityto provide Ku-band services underthese conditions, Radio Holland won theVSAT contract with Spliethoff, helped inno small part by the fact that the companieshad already had a successful existingrelationship.‘During a pilot we found out that our vessels were burning up 10-15 GB per month each’– Peter Van de Venne, SpliethoffAs part of Imtech Marine, RadioHolland was able to offer a range of technologysystems relevant to the vesselinfrastructure, and could act as a systemsintegrator across the whole ship.“Radio Holland has been providing uswith communication equipment for a longtime,” said Mr Van de Venne.“Our positive experience with RadioHolland, their nearby presence andof course a competitive deal for bothequipment and airtime added up to ourdecision.”“We currently have 512 kbps which allvessels share. We will probably increase thebandwidth as time progresses. Hopefullythe prices of the airtime will go down overtime, so it will still be manageable.”For its part, Radio Holland was keen totake on the challenge of building a privatenetwork for Spliethoff, with separateaccess for different users, that would beseamlessly accessible on a worldwidebasis, as Rob Verkuil, manager, RadioHolland Connect, notes.“For this network we worked togetherwith Spliethoff to realize the setup for avery profound IT configuration. The challengefor Radio Holland was that the providedVSAT connection had to cover mostof the global sailing networks of theirbusiness,” he told us.“The Connectivity Solution of RadioHolland offers the worldwide VSAT Kubandnetwork with automatic beamswitching. As part of the Radio HollandConnectivity Solution we deliver aFleetBroadband terminal as an alternativesolution in the regions where VSAT doeshave less coverage. In this way the connectionto shore is always secured.”“The Radio Holland network capacityhad to be sufficient for voice calls, businessapplications for remote support ande-mail traffic. Also Spliethoff requiredDutch phone numbers and voice billingflexibility to their end users by a end userportal – our end user portal gives flexibilityand clear insight in their network trafficand voice administration.”Spliethoff has been working with RadioHolland to push the reporting capabilitiesof the system even further, and expects tosoon implement a daily transfer ofdetailed call records (via e-mail or ftp),which can be forwarded to the vessel andused to properly charge the crew for theiractual communications usage before theyleave the ship.One specific aspect of the contract thatSpliethoff has been happy with has beenthe inclusion of an agreement whereby thecosts of the backup system incurred duringVSAT downtime or time out of coveragecan be used to reduce the monthly feepaid – a direct example of the idea of a“fair service for a fair price.”“During our pilot we managed toobtain coverage guarantees from our airtimeproviders,” said Mr Van de Venne.“That is why an out of coverage compensationwas highly appreciated. I hopethat this trend continues.”Network installationInstallation of the systems onboardSpliethoff’s ships has also included theintroduction of separate networks for differenttypes of use, completely segregatingcrew and business access.These networks were implemented onthe vessels by Radio Holland, based on theguidelines provided by Spliethoff’s IT team.“We have split the network on board

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SATCOMSSpliethoff’s ships will be installed with the Connector by Radio Holland VSAT service (right), with FleetBroadband (left) as a back-upinto separate sub networks (VLANs) forbusiness, crew and voice, as well as a sensorLAN,” Mr Van de Venne explained.“A central firewall is used to managethe interconnections. Wireless access is, inprinciple, not used, because it is more difficultto manage, more difficult to arrangecoverage and may interfere with otherradio signals.”“As the crew network is completely separatedfrom the business network whatthey do on their private laptops is theirown responsibility. For the business network,we have the challenge of keeping theanti-virus and anti-malware up to date.”The availability of crew communications,in particular, was a major influenceon this network design, as Mr Van deVenne recalls.“The business usage of voice and datawas not our main reason for upgrade, wecould have continued well with basic e-mail functionality, which we could alsouse for synchronising databases,” he said.“It was the crew welfare side combinedwith speeding up business communicationthat were the primary reasons forupgrading. We used to dial-in only onceor twice per day to exchange messages.”“It is important to provide good facilitiesfor crew members. Providing ‘always on’internet will hopefully keep them enthusiasticabout life at sea and especially to continueworking for the Spliethoff Group.”As such Spliethoff is providing, on itsVSAT enabled ships, online internet accessto its crews without any traffic restrictions.“(Achieving this, and doing it) at thelowest cost was the first goal,” said MrVan de Venne. “These young cadets thathave grown up with internet would beshocked if they didn’t have any internetaccess at all on board. New times call fornew ways.”“An important aspect of this is defininga clear policy for use of onboard ICT systemsthough. In some countries the carrieris held responsible for what crew has ontheir own laptops. Also, we cannot allowdistractions on the bridge or engine room.”Spliethoff has chosen not to add anyoptimisation and compression systems atthis time due to what it sees as the extracost and extra maintenance that would beinvolved. The company believes that thereis no immediate need for such systems atpresent, though conceded that this maychange in the future.Another issue for the company to contendwith in the management of its communicationsis what, and how, to chargethe crew for private use of these new services,which have been, after all, primarilyinstalled for their benefit.“In the old days, we would simply forwardthe Inmarsat phone details to the shipdaily so that private calls could be chargedto the crew,” notes Mr Van de Venne.“Now that is much more difficult. Justthink about MSN phone calls alone. If youdecide to charge based on usage, you needto install additional equipment for itwhich also brings additional costs.”“As a rule of thumb you may say thatwhatever you give as bandwidth will betaken by the vessels. The charged voiceminutes could appear to remain about thesame, but of course a lot remains hiddenbecause the crew is also using VoIP callsvia MSN, or other methods.”Remote accessSpliethoff’s VSAT-enabled vessels are connectedto shore offices via a VPN tunnel,which has helped the company to addadditional remote access capabilities to itsIT infrastructure.“This allows us to monitor if they areonline via VSAT and makes it easier toaccess the business PCs on board forremote support,” notes Mr Van de Venne.“We are already working with remotesupport on ships’ cranes. However,because of the less predictable connectionand high latency, we are not pushing onlineapplications to the office.”“A clear challenge is keeping the virusand malware control up to date. But forbusiness applications we can rely on databasesynchronisation via e-mail, and donot really need a direct connection.”While this remote access has allowedSpliethoff’s IT staff to more effectivelymanage onboard systems, Mr Van deVenne is still not completely satisfied withthe remote connectivity capabilities currentlyavailable to shipping companies,and believes there is a lot of room forimprovement.“It would be nice if suppliers would gettogether and decide on a standard way tomonitor and support their equipment,” hetold us.“Suppliers have a tendency to go for aVPN connection for themselves, while weas a carrier wish to be able to have closecontrol over how and when they getaccess. So we do not wish to give themComtech and KNS integrate technologiesdirect access via the satellite.”“We would also consider things liketelemedicine and remote video, for technicalmaintenance support, as potentialapplications for the future.”However, in general Mr Van de Vennefeels that, for the moment at least, onlineapplications, such as those with a directlog-in to office applications, are not realisticin the maritime environment.“Due to the high latency, which is truefor all satellite connections not only VSAT,and potentially unreliable connectionswhere you might have ships’ cranesobstructing the satellites or weather influence,there is obviously a big differencewhen compared to landlines,” he said.Despite these limitations Mr Van deVenne is however fully convinced thatbroadband communication will be theway of the future in the shipping industry,and that the appetite for bandwidth willonly continue to increase – particularly onthe crew side.“I think it is inevitable,” he said.“You only have to look at your situationat home, where in most cases you’ll have atleast 8 Mbps – and then we ask people to goto sea with nothing, or 0.032 Mbps?” DSwww.comtechefdata.comwww.kns-kr.comComtech EF Data Corporation, a providerof communication solutions, and Koreabased KNS, specialising in marine antennasystems for satellite communications,have announced the integration of theSuperTrack Series of marine stabilisedantenna systems and the RoamingOceanic Satellite Server (ROSS) OpenAntenna Management (ROAM) protocol.The integration aims to enable theSuperTrack antenna systems on maritimevessels to roam across multiple satellitebeams, maintaining connectivity whilemoving through different satellite footprintsand enhancing communicationcapabilities at sea.The ROAM protocol offers a commonmanagement interface for Comtech’sROSS and third-party Antenna ControlUnits (ACUs) by providing a base set ofASCII character commands, information,interfaces and status queries.ROSS is a location server that works inconjunction with Comtech’s VipersatManagement System to facilitate onthe-movesatellite communications foroceanic vessels.It enables remote modems to interfacewith stabilised, auto-tracking antennas,maintaining connectivity as vessels movethrough footprints of different satellites.Vessel position data, satellite signaland management status are monitoredto determine when satellite handoffis necessary.The ROAM protocol provides thebasic parameters required to globallyroam across multiple satellite beams aswell as uniformity in the implementationof third-party antenna manufacturers’interfaces, while catering for unique characteristicsand proprietary techniques ofdifferent manufacturers."The interoperability of ROAM andROSS with SuperTrack VSATs willenable maritime operators to have maximumbandwidth efficiencies and roamingcapabilities for their satellite-basedcommunications at sea," says DanielEnns, senior vice president strategic marketingand business development forComtech EF Data.KNS’s SuperTrack Series of VSAT stabilisedantennas are built on 3-Axis platformsthat enable them to gyrate along theX, Y, and Z axes and move 90 degreesper second.Digital Ship June/July 2011 page 16

Swire Pacific Offshore – satcomsfor ‘Generation Y’Digital ShipSwire Pacific Offshore is to install 60 ships with FleetBroadband 500 services, citing crew welfare as the major driver inthe decision. Chris Payne, SPO, told Digital Ship about how communications is a ‘must have’ for crews from Generation YSingapore based Swire Pacific Offshore(SPO), an owner and operatorof 74 offshore support vesselsand with another 16 new buildings onorder for delivery up to 2013, is currentlyin the early stages of a wide ranging satcomimplementation project that shouldsee 60 ships installed with a new communicationsnetwork by the end of 2012.This project is the result of a contractsigned by SPO with Station711, the mobilesatellite arm of RRsat GlobalCommunications Network, in the firstquarter of this year, comprising InmarsatFleetBroadband 500 services andStation711’s own smart@sea communicationsgateway, which will be introduced toeach of the ships.Installation of the Thrane & ThraneSAILOR 500 antenna systems and associatedonboard Local Area Networks (LAN)will be managed through a collaborativeeffort between Station711 and serviceprovider SMTS.SPO’s decision to move ahead with thiscommunications project was driven by aneed to increase the speed of connectivityavailable between the vessels and theshore based offices, but was also heavilyinfluenced by a wish to improve crewservices, as Colin Payne, human resourcesdirector, SPO, explains.“The principal drivers were crew welfare,for internet and e-mail access,” hetold us.“If vessels are not provided with ameans for the crew to communicate withtheir families, then companies will find ithard to recruit and attract. This is less ofan issue for Gen X, although it seems to bea ‘must have’ for Gen Y.”“Cheaper phone calls, internet bankingaccess, news and sports websites, all allowthe crew to remain more ‘in touch’. Thecompany also required a faster mediumfor transmitting information to and fromthe ships in respect of its own ship managementsystems/software.”To kick off this new project Mr Paynenotes that SPO “approached, and wasapproached by a huge number of vendors”before agreeing to undertake a threemonth trial of the system proposed byStation711.“On the whole, the trial went well,”said Mr Payne.“There was some criticism of the speed,although this was negated after some educationof the crew in respect of satellitecomms restrictions. There were a fewteething problems and we were unable totry out e-mail properly, but on the wholethe ship’s crew reported positively.”Mr Payne notes that the company hadevaluated a number of options other thanFleetBroadband, particularly on the VSATside, before agreeing to proceed with theInmarsat solution.“The choice was a trade off betweensize of dish and capabilities/pricingmethod,” he said.“VSAT was a more economical optionin respect of data consumption, howeverthe global nature of our operationsrequired a system that utilised one satelliteoperator and did not suffer from rainfade. We were concerned that the datarestrictions may prove unpopular,although this is not yet clear.”“The dish size was also more beneficialfor SPO due to the restrictions on spaceavailability on offshore support vessels.”Onboard networksStation711’s smart@sea gateway is used tocontrol three separate LANs on the vessel,with one for the Master, one for commercialuse and one for crew welfare.The inclusion of this technology in thecommunications package was a key elementin convincing SPO that this was theset-up it wanted on its ships. Station711says that there are currently a “few hundred”of these gateway units in operationThe smart@sea gateway unit will be used to manage communications traffic over theFleetBroadband 500 systems on the shipson ships globally.“The principle reason for Inmarsatbeing the choice was the ability ofsmart@sea to control individual usage,”said Mr Payne.“It also provides advertisement strippingto reduce content transmitted overthe web.”The onboard set-up includes a total ofseven PCs and three VoIP phones for prepaidor post-paid use, all connected directlyto the gateway hardware, which is inturn connected via WAN to theFleetBroadband 500 terminal.This gateway system is used to automaticallymanage a range of different communicationsfunctions, such as optimisation ofthe satellite traffic through compression,acceleration and caching, and securitythrough the use of IP filtering.With these protections in place SPO isconfident that it will be able to provide areasonable level of internet and e-mailaccess to the crew at a price that will suitthe business, a situation which Mr Paynesays was not really feasible with the previouscommunications set-up.“We anticipate data consumption toincrease, although we do not expect manycrew to purchase additional minutes fromthe vendor,” he said.“Data consumption will increase due tothe crews’ access of the system. WithIridium (which was in use on most of theships before the new project began), crewwere not permitted to surf the internet.”“[However], there is to be no wirelessaccess on board due to virus concerns. Itwill be server client based. No USB drivesare permitted, except for the main ORBISserver. Individuals will not be able to connecttheir own PCs to the system.”Remote access to the ship from shore isalso not something that SPO is planning forthe moment, though that may come later,following the completion of the roll-out.Similarly, further broadband-enabledapplications such as video conferencingor telemedicine will not be consideredunder the current pricing structure, MrPayne says.“Once the system is deemed to be operatingwell and any bugs or issues arerolled out, we may well allow the vesselsto access corporate DMS systems, drawings,manuals, etc,” he told us.“The use of applications is driven bythe cost of the data. SPO is certainly notlooking at new applications unless there isa step change in pricing. These otherapplications are nice to have but certainlynot urgent.”DSDigital Ship June/July 2011 page 17

