Leica Marine Wins Type Approval For AIS
Leica Marine GPS announced that the MX 420/8 DGPS/AIS system has been type approved by Bundesamt fur Seeschiffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH). The German type approval signifies that the Leica product complies with the IMO MSC.74 (69), ITU-R M.1371-1 and IEC 61993-2 standards for shipborne automatic identification systems (AIS) equipment. The MX 420/8 was introduced by Leica last year as a fully integrated solution to marine DGPS and AIS requirements. The system combines the industry's most accurate marine GPS receiver, a built-in dual-channel DGPS beacon receiver and an IMO-compliant AIS transponder system, with a single control and display unit.Peter Devantier, European sales manager for Leica Marine GPS, noted that Holland America Lines is fitting Leica MX420/8 systems on its fleet of 14 cruise ships, in anticipation of the July 1 deadline for mandatory AIS carriage on passenger ships.