Vision Technology News

Boston-based maritime autonomy and perception systems company Sea Machines Robotics, Inc, announced it has installed its new AI-ris computer vision product onboard a U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) 270-foot Famous-class Medium Endurance Cutter ahead of the vessel’s upcoming deployment.AI-ris uses artificial intelligence to identify and track visual targets of interest.This installation aboard the USCGC Campbell (WMEC-909) was made possible under an ongoing Cooperative Research and Development…

A new Mayflower has been launched in Plymouth, 400 years after its historic namesake set sail from southwest England to America.The new vessel won't be carrying pilgrim settlers across the Atlantic. In fact, it won't hold any crew or passengers at all. The sleek AI- and solar-powered trimaran is autonomy level five, meaning it can operate independently with no human intervention. Next year, it will embark on the famous ocean voyage from Plymouth, England to Plymouth, Mass. completely autonomously…

Fincantieri Marinette Marine and Vigor (Team RB-M) in August delivered two additional Response Boat-Mediums (RB-Ms) to the U.S. Coast Guard. These boats are part of an approved foreign military sale to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan through the Department of Homeland Security.Fincantieri Marinette Marine was the prime contractor and program manager for the project, and Vigor built the vessels at its Seattle facility.The Royal Jordanian Naval Force (RJNF) plans to operate the new boats from its base in Aqaba…

Swire has installed FuelTrax Vision, a new onboard surveillance system.Swire Pacific Offshore, a marine services conglomerate and a leading service provider to the offshore oil and gas industry currently operates six vessels with FuelTrax on board, two of which have been installed with the latest FuelTrax Vision technology. The two FuelTrax Vision systems have been preforming without disruption since December 2018.FuelTrax is designed to be a smart, self-contained, marine fuel management solution, which protects assets and ensures security of fuel, compliance and optimized vessel performance.With the launch of its FuelTrax Vision system…

NAPA, the maritime software, services and data analysis provider announced that its industry-benchmark electronic logbook, NAPA Logbook, is now available as a monthly service solution.According to media release, this reduced barrier to entry will bring the connectivity and job automation benefits of digital logbooks to more of the maritime market. NAPA Logbook will also be one of the first integrations with NAPA Mobile, enabling support for smartphone logbook entries wherever the crew are onboard.As the world’s leading provider of electronic logbooks, NAPA Logbook has more than a decade’s service on board vessels serving more than 8,000 users and is approved by more than 20 major flag states, including the Bahamas, Marshall Islands, Panama, Malta and Singapore.

The Dutch Police has ordered six patrol vessels from Damen Shipyards for its ‘Zeehavenpolitie’ and ‘Landelijke Eenheid’ units. Three of the new vessels are seagoing (the Stan Patrol 2506) and the other three are for the inland waterways (the Stan Patrol 2005). All six will be built at Damen’s headquarters in Gorinchem in the Netherlands, and are due to be delivered between 2019-2021. Jeroen van Woerkum, Damen Shipyards Sales Manager Benelux is delighted to have won the European tender for the six patrol vessels.

Seastreak’s newest vessel, Seastreak Commodore, has been developed in response to significant passenger volume growth and brings the operator’s fleet of Incat Crowther-designed vessels to a total of eight.The 45m-long, 600-passenger ferry built at the Gulf Craft shipyard in Louisiana is the highest capacity UCSG k-Class fast ferry ever built. Incat Crowther said it worked closely with Seastreak to develop the vessel’s layout and styling to allow 600 people to safely and comfortably undertake their daily commute.

To operate marine electronics and communication devices, power converters such as inverters, battery chargers and power supplies are often installed to convert available DC or AC to the appropriate power outputs required. Complicating matters, both the power source (DC in varying voltages from battery banks and AC from generators or shore power) and the outputs (voltage, frequency, etc.) can vary for each piece of equipment. So much so, that finding the ideal converter can be difficult and often requires a customized solution.

Willard Marine, a 56-year-old builder of composite and aluminum boats, announced the appointment of Taylor Hunter as director of sales. Hunter, an experienced senior-level sales executive, will assume overall responsibility for the company’s sales in the U.S. and internationally. He will be based in Willard Marine’s corporate offices in Anaheim, Calif. Hunter has held senior sales and management positions with Karl Storz Industrial America, Eagle Pacific Powerboats, Your Office Agent, Channel Vision Technology, iLeads.com and Olympus America.

Process control and artificial vision technology specialist Orbita Ingenieria launched a new optical character recognition (OCR) system to automate freight container identification and damage inspection during vessel loading and unloading at port terminals. The Orbita CraneOCR system provides real-time ISO code recognition for 20ft, 40ft, 45ft and twin-20ft containers as they are moved to and from multiple lanes under and behind ship-to-shore (STS) gantry cranes. The company says…

FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLIR) and Navico announce the integration of FLIR’s M-Series Premium Thermal Night Vision Systems with the Simrad NSE Network Navigation and NSS Touchscreen multifunction displays. Now these Simrad multifunction displays will include seamless integration and control of FLIR’s entire M-Series lineup, so boaters will be able to control radar, charting, echosounder, and FLIR Thermal Imaging all on the same multifunction display. “We are proud to be working with our friends at Navico,” stated Lou Rota, FLIR’s VP of Maritime Sales.

FLIR Systems (NASDAQ: FLIR) announced two new models of their First Mate line of handheld maritime thermal night vision cameras at the Miami International Boat Show. The new First Mate XP and XP+ feature improved 320 × 240 thermal image resolution, as well as expanded environmental survivability ratings and still image capture capability. The XP+ variant even offers users the ability to capture live thermal video to a removable SD card. Well-suited for use on recreational powerboat, yacht, or sailboat, First Mate cameras are also valuable tools for finding people in the water, providing higher image resolution and better image detail.

ITT Corporation, the leading manufacturer of military night vision equipment for the U.S. Armed Forces, has admitted sending classified materials overseas and will pay a $100 million penalty, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division Kenneth L. Wainstein and U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia John L. Brownlee announced today, along with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The corporation will pay a total monetary penalty of $100 million, one of the largest penalties ever paid in a criminal case. ITT Corporation will also be the first major defense contractor convicted of a criminal violation of the Arms Export Control Act. According to the written plea agreement to be filed in U.S.

Litton Marine Systems (LMS) received type approval for its Decca BridgeMaster E 180 and 250 flat-screen marine radars. The type approval, granted by the U.K. Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, signifies that the flat-screen radars meet the stringent International Electrotechnical Commission specifications for performance and environmental requirements. The approval covers the 15-in. BridgeMaster E 180 and 18- and 20-in. BridgeMaster E 250 models, and includes as an option the company's Vision technology for automatic clutter suppression. The new series of flat-screen radars provide significant savings in space and weight over traditional CRT displays. This is especially important for high-speed craft, in which size and weight are significant constraints.

Night Vision Technologies, Inc. (NVT) offers a comprehensive approach to night/day navigational and security video needs, addressing the offshore commercial industry. By designing systems that incorporate many complimentary technologies, NVT is able to meet the growing security and safety concerns for vessels, platforms, ports, and harbors worldwide. NVT offers hybrid infrared imaging, and thermal heat gathering technologies for detection of objects on water, platforms, or land. In addition, they add Gen III military light intensification (night vision), sensitive low light (low lux) CCTV, and high resolution color CCTV for critical identification. This merger of technologies allows for detection of objects by their infrared heat signatures, day or night.