Local Area Network News

Vigor Marine has been awarded a $133,406,869 firm-fixed-price contract to prepare for and accomplish repair and alteration requirements for USS McCampbell (DDG 85) chief of naval operations scheduled depot maintenance availability. The contract includes options which, if exercised, will bring the cumulative value of this contract to $155,621,173.The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer departed Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan on July 2, and is currently is en route to Vigor's Portland, Ore. shipyard, where she will undergo her midlife modernization.

SQLearn provides a solution for companies and educational institutes in order to ensure their smooth operation.Using SQLearn’s Synchronous Training Platform, employees will be able to hold teleconferences and work safely from their own space, while avoiding unnecessary transfers and meetings in enclosed workplaces. This way the companies will continue to run smoothly, without reducing productivity through lost labor hours.SQLearn’s Synchronous Training Platform allows live conferencing…

The new ship El Coquí entered service for domestic operator Crowley in late July 2018 as one of the world’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled combined container and roll-on roll-off (ConRo) vessels.El Coquí, along with sister ship Taíno currently under construction at shipbuilder VT Halter’s Pascagoula, Miss. shipyard, feature a wide range of state-of-the-art onboard technologies, including advanced integrated bridge systems (IBS), complete with consoles, and ancillary…

Hand in hand with the digital craze in maritime is the caution of cyber attacks. We live and operate in a complex society. That society would be impossible without modern computers and other information technologies Those technologies have largely been developed piecemeal to address particular issues, and for the most part they have generally achieved their particular goals. Maximum efficiency is gained when multiple technologies are joined to coordinate their work. Computers get smaller and faster, with ever-growing memory. Joining computers together allowed for creation of the internet.

The German navigation system integrator Raytheon Anschütz has won a contract for the supply of a Synapsis Integrated Navigation System (INS) to an advanced research vessel. VARD Holding Limited, a major global designer and shipbuilder of specialized vessels, with their subsidiary VARD Electro AS, have selected Raytheon Anschütz’ Synapsis INS for a new research  vessel. The Synapsis INS is part of a large equipment and electrical installation package, which VARD Electro AS will provide to Cochin Shipyard Ltd.

Being used to the challenges of ship-borne communications has been an asset to delivering flexible and capable communications networks ashore as Australian Navy sailors are finding in the Middle East. On her first deployment to the  region Able Seaman Communication and Information Systems Bree-ann Garner, worked as part of team developing and enhancing local area network infrastructure. Lieutenant Colonel David Jenkins, was in charge of the team and and said they had spent most of their deployment laying the foundation for updating the Australian Defence Force's communications and information systems. "We spent a great deal of time laying the ground work for the new enhanced Deployable Local Area Network Systems that will be introduced shortly," Lieutenant Colonel Jenkins said.

U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) has received a massive upgrade to its network infrastructure February 16 in order to increase the ship’s operational efficiency, security and communication capabilities. The Consolidated Afloat Network and Enterprise Services (CANES) system's improved security measures are designed to prevent the possibility of classified or secure information being accessed by someone without appropriate clearance, or hardware, the Navy said. The new system comes with approximately 1…

Following its inauguration ceremony in Rotterdam on February 27, 2015, Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit will start its first job offshore Norway this summer with an integrated Dynamic Positioning (DP) and manoeuvring system based on state-of-the art Kongsberg Maritime technology. The Kongsberg Maritime delivery includes forward and aft bridge systems in addition to an extensive automation network and the HiPAP subsea position reference system. Eight years in the making, Allseas’ Pioneering Spirit single-lift vessel is the largest construction vessel in the world.

Nordic Yards in Wismar, Germany, has awarded Kongsberg Maritime a contract to deliver an Integrated Vessel Control System for a newbuild 80m Wind Turbine Service Jack-Up Vessel, owned by Danish offshore services specialist, DBB Jack-Up. The integrated 'Full Picture' solution covers navigation, automation and manoeuvring systems, and will be one of the first to feature Kongsberg Maritime's recently launched LAN-based Radar system. The new radar concept, K-Bridge 'Composite Picture' Radar CP360, is an integral part of the K-Bridge navigation system to be installed.

