Software Interfaces News

General Dynamics Mission Systems said it has secured a $40.3 million contract to support the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) in its role as U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Independence-variant Software Support Agent (SSA), Combat Management System (CMS), and In-Service Engineering Agent (ISEA).The contract, awarded May 1, will provide support for LCS Independence-variant CMS efforts. As the prime contractor, General Dynamics’ responsibility will be…

The smart terminal solutions provider Konecranes has received another order for the delivery of an Automated RTG (ARTG) System to PT Prima Terminal Petikemas, a subsidiary of state-owned port operator PT Pelabuhan Indonesia I (Persero).The ARTG system on order includes 12 ARTG cranes with associated software, interfaces and services, said a press release from the company.The 12 ARTGs will be delivered in January 2020 to Belawan Container Terminal, Phase 2 in Medan, North Sumatra. They will be identical to those already delivered to PT Prima Multi Terminal in Kuala Tanjung, Indonesia.Indonesia is a strategically important country for Konecranes.

Kalmar has announced Kalmar Key, the terminal industry's first automation platform with open interfaces. Kalmar Key provides a common system architecture for building an end-to-end, customised automation platform using Kalmar Terminal Logistics System (TLS) as a basis. The product opens the application-independent core software components of the Kalmar terminal automation system for use by developers, enabling terminal operators to extend their automation systems with any brand of equipment. By providing open application interfaces to the core functionality of the automation system, Kalmar aims to facilitate the adoption of container terminal automation and support the development of the entire industry.

Norwegian explorer cruise line Hurtigruten is to build two new expedition ships using a new and environmentally sustainable hybrid technology from Rolls-Royce making fully electric propulsion on a passenger ship possible. The Rolls-Royce designed MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen, about to be constructed at Kleven Yard in Norway, will be packed with innovative Rolls-Royce technology. In addition to the hybrid power solution, the vessels will have the latest automation and control systems…

Rolls-Royce has signed a contract worth about $33m with the ship building company Kleven in Norway for design and ship equipment to two new polar cruise vessels, with an option for two additional vessels. The contract between Kleven and Rolls-Royce follows the conversion of a letter of intent into a firm contract signed between Kleven and Hurtigruten. Helge Gjerde, Director of Offshore and Merchant Solutions, Rolls-Royce, said: “Hurtigruten and Kleven have agreed to build state-of the art passenger vessels…

Rolls-Royce announced that its Unified Bridge Design has won this year’s Ergonomics Design Award, presented by the UK Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors. The award recognizes industrial design which puts the customer at the heart of the process using their views to generate ideas, develop concepts and test prototypes and finished products. Rolls-Royce describes its Unified Bridge as a complete redesign of the ship bridge environment, including consoles, levers and software interfaces…

Vesper Marine will provide its Virtual Aid to Navigation technology to the French company CGG, a  geoscience company that provides geological and geophysical survey and analysis primarily to the oil and gas industry. In its ongoing quest to map the ocean’s floors, CGG survey vessels tow an array of cables in the water at a up to a 50 ft. depth, an array of cables that contain seismic energy sources, usually a series of airguns that are fired at regular intervals as the vessel moves along predetermined survey lines.

When the time came to expand Dalian Shipyard’s shipbuilding and repair facilities to build next-generation LNG tankers and container vessels, they turned to long-term partner GE Power Conversion to supply the complete drive and automation system for Goliath Crane. Over their 12-year relationship, GE has helped Dalian Shipyard to remain competitive by supplying drive and automation technology up to the latest standards, as well as by adapting its drive solutions to Dalian Shipyard’s…

User interface is the most visible system component when it comes to equipment operation. From the steering wheel and instrument cluster on your vehicle’s dashboard to the most complex industrial control system, the purpose is the same; it must allow human interface into a system. The interface must provide the user a means to control the equipment, provide feedback from the equipment to show operational conditions and alert us when something is wrong. And it should do these things efficiently, be easy to use, and visually and ergonomically pleasing.

Siemens is closing the gap between large merchant vessels and small recreational or commercial crafts traditionally powered by mechanical propulsion solutions with the introduction of one, unified platform that combines traditionally disparate on board systems. The company’s new ELFA propulsion solution merges normally stand-alone systems (power management, motors, thruster, auxiliary generators, batteries, monitoring and control) into a truly integrated, space saving solution. By integrating communications with the power supply, the ELFA propulsion solution can considerably reduce fuel consumption and enhance range, maneuverability, availability and redundancy. As the world’s first company to electrify a ship in 1879, Siemens has a long history in marine technology.