Mission Management News

Damen Naval, a naval shipbuilding division of the Dutch Damen Shipyards Group,  has signed a contract with the first Dutch supplier for the four new Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Frigates to be built for the Dutch and Belgian Navies. Netherlands-based RH Marine will supply the Integrated Mission Management System (IMMS), the Integrated Navigation Bridge System (INBS), and the Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) for each of the four frigates for the Dutch and Belgian Navies.

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, introduces the Novo1 motor line by Ward Leonard, the newest AC induction motor line for naval vessels.Described by the manufacturer as "durable" and "reliable", the Novo1 motor line is modular in design, has a commonality of parts, and has a variety of mounting configurations, speeds, and enclosure types available to meet any shipboard requirements. It is manufactured in FMD's vertically integrated facility in Thomaston, Conn.

Anschütz’ SYNTACS command and control system provides operators aboard and ashore with comprehensive situational awareness and full command of the scene from a single workstation.SYNTACS is sensor-agnostic and features advanced tactical target management that analyzes and correlates data from multiple onboard navigational and surveillance systems. It compiles an operational picture from the data and presents the operator with a clearly structured dashboard for tactical navigation…

The Coast Guard’s Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance has updated the Mission Management System CV-WI-010(2), Work Instruction for OCMI guidance on special consideration for inspected towing vessels.This work instruction provides guidance to OCMIs on the application and implementation of a special consideration determination for towing vessels inspected under 46 CFR Subchapter M.

The Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance (CG-CVC), recently published two Mission Management System (MMS) Work Instructions (WI):1. CVC-WI-013(2), Initial Towing Vessel COI Inspections Under TSMS Option2. CVC-WI-010(1), OCMI Guidance on Special Consideration for 46 CFR Subchapter M VesselsThese instructions provide guidance to both Coast Guard field offices and the maritime industry on the Coast Guard’s interpretations regarding the application and implementation of regulations…

Bristow Norway AS is commencing a previously announced five-year contract today (September 1, 2018), from its Hammerfest base. Bristow will provide helicopter offshore crew change services and search and rescue (SAR) services to support Eni Norway and Equinor."We are very proud of the recognition we have received in securing this work in the Barents Sea," said Area Manager Norway Heidi Wulff Heimark. "This confirms that the work our employees do every day brings results. The contract is an important part of our efforts to become the leading operator of offshore helicopters in Norway and globally."Bristow Norway has delivered helicopter services for Eni Norway and Equinor operations in the Barents Sea for the last nine years and is well established in Hammerfest.

Minelayer vessel Pansio has been fully refitted and handed over to the Finnish Navy, following a midlife upgrade carried out by ATLAS ELEKTRONIK Finland Oy (AEFI ) together with Uki Workboat Oy (Uudenkaupungin Työvene Oy) as a subcontractor. Pansio is the first of three Pansio-class minelayers, including Porkkala and Pyhäranta, to undergo refit which aims to extend the use of the ships well into the 2030s. The machinery, satellite communications and light weapons systems required for the minelayers were purchased from abroad since there is no Finnish manufacturer.

Thales is set to play a key role in a major U.K. Royal Navy exercise later this year to understand how unmanned systems might add real innovative operational capability in a military maritime environment. Exercise Unmanned Warrior will bring together the Royal Navy and 40 organizations from defense, industry and academia in October, representing the largest exercise of its kind. More than 50 vehicles, sensors and systems from across defense and industry will be deployed the Ministry of Defense exercise centered around the U.K. coast of Scotland and West Wales.

Geotab, a telematics engineering company, and Cummins Inc., an  independent manufacturer of diesel and natural gas engines, controls and emission solutions, has announced that Cummins Connected Diagnostics application is now available to customers using Geotab's fleet management solution. Geotab is one of the first technology providers in the telematics industry to support Connected Diagnostics, and provides improved fleet management, equipment maintenance and repair support to Cummins customers. Connected Diagnostics leverages data from Geotab's latest GO devices to provide immediate notification of urgent engine system faults, and provides actionable information and genuine Cummins recommendations in an easy-to-understand notification report.

Art Anderson Associates informs it has been awarded a five year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for program and project management as well as other services supporting the Marine Engineering Branch for oceanographic and fisheries research ships and small vessels operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of Marine Operations (OMAO). The agreement will allow NOAA to contract with Art Anderson Associates for integration and project management services including acquisition, program and mission management, technical writing, ship construction supervision services, post shakedown availability support and waterfront production oversight. The award is the second major BPA awarded to Art Anderson Associates this year from NOAA.

Raytheon Anschütz, a leading integrator of naval integrated bridge systems, has successfully completed the Sea Acceptance Test (SAT) for the Synapsis Tactical Command System (SYNTACS) aboard a series of new Interceptors and Patrol Boats built at CMN’s Cherbourg shipyard in France. CMN is building a series of new HSI32 Interceptor vessels and Ocean Eagle 43 Patrol Boats. Raytheon Anschütz was selected as system integrator and supplier of their SYNTACS solution for the new vessels. SYNTACS is a scalable, efficient integrated mission management system solution, which has been developed to meet the specific tactical and command and control requirements of small and medium boats with a particular focus on the typical budget restrictions.

In 2014, Forbes Associate Director for Maritime Services at Control Risks stated that maritime risks are on the rise. Mariners and ship owner/operators experienced a 26% spike in maritime piracy and armed robbery since 2014  and the North Sea Oil Industry admitted that it had been targeted and thwarted cyber attacks, attacks that if successful could have caused untold financial and logistical damage. •    Within the last decade, plans to attack a cruise ship in a major U.S. port were revealed. Maritime surveillance systems play a key role monitoring sea lanes and ports while supporting worldwide maritime safety and security. The ability to operate effectively and securely in any environment (air, land or sea) depends on an acute awareness and understanding of the surrounding elements.