Kongsberg Maritime presented a new solution for the distribution of Radar data on board ships during Nor-Shipping 2013. Utilization of an Ethernet based LAN (Local Area Network) is a significant addition to Kongsberg Maritime’s K-Bridge Integrated Bridge System and is capable of improving safety and navigation through enhanced Radar functionality whilst offering significant installation benefits. The system is currently undergoing Type Approval testing at DNV, with first customer delivery in Autumn 2013.

ESSI Corporation and Hughes team up to address the unique requirement of this hardworking maritime sector. When ESSI Corporation and Hughes teamed in 2009 to deliver broadband VSAT services to the workboat industry, they quickly discovered that not only was this a unique industry, but also that when it came satellite communications, several important requirements had to be satisfied to keep these customers happy. As a service provider, a customized service tailored to those needs evolved. According to ESSI Corporation’s Emil Regard, offshore workboats and OSV’s first and foremost demand a certainty that the bandwidth ordered will be available, anytime, especially in the worst of conditions.

The need for ship-to-shore information exchange has never been greater. Lawrence Poynter product director at iOra explores the sophisticated connectivity solutions that can keep the fleet afloat. For armchair sports fans, 2012 has been a bumper summer of wall-to-wall media coverage. For naval crews, getting the latest NASCAR results, football scores or Olympic record times is more difficult – but not impossible. Many shipping firms recognize that making sports reports available to their crews is an important way to remove the sense of isolation often felt onboard.

Modest Infrastructure Company's Bhavnagar shipyard has built a cutting-edge tankship for an Italian client. According to Mehul Patel, director (project and operations), the new 3,300 dwt ship, built in a span of 20 months, can be operated with just three crew members. Conventionally, a ship of this size would require 18 to 20 crew members, he said. "The specialty of this ship is that all machinery, equipments, instruments are operated by remote control. Moreover, approximately 65 km of cable has been laid in the ship to facilitate all machinery and automation in the 75 meter long ship,'' Patel told TOI. "In the ship, 400 plus motorized valves have been installed to operate various piping systems from the bridge.

The German navigation system manufacturer Raytheon Anschütz has been awarded the contract for the supply of advanced Integrated Navigations Systems of their Synapsis Bridge Control series to new Heavy Lift Carriers for Dutch company Jumbo Shipping. The demanding new vessels are being built at Brodosplit shipyard in Split, Croatia. Jumbo has ordered two Heavy Lift Carriers at Brodosplit with delivery dates in 2013, and holds an option for a third newbuild. The 152 meters long vessels…

Marine Rescue Technologies released MusterGuard for use in oil rigs, SOLAS vessels, petroleum and chemical plants. The MusterGuard system was designed in response to the recent Deep Water Horizon disaster and  recent chemical plant explosions worldwide. The MusterGuard provides automated real time accounting of personnel during an emergency evacuation and or during a muster drill. The muster drill, reports and record keeping are mandatory maritime requirements. The MusterGuard provides a list of personnel on board (POB) or personnel on premise, including key data, trade certificates, cabin number, work area and primary duties during an evacuation or muster drill.

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has unveiled a new marine alarm, monitoring and control solutions. The new series of shipboard machinery automation solutions, marketed by Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit under the VisionMaster label, is being introduced to provide cost-effective scalable solutions for small- to medium-size commercial and naval vessels. The hardware is type approved to meet the requirements of major classification societies for unmanned machinery space operation. Offered in two basic configurations – VisionMaster Alarm Management System (AMS) and VisionMaster Machinery Control System (MCS) – the new Sperry Marine solutions use commercial-off-the-shelf industry-standard components for all key building blocks within the system.

