Portable Pilot Unit News

SafePilot from Trelleborg’s marine systems operation helped to pilot Allseas’ 200 meter-long barge, Iron Lady, from the Tees Bay to Able UK’s Seaton Port in Hartlepool which transported Shell’s 24,200 ton Brent Delta topside to Able’s facility on May 2, 2017.The Shell-operated Brent field, is located 115 miles east of the Shetland Islands, in 140 meters water depth, and has been in production since 1976. As part of Shell’s complex Brent Decommissioning Project, the Brent Delta topside, was lifted from the concrete legs of the Gravity Base Structure using innovative single lift technology.

In the world of maritime training, MSRC has carved a unique niche in the training of pilots. Founded in 2005, MSRC is a division of the Corporation of Lower St. Lawrence Pilots (CLSLP). The MSRC is a purpose-built simulator with a fully instrumented DNV Class “A” configured bridge with 330° visuals that exceed the requirements of the 1995 STCW Convention. MSRC’s Full Mission Simulator (FMS) is one of the most advanced simulators of its type and is continually being upgraded. The Center is also equipped with three fully instrumented ship bridges, with a horizontal view of 240°.

DNV GL said it has developed a new industry standard for the type approval of Portable Pilot Units (PPUs); the ORCA Pilot G2 unit, created by SevenCs, a navigation equipment and software expert from Hamburg, is the first product worldwide to achieve compliance with the new standard. “In summer 2015, we developed the Type Approval for PPUs, in order to allow ports, terminal operators and pilot organisations to assure a minimum standard in the selection process of their equipment, against which manufacturers of navigation equipment can test their products.

The IALA 2014 Conference held at La Coruna, Spain, 25-31 May, played host to an in-depth paper by Todd Schuett, Training Manager, Kongsberg Norcontrol IT (KNC) that focused on solutions for reducing stress in the often high pressure VTS operations room environment. As part of the ‘Global Navigation’ technical sessions at the conference, Schuett’s paper, titled ‘Reducing Operator Workload and Stress Through Cooperative Human-Machine Systems’, covered findings from the EU Artemis Joint Undertaking-funded research project, ‘Designing Dynamic Distributed Cooperative Human-Machine Systems’ (D3CoS). The paper described VTS Trials undertaken within D3CoS that sought to establish a relationship between workload and stress levels…

Raven Aerostar say that the Associated Branch Pilots of the Port of New Orleans (Bar Pilots) has selected its Traffic Management System. The system provides increased situational intelligence for Port of New Orleans ship pilots. Raven Aerostar's marine navigation aid systems are used by ship pilots in over a dozen ports in the U.S. The Bar Pilots recently ordered 35 Raven Traffic Management Systems, including the company's latest rate of turn sensor, Revolve. Revolve is a marine navigation aid developed by Raven Aerostar to enhance safety by enabling local ship pilots to better predict the future position of vessels as they maneuver waterways and ship traffic safely to dock. "This is our second purchase from Raven Aerostar," explained Capt.

The German marine software company SevenCs has partnered with Australian software company VoyageBank to deliver state of the art Portable Pilot Unit (PPU) technology to 50 marine pilots charged with responsibility for keeping the Great Barrier Reef free of shipping disasters. The three year deal, signed recently with Australian Reef Pilots (ARP), will bring high precision navigation, real-time monitoring, and centralised management of pilotage activities as part of the company’s Pilotage Safety Management System (PSMS).

German Pilot Associations choose SevenCs to Develop Portable Pilot Unit Software. Five German Pilot Associations for the Elbe, Emden, Hamburg, Jade/Weser II and Kiel Canal I (Brunsbüttel)  have chosen Hamburg-based maritime navigation specialists SevenCs GmbH to supply their Orca Pilot Portable Pilot Unit (PPU) software. At the same time, SevenCs, in conjunction with the Pilots, will develop new next generation PPU software, and deliver training to all the associations’ 625 pilots. Commenting on the new project, Capt.

BMT ARGOSS, a subsidiary of BMT Group Ltd, has announced that pilot organisations around the world including Peel Ports Medway in the UK and Kiel Canal Pilots in Germany, are investing in the latest version of its marine manoeuvring simulator, PC REMBRANDT V5, to further enhance port navigation risk assessment and familiarisation training capabilities. In order to provide greater accuracy to the simulation experience, BMT ARGOSS has enhanced the tidal current and wind settings to accommodate the unique features of a given port which can affect current flow and wind speed.

BMT Group, the international maritime design, engineering and risk management consultancy, is pleased to announce that the SafePort research project has completed initial sea trials of a prototype vessel management system at Dublin port. SafePort offers the first advanced vessel traffic management system designed for constrained ports, or waterways with high traffic densities, with integrated portable pilot unit. SafePort delivers accurate, secure and reliable navigation and positioning information which in turn enables for safer and more efficient navigation and berthing.

Rose Point Releases Pilot Add-On Rose Point Navigation Systems, supplier of navigation software for pilots and operators of light commercial vessels, announced the release of a new Pilot Display Add-on for Rose Point ECS. Many commercial pilots carry aboard a Laptop and use it as a Portable Pilot Unit. They use Rose Point ECS to connect to the pilot plug data stream and display real time navigation on up-to-date NOAA charts. The software processes AIS and GPS information to calculate important events, such as passing points and closest point of approach (CPA). The software also possesses other features such as: the voyage recorder, a predictor that displays position based on rate of turn…

Operating between Nassau and Harbor Island and Eleuthera in the Bahamas, M/V Bo Hengy carries passengers daily for this ferry service that provides an innovative form of transportation, inter-island in the Bahamas. Until now, the only form of transportation on this route was via air, mailboat or private vessel. Along the designated route for Bo Hengy is a treacherous three-mile section located at the northern tip of Eleuthera. Known as the Devil's Backbone, this is the sole way around the north end - the primary destination of Bo Hengy. As a result, a comprehensive risk assessment was carried out to evaluate the risks associated with operating the vessel on the inter-island route.

Operating between Nassau and Harbor Island and Eleuthera in the Bahamas, M/V Bo Hengy carries passengers daily for a ferry service providing an innovative form of transportation, inter-island in the Bahamas. Until now, the only form of transportation on this route was via air, mailboat or private vessel. Along the designated route for Bo Hengy is a treacherous three-mile section located at the northern tip of Eleuthera. Known as the Devil's Backbone, this is the ony way around the north end- the primary destination of Bo Hengy. Consequently, a comprehensive risk assessment was carried out to evaluate the risks associated with operating…