Pole Star News

Spain's GONDAN Shipbuilders announced it held a steel cutting ceremony marking the start of construction on a new vessel it is building for the Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB), a non-departmental public body responsible for marine navigation aids around coastal areas for Scotland and the Isle of Man.The NLB, which has been responsible for the management of lights, buoys and beacons in the region since 1786, plays an essential role in safe navigation.The new hybrid-powered vessel…

The Northern Lighthouse Board (NLB), the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man announced the award of a £51.8 million contract to Spanish shipyard Astilleros Gondán S.A, for the build of a hybrid powered buoy tender vessel to support its vital safety service to mariners.The tender includes a commitment to place over £2 million of contracts with U.K. suppliers with a requirement for any contract over £25,000 to be advertised in the U.K. As part of the deal Gondán will also create a special fully funded internship program for up to 15 U.K.

Lars Thrane A/S is pleased to announce the release of Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) functionality for the MED/Wheelmark approved LT-3100S GMDSS System.The LT-3100S GMDSS System is an Iridium GMDSS satellite communications product developed and certified to comply with the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Chapter IV Radiocommunication Requirements. Iridium was recognized and adopted as GMDSS Service Provider - the International Maritime Safety Organization (IMSO) issued Letter of Compliance December 19…

Applied Satellite Technology Ltd. (AST) appointed Andrew Peters as Group Managing Director.“Andrew’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for AST, his experience in the technology sector and knowledge of our industry and markets will spearhead our Group in the next stage of our growth," said Gregory Darling, Founder and Chairman.Andrew has held leadership roles in several telecoms and technology organizations, including CEO of Deutsche Telekom UK and Telefonica UK, with significant experience in M&A and business integration.In 2013…

A new icebreaking tugboat built by Blount Boats in Rhode Island has been delivered to the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to work in the Niagara River to help alleviate shoreline flooding and reduce the likelihood of ice limiting the power production at large hydro plants along the Niagara River. The Breaker II joins a fleet of three boats that work every winter to install the Lake Erie—Niagara River Ice Boom—a series of 22 spans of steel pontoons that straddle the mouth of the…

Verifavia Shipping claimed success in the independent certification of IT systems and solutions designed to support compliance with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Data Collection System (DCS) regulation and European Union (EU) Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV).With both regulations now in force, increasing numbers of IT systems are available to assist ship owners and operators in collating and reporting emissions data, all of which need to strictly adhere to the relevant legal requirements."More than 30 of these systems have now been certified or are currently undergoing certification by Verifavia," the emissions verification company for the transport sector (aviation and shipping) said in a press release.According to the release…

The provider of fleet management, ship security, and fisheries monitoring systems to the maritime industry Pole Star Space Applications has received IMO-DCS approval from Verifavia and Bureau Veritas for our Environmental Vessel Efficiency solution (EVE).The UK-headquartered company said in a press release that EVE offers its clients a solution that helps them comply with environmental regulations such as MRV and IMO DCS, and - just as importantly - the data-driven analysis needed to reduce fuel consumption and improve profit margins.Environmental responsibility is a priority for the IMO, and the shipping industry is actively engaged in trying to reduce its carbon footprint.EVE provides crucial vessel and fuel performance data…

Ship registry operations have become increasingly complex as the pervasive effect of economic sanctions causes State and private shipping operators to be less transparent with Regulators with respect to the beneficial ownership and operation of vessels. As a result, Regulators are keenly monitoring the maritime sector and Flags in particular to ensure their internal processes meet best practice guidance. Leading from the front and demonstrating its innovative credentials is the Panama Maritime Administration (AMP), which has adopted Pole Star's multi-award winning PurpleTRAC solution to ensure compliance to International sanctions across its registry operations and is the first in the sector to do so.

