Consumer Electronics News

ABS and HD Hyundai signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to continue working together on marine autonomy projects. Building on shared efforts to expand the development of autonomous navigation technology into critical vessel machinery and safety systems, the organizations met again at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas to finalize the agreement covering four areas:Artificial Intelligence-based Autonomous Machinery Health Management Function (HiCBM)Artificial…

U.S.-based classification society ABS and South Korean shipbuilding giant Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) will work together on a series of projects aiming to advance and integrate autonomous vessel technologies.ABS specialists will work with HHI’s Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (KSOE) and its autonomous navigation subsidiary, Avikus, to integrate autonomous and remote-control functions into vessels. The work will be carried out in compliance with requirements outlined in the ABS Guide for Autonomous and Remote Control Functions.

Global maritime group Wilhelmsen and the Norwegian offshore supply base firm NorSea have together acquired an 18% stake in the Norwegian deep-sea mining company Loke Marine Minerals."As the energy transition continues to gather pace, we are actively looking at new projects and business areas, outside of the oil and gas industry, where NorSea’s unique port infrastructure and proven service and supply know-how can continue to be a key driver of success. The development of the seabed mineral industry in Norway is far from certain…

China extended its impressive trade performance in April, with exports unexpectedly accelerating and import growth hitting a decade high, in a boost to the world’s second-largest economy.A brisk U.S. economic recovery and stalled factory production in other countries hit by coronavirus have propped up demand for goods made in China, analysts say.Exports in dollar terms surged 32.3% from a year earlier to $263.92 billion, China’s General Administration of Customs said on Friday…

The stranding of a container ship in the Suez Canal has created disruptions in the global shipping industry that could take weeks and possibly months to clear, top container shipping lines said.Around 30% of the world’s shipping container volume - including goods like sofas, consumer electronics, apparel and shoes - moves through the 193 km (120 miles) Suez Canal daily. Empty containers, which Asian factories need to ship goods, are also caught up in the backlog.“Even when the canal gets reopened…

A stranded container ship blocking the Suez Canal threatens to make it even more difficult for European and U.S. retailers to keep products in stock during the coronavirus pandemic.The Suez Canal saga that began on Tuesday and could go on for weeks, is just the latest crisis to strike the global supply chain that was upended when coronavirus shutdowns spurred house-bound consumers to upgrade appliances, sofas, televisions and backyards.IKEA, the world’s largest furniture seller…

Most people these days are aware of risks inherent in our increasingly electronic maritime industry. There is malware, ransomware, and spear phishing to name a few. But a new one has been recently identified – cosmic rays.Cosmic rays are high-energy protons and atomic nuclei which move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the sun, from stars outside of the solar system, and from distant galaxies. They are capable of penetrating and passing through almost any material.

German container liner Hapag-Lloyd expects transport volumes in the fourth quarter to pare sharp losses seen earlier this year as a demand recovery in Asia lifts seaborne shipments.Fourth quarter volumes should show a low single-digit gain year-on-year after they fell by 3.5% in the January-September period, Chief Executive Rolf Habben Jansen said at a virtual meeting with journalists late on Tuesday.He said full-year volumes at the world's fifth biggest shipping firm would likely lag those seen in 2019 by between 1.5% and 2%.The company raised its earnings guidance on Tuesday…

Brunswick Corporation has announced that its Sea Ray, Boston Whaler and Mercury Marine brands have set multiple records during the 2019 Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show. Sea Ray, which launched an all-new 320 Sundancer Coupe at Ft. Lauderdale, saw a massive 80 percent increase in show sales from a year ago, demonstrating the success of its reinvention strategy. Boston Whaler continues to benefit from significant year-over-year sales growth in September and October, leading to a very successful Ft.

Dynamic Positioning has been around for a while, it is evolving and it is here to stay. Here to sort it all out are two of industry’s more familiar stakeholders who also explain what might come next.When it comes to critical offshore operations and vessel handling, this is not your grandfather’s marine industry, and it hasn’t been for some time. That’s because the bridge layout and equipment commonly found on any recently delivered offshore service vessel would be unfamiliar to the typical deck officer of just 20 years ago. Much of that can be attributed to the advent of dynamic positioning equipment systems.DP – perhaps like no other skill at sea – has changed the role of the deck officer. The technical requirements to qualify and operate this equipment are vast.