SOFTWARE NEWSFunctions added to fleetmanagement softwareNew applications forSeacor and Bunkerswww.awtworldwide.comApplied Weather Technology (AWT) hasadded a number of new functions to itsGlobalView fleet management system,including pirate data and rogue wavealerts.Real-time NATO pirate tracking informationhas been integrated into the application,providing an overview of allpirate-related information includingmothership locations and anticipated trajectory,hijacking information and pirateattack group operating areas.Live links are also included, which givefleet managers one-click access to furtherNATO details.Users can customise the type of dataavailable through filters such as timeframe,location, type of pirate activity orhistorical data, while the system also providesvisual information on war riskwaters and embargo areas, as updated bythe Joint War Committee of the IMO.The rogue waves function aims to assistfleet managers in identifying relativelylarge, spontaneous ocean waves that occurin the open ocean in deep water, whichcan be a threat to any vessel.The scientific definition of a 'roguewave' is a wave whose height is more thantwice the significant wave height (SWH),which is defined as the average of thelargest third of waves in a given area.AWT's application includes a globalmodel used to forecast where currentfocusing rogue waves are likely to occur.Information on the presence and movementof icebergs in particular sea areas hassimilarly been added to GlobalView.In addition to these enhancementsusers can also integrate custom data intoGlobalView, which should prove particularlyuseful for those already using GoogleEarth to display internal data, as this datacan be configured to be displayed throughthe resource filters in the software.“At AWT, we are committed to consistentadvancements and innovation of ourproducts,” said Skip Vaccarello, presidentand CEO of AWT.“By carefully listening to our customers,we are pleased to offer roguewave and pirate data for display inGlobalView to help ensure vessel, crewand cargo safety.”Aside from its GlobalView product,AWT has also recently announced that itis to introduce a new range of ship routingand fleet management services tocover specialised needs by vessel andcargo type.The company will employ experts specialisingin each of five covered ship types- Tankers, Bulk Carriers, Break BulkCarriers, Liners and Pure Car Carriers(PCC) - with the aim of meeting specific,segmented needs within the industry.Variables like vessel age, type, size,speed, cargo, draft and client will be consideredbefore the most appropriate routesbased on the goals of each individual voyageare plotted.Pre-voyage planning and daily statusreports with alerts and links to detailedvoyage information are provided.AWT says that its experts will includemeteorologists, route analysts, forecastingspecialists, maritime scientists, computerscientists, mathematical modellers, endof-voyageanalysts and ship captains.For example, as part of AWT's TankerService, fleet managers are given laycandata to ensure that the ETA of the vesselremains within the agreed laycan. Fleetsummaries with colour-coded icons areused to identify ships that need attentionregarding fuel consumption and estimatedtime of arrival.The data is refreshed every hour toshow the status of the fleet, while customreports can be generated for each vesseltype. Customer-centric reports can vary bycompany and departmental requirements.www.marinesoftware.co.ukwww.bunkersgibraltar.giUK based Marine Software has agreed twonew separate software deals with SeacorOffshore and Bunkers Gibraltar, forplanned maintenance and purchasing systemsrespectively.Dubai based Seacor Offshore has beensupplied with the Marine PlannedMaintenance - MPM package, for installationaboard Seacor's latest diesel electricDP-2 anchor handler 'John Coghill'.The 2,174 gt vessel is currently operatingin Ghana.Seacor Offshore has also commissionedMarine Software to assist with data migrationservices based on an existing SeacorOffshore MPM lead database, along withscheduling planned maintenance startdates to coincide with the final softwareinstallation date.Seacor Offshore currently operates theMPM software on a fleet of 42 vessels ofvarying types, where most are technicallymanaged from its Dubai office.Satellite office systems have also beeninstalled in Singapore and Qatar to manageplanned maintenance for Far Eastand Middle East operations, enabling regularvessel maintenance status updates tobe received."We have been operating the MarinePlanned Maintenance software for manyyears as this continues to offer us a simple,yet effective way of managing fleet plannedmaintenance across all West Africa, FarEast and Middle East business operations,"said Seacor Offshore, in a statement."System simplicity is also very key forus as this ensures that non IT skilled creware able to update the system with ease."Meanwhile, Bunkers Gibraltar hasbeen supplied with a Marine PurchasingSolution (MPS) for installation on boardthe vessel ‘MT Europa Supplier I’, and atthe company’s ship management technicaloffices.MPS allows requisition requests to beraised and transmitted back to an office systemfor tendering and final purchase ordering.Marine Software says that the smalldata file exchanges between vessel andoffice ensure that both locations have an upto-dateview of the latest ordering status.An additional budget system is alsoincluded, which compares actual costs forpurchase orders against a set budget.Supporting information such as photographs,quotations, delivery notes and supplieremail correspondence can be storedwith individual orders for auditing purposes,with the aim of assisting in the movetowards a paperless procurement system.BMT in carbon emissions researchwww.bmt.orgBMT, a UK based engineering, science andtechnology consultancy, reports that it isto supply technology solutions to aresearch project aimed at limiting theenvironmental impact of shipping carbonemissions.The research project, ‘Low carbon shipping– a systems approach’ consists of amulti-disciplinary consortium ofresearchers from five universities andinternational industrial partners such asLloyd’s Register, Shell and Rolls Royce.The partners aim to help the shippingindustry reduce levels of emissions inorder to comply with new legislation andmitigate global warming.The project has received £1.7 millionfrom the Research Councils UK (RCUK)Energy Programme, part of the £530 millionthe programme is investing inresearch in low-carbon technologies.BMT’s contribution will cover the supplyof technologies for low carbon shipping andenergy efficient ship operations, includingthe management of human factors.The company hopes to leverage itsexperience in onboard performance monitoringof fuel efficiency and emissions,energy efficiency design indexing, performanceimpacts of hull roughness andfouling and the design and engineering ofmore efficient propulsion.“This is a very exciting opportunity tomake a real difference to the design andoperation of ships,” says Dr PhilThompson, sector director for transport atBMT Group.“We have to drive down costs and wehave to drive down emissions. We atBMT are delighted to be using our experiencein such an important research projectby developing innovative design solutions.After all, a more efficient ship is agreener ship.”The ‘John Coghill’ will be installed with a planned maintenance software packageContainer optimisationsoftware free downloadwww.logimar.itLogimar, an Italy based shipping company,has announced its intention to makethe beta version of its proprietary onlinecontainer loading optimisation software‘Full Filled’ publicly accessible.Full Filled is a 3D nesting softwaredesigned to optimise the loading of standardshipping containers and make thepreparation of load-sheets in operationsdepartments more efficient.Full Filled creates three-dimensionalcolour images of the cargo placed in a virtualcontainer to assist in optimal loadingvia computer simulation.Despite being offered as a complimentaryprogram, Logimar asserts that theapplication is able to perform the samefunctions a professional version would.The company hopes that, by making thesoftware publicly available, it will help tolower CO2 emissions and reduce pollutionin the atmosphere.Digital Ship June/July 2011 page 18

We’ve connected our dots to help youbetter connect yours.Perhaps you’ve heard that Harris Corporation is building the largest business focused specifically onremote communications — Harris CapRock. If so, you’re probably wondering what that means foryou.For starters, it means you have access to the world’s most advanced terrestrial, wireless and satellite networkfor remote communications. It means you’ll get responsive, reliable communications connecting youroperations anywhere on Earth. It means the most extensive local service and support in the most countrieswith teleports on 6 continents, 5 Network Operations Centers, 83 points of presence on a global terrestrialnetwork and 140 countries served. It means we’re ready to meet all of your communication demands today andtomorrow.So how will Harris CapRock better connect your dots?If you had to pin us down, we’d say “in every way.”www.harriscaprock.com/maritime-ds© 2011 Harris CapRock Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOFTWARE NEWSEidesvik Shipping to useShipadmin fleet-widewww.shipadmin.comEidesvik Shipping of Norway has signed adeal to roll out the Captains Secretary softwaresystem from Shipadmin on all of itsvessels.Eidesvik Shipping operates a numberof seismic, subsea operations and supplyvessels, and intends to implement theShipadmin system on all 25 of its ships.The company had already been usingCaptains Secretary on five vessels, and hasdecided to now move to the next phase ofrolling out the systems to the rest of thefleet."I welcome Eidesvik Shipping's verymodern fleet as a user of our core solutions,"said Per Magnus Grøsvik, generalmanager of Shipadmin."I am proud to see that CaptainsSecretary was chosen by another leadingplayer in the global market."25 ships will be installed withShipadmin softwareGL Noble Denton to implement Intergraphwww.intergraph.comGL Noble Denton is to replace its existingdesign software for offshore and marineassets with the Intergraph SmartMarineEnterprise system, including SmartMarine3D, which will be used to standardiseoperations.This will enable the company toimprove data consistency between theschematics and the outfitting within itsprojects.In addition to SmartMarine 3D, GLNoble Denton has purchased licences forIntergraphs’s SmartPlant P&ID (Pipingand Instrumentation Diagram), Electrical,Review and Foundation Basic Integratorproducts.“We benchmarked IntergraphSmartMarine Enterprise against severalleading, global marine engineering designsolutions, and we thought it was the mostsustainable option for us,” said TorLønnerød, GL Noble Denton’s generalmanager for Noble Denton Brevik,Norway.MLC CBT from Seagullwww.seagull.noSeagull has launched four new MaritimeLabour Convention CBT modules to coverthe areas of management, leadership,lifestyle and physical health training,adding to two existing computerbasedtraining (CBT) modules addressingthe MLC.This package of CBT modules aims toassist shipping companies in managingcompliance with the Convention, whichit is anticipated will enter into forceduring 2012.The first of the new modules, CBT 192 -MLC 2006 Onboard Responsibilities, providesdetails of the requirements that theConvention places on senior ship officerswith regard to compliance.The one-hour module provides anintroduction to the MLC, its backgroundand regulatory structure, and the role ofthe International Labor Organization(ILO), and covers areas of inspectiononboard ship, the information andonboard records required, the validity ofcertification and the consequences of noncompliance.Another new module, CBT 193 –Shipowners’ Responsibilities, details theareas of responsibility under MLC 2006that are placed on shipping companyoffice staff dealing with the employmentconditions of seafarers and onboard crewfacilities.It also covers flag state inspection andcertification issues relating to MLC 2006and the consequences of non-compliance,and takes up to one hour to complete.Two further modules, CBT 194 andCBT 195, cover physical exercise andlifestyle.CBT 194 - Lifestyle assessment andadvice is targeted at helping seafarersimprove their lifestyle and assess healthrisks while onboard, while CBT 195 -Physical exercise and lifestyle coachingoffers pragmatic lifestyle advice and aneasy-to-use physical training programme.The programme and exercises can beperformed without special equipment andwithin the limitations of life onboard ship.Each module takes up to 45 minutesto complete.These latest four modules add to thefirst two modules, CBT 197 - MLC 2006Basic Introduction (prepared for generalawareness) and CBT 191 - Introduction tothe Maritime Labour Convention MLC2006 (targeting management and operationalstaff).“We have been listening to our shippingcompany customers, who have beentelling us they want a package of MLC-orientatedtraining titles,” said RogerRingstad, Seagull managing director.“In response, we have been workingwith experts to develop training materialsthat specifically support companies in meetingthe training requirements of MLC.”Digital Ship June/July 2011 page 20

