R4 News

UK shipbuilder Wight Shipyard has completed its third and largest vessel for MBNA Thames Clippers, the 38-metre catamaran ferry Venus Clipper.The first Hunt Class Mk3 has been built to a ten-month build schedule and is reflective of the increased business the yard has previously predicted in the fast ferry sector, said a release.Peter Morton, CEO, Wight Shipyard, said: "One of the most important elements that strengthens this sector is that it is cushioned against the effects of the 2020 low sulphur cap and is actually in a better position than the conventional ferry market.”“This is because it does not have to worry about finding the increased capex to fit scrubbers or face a huge surge in costs by changing to low sulphur fuel, as fast ferries already run on low sulphur fuel.

U.K. shipbuilder Wight Shipyard Co has delivered its latest vessel to Scottish tourism operator Loch Ness by Jacobite. The new 20-meter day-cruise passenger catamaran Jacobite Maverick is joining the company’s fleet sailing between Dochgarroch, just outside Inverness, Clansman Harbour and the ruins of Urquhart Castle.Designed by Australia’s One2three Naval Architects, the hullform of the new catamaran is engineered to provide through-life efficiency with low structural weight assisting lower fuel consumption…

Ever since the global financial meltdown of 2008 briefly crippled the world leisure boat market, Volvo Penta adopted a strategy to increase its commercial market share with its family of innovative propulsion systems and controls. Last week off the west coast of Sweden, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News got up close and personal with the new D8 diesel and IPS15 pod, as well as the full range of command and control products courtesy of a day of test drives at Krossholmen, Volvo Penta’s Global Marine Testing Center.

Two new landmarks at the Port of Ngqura, which are part of ongoing developments to position the port as a container transhipment hub for Sub-Saharan Africa, were officially launched by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) today. The new landmarks are the port’s state-of-the-art administration building and an administration craft basin for pilot boats and tugboats, including office facilities for operational staff working on these craft. Also included in TNPA’s latest R700 million investment into the port is the vacuum based automated mooring technology pioneered at Ngqura last year.

The first purely battery-driven car and passenger ferry Ampere has won the Ship Efficiency Award in the category Environmental Technology. The award recognizes innovative solutions which have contributed to reducing the environmental impact of shipping operations. The 80 metre long DNV GL classed vessel is one of three ferries operated by the Norwegian shipping company Norled between Lavik and Oppedal and is able to carry 120 cars and 360 passengers. “Ampere is trading in Sognefjord with 100 per cent regularity and consumes 50 per cent less energy compared with a traditional diesel ferry on the same route. It has proven to be a huge success for Norled,” said Claes Skat-Rørdam of award sponsor Hempel on behalf of the judges.

“The new R5 AIS products from Saab are the first to incorporate software-defined radio (SDR) transceivers together with newly developed high-speed analog-to-digital converters in a type approved Class A system,” says Stefan Karlsson, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Saab TransponderTech. Designed on platforms built to grow with new requirements, the new R5 products feature quick and easy installation of additional units with support for truly redundant/multiple Control and Display Units (CDUs), USB keyboards and flash drives. Sensor information available to R5 transponders can be relayed on the Ethernet interface, and additional CDUs can be used to display and monitor any sensor data available on the network.

Alewijnse Marine Systems is introducing a revolutionary river radar based on the latest technology and including many new features. The Inland Navigation Radar is being presented for the first time at the Europort exhibition from November 8 to 11 in Ahoy, Rotterdam, and will be available in early 2012. Innovative features of the new Alewijnse radar include the simultaneous overlay of AIS information on the radar image, and the exceptional quality of the digital signal transmitted between the radar scanner and 22-inch widescreen display.

