Northrop Grumman to Supply Integrated Bridge System for SFPA

Northrop Grumman Corporation received orders to supply bridge navigation and communication electronics for a new offshore patrol vessel under construction for the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency (SFPA). The equipment, to be supplied by Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit, will include a complete networked system that ties together all of the ship’s navigation sensors and steering controls into an integrated bridge system (IBS) running on electronic nautical charts. The new 84-m, 2,181 gross ton patrol vessel is being built at the Remontowa Shipyard in Poland for delivery in 2007. The ship’s diesel electric variable pitch propulsion system will provide a top speed of 18 knots and an endurance of 30 days on patrol. Sperry Marine has supplied the IBSs for all SFPA newbuilds since 2003, including the Minna- and Jura-class vessels. The scope of supply, based on Sperry Marine’s proprietary Voyage Management System software, includes BridgeMaster E navigation radars, a fiber optic gyrocompass, adaptive autopilot, Doppler speed log, differential GPS, automatic identification system and an electronic chart display and information system, as well as the ship’s radio and satellite communication systems. The SFPA is responsible for monitoring the fishing industry’s compliance with U.K., European and international fisheries laws and regulations in the seas around Scotland and in Scottish ports. The agency embarked on a major replacement program for its fleet of inshore and offshore patrol vessels in 2003.