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Black Box News

27 Mar 2024

Pilot Called for Tugboat Help Before Baltimore Bridge Disaster

Source: US Army Corps of Engineers

The pilot of the container ship that knocked down a highway bridge into Baltimore Harbor had radioed for tugboat help and reported a power loss minutes earlier, federal safety officials said on Wednesday, citing audio from the ship's "black box" data recorder.The head of the National Transportation Safety Board also said that Francis Scott Key Bridge, a traffic artery over the harbor built in 1976, lacked structural engineering redundancies common to newer spans, making it more


27 Mar 2024

Divers Recover Two Bodies After Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.

Divers on Wednesday recovered the remains of two of the six workers missing since they were tossed into Baltimore Harbor from a highway bridge that collapsed into shipping lanes when a faltering cargo freighter rammed into the structure, officials said on Wednesday.The bodies were pulled from the mouth of the Patapsco River a day after the massive container ship lost power and its ability to maneuver before plowing into a support pylon of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, knocking


27 Nov 2023

Study Calls for 'Liberation of Data' in Shipping Shift for Decarbonization

Interconnection of disparate shipboard systems is seen as necessary to drive digitalization for enhanced operational efficiency. Image: BV

Siloed data systems represent a “recipe for duplicative and multiplicative cost inside a company and across companies”, an OrbitMI-hosted panel at the recent Shipping Insight event in the US was told, as a Bureau Veritas-backed study highlighted this as a big barrier to data collaboration for digitalization of shipping to cut emissions.Vast amounts of data are generated from ship operations - such as from sensors onboard or vessel performance management systems - as well as from


19 Dec 2022

Furuno Delivers Chart Radars for Washington State Ferries' Issaquah

(Photo: Furuno)

Marine electronics company Furuno said it has delivered a suite of upgrade electronics for Washington State Ferries' Issaquah.Built in 1979, Issaquah received a newly upgraded helm featuring four Furuno FAR3220NXTBB Chart Radars, two on each end of the vessel. These Black Box, Solid-State Chart Radars provide enhanced target detection with a refined user interface and new, aerodynamic antennas, as well as a host of new and improved features, Furuno said.According to Furuno, the user interface of these advanced Chart Radars provides the operator with carefully organized tools


23 Nov 2021

Metal Shark Delivers Pilot Boat to Pascagoula Pilots

(Photo: Metal Shark)

Boat builder Metal Shark said it has delivered a 55- by 17-foot welded aluminum pilot boat to the Pascagoula Bar Pilots Association in Mississippi.Designed by Metal Shark’s in-house engineering team and built at the company’s Franklin, La. shipyard, the new Singing River Island is the second Metal Shark pilot boat to join the Pascagoula Pilots fleet. It represents the latest evolution in the Louisiana-based builder’s Defiant-class pilot boat lineup, combining a proven hull form with a modern


23 Jun 2021

Iran says US to Lift Oil and Shipping Sanctions, US Says Nothing Agreed

© Vladimir / Adobe Stock

Iran said on Wednesday the United States had agreed to remove all sanctions on Iran's oil and shipping but Washington said "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed" in talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.The remarks by outgoing President Hassan Rouhani's chief of staff Mahmoud Vaezi echoed previous assertions by officials in Rouhani's pragmatist camp that Washington is ready to make major concessions at the nuclear talks in Vienna that began in April.The indirect talks adjourned on Sunday for consultations in capitals


03 May 2021

What Happened to the Indonesian Submarine KRI Nanggala?

(Photo: Indonesian Navy)

After a five-day search, wreckage from Indonesia’s missing submarine KRI Nanggala has been discovered at a depth of more than 800 meters in the Bali Sea.With no survivors from the 53-person crew—and no certainty the cause of disaster will ever be confirmed—the Indonesian Navy will need to decide how much effort it devotes to examining and salvaging the wreckage.Footage from a deep catastropheInitial examination of the sunken vessel suggests the wreckage is in three pieces, with the boat’s hull and stern separated.The Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) has released video footage


01 Mar 2021

Furuno Equips Los Angeles' New Pilot Boats

The Los Angeles Pilot Service has taken delivery of two new pilot boats equipped with full suites of quality Furuno marine electronics. The 56-foot Angels Pilot and Angels Navigator have been outfitted with complete integrated helm suites designed to assist in their mission of piloting ships in and out of Los Angeles Harbor, the busiest seaport in the western hemisphere. The pair of Camarc-designed boats were built by Vigor Industrial in Vancouver, Wash., and have made their way to their homeport in Los Angeles.The helm suites aboard the Angels Pilot and Angels Navigator feature a Furuno black box NavNet TZtouch2 TZT2BB multi function display connected to both 19” and 24” multi-touch displays, the MU195T and MU245T.

