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Communication Equipment News

17 Oct 2024

New Tug Delivered in Brazil

(Photo: Robert Allan Ltd.)

A new RAmparts 2300 series tug designed by Robert Allan Ltd. and built at Estaleiro Rio Maguari (ERM) in Belém, Brazil was delivered to Sulnorte Serviços Maritimos in August 2024. SN Cariri is the seventh RAmparts 2300 built by ERM in recent months.The RAmparts 2300 series features compact yet powerful Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tugboats measuring around 23 meters in length. Despite their small size, they are equipped with high-performance twin diesel engines driving azimuthing thrusters—that deliver exceptional maneuverability and significant bollard pull…

04 May 2023

Venezuela's Oil Tankers at Risk of Sinking, Fires, Spills, Report finds

©JosIsaac/AdobeStock

More than half of the 22 oil tankers in Venezuela's fleet are so run down that they should be immediately repaired or taken out of service, according to an internal report from state-run oil company PDVSA that was shared exclusively with Reuters. The report by PDVSA's maritime branch, entitled "Critical deficiencies and risks of PDV Marina's tanker fleet," said years of deferred maintenance had left the entire fleet with "low levels of reliability," at risk of spills, sinking, fires, collisions or flooding.

01 Nov 2022

Gas Shipping Firm Anthony Veder Renews Connectivity Deal with Inmarsat

©Inmarsat

Rotterdam-based gas-shipping company Anthony Veder has renewed its connectivity agreement with Inmarsat to increase its Fleet Xpress bandwidth allowance. The contract applies to every vessel in Anthony Veder’s tanker fleet."The agreement was reached following a successful trial in which Anthony Veder used the upgraded-bandwidth Fleet Xpress plan to run a data-intensive video-conferencing platform in a busy shipping lane," Inmarsat said."As well as supporting Anthony Veder’s increasing use of enterprise applications for more efficient business processes and seamless collaboration…

09 Sep 2022

New Zealand Seeks Industry Input on Possible Regulatory Changes

© Colin & Linda McKie / Adobe Stock

New Zealand's maritime regulatory, compliance and response agency said it is seeking feedback from the sector and other interested parties on three key pieces of work.Dialogue has been opened on Part 53, which relates to pilot transfers, and Part 23, which considers amendments to requirements for lifeboat drills, Maritime NZ said. Consultation is also set to begin on New Zealand’s work toward acceding to the Cape Town Agreement (CTA), an IMO convention dealing with design, construction and equipment standards for large fishing vessels.Maritime NZ is reviewing Rule 53.4(2)(a)…

25 Aug 2022

Damen Delivers Cutter Suction Dredge from Stock in 44 Days

(Photo: Damen)

Dutch shipbuilding group Damen reports it has delivered a new cutter suction dredge (CSD) to HAC Cranes for an end user in Kuwait.The stationary CSD650 dredger, named GD4000, was mobilized from stock and outfitted, inspected and delivered from the yard to its final destination, all in just 44 days from contract signature. After some modification work and the installation of some extra onboard options in Kuwait, the dredger will be put into operation by Gulf Dredging.The CSD650 had been built on speculation at Damen Albwardy’s shipyard in Sharjah…

02 Aug 2022

Towboat Pushing Barges Strikes Pleasure Boats in Texas

(Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

Six people were rescued from the water after a towboat pushing barges struck two pleasure boats near Goat Island, Texas, Saturday.U.S. Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston watchstanders received notification at 9:26 p.m. via VHF-FM channel 16 that the towboat and barge collided with two recreational boats, one with two people aboard, the other with four people aboard. in the Galveston Bay. The captain of the towboat reported that the people had fallen in the water and had either…

22 Feb 2022

Furuno Earns LR AIP for HermAce

© nespix / Adobe Stock

Classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR) said it has granted approval in principle (AIP) to Furuno Hellas for the HermAce voyage data recorder (VDR) digital twin and remote service as an alternative to onboard annual VDR performance testing, marking the first verification of a digital twin specifically designed for this purpose.LR’s verification and subsequent approval has been recognized by the Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator, allowing a pathway for…

21 Jan 2022

New Zealand Water Ship Unloads in Tonga

File photo: HMNZS Aotearoa (Photo: Natalie Dorsey / U.S. Navy)

Life-saving water supplies from a New Zealand navy ship were distributed across Tonga's main island on Friday, as other countries battled the logistics of delivering aid to one of the world's remotest communities.Six days after the South Pacific archipelago was devastated by a volcanic eruption and tsunami that deposited a blanket of ash and polluted its water sources, the HMNZS Aotearoa docked in the capital, Nuku’alofa.The ship carried 250,000 liters of water and desalination equipment able to produce 70,000 litres more per day, New Zealand's High Commission said."Trucks ...

