Tidewater Inc., a provider of Offshore Service Vessels to the global energy industry, has selected Furuno USA, Inc. as a primary supplier for their BNWAS (Bridge Navigation Watch Alarm System) needs.
With hundreds of vessels that vary from Platform Supply and Fast Crew Supply Vessels, to Offshore Tugs and a variety of other specialty vessels, the installation project will take the majority of 2013 to complete.
Furuno’s BR500 BNWAS is a casualty avoidance system that monitors the watch officer's presence on the bridge. The system will initiate a predetermined sequence of alarms if it senses inactivity on the bridge for a set period of time. Means of resetting the watch time include: operation of either ECDIS or Radar with appropriate outputs, pressing a timer reset button, or activating an optional motion sensor during normal bridge activity. If the OOW (Officer of the Watch) doesn't respond to the alarm, the system transfers the alarm to Cabin Panels installed in other areas of the vessel in order to inform backup officers of the OOW’s incapacity. Up to twelve Cabin Panels may be installed in these areas via Furuno’s inexpensive and advanced single-cable installation method.
“We are excited to continue our long-standing working relationship with Tidewater by assuring that their vessels remain in IMO compliance with our BNWAS solution,” commented Dean Kurutz, Furuno USA, Inc. Marketing Manager. “We feel that our Global Support & Service Network, coupled with our flexible BNWAS architecture, led to Tidewater’s decision to purchase Furuno’s BR500.”
In addition to being fully IMO compliant and competitively priced, the Furuno BR500 offers a unique single-cable design that significantly reduces the difficulty of installation in the confined spaces of both retrofits and new builds alike. A single, readily-available cable connects the processor to each of the compact peripheral devices in the system, making external panel placement very flexible. The Furuno single-cable design greatly simplifies installation, and is highly desired over other BNWAS hardware configurations, which may require connection of power, battery, sensors, and other control cables directly to the display unit. Because of Furuno’s single-cable design, certain panels may be installed via daisy-chain configuration for added simplicity and ease of installation. Additionally, the BR500 external processor is ideally sized, providing ample space to easily connect all cables while remaining small enough to install in a convenient, accessible location.