Stn Atlas Marine Electronics News

As of November 1, 2003, equity investor EquiVest, represented by Munich-based CBR Management GmbH, has acquired from EMG EuroMarine Electronics, a Hamburg-based Rheinmetall Group company, the business operations of STN ATLAS Marine Electronics GmbH, Hamburg. The parties to the deal have agreed not to disclose any details on the price paid. The takeover by EquiVest is part of an MBO enacted by STN ATLAS Marine Electronics' Management Board. The new company will operate under the name of SAM Electronics GmbH. A leading systems supplier in the market for electrical and electronic ship and offshore equipment, STN ATLAS Marine Electronics' some 1,000-strong workforce generated sales of EUR 244 million in fiscal 2002.

radars, Ecdis and other proprietary sensors. Worldwide sales of systems for installation aboard commercial and passenger vessels as well as retrofits now approach 750 configurations. The new commissionings include NACOS 45-4 units for six 30,000 gt product tankers being built by Trogir Brodogradiliste, Croatia for delivery to Laurin Maritime (America) Inc in 2002-4. Meanwhile, NACOS 55-4 systems are to be installed on a series of eight container newbuildings under construction at Daewoo¹s Okpo yard on behalf of Norddeutsche Reederei and Mediterranean Shipping Company for completion in 2003-4. Similar 55-4 systems have also been commissioned for two $350 m 42…

The events of September 11, 2001 will continue to have lingering effects on the world indefinitely. The most visible remnant in the maritime world is the drastically heightened sense of safety and security, as officials in countries around the globe seek to secure their borders from the threat of attack — either direct or covert — via ship. Many of the issues currently on the legislative fast track were already in the works pre-September 11. False crew documentation, enhanced vessel tracking and beefed-up harbor controls were much-discussed topic in previous years. As is the case more often than not, though, a disaster of some proportion is inevitably the impetus in moving from discussion to action.

Raytheon Marine Company High Seas Products (RMC) has entered into a cooperative agreement with STN Atlas Marine Electronics for worldwide distribution of Inmarsat-B Satellite Communication Systems. The agreement, which calls for Raytheon to offer its own branded supplemental Inmarsat-B satellite communication system, is expected to raise annual sales for the company. The company's already extensive selection of navigation and communications systems includes the Raytheon Mini-M 3064A Maritime Satellite Telephone, medium frequency/high frequency, Inmarsat-C and very high frequency products. The company will offer the Inmarsat-B as a component of its communication package and as a stand-alone unit.

Cruise lines, perhaps more than any other segment of the shipping market, have eagerly adopted advanced integrated bridge systems to help protect not only passenger, crews and reputations, but also the more than half-billion dollar homes within which they reside. Furuno's Integrated Bridge System, dubbed Voyager has been designed to achieve total integration of bridge equipment and information in accordance with the One Man Bridge Operation (OMBO). All components come from a single source, Furuno. Complying with the latest performance standards of IMO and IEC, the ECDIS displays and ENC vector charts make for easy route planning and route monitoring.

Seven Seas Voyager, the new 50,000-gt cruise ship under construction at T. Mariotti Shipyard in Genoa, Italy for Radisson Seven Seas, will be among the first ships to house the new Dolphin podded propulsion system jointly developed by STN Atlas Marine Electronics and John Crane-Lips. The vessel, which is scheduled for a 2003 delivery will boast podded propulsors delivering 2 x 7,000 kW at 170 rpm. Main features include integration of a powerful electric drive into a hydro-dynamically optimized pod below ship, resulting in a directly-driven propeller. Extensive CFD analyses and model tank tests have led to the development of a pod shape with enhanced efficiency and maneuvering characteristics.

On February 14, the world's largest high-speed ferry catamaran Stena Discovery took off from Belfast, after a planned drydocking, and about one hour out at sea on the captain's command the waterjet control was switched over to steering by a retrofitted Humphree Interceptor Steering System. While the interceptors engaged and provided the means for directional control of the vessel, the steering buckets of the four Kamewa 160 SII waterjets, in total absorbing a power of 68.5 MW, automatically returned to their neutral, or boost position, allowing all waterjet thrust to be vectored forward for maximum thrust, and eliminating the waterjet bucket drag.

