New Towage Dispatching Automation Tool Launched
Marine operations software developer Helm Operations and AIS services provider ShipTracks launched a new set of integrated features for harbor docking companies designed to streamline and automate the creation of towage orders directly from the AIS system.By linking Helm CONNECT Jobs dispatch software and ShipTracksâ AIS technology, operators are able to achieve greater operational awareness, reduced workloads for dispatchers and increased revenue as they identify and capture jobs that were previously lost to their competitorsâŚ
Helm Operations Joins Volaris Group
The marine software developer looks to accelerate growth with new backing from global technology firm.Marine operations software company Helm Operations has been acquired by Toronto-based Volaris Group Inc. (âVolarisâ). Volaris specializes in strengthening and growing technology companies and is a leader in the marine software space. Founded in 1999, Helm Operations is widely known as a developer of marine operations software for the workboat market. Following an acquisition by ClassNK in 2014, the company released its newest platform, Helm CONNECT, in 2016, reportedly achieving measurable growth in just two years. The firm is heavily involved in the subchapter M implementation markets on U.S.
SAAM SMIT Towage Brazil Signs on with Helm
Helm Operations has signed on Brazilian harbor services company SAAM SMIT Towage to its Helm Marine Operations software to manage its billing and dispatch. SAAM SMIT Towage started towage operations in Brazil in 2008 and is now active in eight ports and terminals. SAAM SMIT provides assistance to incoming and outgoing seagoing vessels â including ro-ro ships, oil and chemical tankers, container ships, reefers and mixed cargo ships. Robert Martijn Smits, Commercial Manager of SMIT Brazil, said that reliability was a deciding factor in their choice of Helm. âWe chose Helm because with the expansion of SAAM SMIT Towage in Brazil we needed a confident, 100% reliable and professional dispatch system to accompany us in our growth.
Will Paper Logs Sail into History?
Helm Marine Softwareâs product team leads burdened brown water workboat operators out of the wilderness â and confidently into compliance. Four to six forms a day and thatâs before Subchapter M rules take effect. That is how many forms Helm Marine Softwareâs product team figures a typical inland vessel must deal with, every day. Their research shows that OSV companies have around 100 different forms to complete and Dry Bulk companies have around 70. Skip the forms, and under Subchapter M, vessels without Certificates of Inspection (COIs) wonât be fined. They will also be tied up at the dock.
Bordelon Chooses Helm Operations Software
Edoc Systems Group, developers of Helm Marine Operations Software (Helm), confirmed that Offshore Supply Vessel provider, Bordelon Marine, has chosen Helm HSQE Manager and Helm Onboard to manage their vessel maintenance, safety and compliance. Helm Onboard will be installed on all Bordelon vessels, but the first installation will be on their new Stingray series 260â class DP2 OSV, which is slated for sea trials in May 2013. Helm, which is approaching its 15th anniversary, will provide a digitized layer of efficiency to Bordelonâs already exceptional safety record. The software provides a central system for Bordelon to manage their inspections and audits as well as any deficiencies, non-conformities, or observations that may arise.
Svitzer Chooses Edoc and Helm Marine Operations Software
Edoc Systems Group, developers of Helm Marine Operations Software (Helm), said that global towage provider, Svitzer A/S has chosen Helm Dispatch Manager and Helm Onboard to manage their dispatch and billing functions on shore as well as onboard their vessels. Svitzer is a member of the Maersk Group, with a diverse fleet of more than 500 vessels that operates in over 40 countries around the world. After the completion of the Scandinavian implementation Helm will be a rolled out to Svitzerâs operations in Europe, Australasia, Middle East and the Americas. www.svitzer.com www.edocgroup.com
(Sub) Chapter M Finally Surfaces
For inland operators, Compliance, Safety & Technology make for heavy river traffic as software providers descend on a rapidly approaching, potentially lucrative niche market. Is there a panacea for subchapter M? Pending USCG Subchapter âMâ (SubM) regulations will eventually require towing operators to implement safety standards and use safety management systems, or alternatively, allow for an annual Coast Guard inspection regime. The new rules are expected to allow towing vessel organizations to customize their approach to meeting the requirements, while providing oversight using audits, inspections, and reviews of safety data. As many as 5,000 vessels and their operators will eventually feel the impact of the so-called subchapter M rules.