Videotel launches hazard training modulewww.videotel.co.ukThe new training module will include shocking footage of theconsequences of onboard accidentsVideotel Marine International haslaunched a new training module designedto support the seafaring industry in reducingcommon ship board accidents.The Hazard Series II module uses filmsto “shock” viewers into greater awarenessof their own safety and that of theircolleagues.Hazard Series II aims at cadets, deckand engine crew, students at maritime collegesand training officers and comprises10 hard hitting short films designed toboth shock and teach.The films show real crew doing realwork on deck in heavy weather, workingaloft, electrical work and manual handling.The training material illustratescommon errors and shows how incidentscan be avoided by using correct proceduresand working techniques.“Adequate training, safe working practicesand good safety management systemsall contribute to a safer workingenvironment on board,” says NigelCleave, Videotel’s CEO.“Videotel is committed to developingquality training that makes a real difference– both to the industry as a whole andto the lives of individual seafarers.”The programme has been produced inassociation with The Standard P&I Club.Stanford Marine to use ABS’ NS5 softwarewww.abs-ns.comABS Nautical Systems has been selected asthe fleet management software provider ofDubai based Stanford Marine, a provider ofoffshore marine support services.Stanford Marine is replacing its conventionalpaper and Microsoft Excel systemwith ABS’ fleet management softwaresuite NS5. Stanford Marine will implementthe Maintenance & Repair andVessel Drawings modules on 25 vessels,all of which are classed with ABS.“NS5.5 allows for more flexibility andgreater integration between modules,enabling maritime companies to operatemore efficiently while continuously adaptingto meet evolving industry needs andmarket demands,” said Fernando Lehrer,director of product development at ABSNautical Systems.Karen Hughey, president and COO ofABS Nautical Systems, also noted that thethis new contract was a positive sign ofgrowth in the Dubai maritime market.“We anticipate a strong working relationship(with Stanford Marine) andadvanced movement in both the regionand in the offshore and energy sector,”she said.Digital ShipAnti-piracy e-Learningapproved by DNVwww.imsn.uswww.dnv.comInternational Maritime Security Network(IMSN) has become the first maritimesecurity training centre to offer an e-Learning Anti-Piracy Defense Course certifiedby Det Norske Veritas (DNV) underits SeaSkill standard.In the first quarter of 2011, pirates killedseven crewmembers, injured 34, and took344 hostages according to InternationalMaritime Bureau's (IMB) global piracyreport. Additionally, 18 vessels werehijacked worldwide.IMSN's Anti-Piracy Defense Courseprovides training for activities such aswatch-keeping, lockdown procedures,anti-piracy drills and hand-to-hand defensivetactics, as well as contingency plansfor issues such as surviving a hostageattack or movement of prisoners. Thetraining course also covers concepts relatedto anti-piracy laws.IMSN's anti-piracy training course isavailable online or on DVD."Mariners' lives are at risk everydayaround the globe. Knowledge is the keycomponent to safety and it's vital thatship owners and crew members takethe protective measures of a trainingcourse to combat piracy," said CaptainTimothy Nease, co-founder and CEOof IMSN.UltimateKVH CommBox connects ships to fleet headquarters so they can communicatesecurely, efficiently, without interruption, and all with dramatic airtime savings!More than 1000 vessels worldwide use CommBox for: Whether you have a fleet of 5 or 500 vessels, CommBox is the solution for you!For more information visit: www.kvh.com/commboxKVH Norway AS©2011 KVH Industries, Inc. KVH and CommBox are trademarks of KVH Industries, Inc. 11_KE_CommBox_1.2page_DigitalShipDigital Ship June/July 2011 page 21

SOFTWARE NEWSPort of Southampton introduces new database applicationwww.logicsoftware.co.ukLogic Software has completed the developmentof a database application forAssociated British Ports, which will allowthe port operator to manage its vehiclemovement operations at the Port ofSouthampton with greater efficiency.Logic says that the system should helpshipping companies operating at the portto better manage the scheduling of theirvessels, and to view details of the loadcontained within each vessel.The application is used to track vehicleimports and exports through the port,offering a real-time view of the location ofall vehicles. Prior to any vehicles arrivingat the port, the database is automaticallyupdated from an EDI message sent by theshipping company containing details ofthe expected delivery.When vehicles are delivered to the port,the operational teams apply barcodes anduse handheld scanners to capture vehicledata and additional information, which isfed into the central database.The overall solution has been deployedas three separate components.The first part was a central, web-basedmanagement system installed on to ABP’snetwork for reporting and tracking. Thesecond was barcode printing hardware toallow vehicles to be individually barcoded,and the final component involvedhandheld devices with barcode scanners.The barcode scanners run an applicationdeveloped by Logic Software that allowsvehicles to be scanned, identified andprocessed by mobile workers within thevehicle compounds and on the quayside.The number of large metal structuresaround the port ruled out using wirelessdevices as part of the system, so eachhandheld device is periodically loadedwith a subset of the main database, containingonly information relevant to thestate of the port at that time.After the operational teams have captureddata on vehicle movements, the barcodescanners are synchronised with thecentral database over the WAN from severalsites across the port.At these same locations, users are ableto access the web-based system, generatebarcodes for expected vehicles and thenprint the labels to a printer located atanother location.“Implementing this solution has reapedmajor benefits for ABP and its customers,”said Paul Prince, ABP operations managerat Southampton.“ABP has achieved a significant improvementin the efficient use of its land resourcesand we are able to provide a prompt andefficient cargo tallying and service to theshipping lines with which we work.”“Our system is adaptable so that we canmeet differing customer requirements toachieve EDI links which report the arrivalof individual vehicles on the quayside andtheir departure from the quayside.”Operational teams at the Port of Southampton will use handheld devices to update the port database,checking against electronic messages sent from the ships before they arriveSoftship has established a new presencein Sydney, Australia to manage allactivities in the Oceania region, headedupby Alfred Verzijl. Softship Australiajoins the existing network of offices inAntwerp, Buenos Aires, Hamburg, NewYork and Singapore.LuraTech has signed a reselleragreement with Plain SailingCommunications Ltd (PSC). PSChas developed a solution for reducingfile sizes up to 90 per cent, called VIMCompact, which integrates withLuraTech’s software.www.softship.comwww.luratech.comwww.psworld.co.ukGL software for German, Greek and Dutch companieswww.gl-maritime-software.comwww.nsc-holding.comwww.ampni.comwww.feederlines.nlGL Maritime Software has announced theagreement of three new contracts, withNSC Schiffahrtsgesellschaft of Germany,Aegean Bunkering Services of Greece, andDutch shipping company Feederlines BV.NSC Schiffahrtsgesellschaft operates afleet of modern container and multi-purposevessels, bulkers and conbulkers, andcar carriers, and will equip its fleet withthe full version of GL Maritime Software’smaintenance management program.This program comprises the GLHullManager software, which NSC is particularlyinterested in to help maintain theships’ structure, with the aim of savingcosts by early detection of failures, betterpreparation for dry docks and improvingthe lifecycle performance of its vessels.HullManager allows for conditionmonitoring of hulls with visual inspectionsand thickness measurements basedon an actual 3D model of the vessel.“I am very proud, that a modern andsuccessful shipping company like NSC isusing the latest technology for hull maintenancefrom GL,” says Dr Torsten Büssow,head of GL’s Maritime Software business.The HullManager will integrate withNSC’s GL ShipManager shipmanagementsolution for planned maintenance andprocurement.Greek shipping company AegeanBunkering Services has decided to implementGL ShipManager and GLFleetAnalyzer on 52 vessels, installing theClass NK and IBM to join forces on data archiveTechnical Management and ProcurementSystem functions from GL ShipManagerin its offices and onboard the vessels.The shipping company hopes that theimplementation of the software will helpto manage tasks in a more time and costeffective manner, providing increasedtransparency of all vessel data and keepingoperations in line with industryrequirements such as ISM and TMSA.Meanwhile, Dutch shipping companyFeederlines BV will implement GLShipManager and GL FleetAnalyzer softwaresystems on board 48 ships in its fleet.Feederlines has chosen to utilise TechnicalManagement, Procurement, ComplianceManagement and Ship and VoyageManagement software systems on board itsvessels for decision support, and improvedefficiency and transparency across its fleet.www.classnk.or.jpClassification society ClassNK and IBMJapan have announced a new joint projectto develop the world’s first archive centreto meet new requirements included in theInternational Maritime Organization’s(IMO) Goal Based Standards (GBS).As part of the new GBS, which willenter into force in 2016, all newly built vesselswill be required to maintain copies ofShip Construction Files (SCF) bothonboard and at an onshore archive centre.The new centre envisioned under theagreement will take advantage of a cloudbasedinfrastructure developed by IBMJapan, and will be designed to safely storethe SCF that will be required by the GBS.The system will be designed to meet therigorous requirements for both data securityand accessibility laid out by the IMO’sMaritime Safety Committee, according tothe new partners.As the SCF will include vital informationrelated to ship safety as well as intellectualproperty related to the ship’sdesign and construction, ensuring bothaccessibility and security of the SCF datawill be paramount in the development ofthese new archive centres.“As independent, third-party technicalorganisations, we are uniquely suited todeveloping and maintaining the archivecentres required by the GBS,” saidClassNK chairman and president, NoboruUeda.“As part of our electronic planapproval activities, we have alreadydeveloped the procedures and systemsnecessary to ensure the security of vesselplans, and earned the trust of the world’sshipbuilders. The development of thisnew archive centre is the next logical stepin our efforts to better support the widermaritime industry.”In line with the GBS new standards forarchive centres will also need to be established,and a new set of industry guidelinesdeveloped by CESA, ICS, INTER-CARGO, INTERTANKO, BIMCO, OCIMFand ICS for the new archive centres wassubmitted to the IMO at the 87th session ofthe Maritime Safety Committee inFebruary of 2010.According to Mr Ueda, addressing thepractical and usability requirements forthe new archive centres was what ledClassNK to begin discussions with IBM.“Our goal in developing the world’sfirst archive centre is to set a new standardfor the entire industry, and with IBM wehave found a partner who can help usachieve just that,” he said.ClassNK and IBM Japan have alreadybegun the planning process for the developmentof the new archive centre, andhope to release a trial version by the end of2012.Digital Ship June/July 2011 page 22

