Navigational Systems News

Groke Technologies, the Finnish technology company behind the Groke Pro Situational Awareness System, has introduced a new solution designed to give ship managers shoreside an unparalleled view of the surrounding area of all the vessels in their fleet.Groke Fleet gives ship management teams more detailed information on which to better evaluate, enhance and control the navigational safety and efficiency of their vessels.Unlike traditional fleet awareness solutions, which tend to be based only on periodically updated AIS data…

Annapolis, Md. boatbuilder Ocean Craft Marine has delivered a new law enforcement boat to the Black Diamond Police Department in Black Diamond, Wash.The 6.5-meter aluminum police boat is primed to tackle a wide range of tasks, including search and rescue operations, surveillance and law enforcement activities. It is equipped with cutting-edge navigational systems, state-of-the-art communication tools and specialized law enforcement equipment, the builder said."The addition of…

Marlink, the smart network and ICT solutions company, is bringing together its Telemar US, UK and Italy leisure market operations to create Telemar Yachting, to provide a portfolio of managed services to the yachting market.This combination installation and maintenance of safety and navigation equipment coupled with OmniAccess’ connectivity and cyber security solutions for the yachting segment.Telemar Yachting has been created in response to increasing demand from yacht owners and managers for a more holistic ‘single service’ approach…

Classification society Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) has published Guidelines on Remotely Operated Vessels and Autonomous Surface Vessels, providing a broad framework and philosophy for stakeholders involved in design, construction and testing of such vessels with varying levels of autonomy.These Guidelines cover design philosophy, risk assessment, system requirements including cyber resilience, network architecture, data and software assurance. A separate chapter focuses…

Wärtsilä Voyage has signed a contract to deliver radio and integrated navigation systems for 10 icebreaking liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers to be constructed for the Arctic LNG-2 project.The order was placed in January 2021 and is now in process of execution, in partnership with South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd shipyard. The new contract is an extension of the announcement made last summer, where Wärtsilä Voyage equipped five LNG carriers with integrated bridge systems under the same project.

Finland-based marine engine and technology provider Wärtsilä said it has been contracted to deliver a complete bridge systems installation for five icebreaking liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled tankers to be constructed for the Arctic LNG-2 project. The navigational systems are delivered by Wärtsilä Voyage, the new business responsible for digital solutions and decision support tools to enhance safety and reliability of shipping operations.The order with Wärtsilä Voyage was placed in the first quarter of 2020 and now is in process of execution…

Since the founding in 2016, cyber defence company Naval Dome has won awards for its Endpoint cyber defense system and achieved the highest level of security certification from classification society DNV GL, helping to protect merchant ships, cruise ships and yachts from cyber-attack.In 2019, Naval Dome optimized Endpoint with a “Dashboard” App, providing maritime users with  a clear picture of the cyber status of all critical systems on board the ship, designed to allow users…

Shipbuilder Senesco Marine has delivered a new articulated tug and barge (ATB) to Reinauer Transportation Companies. The launch of the unit, including the 8,000hp tug and 150,000bbl barge, marks the largest such ATB constructed in the U.S. Northeast.The ATB was built as an international SOLAS class unit and incorporates the latest build technology and equipment design, Senesco Marine said.The 124’ x 40’ tug Bert Reinauer features two 12-cylinder GE U.S. Tier 4 certified marine diesel engines for propulsion…

It is time to move toward a quantitative approach that provides deeper understanding of individual risk elements observed in marine operating systems.Increasing connectivity in complex maritime operating systems is escalating the potential impact of cyber-related incidents and complicating the task of defending against them. Traditional methods for assessing cyber risk provide inadequate guidance for applying limited security resources.Currently, available risk assessment methods are largely qualitative.

ABS weighs in on the way forward for marine autonomous systems and navigation technology. The era of digitization and hyper-connectivity is taking the maritime industry on a journey as it transitions from ‘smart’ to remotely operated and then, to autonomous vessels. The OSV sector – and offshore workboats in general – may well be leading that transition, with some projections for remote-controlled vessels as soon as next year. Many new technologies (sensors, navigational systems…

The U.S. Coast Guard is scheduled to discontinue 166 navigational aids within the Virginia Inside Passage (VIP) due to shoaling and other navigational safety concerns throughout the area. Fixed aids to navigation will be removed as Coast Guard resources permit over the next several years and will be listed under an Advance Notice in future Local Notice to Mariners. The decision follows a 2013 proposal, which identified 241 navigational aids for removal. The Army Corps of Engineers completed water surveys in 2015…

Simrad StructureScan 3D sonar imaging has won the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) Innovation Award in the Consumer Electronics category at the 2016 Miami International Boat Show. Following the success of the Simrad NSO evo2 multifunction display in 2014, and Simrad ForwardScan sonar in 2015, this is the third consecutive NMMA innovation win at the Miami show for the brand. Simrad HALO Pulse Compression Radar also won the NMMA Innovation Award in September at the 2015 International Boat Builders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX). The Innovation Awards program, organized by the NMMA and judged by Boating Writers International (BWI)…

Marine electronics group Navico is aiming for a top three position in the commercial maritime sector within 3-5 years. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News seeks to find out from Jose Herrero, MD,  the plans to accomplish the feat. Navico is a strong player in the recreational boating sector, claiming a 32% market share and well versed in investing in growth both organically and through acquisition, including a commitment to product development. Its ambitions in a crowded commercial sector will have to be backed by a continuation of this successful formula.