STN ATLAS Marine Electronics has been awarded a contract worth $5.9 million by Kroeger Werft for the electrical equipment for the new 308-ft. research vessel, Maria S. Merian. It is being built for delivery in June 2004 on behalf of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Ministry of Education & Science. Equipment to be supplied under the contract comprises the electrical drive system for two podded 190kW propulsors as well as the electrical drive system for a Schottel pumpjet in addition to transformers, generators, cable network, switchboards, and acomplete power supply assembly for both the vessel and its scientific operations. Other equipment…

installation of electrical equipment aboard Maria S Merian, a new 308-ft. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State Ministry of Education & Science for delivery in June 2004. Equipment to be supplied under the contract comprises the electrical drive system for two podded 1900 kW propulsors as well as a similar drive system for a Schottel pumpjet in addition to transformers, generators, cable network, switchboards, and a complete power supply assembly for both the vessel and its scientific operations. Other equipment commissioned includes a winch measurement system as well as an automated Geamar 120 ISL system for centralized ship management and control using a series of operator workstations which collectively provide up to 2,500 measuring points in addition to automated alarm functions.

NSB’s worldwide fleet of 77 container vessels is to be retrofitted with STN Atlas Marine Electronics’s new Debeg 3400 Universal AIS system under a contract signed between the two companies at the recent SMM Exhibition in Hamburg. Installation of systems will commence at the beginning of next year. Approximately 80 percent of the vessels are already equipped with STN Atlas NACOS integrated navigation command systems. Newly developed by STN Atlas Marine Electronics and presently being type-approved by the German Bureau of Shipping and Hydrography (BSH), the fully autonomous Debeg 3400 transmits ship¹s own data such as position, course, speed and identification while receiving the same from other UAIS systems within VHF range.

The Nor-Shipping Exhibition concluded June 6, 2003. Following were some of the major announcements during the week in Oslo. Kongsberg won a contract for the control systems for four LNG tankers scheduled to be built in Japan. The ships will carry LNG from the Snohvit field to the U.S., Spain and France. Two of the ships are being built for Hoegh shipping lines at Mitsubishi Shipyards, while the other two are being built at the Mitsui and Kawasaki shipyards. Kelvin Hughes was awarded type approval for its ECDIS-based Track Control System. This is the first Approval of its type to be granted by LR and covers the integration of the company's ECDIS and Autopilot products into a system meeting the new IEC 62065 track control performance standard.

New York City rolled out the red carpet to welcome Norwegian Cruise Line's (NCL) latest addition to its fleet. In December, NCL debuted the 92,250-ton Norwegian Dawn, with NYC style reminiscent of the ship's new homeport. The christening ceremony aptly included a celebration amidst a few celebrities, a taste of Broadway and entertainment that truly characterize the Big Apple. "Size does matter," said actress Kim Cattrall, who was chosen to serve as the Norwegian Dawn's godmother. The 'Sex and the City' star entertained the crowd at the christening ceremony during the official naming of the ship and pronounced the Norwegian Dawn the biggest ship in NYC.

Lürssen, and Nordseewerke. installation of cabling. degaussing for magnetic self-protection. continuing availability. The first of the 292-ft. commissioning in 2007.

Pride of America, the new 922-ft. Ingalls Shipyard in the U.S. engineering as well as supply and installation of cabling. onboard TV network. command system.

A new integrated satellite navigation and speed log system with combined 24-channel GPS-Glonass positioning — Debeg Satlog 4124 — has been introduced by STN Atlas Marine Electronics. Providing a coinciding or separate position and speed calculations via GPS, Differential GPS and/or Glonass satellites, the system provides worldwide positional and speed accuracy of 15 m and 0.2 knots, respectively. Corresponding differential mode accuracies, derived from an integral multitrack differential beacon receiver, are 1 m and 0.1 knots. The system is designed for any type of marine navigation operation, as well as specialist applications, namely hydrographic surveying, buoy positioning and oceanographic research.

Compelling design and operational arguments in favor of podded electric drives can be expected to transcend any negative impressions formed from the recent clutch of problems and complications experienced with such systems in certain cruise ship and ferry applications. Experience has shown that technical innovation in the maritime field has invariably been accompanied by early setbacks in some shape or form. In an industry where conservatism is the order of the day, and understandably so where assets are subjected to the rigors of the elements as well as the vicissitudes of the markets, those operators willing to be the standard bearers with new technology provide a beacon for the wider maritime community.

