Autonomy is a Journey: Wärtsilä Voyage Helps Define and Drive Maritime’s Automated Future
As the maritime industry faces numerous environmental and efficiency challenges, the future is ship automation and Wärtsilä Voyage is a driver. Sean Fernback, President, and Thomas Pedersen, Director, Automation & Dynamic Positioning, Wärtsilä Voyage discuss the path and the pace with Maritime Reporter TV.Sean, to start, it seems many define “autonomy” differently. How do you define Wärtsilä's smart-autonomy approach?Sean Fernback, President, Wärtsilä VoyageAutonomy is a journey and there is no question that, at some point, various vessels in different classes will be fully autonomous.
Swiftships Unveils USV with the University of Louisiana-Lafayette
Last month, Swiftships Shipbuilders, LLC, in Morgan City, La., showcased the Anaconda-2 – an unmanned, 35-ft. craft in development – during a demonstration on the Atchafalaya River next to its HQ. The company partnered with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette more than a year ago to produce technology for a vessel that can navigate without a pilot aboard. Swiftships and ULL are designing a boat that uses Global Positioning System/sensory data, and has the potential to support naval, enforcement and zone-protection operations, mainly on inland waters.
Bluefin Acquires SeeByte
Bluefin Robotics, a provider of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), announced that it has acquired SeeByte, Ltd., a provider of autonomous platform software that enhances the user experience and the capabilities of underwater sensors, vehicles and systems. SeeByte, headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bluefin. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Bluefin is owned by Battelle, an independent science and technology organization committed to solving some of the world's toughest challenges in national security…
Cambridge Pixel Enhances RadarView
RadarView allows electronic navigation charts (ENC), tiled maps, world vector shoreline, and raster images, to be displayed with the primary radar video. Cambridge Pixel , a developer of sensor processing and display solutions, has enhanced its RadarView Windows-based radar visualisation software tool to allow complex map and charts, for example, electronic navigation charts (ENC), tiled maps, world vector shoreline, and raster images, to be displayed with the primary radar video.
ECDIS Manufacturers the Target for New Radar Kit
Cambridge Pixel, a developer of sensor processing and display solutions, has introduced its SPx-ECDIS radar kit. The new toolkit will allow systems integrators building Windows-based Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) for commercial ships to add radar interfacing, scan conversion, chart display, target tracking, a Global Positioning System interface and record/replay functionality into their ECDIS solutions. ECDIS is an approved system which displays information…
Lockheed Martin Wins $70M Contract
Lockheed Martin Corp., Naval Electronics and Surveillance Systems, Manassas, Va., is being awarded a $69,956,749 cost-plus-incentive-fee, award-fee modification under previously awarded contract (N00024-01-C-6237) to exercise an option for the Acoustics Rapid Commercial Off-the-Shelf Insertion (ARCI) sonar system. ARCI integrates and improves towed array, hull array, sphere array and other ship sensor processing on SSN 688, SSN 688I, SSN 21 and SSBN 726 class submarines. Work will be performed in Manassas, Va. (33%), and Clearwater, Fla. (67%), and is to be completed by November 2004. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Awarded Contract Modification
Lockheed Martin Corp., Naval Electronics and Surveillance Systems, Manassas, Va., is being awarded a $69,956,749 cost-plus-incentive-fee, award-fee modification under previously awarded contract (N00024-01-C-6237) to exercise an option for the Acoustics Rapid Commercial Off-the-Shelf Insertion (ARCI) sonar system. ARCI integrates and improves towed array, hull array, sphere array and other ship sensor processing on SSN 688, SSN 688I, SSN 21 and SSBN 726 class submarines. Work will be performed in Manassas, Va. (33%), and Clearwater, Fla. (67%), and is to be completed by November 2004. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
