Transmitter News

Saab and GMV are collaborating in ASGARD, an EU-funded project that aims to improve maritime security when using GNSS and OSNMA. The project addresses the growing threat of GNSS spoofing and other cyberattacks on navigation systems used in the maritime industry.The ASGARD project, run by Saab and GMV, is an ambitious European Union (EU) initiative that aims to develop advanced technologies to improve Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Open Service Navigation Message Authentication (OSNMA) security in maritime environments.

When the supertanker Young Yong sailed to the Chinese port of Qingdao in September last year, it had quality certificates for its cargo stating it was transporting Malaysian crude oil, according to the documents reviewed by Reuters.But satellite images and photos show the Chinese-owned ship had loaded the oil four months earlier in Venezuela, an OPEC nation in South America under U.S. oil sanctions.The Young Yong is one of three vessels identified by Reuters that were chartered by little-known companies to export Venezuelan oil and used false documents to conceal its origin, according to shipping documents and 11 sources with knowledge of the trade.Two of those tankers, including the Young Yong, were designated this month by U.S.

The United States will work to supply 15 billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the European Union this year to help it wean off Russian energy supplies, the transatlantic partners said on Friday.The EU is aiming to cut its dependency on Russian gas by two-thirds this year and end all Russian fossil fuel imports by 2027 due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia supplies around 40% of Europe's gas needs.Concerns over security of supply were reinforced this week after Russia ordered the switch of gas contract payments to roubles…

Safety of workers,structures, equipment and the environment are paramount in any offshore energy project. In the March/April print edition, Offshore Engineer took a look inside some notable newcomers.Wearable tech to boost drill floor safetyHaloGuard – Credit: TransoceanOffshore drilling contractor Transocean has recently deployed what it said was the offshore drilling industry’s first safety system that integrates a wearable locating device with drill floor equipment and machine stoppage controls.The system…

Canada-headquartered Nautel announced Wednesday that it has acquired France-based technology company Kenta, expanding Nautel’s offerings to customers in the maritime sector.Kenta was established in 1990 and has gained extensive experience in the development of Radio Frequency Communication Systems, mainly in the area of Global Maritime Distress and Safety Systems (GMDSS) for telephony or voice transmission. The company offers complete turnkey transmitter and receiver solutions for MF…

SchottelGmbH Wismar has invested neary $615,000 in a new crane system, a system designed to provide faster and more efficient production process, replacing an old system from 1979.Its two new cranes are double-girder overhead travelling cranes with a load bearing capacity of 50 tonnes each, representing an approximate 10 tonnes more load bearing capacity. “The Wismar subsidiary focuses on the development and assembly of propulsion units for special purpose vessels. Nowadays, these vessels are designed with larger dimensions and more power…

Many years ago, I received a call from an attorney who wanted me to get on the plane to Houston right away to take a look at damage on two ships that had collided in the approaches to Houston.He told me that both vessels had become confused, had started to turn and managed to occupy the same bit of ocean at the same time. His preliminary analysis indicated that, if he could prove the other vessel turned first, his vessel was in the clear.This was in the late eighties or early nineties, the course recorders had not been running, there was no VDR, and no electronic navigation record.

Hungarian police said on Tuesday they had found no evidence of alcohol or drug abuse by the captain of a cruise ship that struck and sank a small tourist vessel last month, killing 28 mostly Korean people on board.The Mermaid boat sank in seconds on May 29 after the Viking Sigyn cruise liner hit it from behind under a bridge in the Hungarian capital during heavy rain, the worst disaster on the river in more than half a century."We launched the investigation as soon as we got on board (the Sigyn)," Budapest police spokesman Soma Csecsi told a news conference. "As a first step we took samples from the captain. He had not consumed alcohol…

Recently brought to the UK’s shores, Dockmate is a future proof, wireless remote-control boat steering system that can be fitted in less than a day on any boat or yacht across the country from driveway to dry dock. Designed to eliminate all the worry and uncertainty associated with docking, Dockmate has confirmed it will be exhibiting for the first time at this year’s Seawork International - Quayside.The team at Dockmate will demonstrate how its remote boat docking technology…

Italian police said on Thursday they found 20 tonnes of hash worth as much as 200 million euros ($232 million) in the fuel tanks of a Panama-flagged ship that was stopped in international waters and escorted to Sicily.The entire 11-person crew, all from Montenegro, was arrested for international drugs trafficking, Italy's finance police said in a statement.The research and survey vessel Remus left the Canary Islands bound for Egypt and Turkey, but police surveillance showed it had turned off its position transmitter near the coast of North Africa, raising investigators' suspicions.With the permission of Panamanian authorities, Italian finance police seized the vessel in international waters on July 31 and escorted it to Palermo.

Even before the implementation of Subchapter M requirements, Vancouver, Washington-based Tidewater Transportation & Terminals had developed a strong culture of workplace safety. Within its overall plan is using and regularly testing Emerald Marine Products' ALERT Man-Overboard System. The ALERT system consists of a water-activated transmitter worn on a lifejacket and a receiver installed in a wheelhouse. If the wearer falls into the water, it instantly activates a piercing alarm and flashing light, alerting the boat captain to the man overboard (MOB).

Vesper Marine designed its Virtual AIS Beacon in 2010 and installed the first solution in 2011. Developed to address the need to make hazards at sea visible when costly physical infrastructure is not appropriate or is impossible to deploy, the Virtual Aid to Navigation technology that Vesper Marine has created is based on the international standardized AIS, which all large ships must use and many yachts and smaller vessels are now choosing to install due to the safety and collision avoidance benefits it provides.