09 Jul 2020

Uni-Tankers Begins VDR Upgrade Program

M/T Endelo Swan (Photo: Uni-Tankers)

Danish shipping company Uni-Tankers is upgrade aging and obsolete voyage data recorders (VDR) on more than 10 of its vessels. Some of the VDRs are 10 or more years old and are nearing the end of their service life.Uni-Tankers has chosen Danelec Marine to implement an upgrade program ensuring that it ships are equipped with the latest VDR technology, which will also help boost efficiency and the proactive use of ships’ data.A required piece of equipment on large vessels, VDRs are used to collect and store data from various onboard sensors


07 Jul 2020

Iran's Oil Storage Almost Full as Sanctions and Pandemic Weigh

© Hayden / Adobe Stock

Iran has slashed crude oil production to its lowest level in four decades as storage tanks and vessels are almost completely full due to a fall in exports and refinery run cuts caused by the coronavirus pandemic, industry data showed.Total onshore crude stocks surged to 54 million barrels in April from 15 million barrels in January, and swelled further to 63 million barrels in June, according to FGE Energy.Market intelligence firm Kpler estimated Iranian average onshore crude storage for June to be around 66 million barrels.That is around 85% of available onshore storage capacity."However


12 May 2020

Seatronx Launches Digital Matrix SCC

Photo: Seatronx

Seatronx announced the launch of the Seatronx Digital Matrix Switching Command Control system (SCC).The Seatronx SCC takes bridge control to a new level. The system not only allows operators to control individual or multiple displays including power on/off, input selection, brightening, dimming and night mode view, it is also fully customizable with optional modules for added functionality. These accessory modules let users incorporate KVM mouse, keyboard and touchscreen switching


09 Apr 2020

Australian Police Take 'Black Box' off Cruise Ship in COVID-19 Homicide Probe

Ruby Princess (File photo: Princess Cruises)

Australian police said on Thursday they have taken the “black box” of a cruise ship which disembarked hundreds of passengers infected with the coronavirus in Sydney, as part of a homicide investigation into the country’s deadliest infection source.The investigation got underway as the Australian authorities said the rate of new coronavirus infections hit its lowest number in three weeks and began arranging more flights to bring home citizens stranded abroad.The Ruby Princess cruise ship, owned by Carnival Corp, has become a flashpoint of public anger in Australia after authorities granted the

31 Mar 2020

Seatronx Launches River Radar Display

(Photo: Seatronx)

Seatronx, manufacturer, distributor and designer of rugged electronics catering specifically to the military, maritime and industrial markets, launched of the sunlight-readable RRD-19T River Radar Display designed for river-based commercial vessels.The RRD-19T features a 19-inch display with portrait orientation designed specifically for river radar systems. The portrait format allows operators to see further down the river, while highlighting traffic, weather and markers in narrow channels.

18 Dec 2019

Risk & Reward of The Internet of (Maritime) Things

Copyright: THATREE/AdobeStock

The Internet of Maritime Things (IoMT) is coming! Start planning now.The Internet of Things (IoT) is already with us. You can get a doorbell camera that allows you to see on your smartphone who is at or approaching your front door. You can also get a refrigerator that keeps track of items inside and will advise you when you are running low (maybe on beer). It can also automatically place orders with your local grocery store for replenishment. Your automobile will attempt to keep you in your lane and avoid collisions while keeping track of where you are


23 May 2019

Shipowners See Increase in IMO-Compliant Fuels, But Doubts Persist

Shipowners, who are facing one of the biggest changes in the oil industry in decades, are seeing more fuels that will be compliant with new rules on sulphur emissions from ships, but some say the way forward is far from clear.The United Nations shipping agency the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will from January 2020 limit the sulphur content in fuel ships use to 0.5%.With the exception of some zones around northwest Europe and North America known as Emission Control Areas where maximum sulphur content is restricted to 0.1% sulphur, the current global cap is 3.5%.The sulphur switch will be a mammoth task as it requires adapting the 300 million tonne a year bunker fuel market


12 Apr 2019

New River Radar For Inland Waterways

Photo: Furuno

In 2018, Furuno introduced a new generation of River Radars with the release of the FR1908VBB, a 4kW Black Box Radar with a portrait display (vertical screen orientation) that allows mariners to see more detail ahead of the vessel, where it counts. Now, Furuno has introduced the second in the series, the higher-powered FR1918VBB River Radar. With a 12kW output and all of the same critical features and functionality of its "little brother", the FR1918VBB will enhance the situational awareness of any river vessel.Navigating inland rivers presents a unique set of challenges