SOFTWARE NEWSSeatrans signs up toShipServ’s TradeNetwww.shipserv.comwww.seatrans.noShipServ has announced the signing ofBergen-based ship owner and operatorSeatrans AS to the company’s e-commerceplatform TradeNetSeatrans will use ShipServ’s TradeNetplatform to source ship supplies for 16ships in its fleet operating in the chemicals,forest products, offshore and liner segments.The Seatrans ships will connect toshore and to their suppliers through theShipNet SNAPS Maintenance andPurchasing system.“Seatrans runs its chartering and operations,management and crewing inhouse,servicing a diversified fleet so weare always concerned to be as efficientand flexible as possible,” says Leif Larsen,technical director of Seatrans.“ShipServ TradeNet will give usthe ability to better manage our procurementand use the built-in KPI functionalityto review the performance of oursuppliers.”PortVision introduces integratedsoftware solutionwww.portvision.comPortVision has announced the availabilityof its PortVision TriMode workboat fleetmanagement and business intelligenceservice, combining the existing PortVisionPlus and PortVision Advantage platformsinto an integrated offering.The web-based service is designed topermit real-time visualisation and historicalreporting to a data warehouse thatprocesses and analyses over 40 millionvessel movements each day. Vesselarrivals and departures in covered regionsare recorded and the system can be configuredto automatically alert users whenevents of interest occur.PortVision’s TriMode extends the company’sPortVision AIS-based offering toinclude two-way cellular and satelliteservice for messaging and positionreports. The firm claims that its softwarecan cut overall expenses in half comparedto conventional satellite-only alternativesby using least-cost routing.TriMode integrates least-cost routingacross three communication paths: AIS forreal-time reporting of the fleet and otherAIS-enabled vessels when near shore orin-port; cellular for near-real-time reportingat low cost whenever a vessel is withina cellular coverage area; and satellite forguaranteed reporting and text messagingwhenever cellular is unavailable.In addition to vessel position reporting,customers can use the TriMode serviceto create e-mail alerts or viewarrival/departure history. The data warehouseis reported to have archived over 15billion arrival, departure, and vesselmovement records spanning the lastfive years.“Traditionally, fleet owners reliedonly on expensive satellite airtime forvessel reporting and messaging,” saidDean Rosenberg, PortVision chief executiveofficer.“By integrating AIS, cellular and satellitecapabilities into a tri-mode solution,PortVision is able to significantly increasefleet visibility and enhance maritime businessintelligence, while saving our customersup to 50 per cent in hardware andairtime costs.”Cory Brothers launchvessel monitoring softwareLeif Larsen and Atle Sommer, Seatrans, and Ane Fosseng, ShipServ,mark the new agreement at Nor-Shipping 2011Intergraph and STX sign 5 year contractwww.stxeurope.comwww.intergraph.comwww.hexagon.seIntergraph has announced the signing of afive-year contact with STX France, Frenchdivision of the Norwegian shipbuildinggroup STX, for the purchase of theSmartMarine Enterprise software system.Intergraph’s SmartMarine Enterprisesuite is an offshore and shipbuildingsolution, designed to promote improvementsin design efficiency, productionschedule, handover and overall life-cyclecost control.The solution package STX has purchasedincludes Intergraph SmartMarine3D and SmartPlant Foundation,SmartPlant P&ID, SmartPlantInstrumentation, SmartPlant ElectricalBasic & Detailed, SmartPlant Materials,SmartPlant Foundation, SmartPlantReview and SmartPlant Review Publisher.STX will use the software to improve itsshipbuilding design efficiency throughreduced design man-hours, as well as thecompany’s design quality through integrationbetween disciplines and by sharingstandard catalogues along the projectlife cycle.The implementation is further expectedto reduce costs and STX hopes to achievebetter project stages coordination andaccurate management of bills of material(BOM) which is supposed to be promotedby the integration of SmartMarineEnterprise and SAP.“We selected SmartMarine Enterpriseafter several months of evaluation andpilot projects because the software suiteproposes a large scope of integrated functionalities,required to design complexworks as cruise ships are,” saysChristophe Dutrieux, CIO of STX France.“It enables us to coordinate activities ofhundreds of designers and subcontractors,by sharing the same model, the same catalogues,and by building a single bill ofmaterial of the ship. It provides us withthe means to reduce design hours, toenhance our design quality and toimprove integration and coordinationbetween design and construction.”STX plans to build its next cruise shipprototype with Intergraph technology,which will be fully deployed in 2013.“STX's exhaustive evaluation ofcompeting enterprise solutions and itsselection of Intergraph's SmartMarineEnterprise signal the strength of our solutionswithin the marine and offshoreindustries,” says Gerhard Sallinger,Intergraph process, power & marinepresident.www.cory.co.ukCory Brothers, a UK based shipbroker, hasannounced that the company’s web-basedvessel monitoring software ShipTrak hasbeen made available to customers.ShipTrak is a web-based software solutiondeveloped in-house and designed tohelp monitor a company’s vessel operations.The application holds details of vesseloperations and allows ship operators tolog on wherever internet is available toaccess the information they need.ShipTrak has been designed to providea detailed log of events and enable theShell begins use of electronic documentswww.essdocs.comShell has completed its first oil productsshipment using a CargoDocs electronicbill of lading, using a service provided byElectronic Shipping Solutions (ESS).ESS’s delivery team worked with ShellInternational Trading and ShippingCompany Ltd (STASCO), Shell UK OilProducts Ltd and charterer MorganStanley to use original electronic documentsto cover a shipment of diesel loadedon the 14,766 dwt tanker Bro Deliverer fordischarge at Shell’s Stanlow refinery.An electronic bill of lading, certificatesof origin and quantity and a document ofenclosures form were issued to MorganStanley and endorsed first to STASCO andthen on to Shell UK Oil Products Limitedwho in turn produced the electronic bill oflading back to the vessel’s master.Shell is already part of the ESS OilIndustry Steering Group, which providescomparison of projections at any stage, forany number of vessel operations.The application is based on Java softwareand can exchange data with othershipping-based systems and commonoffice software programs.“We, and our shipping partners, useShipTrak every single minute of the dayand we find it an essential tool,” saysKevin Gorman, Cory Brothers’ managingdirector.“It is ‘platform independent’ so youcan use ShipTrak on your PC, Mac, mobilephone - anywhere you have an internetconnection and a web browser.”input on the development of theCargoDocs system for the oil industrythrough ESS’s Users Association. Shellparticpated in pan-industry CargoDocstesting during 2008 and 2009.Use of the technology became possibleafter STASCO’s General Terms andConditions (GT&Cs) for sales and purchasesof crude oil and products wereadapted to be compatible with the use ofelectronic documents, including electronicbills of lading."Shell has always championed innovationin its operations and the opportunityto move from the traditional paper bill oflading to a secure electronic format is onewhich we think has obvious advantages,"said Sven Thiessen, commercial operationsmanager with STASCO."Having amended our terms and conditionsto allow for eDocs we expect to seetheir use increase significantly movingforward."Digital June/July 2011 page 24

What broadband at seawas meant to – beSMV7.TracPhone®GlobalExpansionContinues!New RegionsAdded!Dramatically cut your airtime costsand improve your ship’s operationsSMwith KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband–the most affordable service forbroadband Internet, e-mail, andtelephone!Fast, low-cost Internet at sea –Rely on broadband Internet with speeds asfast as 2 Mbps down and 512 Kbps up whilesaving 85% or more vs. other solutions.Crystal-clear telephone calls –Make calls whenever and wherever you wantusing either of the two lines of integrated voiceservice optimised for maritime customers orKVH’s crew calling solution.Easy to install and setup –ViaSat’s exclusive ArcLight ®spread spectrumtechnology enables a small 60 cm antennawith dramatically superior performance, easyinstallation and activation in as little as 1 day!Integrated network management –KVH’s powerful CommBox offers an optionalTMsuite of business-critical tools, including leastcostrouting, web acceleration, and remoteIT access.Find out how KVH TracPhone V7 can change your business at:www.kvh.com/digitalshipAn end-to-end communications solution with a compact 60 cmantenna and a fully integrated control unit and modem.“We estimate that mini-VSAT Broadband issaving us as much as50% compared to ourprevious SATCOM solution!With the TracPhone V7,we can send muchlarger files and even provide Internet accessfor our crew, all while significantly reducingcosts!“- Mr. Karstein Rasmussen,General Manager, Storm Offshore ASRead the Storm Offshore case study: kvh.com/so©2010-2011 KVH Industries, Inc. KVH, TracPhone, CommBox, and the unique light-colored dome with dark contrasting baseplate are trademarks of KVH Industries, Inc. 11_KE_V7miniVSAT_Comm_Storm_DigitalShip“What Broadband at sea was meant to be” and “mini-VSAT Broadband” are service marks of KVH Industries, Inc.ArcLight is a registered trademark of ViaSat, Inc.; all other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. Patents Pending.

Future EventsMaritime Communications and Information Technology Conference and Exhibition5th AnnualDigital Ship Singapore 201118 - 19 October 2011Suntec Convention CentreLimited exhibitionplaces remaining!Please contact: Ria KontogeorgouT: 44 781 548 1036E: ria@thedigitalship.com9th AnnualDigital Ship Athens 201122 - 23 November 2011Metropolitan Hotel, AthensOne day conferences1st AnnualDigital Ship Korea 201128 October 2011Bexco, Busan, Korea (during Kormarine)Sponsorship Opportunities!Please contact: Ria KontogeorgouT: +44 781 548 1036E: ria@thedigitalship.com1st AnnualDigital Ship Turkey 20111 December 2011British Consulate-General, Pera House, IstanbulCrewing ManagersTechnical ManagersSHEQ ManagersVessel IT ManagersAnd anyone else involved in using IT andcommunications in a shipping environment...Previous Digital Ship Attendees IncludeWho shouldattendManaging DirectorsABS Nautical Systems, Aerospace & Marine International, Alaska Tanker Company, AND Group plc, Apex Bulk Carriers LLC, Applied Mathematics Inc., Applied Weather Technology, Atlantic Container Line,Atlantic Towing Ltd., Averna, Azimuth Unlimited, BDP1 Consulting, BGT Limited, Blank Rome LLP, Boatracs, C2SAT communications AB, CapRock Communications, ChartCo Ltd., Clipper Bulk (USA), ClipperMarine Services A/S, Clipper Shipmanagement, Connecticut Maritime Association, CSL International Inc., Curo Asset Management, Delta Navigation Corp, Detroit-Windsor Truck Ferry, Docmap, Dualog,Line Ltd, Marine Transportation Department, Maritime College, State University of New York, Maritime Communication Services, Maritime Communications Partners AS, Maritime Institute of Technologyand Graduate Student, Maritime Reporter, Mercy Ships, Moran Towing Corp, MSRC, Nautical Institute North East Coast United States Branch, Nautical Science Simulation U.S. Merchant Marine Academy,To subscribe to our news letter or to register for a Digital Ship conference, please go to www.thedigitalship.comCIOsIT DirectorsDirectors of CommunicationsPurchasing DirectorsFleet ManagersDigital Ship produces the world’s leading events for maritime IT, satcom,technical, electronics and navigation managers who want to knowsatellite communications, maritimesoftware, bridge electronics, green innovations and technology. Forfrom ship owners and managers around the world wanting to look atall the major issues impacting and concerning this industry - includingsatellite communications, software development, electronic chartsand navigation, piracy, manning and training, IT to reduce costsmany other topics. They also provide an opportunity for delegatesand speakers to share stories, ideas, discuss recent developmentshow you can participate in one of these conferences please contactcathy@thedigitalship.com.