Vessel sales for March 2018 as prepared by Shipping Intelligence, Inc., New York.Date Reported - Vessel Name - DWT - Year Built (Age) - Price in Millions USDBulk Carriers3/25 - KIBELE - 12,235 - 00 (18) - $3.33/25 - LUCKY STAR - 27,321 - 95 (23) - $2.93/25 - GLORIOUS SAWARA - 28,339 - 09 (9) - $93/25 - NORTHERN LIGHT - 28,415 - 07 (11) - $7.63/25 - BLUE ANGEL - 44,950 - 94 (24) - $4.53/25 - TONG XIANG - 46,240 - 97 (21) - $5.33/25 - MONICA P - 46,667 - 98 (20) - $63/6 - EUGENIA B - 46,750 - 98 (20) - $5.753/11 - AMETHYST - 47,301 - 01 (17) - $8.53/25 - NEPHENTHE - 48,913 - 01 (17) - $8.23/11 - NAVIOS HERAKLES - 52,061 - 01 (17) - $8.33/6 - POLESTAR - 53,452 - 06 (12) - $9.33/25 - NICHIRIN - 55,694 - 10 (8) - $153/6 - DARYA VISHNU - 56,056 - 06 (12) - $12.83/25 - HAMMONIA MALTA - 56,700 - 1

Palau International Ship Registry (PISR) has expanded its technology offering by linking with Pole Star to offer a comprehensive sanctions compliance and risk management service for its fleet vessels. Pole Star’s Purple TRAC is a comprehensive ship-centric economic sanctions compliance and risk management service used by shipping companies, ship financiers, insurers, port state agencies and ship registries. Using the latest technology it offers high level monitoring of assets designed to protect both the vessel and crew during operations. Panos Kirnidis, CEO of PISR, believes the new smart datalink provides ship owners and managers with the most detailed information to maximise their operational performance.

An agreement to build oil tankers in Iran for Venezuela has been left in limbo years after it was announced as Western sanctions plus disagreements over payments and delivery terms took their toll, sources familiar with the matter say. The deal was heralded in 2006 with much fanfare by Tehran and the socialist government of then-president Hugo Chavez to build four oil tankers in Iran on behalf of Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA as part of a wider global order for 42 ships. According to sources and backed up by shipping data, the Iranian order was never completed. A former adviser to PDVSA's maritime subsidiary involved in the deal said the imposition of tougher sanctions in 2012…

Pole Star, a U.K.-headquartered technology company delivering maritime application solutions, has launched its new cloud application platform, designed to facilitate the company’s vision to enable a universal maritime ecosystem. According to its developer, the new Pole Star platform is a highly configurable, extensible and easy-to-use cloud application platform, built upon a powerful, robust and open API, and using enterprise-grade cloud infrastructure. With a wide (and expanding)…

The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has become the first port state to use Pole Star’s PurpleTRAC sanctions compliance and risk management service as part of its wider port risk management strategy and as a precaution against the outbreak of Ebola. As part of the PMA’s risk management strategy, all ships intending to enter a Panamanian port are required to post arrival data via their agent into the PMA’s system. In an enhancement to that process, the PMA will use PurpleTRAC to…

Risk Intelligence, a security and piracy intelligence specialist, have announced their strategic partnership with Pole Star Space Applications, a leading provider of realtime asset tracking and monitoring solutions. The companies are working to integrate several solutions, allowing mutual customers to combine the benefits of realtime fleet information with the latest intelligence on piracy and security incidents around the world. The first product will be launched Q1 2014. “There…

The second annual SHIPPINGInsight Fleet Optimization Conference convenes next week, and there’s still time to register online. The conference will take place at the Sheraton Stamford Hotel in Stamford, Conn., Oct. 22-24, and will address solutions and best practices for reducing costs and improving efficiency to meet the challenges of operating ships’ profitably. The keynote speakers are Peter I. Keller, president, Sea Star Line, and Yasushi Nakamura, executive vice president, ClassNK.

