Vessel Track News

A new forward looking sonar (FLS) from marine technology company Sonardyne International Ltd. supports collision avoidance capability for vessels.Vigilant FLS offers mariners subsurface situational awareness, providing live and past vessel track, detailed 3D bathymetry out to 600 meters and automated warnings of unseen collision hazards on and beneath the waterline out to 1.5 kilometers.Compact in size and with mounting options for both new build and retrofit, Vigilant is suitable for naval, commercial, passenger and private vessels of all sizes and types.

Nigel Shewring is Hempel Group’s new Research & Development Director. He provided Maritime Reporter & Engineering News insights on the future pace and direction of coatings technology.Nigel Shewring has spent his professional life on the R&D side of the coatings industry, starting in 1996 as a bench chemist developing liquid coatings for general industrial applications, moving later into the research and development of foul release coatings. For the last 15 years he has been leading…

A new, fully IMO certified Integrated Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) navigation system has been announced today, the Simrad CS68 Integrated ECDIS, designed specifically for the commercial market. The Simrad CS68 Integrated ECDIS system offers direct access to key dedicated navigation capabilities. Installation and customization options are virtually endless, depending on the particular configuration of a vessel. Available in two screen sizes, the CS68 19-inch model has a 5:4 aspect ratio for streamlined retrofitting.

Global Marine Systems Ltd. (GMSL)  is in the process of converting six of its cable installation and repair vessels to begin using the latest Makai software technology. With the addition of GMSL to the list of customers, Makai software products are now used by large installers and smaller telecom cable installers throughout the world, accounting for more than 80% of the world’s cable installation fleet, the company said. 3)    The MakaiLay Seismic module which will enhance the capabilities of GMSL in accurately installing and retrieving seismic arrays for the oil and gas industry.

MSC Cruises has worked with independent software design company Quality Positioning Services (QPS)  on a high performance, real-time vessel track, trace and emergency monitoring system. This voyage planning and monitoring system (VP & MS) allows MSC Cruises to implement route analysis and track each of its ships with an update rate of one second and an accuracy of less than five metres. The system means that each ship is constantly sending information, including its own position, speed, heading and course together with all other ship targets within a 40 mile radius, to the shore based QPS Connect server in Sorrento. In order to provide a reliable traffic image, the QPS Connect server fuses the real-time vessel information with real-time information from  terrestrial based AIS networks.

AWT Launches First Service Using Global Automatic Identification System for Accurate Vessel Monitoring. AWT Global AIS Service Expands Coverage to Include Terrestrial Data and Satellite Data. SUNNYVALE, Calif., September 13, 2011 – Applied Weather Technology, Inc. (AWT) today announced the launch of its global Automatic Identification System (AIS) service, AWT Global AIS. AWT is the first in its market to provide this innovative service, using satellite data to more accurately monitor vessels beyond coastal regions on a global scale.

There are a number of computer programs and hardware that promises to make marine vessels more productive and interactive. For example, Maxsea, Marstons Mill, Mass. has a module that connects their chart plotter to the sensors of a dredge to record the vessel's track. The track can be displayed on the chart plotter and the data collected can be directly exported in the ASC II format for use by other data processing software. The seabed outline is displayed "live" in 2-D and 3-D and the data is recorded. Need a tough bulkhead-mounted PC? Comark of Medfield, Mass. has a unit with the enclosure made of marine aluminum with an epoxy powder finish and is rated for a Nema 12 environment.

According to sources, a report says crew of sunken ferry may have been unfamiliar with equipment. A suggestion is being made that bridge crew on the Queen of the North were unfamiliar with newly installed steering equipment. A preliminary finding into the ferry sinking also says the crew was so unacquainted with the new electronic equipment's night settings that they turned off a monitor displaying their course. In a letter to B.C. Ferries CEO David Hahn a Safety Board Investigator said that action negated the benefits of the real-time display of the vessel's track and position vis-à-vis the planned courses and course alterations. In the meantime…