Waas News

Viking Cruises will compensate hundreds of passengers on its Orion cruise ship after cruisers were forced to stay on board and miss multiple stops because officials blocked port access due to marine growth on the ship's hull.The 930-guest capacity Viking Orion docked in Sydney on Wednesday, the final stop on what is normally a 15-day, 9-stop cruise of New Zealand and Australia.But plans went awry, local media reported, after New Zealand officials asked the ship to leave the country's waters part way through its cruise after finding small amounts of biofoul - plants, algae and small animals - that grow on ship hulls.Steaming directly to the southern Australian port of Adelaide and bypassing planned stops in Tasmania and New Zealand's south island…

On June 30, 2020 the Coast Guard switched off the last Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) signals after more than 25 years of service.With the improved accuracy and integrity of un-augmented GPS over the last several years, and with the introduction of the U.S. operated satellite-based augmentation system known as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the maritime community no longer has a mission requirement for DGPS. GPS now provides sufficient positional accuracy…

The British-Dutch oil and gas giant Royal Dutch Shell plc, commonly known as Shell, joins as equity partner with Air Liquide, Enerkem, Nouryon and the Port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe.The proposed project in Rotterdam will be the first of its kind in Europe to make valuable chemicals and bio-fuels out of non-recyclable waste materials, said a press release from the Netherlands-based seaport.A consortium of world-leading companies comprising Air Liquide, Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals), Enerkem and the Port of Rotterdam – has announced that Shell will join as a partner in Europe’s first advanced waste-to-chemicals facility in Rotterdam…

The U.S. Coast Guard announced today it will discontinue broadcasts from its remaining 38 Differential GPS (DGPS) sites over the next three years, completing system reductions that began in 2016. The staged reduction of the remaining Coast Guard DGPS broadcast sites will begin in 2018 and end with the last broadcast of GPS corrections over medium frequency in 2020. The U.S. Coast Guard Navigation Center has operated the Nationwide DGPS Service since 1999 to broadcast correction signals on marine radiobeacon frequencies to improve the accuracy and integrity to GPS-derived positions. Lt. Cmdr. “GPS provides sufficient positional accuracy to meet navigation requirements for harbor approaches and to position Federal Aids to Navigation,” Patterson said.

A consortium of companies comprising Air Liquide, AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals, Enerkem and the Port of Rotterdam Authority has signed a development agreement for the initial investments in an advanced waste-to-chemistry plant in Rotterdam. The aim is that this will be the first plant of this type in Europe to offer a sustainable alternative for waste incineration, by converting plastic and mixed waste into new raw materials for industry. These investments – for detailed engineering, the establishment of a special joint-venture and the conclusion of the licensing procedure – amount to some € 9 million. The consortium is aiming for the project’s final investment decision…

Hy-Line Cruises, a division of Hyannis Harbor Tours, Inc., Hyannis, Mass., has taken delivery of Grey Lady IV, a new 493-passenger, high-speed catamaran from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, the Duclos Corporation. The fourth Incat-Crowther fast ferry built by the Mass.-based shipyard for the Cape Cod passenger ferry company is larger and more stylish in design than previous vessels. The new ferry will provide year-round passenger service between Hyannis and Nantucket Island. The new…

Marine safety products manufacturer Vesper Marine has released a new Class B Automatic Identification System (AIS), the XB-6000. The black box transponder includes a built-in NMEA 2000 gateway and GPS antenna that integrates AIS, GPS and NMEA instrument data to display vital safety information on any AIS-compatible chartplotter, multifunction display (MFD) or personal computer. The Vesper Marine XB-6000 offers convenient access to AIS safety information instantaneously while on the water.

Simrad launched three new products in its professional line: the HS60 GPS Compass, V5035 Class-A AIS, and M5000 Series Monitors. The new GPS compass, the HS60, brings expanded functionality to traditional heading sensors such as rate-of-turn and pitch-and-roll output. With these features, the HS60 provides a low-cost, effective smart antenna option. Using SimNet and NMEA 2000 data communication, the new Simrad HS60 provides accurate heading, pitch, roll and position data. With out-of-band interference rejection and two-degree RMS heading accuracy…

Simrad announced the launch of three new products in its professional line: the HS60 GPS Compass, V5035 Class-A AIS, and M5000 Series Monitors. The new GPS compass, the HS60, brings expanded functionality to traditional heading sensors such as rate-of-turn and pitch-and-roll output. With these features, the HS60 provides a low-cost, yet effective smart antenna option for marine vessels. Using SimNet and NMEA 2000 data communication, the new Simrad HS60 provides accurate heading, pitch, roll and position data.