Online vessel valuing service launchedDigital ShipDNV releases bunker fuel analytics toolwww.sea-sure.co.ukLondon-based shipbroker Seasurehas announced the launch ofVesselsValue.com (VV), an online servicethat provides automated data-drivenvaluations for commercial vessels.Seasure says that the software cancalculate real time market values forbulkers and tankers from 29,500 dwtand bulkers from 20,000 dwt upwards,processing the global fleet using allcomparable sales, adjusting for salerecency, ship specifications and changesin freight earnings.The valuation process employs statisticalmodels, computational algorithms, adatabase of ships and sales as well asmarket information.The service offers functionality toinclude portfolios, e-mail alerts andinteractive charts, and a mobile versionfor Blackberry, iPhone and Android hasbeen produced.In addition to the launch of the websiteSeasure has further introduced its ownindices, to act as synoptic indicators ofvessel values with the aim of providing ageneral picture of the state of the saleand purchase market rather than specificinformation about any one vessel orvessel type.The VV Indices are measured in unitswhich Seasure claims have a realeconomic meaning.The company says that many indicesare set to an arbitrary value (usually 100or 1,000) on a particular date, with allsubsequent values relative to the value onthis date. This means that they reflectmarket movements and not the absolutevalues of the underlying assets theyrepresent.Seasure’s aim is to offer indices representingthe intrinsic value of cargo-carryingcapacity, denominated in US dollarsper deadweight tonne.For each vessel type (VLCC, Capesize,etc.) all vessels in the global database arevalued, and the value per deadweighttonne for each build year is calculated.These annual figures are averaged toform an index for the type.Partitioning by build year is done sothat the type index is not influenced byorderbook considerations, for example,such as recording an increase if a largenumber of new vessels have just beendelivered.The overall index is obtained by takinga weighted average of the type indices,where the weighting is proportional tothe total value of the vessels in the type.This ensures that the economic importanceof each vessel type is reflectedappropriately in the index. Separateindices are produced for tankers andbulkers.www.dnv.comDNV Petroleum Services (DNVPS) hasannounced the release of its new product‘Fuel Insight’, a data analytics product forbunker fuel designed to provide real-timeinformation on deliveries around theworld and aid companies with procurementand benchmarking.Fuel Insight is a subscription-basedweb application that taps into DNVPS’bunker quality database. It processes dataon fuel prices, ISO 8217 quality parametersand regulatory compliance and thusprovides information for supplier evaluationand purchase decision-making.DNV says its data analytics tool willhelp shipping companies get the bestvalue from bunker purchases and supportship charterers, operators and owners inoptimising costs and reducing risks.Fuel Insight further benchmarks variousbunker performance indicators of individualvessels and fleets against industry averages.By integrating this data analytics tool intotheir overall fuel management process, shipoperators may hope to identify improvementopportunities and potential cost savings.“At today’s extremely high bunkerprices, getting the best value in fuel purchasesis a must, especially for shippingcompanies struggling to stay afloat,” saysDNV Petroleum Services managing directorTore Morten Wetterhus.“Fuel Insight can help bunker buyersand fleet operators decide on sources thatyield optimum value, based on the testresults of delivered bunkers captured inour database.”Fuel Insight offers five key features, thefirst of which is a ‘Price CorrectionCalculator’, which estimates the correctedbunker prices quoted by suppliers andbenchmarks financial loss or gain (in USdollars) and quantity loss or gain (in metrictonnes).A ‘Reporting Benchmark’ compares theselected supplier’s Bunker Delivery Notevalues for density, sulphur and viscosityagainst lab-tested results, while a‘Statutory Benchmark’ evaluates the compliancerecord of the selected supplier’sdeliveries in relation to sulphur and flashpointregulatory requirements.A ‘Financial Benchmark’ is also included,similar to the Price Correction Calculatorexcept that the reporting is on a 0 to 100scale, instead of US dollars or metric tonnes.Finally, a ‘Technical Benchmark’ is usedto analyse the technical quality of the selectedsupplier’s products by evaluating ISO8217 bunker quality parameters weightedaccording to their levels of importance.Prior to its official launch, Fuel Insightwas trialled by a number of shipping companiestesting their bunkers with DNVPS, aswell as by selected members of the Baltic andInternational Maritime Council (BIMCO).Digital Ship June/July 2011 page 27

SOFTWAREFLAGSHIP project draws to a closeThe EU-backed FLAGSHIP maritime technology project, which has launched a number of new innovationsfor the shipping industry, has come to a conclusion – leaving a wide-ranging legacy of new products behindRegular readers of Digital Ship willbe aware of some of the maritimetechnology tools that have beenintroduced over the course of 2011 by theFLAGSHIP project, a pan-European maritimetransport initiative part funded bythe EU.FLAGSHIP is a consortium of morethan 40 European maritime organisationsaiming to develop technologies that willassist in improving safety, environmentalfriendliness and competitiveness ofEuropean maritime transport.The emphasis of the project has been onon-board systems and procedures, shipmanagement systems on shore, and theimpact of new technology, communicationinterfaces and standards and regulations.Now, as of May 31st 2011, the FLAG-SHIP project has concluded, just over sixyears since its inception and having facilitatedthe research and development of noless than 10 new maritime technology solutions,from multiple European companies.The new tools that have been developedhave covered a variety of differentfunctions ranging from engine monitoring,hull condition forecasting and terminallogistics (see Digital Ship March 2011),to safety management, fuel consumptionand regulatory compliance (Digital ShipApril 2011).However, the FLAGSHIP partners havenot stopped there, and have added tothese successes with the introduction of afinal round of new technologies related toIntegrated Navigation Systems andimproving passenger safety.Integrating navigationThe first of these new tools, called FLAG-SHIP-Bridge Support, looks to providefurther integration of nautical informationon the bridge with the aim of supplyingimproved navigation information to theofficer of the watch.This new system will integrate NAV-TEX messages, radar and AIS targets intoa single display, which the partners hopewill speed up hazard analysis, improvetracking accuracy and reduce the load onthe Duty Officer.Currently most ships receive navigationaland meteorological warnings andforecasts, as well as urgent marine safetyinformation via NAVTEX, from a standaloneunit.The Automatic Identification System(AIS), used for identifying and locatingvessels by electronically exchanging datawith other nearby ships and VTS stations,is often a separate or only basically integratedunit.This means that the Duty Officer hasto constantly monitor multiple displays,cross referring and mentally combiningand analysing the hazard information.FLAGSHIP-Bridge Support aims toremove this requirement and give theofficer all the data required in a singleplatform.Vessels that also run the Flagship-RCS(Regulatory Compliance Support, seeDigital Ship April 2011) system will benefitfrom updates via Notices to Mariners andlocal navigational data from the NAVTEXsystem, allowing even more integration ofinformation.The system can be delivered via tabletPCs, ensuring pertinent information isdelivered to the officer wherever he is.Trials of the new tool have been successfullycarried out and the technologyhas already been incorporated into SAMElectronics’ NACOS 5th GenerationIntegrated Navigation and CommandSystems, and partly also into the newNACOS Platinum Generation.AIS target merger technology will beavailable in SAM’s NACOS Platinum systems,scheduled to be out this year, whilea portable conning unit will also be availablein 2011 as a Tablet PC.The FLAGSHIP-Bridge Support projectwas led by SAM Electronics in Germany,and supported, delivered and trialled inconjunction with BMT in the UK,Kongsberg in Norway and CONSAR inItaly and Minoan Lines in Greece.Safety monitoringThe second new tool recently announcedby FLAGSHIP is an integrated ship toshore system for the control and monitoringof passenger safety functions onboardship, utilising both fixed and mobile assets.FLAGSHIP-ISEMS (Integrated Safetyand Emergency Management System)aims to enhance the onboard ability tohandle emergencies by making use of realtimecommunication between the ship andonshore facilities.The tool permits both parties to have afull overview of the actual developing situationand allows them to exchangerequests, advice and instructions in realtime. FLAGSHIP hopes that this willenable effective assistance to be providedby shore teams in an emergency situation,as well as making drills and training muchmore effective.The FLAGSHIP-ISEMS software evaluateshow available information, from supportfunctions residing on shore as well aswith the crew on the bridge and in theengine, can be best utilised.This is envisioned as being part of a cooperativedecision support regimebetween the ship and its shore basedorganisation on one side and other interestedparties, such as port and coastalauthorities, on the other.The technology is also expected to beapplied to training and drills, to be used torecord the development of situations –emergency or drills – including deploymentof resources and use of the safetymanagement systems.This can be used to analyse the potentialfor improvement as well as in thedevelopment of new and improved trainingscenarios. If an accident should occur,the system will also record the developmentof this scenario and enable any relevantlessons to be learned.Per Norman Oma, section manager,software for Norwegian FLAGSHIP partnerAutronica Fire and Security, commented:“The FLAGSHIP-ISEMS projectteam has developed new concepts toenable such ship to shore cooperation,mainly based on a new and innovativeelectronic plotting table and associatedapplications.”“The results have been well receivedand elements have already been implementedon board ships in service.”The FLAGSHIP–ISEMS project wasled by Autronica, and supported, deliveredand trialled in conjunction with Lodicand MARINTEK, both also of Norway, aswell as Minoan Lines of Greece, BMT inFor Station711 ISP’s list in your region,please contact sales@station711.comwww.station711.comthe UK and CONSAR in Italy.Past successesThese new tools will add to the range oftechnological innovations that FLAGSHIPpartners have introduced over the course ofthe project to improve the efficiency andeffectiveness of maritime transport, many ofwhich have already been incorporated intocommercial maritime technology products.Sub projects led by various businessesfrom all around Europe included FLAG-SHIP-TCI, led by Marintek in Norway,which was concerned with creating KeyPerformance Indicators and TechnicalCondition Indices to enable fleet managersto compare the performance of their vessels,with each other and with benchmarks.This has led to the development of acommercial product by DNV, called TopMonitoring, which monitors main engines.Commercial products monitoring auxiliaryengines are expected to be launched laterthis year from two other separate FLAG-Cost reductionto2Mb2MbtoUp Up*Experience of up to 2MbAll your IT, HR and operatiosmart@sea - a smartSimplified operationsDigital June/July 2011 page 28