Russia is making moves to revive and increase the size and scope of its Black Sea submarine fleet, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated. Project 636.3 Varshavyanka diesel-electric submarines that will sequentially join the Russian Black Sea Fleet will help revive full-fledged submarine forces in Novorossiysk already next year, Russia’s Navy Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Viktor Chirkov said. He stated during a meeting with the Main Naval Command in Saint Petersburg on Monday that he believes that the submarine fleet will be "revived" and ready for action by 2016. The Russian Black Sea Fleet will have a group of submarines possessing the long-range and autonomous cruising capacity, modern armament systems and effective radio-technical and navigational complexes.

To keep track of increasingly stealthy Russian, Chinese, and Iranian submarines, the U.S. is building a robotic ghost ship - an unmanned, autonomous patrol ship - to follow them around the high seas. Called the Anti-Submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV), the ships will detect and track diesel-powered subs, trailing from an observable distance, reports the Sputnik. Set to drift in the high seas, the robotic Sea Hunter will silently follow potentially hostile submarines. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been developing an unmanned, 132-foot patrol boat for years. The ACTUV ships will detect and track diesel-powered subs, trailing from an observable distance like that awkward cousin at the family BBQ.

With progress being made against piracy off Somalia, it seems that other maritime security issues are becoming top line issues for shipowners. The Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI), is a global focal point for maritime security matters, and is well placed to highlight the current maritime security concerns, those which are over the horizon and the initiatives which are being rolled out to counter the threats and mitigate the risks. While there has been a degree of containment of Indian Ocean piracy…

The next hacker playground: the open seas - and the oil tankers and container vessels that ship 90 percent of the goods moved around the planet. In this internet age, as more devices are hooked up online, so they become more vulnerable to attack. As industries like maritime and energy connect ships, containers and rigs to computer networks, they expose weaknesses that hackers can exploit. Hackers recently shut down a floating oil rig by tilting it, while another rig was so riddled with computer malware that it took 19 days to make it seaworthy again…

Operating on both land and water, ship repairers and marine equipment installers tackle a variety of tasks from general maintenance and repair, to upgrading electrical systems, to installing state-of-the-art navigational systems. Along with these tasks comes a wide array of maritime risk exposures, both large and small, for which the business owner needs to be adequately protected. The tasks of an electrician or welder are challenging enough on their own, but try to do this work on a vessel at sea or in a shipyard, and the technician will find that the hazard level rises dramatically – from making sure that all facets of the systems work together as they should, to the increased fire risk hot welding presents to the safety of the vessel.

Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) 2, the future 'USNS Choctaw County', successfully comes through Austal USA's sea trials. Builder's trials are a significant step in the construction and delivery of a ship to the fleet and are the first opportunity to operate the ship underway and test overall system performance prior to demonstration to the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV). "JHSV 2 is the second ship in this class to go through rigorous builder's trials testing," said Strategic and Theater Sealift Program Manager Capt. Henry Stevens. "At this stage, JHSV 2 is more complete than the lead ship, and we are benefitting from JHSV 1's lessons learned.

NOAA chart reveals underwater hazard for proposed anchorage area near Bayou Goula Crossing channel of Mississippi River. Cartographers from NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey recently flagged a potentially dangerous situation during their review of a proposed federal rule establishing new anchorage areas on the Mississippi River. The proposed anchorage areas were based on non-NOAA charts that did not depict the underwater pipelines. The pipelines, which carry benzene, posed a potential danger if ships dropped anchor on top of them. The pipeline areas are depicted on the NOAA nautical chart.

The Port of London Authority and John Deere worked together to keep London’s river Thames safe during the Olympics. Thousands of spectators made their way along Putney Bridge, basking in the sunshine and soaking up the atmosphere. With the 2012 Olympics in London this summer, following on the heels of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee pageant, the city had never been so vibrant. On the Thames, dozens of ships cruised along the waterfront, including a new range of patrol boats. Commissioned by the Port of London Authority (PLA) to keep London’s river safe…

Simrad Yachting announced the availability of its wireless networking solution, GoFree Wireless. Combining user-friendly mobile software and rugged marine-grade hardware, the GoFree Wireless solution consists of the GoFree Viewer and Control App, and the Simrad WIFI-1 wireless gateway. Enabling wireless connectivity between Simrad NSS Multifunction Displays (MFD) and tablets, mobile phones and computers, GoFree Wireless offers boaters an exciting new level of navigational control.

The company's business unit will brief on its capabilities in marine navigation & bridge control systems at upcoming SMM 2012, Hamburg. Alan Dix, managing director of Sperry Marine, will speak about the company's new products and future offerings. Dix will also address Sperry Marine's new opportunities for growth in the Asian market, specifically highlighting new contracts to supply navigational systems to China and increasing its reseller and distribution channels there.