SCF Liquids Chooses Helm Marine Ops Software
Edoc has confirmed that SCF Liquids (SCF) has chosen Helm Marine Operations software (Helm) to run itsoperations. SCF Liquids is part of Seacor Holdings Inc.'s Inland River Services business segment and a sister company to SCF Marine Inc. Together, the business segment owns, operates, invests in and markets inland river transportation equipment. âWe are thrilled to welcome SCF Liquids to the Helm family,â said Ron deBruyne, CEO and Founder of Edoc Systems Group, developers of Helm.
Inventing the iBoat
It all started back in the mid 1990âs when the seemingly new fangled internet became a tangible information portal for home computer users. As the prohibitive costs started to dissipate, the so called âeâ-volution took off, thus making access to email, blogs, and personalized web pages more tangible and popular, even to the point of being expected. Today, the internet has nearly become lifeblood and people are all but helpless without some form of streaming connection to the information superhighway.
OâConnell Joins Edoc as Regional Sales Manager
Edoc Systems Group Ltd., developers of Helm Marine Operations software, announced that Ged OâConnell will be joining the company as its new Regional Sales Manager. OâConnell, formerly the North American Sales Manager with Jeppesen, a Boeing Company, will manage sales operations for Edoc in the Eastern USA. âWeâre very pleased to bring Ged aboard,â said Bill Reid, President of Edoc. âHis depth of experience on the inland and coastal waterways will be a boon to our expanding company.â OâConnell comes to Edoc with over 35 years of waterways experienceâŚ
Edoc Systems Remains Healthy in Sour Economy
For Victoria marine enterprise software developers Edoc Systems Group, the past years economic storm has been more about riding calm winds and following seas. They are expanding and hiring while others in the software industry have been retrenching and shedding staff. Edoc moved into their current location in the heritage Hartwig Court two years ago and have already outgrown the current space. On the strength of new business, they are in the last stages of hiring additional software developers to join the team of 18 Victoria and Vancouver based existing staff. In the past month, they have hired a new marketing and communications coordinator, and are in the process of renovating additional space, taking over an adjacent 600 sq ft store-front.
Edoc'sHELM Selected by Penn Maritime
Connecticut-based Penn Maritime Inc. (Penn) has selected Edocâs HELM Marine Operations Software to replace their existing scheduling and invoicing system. Pennâs current fleet of 19 barges and 13 tugs that operate along the east coast, gulf coast and west coast of the United States will have their voyages scheduled, tracked, and invoiced through HELM. Since Pennâs business is focused on bulk tanker barging it presented a unique situation for which HELM was adapted. HELM will solve many problems users face in Pennâs current system. HELMâs flexibility makes it perfect for Pennâs high volume of business and constantly changing business requirements. By providing a graphical user interface to plot the vesselâs voyages, the system provides another tool for users to efficiently plan schedules.
TugAssist Releases New Version
Edoc Systems Group Ltd., the makers of TugAssist Marine Dispatching Software and a leader in industrial software, has released version 6.0 of TugAssist and renamed it to HELM: Marine Operations Software. The software will be making its debut at the Pacific Marine Expo and International Workboat Show this year. In response to market demand, HELM has many new features that go beyond what TugAssist offered. From one centralized server, HELM can manage any sized water-based fleet with newly integrated modules such as job scheduling (for tugs, barges, OSVs, water taxis and more), crewing/payroll, maintenance, invoicing, reporting, GPS/AIS vessel tracking, web portals, and ship-to-shore data transfer.