Digital ShipSHIP partners, Danaos and Wärtsilä.In the UK, BMT led a sub project calledFLAGSHIP-HCA which addressed theprocess of surveys and dry-dock repairs.This resulted in the German partner,Germanischer Lloyd introducing a newcommercial tool called ‘Hull Manager’.Germanischer Lloyd also led a projectcalled FLAGSHIP-EEM which focussed onenergy savings during sailing, which hasresulted in a patent being secured to covera new process of measuring power consumptionduring operations. Commercialproducts are planned for 2011.Alarm Filtering was addressed by theFLAGSHIP-iCAS sub project, led byKongsberg in Norway, dealing with theproblem of large cascades of alarms.Kongsberg says that the market hasresponded very positively to the technology,and that several orders have alreadybeen taken.Led by MJC2, a UK business, FLAGSHIP-RTS addressed real time container schedulingand matching imports and exportsin order to save unnecessary truck trips.FLAGSHIP says that this has alreadyresulted in large savings for ChinaShipping and the Port of Valencia, whileseveral commercial solutions have sincebeen introduced.A sub-project called FLAGSHIP-DSSled by the University of Strathclyde in theUK dealt with the determination of anIndex of Vulnerability.bandwidth*@Firewall Acceleration & Compressionbandwidth over FB500 terminal@n requirements in one boxway to communicateA secure networkCrewnetIts presentation to the crew in a recent7-week demonstration led to an immediateimprovement in practices which sawthe Index fall by 45 per cent in a singleweek - six orders from a wide variety ofparties have already been received.Continued innovationWith the project now having come to aclose, Herman de Meester, project coordinatorfor FLAGSHIP and deputy secretarygeneral of the European CommunityShipowners' Association (ESCA), praisedthe work done by the partners over the sixyears of maritime research and development,and expressed his satisfaction at thenew technologies that have been introducedto the market as a result.“With input from organisations asdiverse as shipowners, shipyards, equipmentmanufacturers and classificationsocieties and research institutes the subprojectsrun under the FLAGSHIP bannerhave been able to deliver tangible resultsthat have already added value to theEuropean maritime industry,” he said.“Integrated R&D in the maritimedomain is necessary in order to delivernew solutions in the fields of environment,efficiency and safety.”“Furthermore there is an absolute needfor innovation in order to deliver thesenew solutions in a cost effective and commerciallyviable way so that the maritimeindustry in the European Union can stayFor your smart@sea,please contact your service providerand ask for Station711 smart@seaahead of its competitors across the world.”By most measurements it seems to bequite clear that the project has been a success,with Mr de Meester pointing to thefact that, while all 15 FLAGSHIP sub-projectswere established with specific aims,only three of them have not quite deliveredwhat was expected.“As this is a research project, a successrate of around 50 per cent would have beenexcellent, considering the cutting edgework that was undertaken – the 80 per centsuccess rate achieved in practice is testamentto the hard work and diligencedemonstrated by the partners,” he said.“As well as meeting the vast majority ofthe objectives associated with sub-projectdelivery FLAGSHIP delivered a raft ofother benefits. New relationships betweenpartners in the project have been established,a stronger EU platform for furtherimprovement in maritime business andnew standards has been developed andimportant input to IMO legislation hasbeen made.”“Furthermore we have strengthenedEuropean maritime competitiveness as wellas raising awareness, knowledge and theinterest in the maritime business sector.”Mr de Meester notes that, while he considersthe European maritime business sectorto already be very efficient and wellplaced to drive innovation, generating majorimprovement across the sector may sometimesrequire a shake up of the “status quo.”“There are some issues that can onlybe addressed and improvements made ifeverybody pulls together,” he said. “It issimply not possible for a simple organisationto generate enough momentum onits own.”“Innovation and exchange of ideasbetween sectors and markets that wouldnot usually interact is a huge positive forwww.stelvio.comwww.canfornav.comFLAGSHIP and would be impossible toachieve in a forum that promotes opencommunication and sharing of informationwithout the structure created by the EU.”EU investment in the FLAGSHIP projecthas obviously been a factor in drivingits success, though Mr de Meester is keento point out that this kind of public moneycannot be a substitute for private enterpriseinvestment in R&D.“In fact, the Commission support onlyrepresents about 4-5 per cent of the totalresearch funding in the European maritimecluster, mainly at company level,” heexplained.“However, maritime is a very competitivebusiness and there are often instanceswhen restrictions on time or money withinindividual organisations preclude takingon larger and more all-encompassingR&D tasks.”Looking to the future after FLAGSHIP,Mr de Meester hopes that new researchand innovation projects will come in totake its place.He particularly highlights IMO initiativesand the European Commission’s2050 transport strategy for Europe, whichhave both targeted a reduction in greenhouseemissions of 75-80 per cent over thenext 39 years, as areas where continuedresearch would be welcome.“When this is viewed alongsideFLAGSHIP’s achievements in reducing fuelconsumption by 1-5 per cent and reducinggreenhouse gases by 2-4 per cent, as well asenhancing engine performance by up to 5per cent it becomes clear how much morework needs to be done,” Mr de Meester said.“However it also highlights the importanceof research projects like FLAGSHIPwhich are doing the hard work required todevelop solutions that will help address themaritime challenges of the 21st century.” DSStelvio and Canfornav launchemission reporting systemStelvio, a Montreal based software developmenthouse, has jointly developed amaritime emissions reporting modulewithin its ShipDecision system, in conjunctionwith Canadian ship owner andoperator Canfornav.In joining the project Canfornav soughtto automate the collection of its emissionsperformance data, which is annually reportedin compliance with the Green Marineemissions reporting guidelines. GreenMarine, of which Canfornav is a memberand ShipDecision a partner, is a voluntaryenvironmental programme of the Canadianand American marine industry.ShipDecision is a maritime ‘Software asa Service’ (SaaS) solution that is designedto support the organisation of the sharingand use of information among businesspartners in the maritime sector.Accessible via internet and protectedthrough encryption, ShipDecisionprocesses data, documents and communicationsrelated to individual voyages.Stelvio and Canfornav collaborativelyset up the Ship Decision ComprehensiveEmissions Performance Reporting (CEPR)Module. The companies state that theCEPR Module compiles operational datafrom vessel records, making it faster andsimpler to generate emissions reports on aper vessel basis, as well as across the fleet.The reporting technology addressespollutant air emissions, specifically: SOxemissions (level 3); and NOx emissions(level 3) and also calculates GHG emissions(levels 3,4,5).“By automating the collection of thedata we need for Green Marine reporting,we can monitor the performance of ourvessels on a daily basis,” says Errol Francis,vice president operations, Canfornav.“It also allows us to provide a carbonfootprint, on a daily basis, to customerswho want that information.”Albert Carbone, president and CEO ofStelvio, also commented that his company“had already deployed an off-line reportingmodule for Noon Reports, which is usedacross the fleet. The Emissions Reportingproject was a natural offshoot of that.”“We saw the opportunity to build aModule that would not only permitCanfornav to meet their annual GreenMarine reporting requirements, but thatcould also give them a daily snapshot oftheir ‘Green Position’.”Digital Ship June/July 2011 page 29

ELECTRONICS & NAVIGATION NEWSPetrobras positioning contract for VeriposNew simulators for VDABwww.veripos.comVeripos has been awarded a long-termcontract by Petrobras for the provision ofpositioning services in support of theBrazilian state-owned company’s bargeoperations.Under the two-year contract, whichincludes an option for a further two years,Veripos will provide a 122-metre dynamically-positionedbarge operating on theBGL-1 pipeline installation with Standard,Ultra and Differential Glonass positioningservices supported by LD2-G2 mobilereceiver equipment and Verify QC software.The contract is the second to haverecently been awarded to Veripos byPetrobras following an agreement lastyear to provide the Brazilian organisationwith comparable positioning services on15 vessels engaged in pipelay, anchorhandlingand flowline installation undertakings."(This agreement) marks a furtherimportant stage in our continuing developmentof services for the Brazilian offshoreindustry following recent establishmentof specialist support and workshopfacilities at our local base in Rio DasOstras, Rio de Janeiro," said StephenBrowne, regional manager of Veripos’sHouston-based Americas region.BCIT launches Marine Training Simulation Centrewww.kongsberg.comKongsberg Maritime is to supply eightPolaris Ship’s Bridge Simulators toVlaamse Dienst Voor Arbeidsbemiddelingen Beroepsopleiding (VDAB) inZeebrugge, Belgium.VDAB will use the simulator as a basisfor the training and evaluation of crew forseveral customers, including Jan De Nuland DEME, two of the world’s majordredging shipping companies.The simulator will allow students atVDAB’s facility to train in a large numberof sailing areas and is capable of providingtraining within a broad range of disciplines,including standard navigation,manoeuvring and ship handling operations,Search and Rescue operations andice navigation."Kongsberg Maritime has performedvery professionally and we are convincedthat the new simulator installation willhelp us to educate more people in order tomake better deck employees and officers,"said VDAB Campus Manager, PatrickNaeyaert.The delivery is due to take place inAugust and comprises two Polaris DNV Bbridges with 225 degree Horizontal Fieldof View, and six Polaris Special Task stationseach equipped with a 30 degree visualsystem.The installation will also include aninstructor station and a secondary instructor/debriefingstation.www.bcit.caThe British Columbia Institute ofTechnology (BCIT) has launched a newmarine simulation centre in Vancouver.The centre features seven new shipbridges, North America's only 360-degreetug towboat bridge simulator, a ship'smain bridge simulation environment, andan engine room simulator complete withaudio special effects and emergencylights.The project was completed in conjunctionwith the Government of Canada andTransport Canada, and with marine industrypartners including BC Ferries,Kongsberg Maritime Simulation, KinderMorgan Canada, Pacific PilotageAuthority, Port Metro Vancouver, Seaspan,and the Council of Marine Carriers.“This unprecedented technologyallows students to apply marine theory ina realistic and hands-on environment,preparing our graduates for their futureand helping them become ready to play akey role in shaping the future of themarine industry in Western Canada,” saidDon Wright, president of BCIT.The new simulator facility is scheduled for delivery in AugustSAAB announces new AIS rangeSoftware Radio Technology wins $1.8m orderwww.softwarerad.comSoftware Radio Technology (SRT) hasannounced that it has received anorder worth US$1.8 million from an existingEU based customer to supply automaticidentification system (AIS)OEM products.The order will be delivered in batchesprior to 31 December 2011.SRT develops radio communicationstechnologies, focusing on VHF and AIStechnologies for use in navigation as wellas tracking applications. The companyprovides its solutions in a variety of moduleand OEM product formats.“Whilst we are pleased that SRT isreceiving regular orders from our customers,the quantum of this order demonstratesthat there are increasingly significantmarket opportunities arising for ourcustomers for which our growing range ofproducts are ideally suited,” said SimonTucker, CEO of SRT.www.saabgroup.com/transpondertechSaab TransponderTech AB, Swedish supplierof maritime Automatic IdentificationSystems (AIS), has announced the introductionof its new R5 AIS family of products.Saab plans to roll out the new R5 technologyin a wide range of AIS products to meetdifferent market requirements, includinginland waterways, coastal fishing, deep-seashipping, military and coastal surveillance.The products will be brought to marketin phases during 2011 and 2012.“Our new R5 AIS products are the firstto incorporate software-defined radio(SDR) transceivers together with newlydeveloped high-speed analogue-to-digitalconverters,” says Gunnar Mangs, vicepresident Saab TransponderTech.“The result is a dramatic improvementin receiver sensitivity, stability and signalprocessing. The SDR technology in the R5products provides unlimited flexibility inadding new radio channels with softwareupgrades in the future.”“In addition to VHF ship-to-ship andshore-to-ship AIS messages, the R5 willalso be able to process DGPS beacon signalsand future satellite AIS messages ande-navigation radio channels.”Type-specific CBT for Kelvin Hughes and Consilium ECDISwww.seagull.nowww.consilium.seECDIS manufacturers Consilium andKelvin Hughes have reached an agreementwith Seagull to develop productspecificcomputer-based ECDIS trainingpackages.Seagull’s existing ECDIS onboard trainingcourse covers areas such as the use ofECDIS, chart projections, chart accuracy,chart types, chart datum, chart updating,sensor inputs and control, alarm andwarning strategies, radar and ARPA informationon ECDIS, and route planning.Under the new agreement withConsilium, an ECDIS CBT module will beincluded in the library of CBT modules as‘Product Specific Training’ to meet the latestrevisions to STCW, working onSeagull’s training system software.“Used by qualified navigators anECDIS increases the safety of navigation.However, in the hands of unqualifiedoperators it may contribute tomisunderstandings and even accidents,”said Seagull managing director,Roger Ringstad.“Understanding the philosophy, limitationsand features of ECDIS is a must.”ECDIS onboard training was both effectiveand cost saving, Mr Ringstad added,since the seafarer was already in situ anddid not incur any travel or accommodationexpenses. At the same time, the candidatewould be trained in the use of thespecific ECDIS system and equipmentconfiguration onboard.The Consilium ECDIS CBT module willbe available as part of a software releaseby Seagull, as well as being physicallydelivered and supported technically bySeagull.“This course is the same as the genericonboard ECDIS course from Seagull, but ithas been amended with an ApplicationsTrainer for the Consilium ECDIS, whichwill have the same assessment mechanismbuilt in as the standard Seagull CBT modules,while the workbook will be the sameas for the standard ECDIS course,” saidMr Ringstad.The training system, which will beavailable via an annual subscription pership and upgraded for as long as the subscriptionis held, will be based on selftuitionby navigating officers whileonboard, under supervision by the ship’sMaster or an approved assessor, and supportedby an ECDIS Onboard Workbook.The ship’s Master or the approved assessorwill confirm that the candidate has performedsatisfactorily, endorse the coursetraining records and send them to theSeagull Training Centre for assessment.There, an instructor will verify that acomplete set of documents has beenreceived and that all training records andwritten responses to the workbook meet therequired minimum standard, on completionof which the instructor will issue, andsubmit to the vessel, a course certificate.Kelvin Hughes has also announcedthe signing of a similar agreementwith Seagull to develop a product-specificCBT module for its own MantaDigitalECDIS range.Kelvin Hughes is planning to offer theequipment-specific CBT package as part ofits ECDISplus package for on-board trainingon its MantaDigital range of products.“The most practical solution tomeeting the large type-specific trainingrequirement is to institute an onboardapproach,” said Spike Hughes,commercial marine systems director atKelvin Hughes.“Using this method initial training andrefresher courses can be undertaken withoutlarge costs and disruptions to the fleetoperators.”“Crews changing ships can rapidlyassimilate themselves in the operation ofthe ECDIS on the vessel they are joining,ensuring that they operate it both efficientlyand safely.”Digital Ship June/July 2011 page 30

