Onboard Software News

Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) is testing a navigation and collision avoidance system in another step toward autonomous cargo ship operations.NYK and MTI Co. Ltd. (MTI) have installed Orca AI’s Automatic Ship Target Recognition System onto an NYK Group ship to assess the system's ability to automatically recognize dangerous targets and other vessels that may be overlooked by the human eye, especially at night and in congested waters through vision sensors and thermal cameras…

Brookes Bell said it has been contracted by Norwegian Cruise Line to deliver its software solution SRtP Onboard across its Breakaway Plus class of vessels. Brookes Bell was engaged directly by the Meyer Werft shipyard for these tasks whose close collaboration greatly enhanced the final output to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.The software was installed on the newly launched Norwegian Cruise Line ship, Norwegian Encore in December 2019 including the delivery of training to all crew involved.

The end of 2018 provides an excellent opportunity to highlight some of the measures that have been taken by the maritime industry over the past year to develop a better understanding of autonomous shipping. A drive towards autonomous shipping has been embraced by many major players such as Rolls Royce and Wärtsilä, and this has led to numerous new strategies, visions, and projects that are pushing the boundaries of technological innovation. It’s no longer a matter of whether technology can achieve this next step…

ClassNK and TÜV Rheinland have concluded a worldwide partnership agreement for cybersecurity services.ClassNK is a classification society which carries out surveys to help ensure the safety of vessels and marine structures, and has many achievements involving the certification of ship equipment. TÜV Rheinland is a leader in testing, inspection and certification services providing digital services for safety, cybersecurity and privacy. Earlier, ClassNK and TÜV Rheinland built a…

Hybrid drive and potential fuel savings are well known — from 10 to 30 percent, according to the sources we’ve written about over the years. Less known, is the potential need to purchase some sort of remote monitoring package to complement that diesel-electric or battery hybrid system from a system operator in order to secure the maximum safety benefits. As the count of system operators offering hybrid drives grows, so too, it seems, there’s continuous need to look at who they are and what they’re offering.

NS Workboat, a new mobile application from ABS Nautical Systems (NS) purpose-built for the workboat/inland sector, aims to streamline onboard tasks for Subchapter M compliance. “This app answers the growing demand for easy-to-use point solutions – a need that is particularly pronounced in the workboat sector, where many companies have little to no IT support on their boats,” said ABS Nautical Systems Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Stephen Schwarz. The tablet-based application is delivered preconfigured to an operator’s selected Subchapter M safety management system.

ABB is deepening its analytical and predictive approach to vessel maintenance with the latest upgrade of its Remote Diagnostic Service (RDS). ABB is one of the leading advocates of the digitalization of shipping and has already launched Integrated Operation Centers in Asia, Europe and the USA where data produced by ships is received and monitored. The upgraded software functionalities will give more power and transparency to the shore side operations of ship owners whilst ABB has stepped up its proactive monitoring of the data and predictive analytics.

IMO/adopted guidelines for the mandatory carriage of damage stability verification instruments (software, computers, etc.) onboard all (new and existing) tankers beginning in January 2016. IMO has adopted guidelines and applicable IMO Code amendments for the mandatory carriage of damage stability verification instruments onboard new and existing tankers. Amendments to MARPOL Annex I, BCH Code, IBC Code, IGC Code and to the Survey Guidelines under HSSC to mandate the provision of a computer program capable of calculating the applicable damage stability requirements were agreed.

The Vindskip, designed by Lade AS, comes to rescue and bring wind power back into action. It uses a hull designed to act as a so-called airfoil, or giant sail. Futuristic concepts for containerships powered by windmill-powered propellers have been in vogue for some time, especially after the studies revealed that shipping accounts for around 3% of global CO2 emissions. A Norwegian engineer has designed a radical new cargo ship with a hull so large it acts as the sails of old. Named Vindskip, the hull on the concept would act as a so-called giant airfoil to harness power from the wind and lift and propel the ship forward, while onboard software would constantly monitor weather forecasts to choose the best course possible.

