UK-based Martek Marine has significantly expanded the geographic coverage of its Navgard Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm system (BNWAS) installer network, following two day-long training sessions.
The training program was offered in the UK and Singapore to companies interested in installing and reselling Navgard. As a result Martek can now offer local BNWAS installation and/or reseller support in 13 different countries worldwide: China, Singapore, South Korea, India, the UAE, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Poland, France, Norway, Estonia and the UK.
Martek recently opened new offices in Singapore, and plans to make its center there a fulcrum for further regional development.
A total of 41 engineers from 24 different companies attended the courses, which were ‘hands-on’ rather than classroom-based. The training sessions were designed by Martek to give the installers and resellers a thorough understanding of the Navgard BNWAS technology, and to provide the skills required to carry out installation quickly and efficiently onboard owners’ vessels. All of the engineers attending the training passed the course.
Martek Marine Marketing Manager, Helen Taylor, says the training program is at the heart of the company’s efforts to promote Navgard on a global stage. She says: “Many of our customers have fleets operating worldwide and they need to know where they can get BNWAS installed locally, close to where their ships are docked or in port. When we talked to them it was clear that having a broad geographic spread of installers was high on their priority list and that, conversely, not having partners local to where they operate might be a block to sales.
“We now have the wide spread of installers that our customers told us they required and we are confident this will help us to increase our market share. Shipowners need to know that they can find someone local to fit BNWAS and thanks to the training we now have authorised installers covering most of the world’s major shipping markets.”
Further training sessions are planned, to add installers and/or resellers to the network, with the next scheduled to take place in Hamburg this July, followed by a symposium in Houston.
The Navgard BNWAS is designed to comply with SOLAS Regulation V/19, as amended by MSC.282(86), which requires the installation of this technology on all new and existing ships. The system also meets the requirements of the performance standards as set out in MSC. 128(75) and IEC 62616.
Fully type approved by all the world’s major classification societies, Navgard comprises either a bulkhead- or console-mounted control panel with an onboard Passive Infra-Red (PIR) movement detector. The system is modular to accommodate any bridge size and layout and can be supplied with additional PIRs and/or manual reset functions to meet particular customer requirements. Navgard is also available with an SD card to log all alarm data in real time, giving operators a permanent record of bridge activity, while the Martek BNWAS further provides RS485 serial communications for VDR systems.