Digital ShipECDIS training from KongsbergR Anschützwww.kongsberg.comKongsberg Maritime is to offer a newgeneric ECDIS training course starting inAugust 2011, having already receivedpreliminary approval from Det NorskeVeritas (DNV).Kongsberg Maritime’s training division,offers a range of type-specific trainingcourses for customers using Kongsbergsystems, and the development of the genericECDIS course builds on this foundation.Designed according to the IMO ModelCourse, the new offering will cover ECDISlegal requirements, the main types of electroniccharts, ECDIS data and its presentation,navigational and route planning functions,updating charts, ECDIS back-up andthe dangers of over-reliance on ECDIS.The courses will first be made availablein Norway, Singapore and South Korea."I’m pleased that we are now able tooffer both generic and type-specific training,so that users of Kongsberg bridge systemswill be able to satisfy requirementsfrom the authorities," says KongsbergMaritime’s instructor and course developer,Marvin Elvebakk."We'll be combining all of the necessaryelements, with a great amount of practicalexercises, work on our cutting-edge simulatorsand in-depth debriefings. We'vealso set aside time to talk about accidentsthat have happened because of improperuse, or lack of proper training on ECDIS."In other news, Kongsberg has alsoannounced that the 130-metre long, 24-metre wide new offshore construction vesselFugro Symphony has become the firstever to sail with the company’s K-Masteraft bridge workstation onboard.Built at the Bergen Group BMV yard,Fugro Symphony was delivered to itsowner on 3rd May 2011.The K-Master aft bridge workstationconsolidates the traditional five to sixmetre aft bridge console into a single ordual operator chair and uses touch-controltechnology to replace mechanical switchesin bridge applications, except for in criticaloperations.In addition to the new K-Master system,Kongsberg Maritime also supplied allthe control and monitoring systems for theFugro Symphony, such as the automationfor the ballast, alarm, thruster control, DPand Independent Joystick systems in additionto critical sensors including GPS, aHIPAP High Precision acoustic systemand a Seapath system.New orders for Satellite-AISwww.exactearth.comSatellite-based AIS provider exactEarthhas announced that it has received multiplenew orders for exactAIS, its global vesseltracking and monitoring system.The company says that the orders havebeen placed by government agencies inseveral countries, including South Africaand Japan, and are worth in excess ofCDN $2 million over the next 12 months.exactEarth also announced that it is seeingprogress in the commissioning processrelated to its recent satellite launch, andthat it expects its AIS payload to be placedinto service by the end of June.The company claims that the satellitepayload, newly named exactView2, hasdemonstrated "very good vessel detectionrates in even the highest-densityshipping areas of the world" in a series ofrecent tests.exactEarth says that it also plans to addfurther exactView spacecraft to its constellationin the coming months."exactAIS is proving to be an extremelyhigh quality data source for a range ofmaritime domain awareness applications,and customer interest has been strongeven at this early stage of the deploymentof our exactView constellation," said PeterMabson, president of exactEarth."With the near-term addition ofexactView2 and three follow-on launchesplanned for later this year, we believe ourservice will become a critical componentof any wide area maritime reporting andsurveillance requirement."Integrated navigation upgradefor Star Cruiseswww.sam-electronics.deThree Star Cruises’ vessels, Star Pisces,SuperStar Aquarius and SuperStar Libra,are completing the installation of upgradedNACOS Platinum navigation, communicationand control systems, provided by SAMElectronics’ L-3 subsidiary Lyngsø Marine.Each integrated navigation systemcomprises one X-band and two S-band IPradars linked to five Multipilot multifunctionconsoles with radar-controlledtrackpilots and ECDISpilots together withother navaids.The new systems replace earlierNACOS systems which have been in servicefor a number of years.Jointly developed by SAM Electronicsand Lyngsø Marine, the NACOS Platinumseries of ship control systems feature standardisedhardware and software components,as well as IP-radars for direct connectionto a central IP network, enablingreal-time images and ECDIS displays to beaccessible from any onboard workstation.Commenting on the upgrade projectnow nearing completion in Malaysia, CaptGustaf Gronberg, fleet Captain and seniorvice-president of marine operations forStar Cruises, said: "We always place safetyas our top priority and are proud that StarCruises has entered its 15th year free ofaccident and insurance claims.""With the upgrade of bridge systems tothe NACOS Platinum series, we are dedicatedto maintaining our exemplaryrecord for providing customers with a safeand comfortable cruise experience."INTEGRATEDNAVIGATIONSYSTEMSSynapsis Bridge Control combines most advancedfunctions with well-proven reliability in one cohesivelydeveloped bridge system.Using the cutting-edge of navigation technology,Synapsis Bridge Control provides highest flexibilityin system configuration as well as simplified andpredictable operation.Raytheon Anschütz GmbHD-24100 Kiel, GermanyTel +49(0)4 31-30 19-0Fax +49(0)4 31-30 19-291www.raytheon-anschuetz.comDigital Ship June/July 2011 page 31

ELECTRONICS & NAVIGATION NEWSTransas: new FleetViewOnline and 3D VTS modulewww.transas.comTransas has announced the launch of anew version of its FleetViewOnline (FVO)service, and an upgraded vessel trackingsystem (VTS) featuring 3D technology.FleetViewOnline is a security protectedweb-based tracking system displaying avessel's position, which includes a freeautomatic identification system (AIS)tracking feature.The AIS Tracking feature allows thereception of additional AIS DPRs once avessel is in an area covered by theAISHUB service. If an area is not coveredby the AISHUB service any available freeAIS data source for the area can be connectedto FVO and then will be added tothe AISHUB coverage area.AIS and satellite position reports canbe integrated into one track or presentedseparately.Transas claims that this AIS trackingfunctionality enables a more effective useof FVO zone alarms, that warn staff ortrigger ship agents’ activity.An FVO Tracking and SSAS serviceapplication for Android based smartphonesis also being developed, which iscurrently available as a beta version.Transas’ upgraded 3D vehicle trackingsolution (VTS) module for Port Operationsis designed to provide the operator in portwith a full-scale 3-dimensional view of thenavigational situation in the VTS area,based on AIS sensor data.The simulated 3D VTS picture, basedon real-time VTMS data, enables the operatorto observe the navigation situationfrom a variety of different perspectives:from the viewpoint of the ship's navigatorwww.maris.noand pilot or in a so-called ‘flight mode’.Position, direction, zoom, height andtilt of the camera can be adjusted to enablea better overview.Transas says that it aims to provide theoperator with the same view available tothe ship's bridge officers and pilot, to offeradditional support to decision-makers onboard in situations of limited or restrainedvisibility.In other news, Transas and its GlobalECDIS Training Network (GET-Net) partnerInterschalt Maritime Systems AG havebeen awarded Flag State approval fromGermany for their generic ECDIS training.Transas Marine and Interschalt jointlyMARIS reports that it has secured a deal tosupply ECDIS installations to 36 highspeed Interceptor Boats to be built at theLarsen & Toubro shipyard for the IndianCoast Guard, with a further option foranother 18 vessels.Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Limited willbuild the vessels at its new yard inChennai, near Ennore. The order representsthe first deal secured by L&T fromIndia’s Ministry of Defence.The order is expected to be completedby 2013, and involves the supply, installationand commissioning of the MARISECDIS900 SmartLine Mk10 Flat PanelComputer with PC Radar Kit, with radaroverlay and radar/ARPA, on board thenewbuilds.“We have successfully marketed theMARIS SVDR float free and Pilotmatesoftware, but now our relationship hasgrown and we have established MARIS asa key supplier for ECDIS in India,” commentedNafeesa Moloobhoy, managingpartner of MARIS representative A.S.Moloobhoy & Sons, India.“Winning this particular order has beena matter of great pride for Moloobhoys”.In other news, MARIS has alsoannounced a new agreement with weatherand performance systems supplierGAC-SMHI Weather Solutions, wherebythe two companies will integrate theMARIS Voyage Decision Support (VDS)system and GAC-SMHI’s weather routingadvice and shore-based fleet monitoringsoftware systems.The MARIS VDS offers logging, storage,communication and display functionality,and ECDIS-related functionalitysuch as route planning. The VDS can alsoPolish maritime services companyKongsberg Shipmedics has become awholly owned Kongsberg Maritimesubsidiary, called Kongsberg MaritimePoland Ltd. A 52 per cent stake in the companyhad been acquired in 2007 when itwas renamed Kongsberg Shipmedics,with the remaining shares purchased inOctober 2010 - a deal approved by thePolish Commercial Court in December.L-3 Valmarine has appointed JohnEgil Gilje as vice president and directorsales and marketing. Prior to joining thecompany Mr Gilje worked as directorsales and marketing at Bjørge MarineAutomation.UKHO has announced the appointmentof Sandra Rogers as the new nonexecutivechair. Ms Rogers, who has beenoffer combined generic and type specificcourses. The course has been certified byGermanischer Lloyd (GL) and follows theIMO Model Course 1.27.The ECDIS training is based on a GLcertified training course which follows theECDIS IMO Model Course 1.27 andadheres to the requirements of the ManilaAmendments to STCW.Transas notes that it will continueto expand its GET-Net programme,having recently welcomed MarstalNavigationsskole, a nautical learninginstitution from Denmark, and PT.Promacindo, an Indonesia based nauticaltraining institute, as new partners.Transas’ new VTS module provides port operators witha 3D view of the navigational situationECDIS deal for Indian Coast Guardbe used as an ECDIS back-up.GAC SMHI Weather Solutions providesonboard weather data, includingmeteorological routing advice and shorebasedfleet monitoring and analysingfunctionalities.The parties have agreed to cooperate inthe development, marketing and sales ofan integrated system which marries GAC-SMHI’s FleetWeb and VisPer programs toMARIS VDS and ECDIS.on the UKHO’s board for more than eightyears having joined in July 2002, has beeninterim chair since October 2009 and takesup her new position for an initial term ofthree years.Ocean Signal has appointedSartech as UK distributor for its SafeSeaproduct range. Based in Surrey, Sartechwill have core responsibility for strengtheningthe presence of Ocean Signal’s productline in the UK, targeting the commercialsector.Ocean Signal has also appointedEchomaster Marine as its dedicatedcountry distributor in Scotland.Echomaster Marine will be responsible fordistributing Ocean Signal’s SafeSea rangewhich includes the E100/E100G EPIRBseries, the S100 SART and the V100Sperry announcesnew contractswww.northropgrumman.comSperry Marine has announced that it hasagreed new contracts with oil giant BP, theSwedish Navy and German shipping companyPeter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG, for thesupply of ECDIS systems, radar and the provisionof maintenance services, respectively.Under the terms of its deal with BP,Sperry has supplied electronic chart displayand information systems (ECDIS) to12 BP oil tankers.Four VisionMaster FT ECDIS workstationswere installed on each of the 12 shipsfor full ECDIS redundancy, supplementingexisting Sperry Marine integratedbridge system installations, includingradars, autopilots and gyrocompasses.The British-flagged Bird-class vesselswere originally built for BP in Korea bySamsung Heavy Industries. The 115,000deadweight ton double-hull 'ice-class'Aframax ships typically transport crudeoil or heavy lubricant oils worldwide.In Sweden, Sperry Marine has won acontract to upgrade the navigation radarson five Swedish navy patrol boats, andwill retrofit each ship with two dual-bandinterswitched chart radar systems.The initial contract includes five shipswith options for six additional ships, plusa spare system, spare parts, service andmaintenance.CA Clase Marinelektronik AB, SperryMarine’s sales and service representativein Sweden, will be responsible forinstalling, commissioning, testing andtechnical support for the project.Meanwhile, Sperry's one-year contractwith Peter Döhle and HAMMONIAReederei (a joint venture between PeterDöhle, HCI Capital AG and GETransportation Finance) covers the provisionof worldwide service and maintenancefor more than 135 ships.Sperry Marine will be responsible forall shipboard service, support and maintenanceof the ships’ navigation and communicationequipment, including repairs,spares management and required annualinspections and certifications.Sperry says that it will coordinate onboardservice from its Hamburg,Germany, service centre, utilising its networkof over 250 service locations.GMDSS Handheld Radio.AMVER (the AutomatedMutual Assistance Vessel RescueSystem) has launched a new monthlypodcast called the Quarterdeck, whereAMVER’s Benjamin Strong and USCGAdmiral James Watson discuss search andrescue and other topics of interest tomariners. The podcast can be found athttp://amveruscg.blogspot.com, ordownloaded from iTunes.www.kongsberg.comwww.valmarine.comwww.ukho.gov.ukwww.oceansignal.comwww.sartech.co.ukhttp://amveruscg.blogspot.comDigital Ship June/July 2011 page 32