The Cape Town container terminal’s R4.2 billion expansion project has seen several milestones for the port in recent months, and the upward trajectory is set to continue as the country’s second largest container terminal ramps up its capacity over the next five years. Oscar Borchards, Transnet Port Terminals’ Business Unit Executive, said ongoing expansion works and procurement of state-of-the-art equipment would ensure the facility is better prepared when the global market picks up again in the near future. “In May we took delivery of four rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) manufactured by Kalmar Industries. By the end of the expansion programme…

ShipConstructor Software Inc. (SSI) announced the release of the R4 version of ShipConstructor 2008, an AutoCAD-based ship production design software. In addition to many production-focused improvements, the new version includes an enhanced user environment thanks to AutoCAD 2009 compatibility. “We have introduced changes in key areas including pipe spool drawings, pipe bending output, and production output display options. The new Weld Catalog is a precursor to the ShipConstructor Weld module to be released in Quarter 2 of 2009…

P&O Princess Cruises announced the acquisition of the former Renaissance vessels, R3 and R4, which will join its North American and Australian fleets. The 684 lower berth vessels, which originally entered service in 1999, will be acquired through a lease purchase structure at a total combined capital cost for the two ships of approximately $150 million. Under the terms of the acquisition contracts, the two vessels are contracted to be deployed in the Pacific Ocean region for at least the first two years of their operation by P&O Princess. R4, which will be renamed Tahitian Princess, is expected to continue to be deployed in French Polynesia for a further three years.

Saab TransponderTech introduced a new type-approved GPS as an integrated part of the R4 ship AIS transponder system. Gunnar Mangs, business director for mobile systems, said, “This fully compliant GPS receiver is intended to provide a fully qualified backup to the SOLAS class ship’s main DGPS, and adds GPS navigation functionality to the AIS transponder. The GPS receiver is embedded inside the R4 transponder. It provides the necessary GPS outputs to the AIS, and also provides navigation functions on the R4 display unit.

Foss Maritime is equipping its fleet of 43 tugs with Saab TransponderTech R4 Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) transponders. The installations are being performed by Pacific Radar. The Saab R4 was introduced to the marine market in 2003. This year, Saab announced a major upgrade to the R4 AIS product with the addition of an embedded IMO-compliant GPS receiver. The company has also introduced an airborne AIS solution for use in coastal surveillance and search and rescue applications. Foss Maritime, based in Seattle, Washington, is the largest tug and barge operator on the U.S. West Coast.

Saab TransponderTech won a major order to supply shipboard Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) to the Canadian Coast Guard. Under the contract, Saab’s licensed integrator/reseller ICAN Ltd will supply 105 Saab R4 AIS transponders for installation on a wide range of ice breakers, buoy tenders, fisheries patrol vessels and search-and-rescue cutters. The installations will be completed during 2005.

Last week in Oslo at Nor-Shipping 2005, Saab TransponderTech introduced a new family of integrated DGPS and AIS solutions based on Saab’s highly successful R4 technology. The redundant DGPS package, aimed at high-end non-SOLAS applications, consists of two R4 control and display units and two DGPS sensors. Waypoints, routes and other navigation information is replicated between the two units. Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) status is constantly output from each unit, and the second DGPS will take over immediately if the main unit fails or delivers incorrect position information. The combined AIS/DGPS package comprises an R4AIS transponder, R4 DGPS sensor and a shared R4 control and display unit.

Saab TransponderTech will supply Warship Automatic Identification Systems (W-AIS) to OSI Geospatial Inc. (OSI) as a part of their contract with the U.K. Royal Navy. In November 2006, the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) awarded a prime contract valued at approximately $29m to OSI to deliver and install the W-AIS systems on up to 77 ships. OSI is also supplying its Electronic Chart Precise Integrated Navigation System (ECPINS) as the standard fleet software for the MoD’s Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information System (WECDIS). The W-AIS will be installed in the ship’s platform operations and control room and integrated into the WECDIS installed on the bridge. The W-AIS will be based on Saab’s proven fourth-generation R4 shipboard AIS transponder.

C&C Technologies has signed an agreement to become an OEM supplier of differential GPS (DGPS) products for Saab TransponderTech. Under the agreement, C&C Technologies will distribute Saab R4 DGPS systems through its worldwide network of dealers. The Saab R4 DGPS products meet all IMO carriage requirements and IEC specifications for ships subject to the SOLAS regulations. They are type approved and wheelmarked by the German certification authority BSH.