A new study from Germany show rapid expansion in the maritime fleet management software sector. While shipowners are generally classified conservative in the uptake of new technology, the advent of increasingly sophisticated software solutions which manage everything from fuel  to cargo to crew make a compelling financial case to modernize quickly. Earlier this summer Germany’s Fraunhofer CML issued what is arguably the most thorough study to date which analyzes the software market as applied to shipping companies. Entitled “Fleet Management Systems 2013,” the 60-plus page report provides exhaustive detail and insightful research on software solutions from 46 providers globally, with many pages of product overview helping to measure how one system stacks up versus another.

Based on its recent analysis of the North American protective and marine coatings market, Frost & Sullivan recognized Hempel with the 2013 Growth Excellence Leadership Award. In 2012, Hempel exhibited double-digit revenue growth well in excess of 20% and increased its overall market share in North America to 9.5%. Frost & Sullivan noted that Hempel’s competitors’ revenue growth rates are more closely aligned with the base year total market growth rate of 2.1%. Hempel’s acquisition of Blome International in 2012 complemented its existing product lines, especially for the oil and gas industry.

Chart World’s eGlobe ECDIS receives type approval from the United States Coast Guard. After reviewing Chart World’s ECDIS ‘eGlobe’ the United States Coast Guard (U.S. Department of Homeland Security) has assigned the approval on August 15th, 2012. This additional approval opens the door to the North American market. Having been successfully introduced the eGlobe ECDIS being part of the new concept “ECDIS as a Service” can continue to grow in this part of the world. The eGlobe ECDIS is one module in a sequence including official ENCs, a customized maintenance concept for ECDIS and cost-effective training opportunities. ChartWorld’s leading software and services will help shipping companies and deck officers to master the demanding transition to ‘Paperless Digital Navigation’.

Applied Weather Technology, Inc. today announced its BVS onboard software provides Emission Control Areas (ECAs) and calculation tools to evaluate the most cost effective voyage track. Using the latest version of BVS, captains manage their voyage track by displaying ECA zones and making them “no-go” areas. By doing this, they can see their voyage track outside and inside the ECA zones. Simply moving waypoints in BVS allows captains to visualize the impact of time in the ECA zone and compare it to the overall effect of time en route. The result is that the captain has the information to sail the optimal route. “With BVS’s ECA zone calculation tools…

Applied Weather Technology, Inc. (AWT) announced its BVS onboard software provides Emission Control Areas (ECAs) and calculation tools to evaluate the most cost effective voyage track. Using the latest version of BVS, captains manage their voyage track by displaying ECA zones and making them “no-go” areas. By doing this, they can see their voyage track outside and inside the ECA zones. Simply moving waypoints in BVS allows captains to visualize the impact of time in the ECA zone and compare it to the overall effect of time en route. The result is that the captain has the information to sail the optimal route. “With BVS’s ECA zone calculation tools…

Applied Weather Technology, Inc. (AWT) announced that Unicom Management Services (Cyprus) Ltd has now been using its BonVoyage software (BVS) for 10 years to help its ship Captains steer clear of heavy weather in order to avoid vessel damage and prevent crew injury. After first adopting BVS in 1999 as part of a trial on three ships, SCF Unicom observed that the onboard software was helping its Captains to reduce heavy weather damage to those ships. The company then quickly expanded use of BVS to approximately 17 ships within its managed fleet…

A system touted as the first fully integrated workboat management system - dubbed GlobeOffshore - will be unveiled by Globe Wireless at the International Workboat Show in New Orleans, to be held Dec. 1-3. GlobeOffshore records vital data onboard the vessel and provides this data in a timely and accurate manner to users onshore. The system allows shoreside users to receive fleet reports, track vessels, and improve incident response time by making all appropriate information automatically available in one place. The system automates the traditional logbook. Vessel data is entered into the GlobeOffshore electronic log, which runs on a Windows-based personal computer aboard the vessel.