04 Nov 2021

Radio Holland and Furuno Extend Distributorship Agreements

Furuno's Shinya Tamura with Radio Holland Group's Maarten Tromp. (Photo: Radio Holland)

Furuno and Radio Holland prolonged their partnership with distributorship agreements. The senior management of both companies signed the agreements during Europort in Rotterdam. The companies have been working together in the global maritime market for more than 58 years.Radio Holland is the distributor for Furuno in The Netherlands, UAE, Egypt and South Africa. In addition, Radio Holland is a dealer of Furuno in USA, Panama, Canada, Belgium, Portugal, Curaçao, Trinidad & Tobago…

02 Aug 2021

Tech File: Hydrex Completes Mobile Stern Tube Seal Replacement

Hydrex diver/technician working inside flexible mobdock. Photo courtesy Hydrex

Hydrex mobilized diver/technician teams to vessels in the Netherlands and Australia to carry out stern tube seal replacements. In Flushing the repair was carried out on a 200-meter car carrier, and in Port Burnie, Tasmania, on a 188-meter RoRo vessel.Both ships were leaking oil, making an on-site repair necessary. Using a Hydrex flexible mobdock they were able to carry out these operations on-site and underwater, saving a trip to drydock.Despite the remote location of the RoRo vessel…

12 Mar 2021

ClassNK Grants Remote Survey Notation for "K" Line's Car Carrier

Picture: Courtesy of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.

Classification society ClassNK has granted its Remote Survey (RMSV) notation for "Century Highway Green", an LNG-fueled Pure Car Carrier (PCC) operated by Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, (“K” LINE). This is the first vessel on ClassNK’s registry to be marked with RMSV notation at the time of delivery, ClassNK said Friday.To provide a proper guidance for remote surveys using ICT, ClassNK published its Guidelines for Remote Surveys (Ver.2) in January 2021 by incorporating outcomes of investigation…

30 Jul 2020

Remote FATs Fill COVID-19 Service Gaps

(Photo: Techcross)

With the coronavirus crisis continuing with no end in sight, Techcross says it is using various solutions to solve customer service issues. Videoconferencing has already become the most basic contactless activities, and the engineering team is filling on-site service gaps through new methods such as training local engineers or providing remote commissioning service.The pandemic has made it difficult for Techcross staff to visit clients and conduct factory acceptance tests (FATs)…

27 Jul 2020

Greek Firm Certified for Remote Drone Inspections

© aerial-drone / Adobe Stock

Greek drone inspection services provider NextWave Hellas said it received certification from classification society RINA for remote inspection techniques through the use of aerial drones. This will allow NextWave Hellas and its team of pilots to reduce safety risks associated with inspections while simultaneously offering a more cost-efficient solution for clients, the company said.Manolis Chochlakis, NextWave Hellas' head of business development, said, “One of the clearest use cases for drones is in surveying.

08 Jun 2020

Alphatron Bridge Systems for Four Seabulk Tugs

(Photo: JRC / Alphatron Marine)

JRC / Alphatron Marine said it has won a contract to supply four integrated bridge systems for U.S.-based Seabulk Towing Inc.The new vessels, two upgraded ART 90-98US tugs, and two new Rapport 3000 are being built at Master Boat Builders in Coden, Ala.. One of the tugboats is expected to be deliverd in December 2020. The other three tugboats will be delivered in January 2021, June 2021 and July 2021.Two of these newbuilds will be added to the company’s existing Rotortug fleet.

01 Apr 2020

Underwater Bow Thruster Removal in Rotterdam

Photo: Hydrex

Last month a Hydrex team removed a bow thruster from a 170-meter container ship. This was done during a stop in Rotterdam. The unit needed to be overhauled and the operation had to be carried out within a very short window that would fit the schedule available to the vessel’s owner.The team mobilized to the ship’s location using a workboat loaded with all the needed equipment. These workboats are fully equipped as dive support stations with hydraulic cranes, winches, nautical and communication equipment and a dive control room.