Saab TransponderTech, a supplier of automatic identification systems (AISs) reports continued brisk sales of its AIS products, including shipboard transponders and base stations. Saab achieved two major milestones this year when it shipped its 10,000 shipboard AIS transponder and also installed the 1,000 shoreside AIS base station, according to Gunnar Mangs, vice president sales and marketing for Saab TransponderTech. Saab TransponderTech was one of the original pioneers in AIS technology and is currently offering its fourth-generation AIS products. The Saab R4, introduced in 2003, is the leading marine AIS transponder on the market. The product is type-approved to meet the IMO carriage requirements for AIS, and is fully licensed under the Swedish patent for AIS technology.

The Canadian Coast Guard has placed orders for 141 Saab TransponderTech marine DGPS receivers in a move to upgrade shipboard navigation systems throughout the fleet. The new Saab DGPS antennas and sensors will replace the stand-alone DGPS receivers currently installed on the vessels. They will be integrated with the existing Saab R4 Automatic Information Systems (AIS) installations, providing a seamless DGPS/AIS solution sharing a common user interface and display. The DGPS systems will be fitted on Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers, buoy tenders, fisheries patrol vessels and search-and-rescue cutters during 2006. The products are being supplied by Austin Navigation, a Saab authorized dealer in Canada.

At the Nor-Shipping exhibition held in Oslo in June, the the Radio Holland Group management signed a contract with Saab TransponderTech, for the distribution and service of the Saab R4 AIS system by all Radio Holland Group branches. The R4 AIS is manufactured by Saab TransponderTech AB and is is the fourth generation of Saab AIS. The R4 Class A Transponder System is type-approved with wheelmark and complies with all international standards for AIS ship systems. Saab is also providing free Seagull computer based training software with every AIS system, training seafarers how to use the AIS equipment. Radio Holland Greece has also announce that as of April 20, they have been approved by Lloyds Register Quality Assurance to the quality management system standard BS EN ISO 9001: 2000.

The Nor-Shipping Exhibition concluded June 6, 2003. Following were some of the major announcements during the week in Oslo. Kongsberg won a contract for the control systems for four LNG tankers scheduled to be built in Japan. The ships will carry LNG from the Snohvit field to the U.S., Spain and France. Two of the ships are being built for Hoegh shipping lines at Mitsubishi Shipyards, while the other two are being built at the Mitsui and Kawasaki shipyards. Kelvin Hughes was awarded type approval for its ECDIS-based Track Control System. This is the first Approval of its type to be granted by LR and covers the integration of the company's ECDIS and Autopilot products into a system meeting the new IEC 62065 track control performance standard.

Saab TransponderTech has received orders from the Prefectura of Argentina to supply Automatic Information Systems (AIS) and other navigation systems, in a move to upgrade coastal surveillance capabilities for coast guard cutters. The contract calls for Saab to provide R4 AIS systems with secure communications software on nine vessels. In addition, Saab will supply Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) for three ships. The ECDIS will be integrated with the ships’ AIS installations. Also included is a Saab R4A airborne AIS, which will be integrated with a moving display on a Prefectura helicopter. The systems will be installed and commissioned by America Consulting Group S.A., Saab’s representative in Buenos Aires.

Saab TransponderTech received orders from the Prefectura of Argentina to supply Automatic Information Systems (AIS) and other navigation systems, in a move to upgrade coastal surveillance capabilities for coast guard cutters. The contract calls for Saab to provide R4 AIS systems with secure communications software on nine vessels. In addition, Saab will supply Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) for three ships. The ECDIS will be integrated with the ships’ AIS installations. Also included is a Saab R4A airborne AIS, which will be integrated with a moving display on a Prefectura helicopter. The systems will be installed and commissioned by America Consulting Group S.A., Saab’s representative in Buenos Aires.