Raytheon Anschütz delivers10,000th Gyro CompassDigital ShipLetter to the editor - ECDIS trainingwww.raytheon-anschuetz.comRaytheon Anschütz has announced thedelivery of its 10,000th Standard 22 GyroCompass, which the company says makesthe Standard 22 the world’s most populargyro compass.Raytheon Anschütz has installed themilestone compass on Ulstein Shipyard’svessel REM MIST. The compass is part ofRaytheon’s navigation package, consistingof a triple Standard 22 gyro compass system,magnetic compass, various repeater compassesas well as adaptive autopilot system.“By combining highest levels of reliabilityand accuracy with long gyrospherelifetime, the Standard 22 Gyro Compasshas become a standard solution for thedemanding Norwegian offshore industry,”says Jörn Fischbach, sales managerfor Norway at Raytheon Anschütz.The gyro compass features a patentednon-contact transmission of the gyro supplyvoltage and optical signal transmissionof the sensor data.Further functions include headingmonitoring, automatic switch over, atransmitting magnetic compass (TMC)path as well as an individual speed errorcorrection mode in addition to manual /automatic correction modes.Additionally, universal course transducersare available for gyro compass refitsolutions.To the Editor,The final draft of the revised ECDISModel Course 1.27 (2010 edition) hasrecently been published by the IMOSecretariat as an STW43 paper, andposted to the IMO documents site. Itshould be regarded as immediatelyrelevant to ECDIS training coursedevelopment and approval processes.This revision has been a very longwork in progress, especially throughthe IMO validation process. But hereit is, at last, after considerable internationalpeer review, modification andvalidation.STW43 must still vote on it at theirnext meeting, in June 2012. Butapproval of this final draft is expected.If this revision is approved nextyear, it will then officially replace theoriginal MC 1.27.One important aspect of this revisionis that Part A (Framework)includes a kind of simulation performancestandard for ECDIS trainingwith added details and justificationplaced in appendices for theinstructor.Other big differences from theoriginal MC 1.27 are that it includesfull course content as well as detailedguidance on exercises and practicalunderway assessment. It is all aboutpractice in solo navigation training,and the graded demonstration of theintegration of ECDIS skills with allaspects of navigation.Because this revision is so focusedon specific content in underwaynavigational contexts, MC 1.27should no longer be regarded asgeneric training.I welcome comments from theglobal community on this final draft2010 edition of MC 1.27. Interestedparties are also encouraged to circulatethe document, provided that it isunaltered in any way.- CDR Christian HempsteadUSMSUnited States MerchantMarine Academyhempsteadc@usmma.eduEditor’s note - The IMO’s final draft ofthe revised ECDIS Model Course hasbeen made available for download onthe Digital Ship website, via the shortlinkhttp://tinyurl.com/ModelCourseThe vessel REM MIST was installed with the milestone gyro compassCHARTS MADEE PLUSSYCompliant chart data to get you from A to B.All the time.ECDIS PLUS from Kelvin Hughes is changingthe way we navigate. Using data from KelvinHughes, the world’s largest distributor ofpaper and digital navigation charts, ECDIS PLUScan be supplied with any official ENC chartdata sourced from recognised suppliers andproduced to IHO standards.With ECDIS PLUS , you can be assured of thelatest ECDIS equipment, cost effective supplyand management of charts, real-time updatesand IMO-approved ECDIS training. All ofthis comes with total flexibility to chooseyour provider, worldwide installation and anunrivalled global support network. ECDIS PLUSoffers the only complete ECDIS Solution foryour needs, making every voyage smarter.The Only Complete ECDIS SolutionDigital Ship June/July 2011 page 33

ELECTRONICS & NAVIGATIONECDIS – isolated underwater dangersUnderstanding the display settings and symbology of a particular ECDIS system is absolutely criticalin ensuring safe navigation – Dr Andy Norris looks at some key features to be aware ofThere is some concern beingexpressed about the detailed differencesin display that can occuron ECDIS when units from different manufacturersare similarly set.An important example cited is in thedisplay of underwater dangers, forinstance wrecks, rocks and other obstructions,where it is clear that some issuesexist for the unwary user.Firstly, it is important to realise that thedepiction of such dangers is handledquite differently on ECDIS compared topaper charts.On a paper chart, underwater dangersare shown by specific symbology, givingthe type of obstruction and usually alsogiving the underwater clearance referencedto the chart’s vertical datum.On ECDIS, the display of underwaterdangers is intimately connected to thesafety contour, which is set by the user.Such dangers, when their depth is hazardousto own ship, according to the settingof the safety contour, are displayed asa conspicuous magenta image known asthe isolated danger symbol.It looks rather like a screw head, as canbe seen in the accompanying illustrations.Conditional symbologyECDIS uses a conditional symbology procedureto determine when to display anunderwater danger. In areas that lie withinthe safe waters defined by the safetycontour the symbol will be displayed if theunderwater obstruction is shallower thanthe defined contour.This will happen for any display categoryselected because it forms part of theDisplay Base requirement. The symbol is aclear visual indication that the depth in itsvicinity is less than the value of the safetycontour and is therefore a potential dangerto the vessel.Although not generally necessary,clicking on the object and selecting thePick Report will give detailed informationabout it, including its depth and theTwo different ECDIS units can show different underwater hazards even though the userhas input identical values for the safety contourtype of hazard.If the isolated danger is deeper than thevalue of the safety contour it will not bedisplayed as it has no significance to safety– provided the safety contour has beenappropriately selected. This helps to declutterthe display.If the display of all hidden underwaterobstructions is required – such as to aidposition verification by the use of soundings– the display mode All OtherInformation can be selected.In this case isolated dangers that aredeeper than the safety contour will be displayedin their standard symbology, forinstance as a wreck, rather than as the isolateddanger symbol.However, to comply with IMO requirements,those dangers which are less deepthan the safety contour and lying within itwill remain being depicted by the isolateddanger symbol.It should be noted that some underwaterdangers are identified as an area, ratherthan as an isolated point. The same symbolis used for such cases, with the limitsof the area being denoted by a dotted line.Insufficient depthcontoursThe concept of selecting a safety contour,together with its effect on isolated dangerswithin the area defined by it, isembedded within the IMO ECDISPerformance Standards.These state that if the safety contourspecified by the mariner is not available,the used safety contour should default tothe next deeper available contour.In fact, the small number of availablecontours on many ENCs means that insome situations, such as when entering certainports, the vessel has to traverse areasthat are less deep than the safety contour towhich the system has defaulted.It should be realised that such situationscan still be safely negotiated usingECDIS – for instance by using the AllOther Information display mode and makingsure that soundings are turned on.For such a course of action, ECDISneeds to be used more like a paper charton a screen, with the mariner takingdetailed notice of all the displayed hazards.In this use of ECDIS, underwaterdangers would be shown using the symbologyof the actual hazard, rather than bythe magenta ‘screw head’ symbol.However, IHO S-52 ECDIS data presentationstandards include an additional featurethat is aimed at assisting this particularsituation.It is available on most but not all ECDISequipment. This is probably because it isnot an explicit requirement within theIMO Performance Standards, nor withinthe IEC equipment standards for ECDIS,known as IEC 61174.S-52 enhanced safetycontourThe IMO Performance Standards onlyassume a single value for the safety contour.S-52 goes a step further by effectivelyidentifying two separate values for it –that set by the user and that selected bythe system, that is the next deeper contourif the user value does not correspond to anavailable contour.S-52 uses the value set by the userto determine whether isolated dangersare shown, not the system-selected safetycontour.An ECDIS that implements the full S-52safety contour procedure can also be setoptionally such that the symbol is also displayedfor isolated dangers that are lessdeep than the user-set safety contour inareas between the drying line and thedefault safety contour.This is intended to be used when vesselsneed to use waters less deep than thedefault safety contour. It is imperative thatsoundings are also displayed on ECDISwhen navigating in such areas.For this option ECDIS only displays themagenta isolated danger symbol for theStandard Display setting and above,unlike the display of underwater hazardswithin the area that is deeper than thesafety contour, which is always shown.It is a matter of preference whether themariner wants to turn on ‘show isolateddangers in shallow water’ or not.However, it is imperative for the user toknow which mode has been selected. If itis wrongly assumed to be on and the display,for instance, is not set to All OtherInformation, then such dangers in watersshallower than the default safety contourwill be invisible.Incidentally, IMO also defines a safetydepth, which is quite different to the safetycontour. ECDIS uses the safety depth toemphasize soundings equal to or less thanthe safety depth whenever spot soundingsare selected for display.The safety contour setting affectsalarms and conditional symbology but thesafety depth only affects the display ofsoundings.ECDIS differencesThe two illustrations simulate the detail ofthe same area shown by two differentECDIS displays. The user input safetycontour has been set on both to 7 metres.The available safety contour that both systemshave defaulted to is 10 metres – theonly contour visible in the illustrations.The left-hand case is for an ECDIS thatuses the full S-52 implementation andwhich is set to the option ‘show isolateddangers in shallow water’.For this example, all such hazards havinga clearance of less than 7 metres withrespect to the chart’s vertical datum andlying both inside and outside the 10 metrecontour are identified by the magentasymbol.In this particular case they all lie withinthe shallow water area. If the option forshowing isolated dangers in shallowwaters was not selected, no dangerswould be shown at all on this particulararea of the chart.On an ECDIS that does not use the fullyimplemented S-52 feature a rather differentpicture results, as can be seen in the righthandillustration, even though set with thesame user input safety contour (7 metres).Firstly, hazards are now only identifiedin areas deeper than the 10 metre contour.Secondly, hazards that are charted asbeing less deep than this contour will bedepicted, rather than those that are lessdeep than the user-set safety contour.This has resulted in a single isolatedunderwater danger being depicted, whichmust have a depth between 7 and 10 metresas it is not visible in the left hand illustration.The illustrations clearly shows that significantdifferences in display can occur,even though the user has input identicalsafety contours.However, the differences are explainableand both implementations permit safe navigation,providing the user is fully familiarwith the generic use of ECDIS for navigationand the actual features and controlsavailable on the particular ECDIS in use.Despite this, there is no doubt that bettercommonality between the implementationof the safety contour feature between systemswould ease the burden on training. DSDr Andy orris has been well-known in the maritime navigation industry for anumber of years. He has spent much of his time managing high-tech navigationcompanies but now he is working on broader issues within the navigationalworld, providing both technical and business consultancy to the industry, governmentalbodies and maritime organizations. Email: apnorris@globalnet.co.ukDigital Ship june/July 2011 page 34