Marine Safety Leader Releases Industry’s  Vesper Marine First AIS Devices With Built-in High Speed GPS Auckland, New Zealand – Vesper Marine, a leading manufacturer of innovative marine safety products, announced today powerful updates to its award-winning WatchMate Vision and XB-8000 product lines. Now, in addition to transmitting and receiving position, course, speed and vessel details for collision avoidance, both devices feature high-speed 5Hz GPS receivers making them the first Class B AIS transponders that can be used as a primary positioning sources for any chartplotter, multifunction display (MFD), autopilot or instrument display on an NMEA 2000 network.

Vesper Marine has announced updates to its WatchMate Vision and XB-8000 product lines. Now, in addition to transmitting and receiving position, course, speed and vessel details for collision avoidance, both devices feature high-speed 5Hz GPS receivers making them the first Class B AIS transponders that can be used as a primary positioning sources for any chartplotter, multifunction display (MFD), autopilot or instrument display on an NMEA 2000 network. Vesper and its XB-8000 and WatchMate Vision now provide the option to enable high-speed GPS navigation computations.

A short-sea trade RoRo passenger ship built by Western Marine Shipyard Ltd., is the most advanced built in the yard so far. This is the first time Bangladesh has exported a passenger ship to the European market, in compliance with the highest standards of  modern technology & safety. Isefjord waas built for Danish owner Hundested Rorvig Faergefart to carry 147 passengers & 28 units of vehicle on a Danish coastal route. She is a fully-automated vessel constructed under class Bureau Veritas rules…

SeaArk Marine, Inc. recently delivered two 2610 survey boats to the Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District. The vessels are assigned to Pleasant Valley, Iowa and Lock and Dam 18 in Gladstone, Ill. The vessels are powered by twin Mercury Optimax, 225 hp outboard engines with side mounted dual controls and hydraulic trim tabs. These vessels can easily attain a top speed in excess of 34kts fully manned. All enclosed cabin spaces are fully insulated, air conditioned and heated.

SeaArk Marine, Inc. has delivered a 26-ft Utility Series (Little Giant) all-welded aluminum fire/rescue boat to the Wilder, KY Fire Department. The boat features a heavy duty “cathedral” multi-vee hull that produces a fast, smooth, dry ride and provides a stable fire fighting platform. These characteristics were high priority items required by the Wilder Fire Department in order to meet required fast response times and capability for all-weather fire fighting and maneuvering requirements. The boat is tasked for fire/rescue missions on the Licking River and surrounding waters.

Kongsberg Seatex, a specialist in position reference systems, has unveiled the latest additions to its DPS (Differential Position Sensor) product portfolio. Two new products, DPS 110 and DPS 112, have been developed to utilize the new Global Satellite Based Augmentation System (Global SBAS) introduced by the navigation specialist Fugro SeaSTAR AS, the SeaSTAR SGG service. This new high performance navigation service offers corrections to both GPS and GLONASS that enables sub-meter accuracy with worldwide reach.

U.K.-based EJ Bowman has manufactured its range of marine heat exchangers and oil since 1919. The company recently had its range of hydraulic EC to PK shell and tube oil coolers design approved for marine use by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and now hold certificate no. 02-LD302798-PDA. Bowman heat exchangers and oil coolers are suitable for use on engines up to 1,400 kW (1,880 hp) and for gear boxes up to 1,800 kW (2,400 hp). As a result of this design approval EJ Bowman are exhibiting at the Workboat Show in New Orleans in December 2003. Guests at Universal Orlando theme parks benefit from complimentary, on-site transportation to and from its resort hotels and theme park attractions.