Stratos Global Corporation, global provider of advanced mobile and fixed-site remote communications solutions, has successfully completed an Inmarsat FleetBroadband field trial with Spain’s Albacora Group. The three-month field trial was conducted onboard the Albacora tuna fishing vessel Albatun Dos in the Indian Ocean. Stratos channel partner Satlink managed the installation of a FleetBroadband 250 terminal manufactured by JRC, which was integrated with the vessel’s local-area network. The successful trial led to Albacora Group retaining the FleetBroadband from Stratos system, which it will use to manage the Albatun Dos’ daily operations at sea.

California-based MARPOL Training Institute, Inc. (MTI) released its NPDES Training for Vessels (NTV) software package. This software meets the requirements of the EPA’s Vessel General Permit (VGP) Section 5 for crew training which went into effect February 6. “NTV details each of the 26 discharges permitted under the VGP”, explained MTI’s Managing Partner Captain Robert Hall, “as well as providing training on a fully customizable checklist that helps you document required inspections and corrective actions. NTV is installed on either a local area network or training computer in offices and aboard ships and will soon be accessible on the Internet. For easy learner reference, many screens link electronically to a paragraph in the VGP as well as a citation in VGP Factsheet.

Marlink, the world's largest maritime satellite communications integrator has announced a new five year contract with German cruise company Aida Cruises, for the supply of its Sealink(T) satellite communications system. Sealink(T) will be provided to five existing cruise vessels and three planned new builds, the first of which will be in operation from spring 2009 with the others in commission in 2010 and 2011. The new contract is a continuation of an existing relationship in the delivery of Marlink's service to the Aida Cruises.

The Lockheed Martin Coast Guard Systems team participated in the power up of the first set of electronic cabinets and consoles of the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) system onboard the U.S. Coast Guard's second National Security Cutter, Waesche (WMSL 751). Lockheed Martin's C4ISR systems will provide Waesche's crew with a common operating picture to aid coordination among helicopters, aircraft, other ships and shore facilities. The system has an open architecture design and provides interoperability, assuring that the Coast Guard can work with multiple federal, regional and state agencies and organizations to maintain maritime domain awareness and accomplish homeland security missions.

USS Wasp (LHD 1), in Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for an eight-month docking phased maintenance availability (DPMA), undocked Sept. 18, one day ahead of schedule. "Wasp has met or exceeded all key events in this availability, and the early undocking sets the stage for future success," said Charlie Caudle, NNSY project superintendent. "[The undocking was] a very long and tedious process that went smooth as silk, which is exactly as it should be," said Capt. Dan Fillion, Wasp commanding officer. In addition to Caudle, the Wasp team is headed by deputy project superintendents Bryan Holberton and Lt. Cmdr. Robin Ball. The fiscal year 2008 DPMA has more than 124…

Marlink, a Vizada company, announced an agreement to provide the Sealink Maritime VSAT solution to Wilhelmsen Ship Management (WSM). Marlink will equip 30 Wilhelmsen Ship Management vessels with Sealink, a global maritime VSAT turnkey solution, offering "always-on" Internet access and Local Area Network (LAN) communications at a fixed monthly price. charges. Wilhelmsen Ship Management currently manages approximately 300 ships, of which 185 are under full technical management. seagoing personnel. Wilhelmsen Ship Management has tested the quality and reliability of the Sealink system over a 12-month period on board their roll-on roll-off vehicle carrier, the MV Tampa.

Northrop Grumman Corporation's Sperry Marine business unit has been selected to supply the Machinery Control System (MCS) for LHA 6, the first of a new generation of large-deck amphibious assault ships for the U.S. Navy. Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding awarded Sperry Marine a contract valued at approximately $47.6 million. LHA 6 is being built at the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding facility in Pascagoula, Miss. auxiliary systems. The network will include more than 50 data acquisition units at strategic locations around the ship, as well as 25 operating consoles, 10 electric plant and propulsion plant controllers, and multiple redundant local-area network switches.