08 Apr 2019

NAVTOR NavBox Certified Cyber Secure

Photo: Navtor

Set against the background of increasing cyber threats to the maritime industry, e-Navigation specialist NAVTOR has moved to demonstrate the integrity of its innovative NavBox solution with ‘cyber secure’ certification (IEC 61162-460 Gateway) from DNV GL. NavBox, which automates the distribution and updates of digital charts, publications and other navigational data, now guarantees both complete regulatory compliance and security for an increasingly digitized generation of shipowners


21 Feb 2019

Furuno Debuts FAR22X8BB

The Furuno FAR22X8BB Radar Series is available in 12kW or 25kW X-Band, 30kW S-Band, or 250W Solid State S-Band configurations. Image: Furuno

With more than 60,000 installations on vessels ranging from tugboats to aircraft carriers, Furuno's FAR21X7 Series Radar has been one of the most popular commercial Radar models on the water since its release in 2004. Due to its unparalleled feature set, and the well-known reliability of the Furuno brand, the X7 series has earned serious bragging rights after a decade-and-a-half of market dominance, a claim that is virtually unheard of in the realm of consumer electronics. This year


23 Jul 2018

Coast Guard to Raise Missouri Tourist Boat after Deadly Sinking

Salvage equipment that will be used to remove Stretch Duck 7 begins to arrive at the staging area at Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri, July 22, 2018. The Coast Guard will oversee salvage operations, tentatively scheduled to begin July 23, 2018. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lora Ratliff)

The U.S. Coast Guard was preparing on Monday to recover the "duck boat" that sank beneath storm-whipped waves in a Missouri lake last week, drowning 17 people in one of the deadliest tourist accidents in the United States in years.After raising the World War Two-style amphibious landing craft from Table Rock Lake outside the popular vacation town of Branson, the Coast Guard said, it will hand boat over to federal investigators.Thirty-one people were aboard the Ride the Ducks boat last Thursday when a sudden


23 Jul 2018

Coast Guard Salvages Missouri Boat after Fatal Sinking

The Coast Guard oversees the removal of Stretch Duck 7 from Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, July 23, 2018. Missouri State Highway Patrol divers rigged the vessel, then a barge crane lifted it to the surface before it was towed to shore and loaded onto a flatbed trailer for transport to a secure facility. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lora Ratliff)

The U.S. Coast Guard used a floating crane on Monday to raise the "duck boat" that sank beneath storm-whipped waves in a Missouri lake last week, drowning 17 people in one of the deadliest tourist accidents in the United States in years.Workers in hard hats spent an hour or so helping divers connect slings to the World War Two-style amphibious vessel some 80 feet (24 meters) below the water's surface before raising it and dragging it, dripping but apparently intact, to dry land.The


15 Oct 2018

Autonomous Shipping Pushing Full Steam Ahead

(Image: Rolls-Royce)

Rolls Royce and Intel Artificial Intelligence (AI) announced that they’re bringing advanced intelligence to cargo shipping to deliver on the benefits of an autonomous shipping future.As part of its effort to make commercial shipping safer and more efficient, Rolls-Royce is working to develop fully autonomous shipping solutions using artificial intelligence (AI) powered by Intel Xeon Scalable processors and Intel 3D NAND SSDs for storage.“Delivering these systems is all about processing – moving and storing huge volumes of data – and that is where Intel comes in.

19 Sep 2018

ECDIS & Maritime Accident Investigation

Radar Chart Overlay approaching Gibraltar Bay. Image: LOC

It’s not where you are, it’s where you should not be that mattersCaptain Whyte, a leading marine accident analyst at LOC Group, an independent marine and engineering consultancy which provides services to the shipping and offshore energy industries, explains how electronic data is making accident investigation clearer by providing irrefutable evidence.“Fundamentally, situational awareness underpins everything we do”, said Captain Whyte. “Whether that’s crossing the road or driving ships at sea. We need to know where we are, what we’re doing and where we are going.

13 Jan 2019

Port of Rotterdam Activates AI Vessel Platform

Significant efficiency steps can also be taken in the maritime sector regarding big data and artificial intelligence, said Port of Rotterdam.For instance, this technology is enabling the arrival times of vessels in sea and inland ports to be predicted earlier and with increased precision."Computers use the sea of data that we produce these days for self-training. The Port of Rotterdam is also investing in this development with Pronto, an application for standardised data exchange on port calls," the port authority said.Almost half of shipping companies, agents, terminals and other nautical service providers in the port use the system to plan, implement and monitor their activities during a port call.