Mary Lee, the 16-foot Great White Shark that has had Twitter in a frenzy the past few weeks, has gone missing – electronically speaking. According to Ocearch, a conservation group set out to track and collect date from tiger and great white sharks, said her transmitter hasn’t had a “ping” since June 17, and no one has seen or heard from her since. Fans on twitter have been speculating her death, but never fear, it is more likely her tracker has lost battery power. Mary Lee was named after Ocearch expedition leader Chris Fischer’s mother.

USACE and USCG collaborate to make inland waterways safer. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), supported by Alion Science and Technology (Alion), has put forth considerable effort during the last two years to further extend the capabilities of the existing Automatic Identification System (AIS) network to improve the safety and efficiency of navigation along the inland rivers. The USACE works with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) and other agencies and stakeholders to operate and maintain the nation’s Marine Transportation System (MTS).

The risk of cyber attacks targeting ships' satellite navigation is pushing nations to delve back through history and develop back-up systems with roots in World War Two radio technology. Ships use GPS (Global Positioning System) and other similar devices that rely on sending and receiving satellite signals, which many experts say are vulnerable to jamming by hackers. About 90 percent of world trade is transported by sea and the stakes are high in increasingly crowded shipping lanes.

The Coast Guard rescued one mariner aboard a disabled vessel after he become disoriented in Bellingham Bay, Saturday. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound command center received a report from Station Bellingham of the disabled and adrift 27-foot crab in the shoals of Bellingham Bay with one person aboard at 3:05 p.m. The mariner was unable to give his exact position but was quickly located after Sector personnel tracked his location using his cell phone GPS signal. A Coast Guard Station Bellingham rescue boat crew aboard a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium responded to the incident and safely removed the mariner from his vessel at 4:13 p.m. The mariner was reported to be in good condition and did not seek medical attention.

Vice Adm. Mary M. Jackson relieved Vice Adm. Dixon R. Smith at a change of command ceremony for Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) March 31, at the Washington Navy Yard. The ceremony included the presentation of colors by the U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard color guard, national anthem by the U.S. Navy Band and remarks from guest speaker, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson. "While here, I've witnessed firsthand the tremendous dedication of our civilians and Sailors who support the fleet, warfighters and their families," said Smith. Smith served as the head of the Navy's entire shore infrastructure for approximately two and a half years and was the fifth commander of CNIC since the command's inception in 2003.

March Coast Guard deadline represents milestone for AIS use in U.S. From increasing situational awareness and enhancing the safety and security of maritime transportation, to its use in accident investigation, search and rescue, Aids to Navigation and asset monitoring, the role of AIS (Automatic Identification System) as a flexible and developing technology continues to grow in significance. The month of March 2016 – has come and gone – and represents an important milestone which will increase the prevalence and general awareness of AIS.

With maritime piracy seen on the rise once again, the shipping industry now looks to redouble its efforts to prevent these dangerous and costly attacks. Though piracy had been on a steep decline since 2010 due to increased security efforts and precautions taken aboard ships, The State of Maritime Policy Report 2016 released last month by Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) finds that there has been decreased vigilance by the shipping community during the past few years, including hiring smaller private security teams and taking less security measures aboard ships. Now halfway through 2017 there have already been two hijackings including a tanker and a commercial ship, as Somali pirates resumed attacks on ships and resorted to old tactics of ransoming crew for money.

Kelvin Hughes has been awarded the contract for the second phase of a radar system installation by the Port of Marseille Fos in Southern France. The Enfield-based company supplied five SBS-700 radar systems earlier this year that were integrated with the port's Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS). The second phase has seen two more, identical models installed and commissioned at the port in July. Kelvin Hughes' SBS-700 radar system is specifically designed to meet the requirements of a Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) system as defined in IALA recommendation V-128.

ACR Electronics, Inc., shares a milestone registration update from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database which recently hit a record number of 500,000 registered 406 MHz emergency beacons. The beacon to make that milestone was an ACR Electronics ResQLink Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), owned by a Coast Guard Auxiliary member in Rhode Island. Shortly after that the 500,001st beacon successfully registered was an ARTEX Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT). Beacons come in three designs used for different applications. Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) which are mounted on boats, Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) used by outdoors enthusiasts and Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs), which are installed on airplanes.

Falmouth Scientific, Inc. These are small, lightweight, battery-powered, intelligent devices that can be mounted directly on AUVs, Gliders, or other underwater equipment for recovery after their mission duration has elapsed. Multiple user-programmable settings allow for selection of delay, timing, flashing, and frequency options which enable use in a variety of different applications. The Stand-Alone Flasher uses high power, high color-temperature LEDs for optical flashing, and the Flash-Pinger adds a pinger transmitter for acoustic tracking below the water surface.

Professional mariners know the life-threatening hazards of falling overboard, but may not consider how critical the recovery window is, especially with a moving vessel. Compact and easily carried on a PFD, the ALERT2 Man-Overboard Alarm System from Emerald Marine Products immediately sets off a piercing audible alarm in the wheelhouse upon immersion, and can even be wired to stop an engine and/or set a waypoint on a chartplotter. At its most basic, the easily installed ALERT2 Man-Overboard Alarm System consists of the AT101 Transmitter and AR100 Receiver. Combined, the reliable and proven system provides crew with the critical extra seconds needed for a successful, locally managed man overboard (MOB) rescue operation.