DNV GL developed a new unmanned floating LNG concept that it claims overcomes many of the challenges faced by operators looking to unlock the potential of remote offshore gas fields. Called Solitude, DNV GL said the concept demonstrates how technological advances can be combined into a solution that offers an estimated 20% reduction in annual OPEX, only adding a few percent increase in CAPEX and at the same time increasing overall safety. Foreseeing the need for more remote projects to be able to overcome even more challenging cost barriers…

A flight demonstration using a hand-held tablet has shown how unmanned air and ground vehicles can be supervised together by a single operator, and how big and small businesses can work together. The demonstration was conducted on March 26, 2014, at Kaman Aerospace in Bloomfield, Conn., involving a Kaman K-MAX helicopter equipped with Lockheed Martin’s mission management system operating in the unmanned mode, and a Neya Systems UxInterceptor unmanned all-terrain vehicle. During the medical casualty response and resupply scenario…

Rear Admiral Paul Thomas is the Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy overseeing three Coast Guard directorates: Inspections and Compliance, Marine Transportation Systems, and Commercial Regulations and Standards. The programs include waterways management, navigation and boating safety, ports and facilities, merchant mariner credentialing, vessel documentation, marine casualty investigation, commercial vessel inspections, and port state control. A longtime specialist in Marine Safety…

Kongsberg inform that Bjørn Jalving, Executive Vice President Subsea at maritime, offshore and subsea technology developer Kongsberg Maritime recently has been given the Compass Distinguished Achievement Award from the Marine Technology Society. The award ceremony was at the OCEANS 2014 MTS/IEEE conference in St. John 's, Newfoundland, Canada. This prestigious award is presented to an individual whose work has had significant impact on the fields of marine science and technology. Bjørn Jalving was selected for the award because of his long career and significant achievements within AUV technology. After graduating as M.Sc. in Engineering Cybernetics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in 1991…

The U.S. Navy’s newest amphibious transport dock ship and U.S. Coast Guard medium range recovery helicopters trained together in several ship and helicopter exercises Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2014, while transiting the Gulf of Mexico. During the training, two Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopters based out of Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile in Mobile, Ala., flew parts and supplies to the pre-commissioning unit USS Somerset, conducted more than 60 day and night-vision goggle deck landings…

International communications and information technology company, Harris Corporation, has delivered a system that will help prepare National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite operators for the new Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite – R (GOES-R) Series weather satellites, a primary tool for detecting and tracking hurricanes and severe weather. The new Mission Management Capability enables operators to prepare ground-based satellite command and control operations and processes more than two years ahead of the launch of the first GOES-R satellite. A NOAA and NASA team also will use the Harris system to test the command and control procedures with the satellite as it is assembled by mission partner Lockheed Martin.

Two world-leading European marine engine manufacturers, MAN Diesel & Turbo and Wärtsilä Corporation, have agreed to pursue a large joint research project, the HERCULES-C project, as a continuation of the very successful HERCULES programs for the research and development of marine engine technology. The overall vision of the HERCULES research program is for sustainable and safe energy production from marine power plants. The technological themes of the HERCULES initiative have, since its inception in 2002, been higher efficiency, reduced emissions, and increased reliability for marine engines. However, for taking marine engine technology a step further towards improved sustainability in energy production and total energy economy…

BAE Systems and SeeByte Ltd of Edinburgh, Scotland have signed a Cooperation Agreement to pursue business opportunities associated with the UK’s Mine Counter Measure (MCM), Hydrography and Patrol Capability (MHPC) Program. BAE Systems Mission Systems and SeeByte have identified a shared vision for the managed introduction of autonomous computing into future military mission systems through the exploitation of ‘open’ or modular, yet secure, architectures. Thus they intend to work together to develop fully integrated MCM mission systems offering innovative, flexible and adaptable solutions for the adoption of unmanned systems into future MCM operations. These will be designed to minimise human operator load whilst providing maximum operational support to the Command Team.

Bjørn Jalving has been appointed as Executive Vice President of Kongsberg Maritime’s Subsea division and a member of the Kongsberg Maritime management group, effective 1st January 2012. Jalving succeeds Rolf Arne Klepaker, who is moving to a role working with strategic projects in Kongsberg Maritime. Jalving started in Kongsberg Maritime in 2006 as Senior Principal Engineer in the AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle) department. Since 2007, he has been Vice President for HUGIN AUV activity and part of the Subsea management group. He has an MSc in Engineering Cybernetics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim and for 14 years has worked as a scientist at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, FFI.

Wärtsilä and MAN Diesel & Turbo enter next phase of HERCULES research project. World-leading low- and medium-speed engine manufacturers, Wärtsilä and MAN Diesel & Turbo, announce the kick off of the next phase of the extensive, long-term HERCULES research programme. The overall vision of the programme is to achieve sustainable and safe energy production from marine power plants. This next phase is made possible by funding from the European Commission. Phase III of the HERCULES programme, HERCULES-C, aims at integrating several successful technologies in order to reduce emissions and optimise the efficiency and long-term reliability of marine engines. HERCULES-C is planned to run for three years, from 2012 to 2014, with a budget of EUR 17 million.

Through the TEMP program, Raytheon is creating an innovative system of modular technologies – including air and sea cargo transport, cargo transfer and onboard support resources – that enable commercial container ships (cargo ships) to support humanitarian aid and other non-combat missions through the use of advanced technology such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Unlike naval ships, commercial vessels are not designed with the capabilities needed for aid missions. Through the TEMP system, alternative vessels such as container ships could be quickly readied to carry out an aid initiative with limited manpower. The system can be deployed in less than a day and is capable of maintaining mission operations for 30 days or more.