The organizers of the SHIPPINGInsight 2013 Fleet Optimization Conference today announced that the deadline for Early-Bird registration has been extended. The discount offer expires at midnight, September 13. The conference will take place Oct. 22-24 at the Sheraton Stamford Hotel, in Stamford, Conn. Attendees registering prior to the early-ird deadline will receive $200 off the full conference registration fee. “We have assembled a distinguished lineup of moderators, speakers and panelists for this year’s conference, including senior executives from 17 major shipping companies, as well as experts from classification societies, shipyards…

Pole Star Space Applications said it has partnered with Delta Wave Communications to pursue onshore opportunities. Delta Wave will offer Pole Star’s remote monitoring, security and tracking solutions to the North American energy exploration, chemical and oil and gas markets. Since the late 1990s, Pole Star has developed satellite-based fleet monitoring services for use in the harsh and isolated marine environment. Because satellite-based communication provides near global coverage, Pole Star’s systems allow shipowners and managers to track their ships, even when they sail beyond the reach of other communications networks. This need applies equality to onshore companies that operate assets in remote land areas where cellular coverage is limited.

Pole Star Space Applications' Marine Asset Tracker (MAT) 2.0 monitors mixed fleets of tugs, barges, rigs & other assets; helps owners manage fleet-wide operations. MAT 2.0 offers a brand new software platform with a sleek user-interface, support for Globalstar, Thuraya and IsatData Pro satellite networks, a range of new satellite tracking devices, flexible service plans and intelligent realtime reporting options. Built on Pole Star’s brand new software platform, Purplefinder Pro, MAT 2.0 delivers an enhanced user experience. The software features intuitive fullscreen Google maps and marine charts, dynamic vessel history trails, graphical weather and zone and overlays, interactive ship tiles and S-AIS data in partnership with ORBCOMM.

Pole Star, fleet managers, ship security & vessel monitoring providers, appoint Andrew Peters as compsny Chief Executive Officer. The appointment follows the retirement of interim CEO, Colin Hook, who will continue to serve as a non-executive director of the board. Andrew Peters, previously CEO of Telefonica UK and Deutsche Telekom Ltd, takes the helm as Pole Star embarks on an ambitious strategy to launch new services, expand into new regions and release major enhancements to its existing products. Commenting on his new appointment, Andrew Peters said, "Following a successful 2012 under Colin Hook's sound leadership, we will continue to upgrade our products and services and expand into new markets in 2013.

Pole Star Space Applications, a provider of realtime asset tracking and monitoring systems, has announced the launch of Marine Asset Tracker (MAT) 2.0, the first product released on its next generation Purplefinder Pro software platform. MAT 2.0 is targeted at owners and operators of coastal and inland workboats, tugs and barges and the offshore oil and gas market. It allows users to monitor mixed fleets of tugs, barges, rigs and other assets to manage fleet-wide operations and regulatory requirements.

Newly merged company will track and monitor half the world’s ships. Pole Star Space Applications Limited (“Pole Star”), Absolute Software Inc. and Absolute Maritime Tracking Services Inc. (“Absolute”) today announced that the merger of the three organisations has been completed. The enlarged global business, headquartered in West London, will provide a combination of monitoring and security related services to more than 35,000 vessels - half the world’s international fleet. Combining Pole Star’s award-winning expertise in systems for commercial fleets…

Pole Star Space Applications Ltd,  provider of fleet management, ship security and asset monitoring systems, has released an upgrade to its DSAS Ship Security Alert System, featuring new hardware from SkyWave Mobile Communications. The upgraded DSAS is designed to provide continuity of service and a smooth upgrade path for Pole Star SSAS customers as well as future-proofing their investment by routeing data traffic via the IsatData Pro network. The new Pole Star DSAS has been engineered to build on the quality of service provided by earlier transceivers, many of which are still in service from first installation. The new SkyWave IsatData Pro utilizes the global Inmarsat I-4 satellite constellation to provide remote management and communication with mobile and fixed assets worldwide.

Mackay Communications joins Pole Star’s wide marine market network of approved distributors. Mackay will offer Pole Star’s portfolio of products and services including Fleet Management, Alert Advanced Ship Security Alert System (SSAS), Marine Asset Tracker (MAT), and LRIT conformance testing services to their customer base throughout North America. “We are extremely pleased to formalize the relationship with Mackay,” commented Duncan Halliday, Head of Distribution at Pole Star. “We look forward to growing our business in all marine verticals including deep sea, brown water and the white boat market with them. Pole Star: Pole Star is a leading provider of Fleet Management, Ship Security and Vessel Monitoring systems to the maritime industry.