20 Feb 2020

Radio Holland Renews MSA with Jumbo

Photo: Jumbo Shipping

Jumbo Shipping has renewed its MSA (Managed Service Agreement) contracts with Radio Holland,The renewal of the MSA contracts concerns four vessels and has been established for the next four years.Jumbo renewed the MSA contracts with Radio Holland to minimize the hassle of managing multiple suppliers by outsourcing all NavCom service work to Radio Holland technicians, Radio Holland said. Where the previous contracts focused mainly on radar and gyro equipment, the new contracts…

20 Nov 2019

VDRs for Inland Vessels: Does It Make Sense?

It just might. And, you’ve got options.The Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) carriage requirements apply to all passenger ships regardless of gross tons or year of build, and to all cargo ships 3000 gross tons or larger built after 2002. A simplified VDR (S-VDR) is allowed on older ships built before 2002. The performance standard was updated in 2014. That said; a full type-approved VDR is not a requirement for inland vessels under 3,000 GT. Nevertheless, a good case to be made for installing a (less costly) data recording device on such vessels, ideally with remote access and reporting as part of an Internet of Things (IoT) solution to monitor the vessel and its installed equipment.

07 Oct 2019

VDRs for Inland Vessels? Does It Make Sense?

It just might. And, you’ve got options.The Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) carriage requirements apply to all passenger ships regardless of gross tons or year of build, and to all cargo ships 3000 gross tons or larger built after 2002. A simplified VDR (S-VDR) is allowed on older ships built before 2002. The performance standard was updated in 2014. That said; a full type-approved VDR is not a requirement for inland vessels under 3,000 GT. Nevertheless, a good case to be made for installing a (less costly) data recording device on such vessels, ideally with remote access and reporting as part of an Internet of Things (IoT) solution to monitor the vessel and its installed equipment.

09 Jul 2019

New VDR for Inland Shipping

Photo: Orolia

Orolia announced a partnership with Radio Holland that includes the development of a Voyage Data Recorder (VDR) specifically designed for inland shipping. This solution will be designed to enhance safe navigation and ship performance and provide tools for understanding the cause of incidents. Radio Holland will also be installing Orolia’s Netwave VDR NW6000 series as its preferred global VDR solution for retrofit and new build projects, while Orolia will use  Radio Holland’s established…

05 Jun 2019

Maritime Safety Committee Meets

The Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) is meeting for its 101st session, with a busy agenda encompassing maritime autonomous surface ships, polar shipping, goal-based standards and other agenda items.A number of draft amendments will be adopted, including amendments to mandatory Codes covering the carriage of potentially hazardous cargoes: the MSC is set to adopt the draft consolidated edition of the International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes Code (IMSBC Code), and a comprehensive set of draft amendments to the International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk (IBC Code).The MSC will be updated on the regulatory scoping exercise on maritime autonomous surface ships…

24 May 2019

EemsWerken Concludes Radio Holland Contract

Dutch shipping company Eemswerken (Werkendam) has concluded its service contracts with Radio Holland Netherlands, covering its entire fleet of cargo vessels.Radio Holland Netherlands was founded in 1916 by a number of leading Dutch shipping companies with the purpose of installing, maintaining and operating maritime radio stations.The service contracts include the SOLAS annual surveys, special regional service rates and on-demand services of the Navigation and Communication equipment on board, around the world. Radio Holland has partnered with EemsWerken for many years, providing NavCom service support to their vessels. The contracts confirm the continuation and extension of this longstanding relationship.Radio Holland ensures the regulation related annual GMDSS…

20 Feb 2019

Radio Holland to Renew IT Infrastructure for Jack-Up Barge

JB-115 at Kriegers Flak for substation hook up and commissioning. (Radio Holland)

Recently, Radio Holland received the order to renew the complete IT infrastructure for the JB-115 barge of Jack-Up Barge. The order includes design, installation and commissioning of an IT network. The JB-115 is an existing platform which has an IT structure on board, that is no longer Future Proof.Segmented networkThe JB-115 operates as a “hotel-at-sea” with fixed accommodation up to 110 Persons on Board and is often stationed at wind energy projects. Next to providing hotel accommodation the JB-115 also provides operational support at sea…

16 Jan 2019

Polar Radio Communication, Navigation Norms Getting Ready

International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s Polar Code helps ensure that ships operating in the harsh Arctic and Antarctic areas take into account extremes of temperature and make sure critical equipment remains operational.Draft guidance for navigation and communication equipment intended for use on ships operating in polar waters is expected to be finalized by the current session of the Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR 6, 16-25 January).The guidance will include recommendations on temperature and mechanical shock testing, and on how to address ice accretion and battery performance in cold temperatures.The Sub-Committee will also consider the report of the 14th meeting of the Joint IMO/ITU Experts Group on maritime radiocommunication matters.

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