Leica Geosystems and NovAtel Inc. have entered an agreement to develop new technologies for global positioning systems (GPS). This is particularly relevant for equipment that will be based on the new upcoming Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). In the mid-eighties Leica Geosystems was one of the first companies to develop and market GPS surveying systems. NovAtel, founded in 1978, also has the reputation of being one of the most successful innovators of advanced concepts in GPS technologies. These include significant contributions to the development of Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) such as WAAS, MSAS and EGNOS.

Furuno USA introduced its latest innovation in integrated marine electronics, NavNet vx2. Since its release in 2001, Furuno’s NavNet1 series has been enjoying popularity worldwide for its high reliability, performance and expandability. NavNet1 uses an Ethernet based network to transfer information throughout the components. NavNet vx2 still utilizes an Ethernet network and even expands upon it to give you more options to connect and interact with a PC. Add multiple displays and components onto the network by simply adding an Ethernet Hub. NavNet vx2 gives the user their choice of cartography. Users can choose from a unit that accepts Navionics Gold XL3 charts or another model utilizing C-MapNT Max charts, both of which are now on Secure Digital (SD) cards.

Furuno USA, Inc. has been awarded a multi-year U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) contract valued at just over $5.5m. The contract for the Standard Navigation Acquisition Package (SNAP) ensures delivery of robust, reliable Furuno electronics for the US Coast Guard. The equipment is slated for the replacement of the aging radar systems on Coast Guard patrol and rescue boats. The SNAP contract comes on the heels of another USCG contract award secured by Furuno for over 100 of its full-featured, adaptive, NavPilot Autopilot systems. Each patrol and rescue boat will have a high-tech integrated navigation system based on Furuno's NavNet vx2 to make these boats state-of-the-art.

Furuno was honored with three awards at the prestigious 2006 National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) Convention in Naples, FL. This was the 35th anniversary of the NMEA awards. Keeping with tradition, Furuno was recognized by the NMEA more than any other manufacturer. To date, Furuno has received a total of 163 such awards since 1971. Furuno is extremely proud to win in a new category of Manufacturer of the Year - Support. This new award clearly illustrates what an important role customer service plays in the relationship with not only the technical marine electronics dealer network, but also the professionals who use our productsTaking top honors in the Radar category for the thirty-first consecutive year was Furuno with the 1800/1900 NavNet vx2 series of radars.

COMSAT Mobile Communications' (CMC) Santa Paula, California, earth station is celebrating 25 years of continuous, around-the-clock operations, providing the critical communications link for customers on land, at sea, and in the air. CMC's west coast facility provides Inmarsat satellite communications coverage from western North America, across the Pacific Ocean and into Asia, the Pacific Rim nations, New Zealand, Australia, and the eastern Indian Ocean. The Santa Paula station has served as a principal communications lifeline providing instant communications to ships at sea, aircraft, and to people located in parts of the world where there is no communications infrastructure. For a quarter century, Santa Paula has often provided their sole means of contact with the rest of the world.

Furuno has introduced the new GP37 DGPS/WAAS receiver. Replacing the GP36, the GP37 combines a 12 parallel channel GPS receiver with WAAS technology and proven Differential GPS correction for the ultimate in marine GPS accuracy. Designed for coastal ships, fishing boats and pleasure craft, the GP37 includes many of the same features that made its predecessor so powerful. It provides an incredibly accurate position fix of 1-3 meters while taking up a minimum amount of space. The GP37's highly sensitive combined GPS/H-Field DGPS “Loop” antenna is protected by a compact, waterproof housing built to withstand the harshest of marine environments and requires no external ground connection.

Furuno USA, Inc. has been awarded a multi-year $11M U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) contract for replacement of the aging radar systems on all Coast Guard 41-foot patrol and rescue boats. The contract for the Scalable Integrated Navigation System (SINS) ensures delivery of robust, reliable Furuno electronics for the US Coast Guard. Each patrol and rescue boat will have a high-tech integrated navigation system based on Furuno’s NavNet to make these boats state-of-the-art. Built around Furuno’s revolutionary NavNet radar/chart plotter system, the SINS package seamlessly integrates a 1933C radar/chart plotter, GP37 GPS/WAAS, and RD30 digital depth display with a 235 kHz Smart Sensor.