Sigma S6 Ice Navigator Systems News

Rutter Inc. announced that Viking Ice Consultancy selected the sigma S6 Ice Navigator system for installation on the Magne Viking, the first vessel to comply with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Polar Code approved by DNV GL. Rutter’s sigma S6 Ice Navigator system enables vessels operating in ice to differentiate between open water, ice pans, open water leads in ice fields and the ice ridges that impact operations in ice zones. Its high resolution image processing provides enhanced ice imaging for detection and tracking.

Since opening to deeper draft vessels in 1959, more than two billion tonnes of cargo estimated at $300b has moved along the St. Lawrence. The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation continuously evaluates new technology in its quest to build upon its systems for the safe, reliable movement of vessels. Earlier this year, Rutter Technologies was successful in winning an order for a bridge-mounted radar system to track vessel traffic approaching that bridge. The requirement had some unique technical challenges, including the ability to be remotely monitored and controlled from the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation's control centre some 60 kilometers away.

Rutter Technologies is now delivering its sigma S6 Ice Navigator systems to UK based BP Shipping Ltd. Rutter’s sigma S6 Ice Navigator provides greatly enhanced radar imaging of sea ice conditions in the vicinity of a vessel, significantly improving the ability to navigate efficiently and safely through icy waters, day or night, irrespective of weather conditions. This additional level of detail enables the ship to identify and subsequently maneuver around difficult areas, saving both time and fuel while minimizing the potential for ice damage.