The growing uptake of integral electric-driven, podded propulsors in the most capital-intensive sector of the cruise shipping industry, has forever altered the established position of conventional propulsion systems in an important segment of the market. Having established a foothold in the offshore sector, the concept will no doubt find increasing application with the next upswing in investment by the offshore oil and gas industry. Once conservatism has been overcome in various quarters of the shipping business, and once the net acquisition costs of such systems reach more acceptable levels for a broader band of the shipowning community, usage of the technology will no doubt spread to other spheres.

The maritime industry gathered in Amsterdam last month at the semi-annual Europort Exhibition to display the latest technological advances in marine products and systems. While the show maintains a large local contingency — a good deal of the exhibitors are local agents rather than the manufacturing company principles — it is well regarded as one of the industry's premier events for showcasing new products and services to an international shipowning community. Of particular note — and not just in Amsterdam — are the tremendous strides which are continually made on the marine electronics products and systems front. Competition in this segment is very keen…

STN Atlas Marine Electronics has expanded its DESO range of survey echosounders with its Atlas DESO 300 — a new portable unit — designed for operation aboard small survey vessels and inflatable watercraft. The lightweight system holds operating frequencies of 210, 200, 40 and 33 kHz and sealed keypad controls, and features integral recorder, digitizer and transceiver functions inclusive of LCD display facilities, as well as 8.5-in. thermal printer. Depending on transducer arrangements, depth range is 0.2 to 250 m (0.7 to 820 ft.), while resolution stands at 0.01 m (0.1 ft.) The system can also be optionally supplied with an integral DGPS receiver with surroundings that can be automatically annotated with GPS position — providing complete surveys.

Hamurg-based STN Atlas Marine Electronics has been awarded a contract for supply and installation of integrated monitoring and control and automatic power management systems aboard the new SNCM Ferrterranee RoPax ferry being built by the van der Giessen-de Noord yard in the Netherlands. The 175m-long 37,000 gt vessel, which will have a capacity for 550 passengers as well as their vehicles, is due for completion towards the end of this year. The systems include a proprietary type-approved Geamar 120 ISL monitoring and control assembly for centralized ship management and control using a series of operator workstations which collectively provide up to 2,500 measuring points in addition to automated alarm functions.

STN ATLAS Marine Electronics has introduced Chartradar Atlas 1000, which is a new type-approved series of navaid combining full radar capabilities with electronic chart facilities in a single console. It also features an integrated conning function 12 and 16-in. versions are capable of automatic or manual tracking of up to 50 ARPA or AIS targets supported by a choice of simplified or paper chart symbol high-resolution presentations. Superimposing radar and electronic vector chart information on demand, chart data is derived from an Atlas Chartpilot in either S57 Ed.3 or C-Map CM93 formats while other main display features include selectable visibility options, own-chart user objects, six color tables for day and night use, and pre-planned routes.

STN Atlas Marine Electronics’ European Wheelmark-accredited Debeg 3400 UAIS has also now been type-approved for GPS operation by the German Maritime & Hydrographic Agency (BSH), enabling it to be connected to all standard navigation equipment for provision of 12-channel Differential GPS data – at no additional cost. The device is reportedly the first UAIS to be accorded full type-approval as a positional sensor without any necessity for additional equipment. The Debeg 3400 is also capable of automatically accepting high-accuracy DGPS correction data via VHF in port, coastal and other areas.

Raytheon Marine is broadening its product offering to fulfill the new requirements due to the modification of international regulations. Therefore the company is now offering a SOLAS Class A ship borne AIS Transponder through its worldwide Reseller Network. The new RM 808 AIS, which is Wheelmark Type Approved by BSH, Germany, is produced exclusively by Nauticast Schiffsnavigationssysteme AG, Austria. Nauticast supplies the RM 808 AIS based on its own X-Pack DS design, together with extended warranty and high-end accessories for ease of installation. Marine Data Systems (MDS) has become the first to be granted product approval by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S., for its AIMS MIV Automatic Identification System (AIS).