China unveiled on Friday retaliatory tariffs against about $75 billion worth of U.S. goods, putting an additional 10% on top of existing rates in the latest tit-for-tat exchange in a protracted dispute between the world's top two economies.The latest salvo from China comes after the United States unveiled tariffs on an additional $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, including consumer electronics, scheduled to go into effect in two stages on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15.China's commerce ministry said in a statement it would impose additional tariffs of 5% or 10% on a total of 5…

With more than 60,000 installations on vessels ranging from tugboats to aircraft carriers, Furuno's FAR21X7 Series Radar has been one of the most popular commercial Radar models on the water since its release in 2004. Due to its unparalleled feature set, and the well-known reliability of the Furuno brand, the X7 series has earned serious bragging rights after a decade-and-a-half of market dominance, a claim that is virtually unheard of in the realm of consumer electronics. This year…

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said talks with China went well on Wednesday, as the world's two largest economies try to iron out an agreement to resolve their trade dispute."So far, so good," he said when asked by reporters on how the meetings in Beijing went. He did not say who he met.Mnuchin said earlier he hoped for "productive" trade meetings as the two countries seek to end a festering dispute that has seen both sides level tariffs at one other.U.S. tariffs on $200…

Qatar-based maritime transport and logistics conglomerate Milaha has announced the launch of a direct container feeder service between Qatar and Iraq. The new service, which will be an expansion of the existing Qatar-Kuwait service that the company launched last year, will follow a Hamad Port-Umm Qasr (Iraq)-Shuwaikh (Kuwait)-Hamad Port rotation, and will be initially served by one vessel with a 1,015 TEU capacity and 110 reefer plugs. The service will have a transit time of 2 days, making it particularly ideal for dry and refrigerated food stuff, consumer electronics, and construction materials, among other cargo. The first vessel will depart from Hamad Port on 7 May 2018 and reach at Umm Qasr Port on 9 May 2018. Commenting on the launch of the new service, Milaha’s President and CEO Mr.

A primer on the way forward for alternative fuels for marine propulsion. By now, many of us have been passed by a garbage truck, taken a ride on an airport bus or hailed a taxi cab that is clearly labeled by their respective marketing departments that these vehicles are powered by clean burning natural gas. Even now in our own maritime industry, some trendy operators are looking to make the case for liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion systems, others are opting for hybrid-electric solutions, and some are even aiming for full electric configurations.

Independent Electromagnetic Compatibility testing (EMC) and Environmental Simulation testing (ESS) company Retlif Testing Laboratories said it has received an award from technical professional organization the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Ronkonkoma, N.Y. based Retlif, a longtime provider of strategic compliance services to the marine and maritime sector, was cited as a “Friend of the IEEE Long Island Section” and received a commemorative plaque for providing financial assistance, consultative advice and for hosting EMC Society events over the years.

A Transpacific shipping route linking Asia and the U.S. will add weekly Port of Oakland stops beginning in November. The Port said that  Oakland will become the sixth stop in the service operated by three Asian shipping lines. The service, known as the Calco-C, connects ports in Vietnam, China and California. It’s expected to bring an additional 50 vessel arrivals to Oakland annually. That could increase Oakland cargo volume by as much as 30,000 20-foot-containers a year. The Port handled the equivalent of 2.28 million 20-foot containers last year. Volume growth could lead to more cargo-handling jobs in Oakland, the Port said. “For the benefit of our customers and our community we’re pleased to be joining this service,” said Maritime Director John Driscoll.

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)…

Rushton Gregory Communications, a marketing communications agency specializing in the marine, outdoor, automotive and consumer electronics markets, announced today the latest addition to its industry-leading client roster, NavX Studios. Based in San Francisco, NavX Studios recently acquired iNavX, a pioneering mobile Marine navigation application. iNavX is developed specifically for mobile devices running iOS. With the iNavX app, users can purchase and display charts and navigation data from a number of the industry’s leading providers including Explorer, Navionics, NOAA, Theyr and X-Traverse. Under the terms of the partnership, Rushton Gregory will drive NavX Studios’ public relations efforts for iNavX including announcing new offerings…

Hoofddorp, the Netherlands, 27 April, 2015 – CEVA Logistics, one of the world's leading supply chain companies, today announced the appointment of two senior executives with deep sector-specific operations expertise to further drive its customer-focused Contract Logistics strategy. In its Contract Logistics business line, CEVA has established an industry sector and solutions approach led by industry operations experts in Automotive, Industrial, Technology, Consumer and Retail, Healthcare and Energy. This team's role is to drive global standardization and innovation across all of CEVA's vertical sectors while helping its customers meet today's challenges in the marketplace.

ABB, a global leader in power and automation, unveiled the world’s most advanced voice activated smart home automation system at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Germany. This latest innovation allows consumers to use voice commands to control more than 60 home automation functions for the full range of applications in a typical residential smart home environment including lighting, heating, blind control and door communication. ABB launched free@home last year to make it easier for installers to offer home automation, bringing the advantages enabled by the Internet of Things, Services and People into people’s homes. The system makes it simple – via smart device or a personal computer – to manage multiple functions to create the home environment of consumers’ choice.

Samson, the worldwide leader in performance cordage, announces that after 41 years with the company, Tony Bon will step down as CEO on January 1, 2016. Andrea Sturm has been appointed as Bon’s successor and will be joining the Samson team in November 2015. Bon will remain on staff through the end of 2016 to support Sturm during the transition. Bon has been a valued member of the Samson team since 1974 when he began on the manufacturing floor in Samson’s Massachusetts facility. He transferred to the Ferndale facility in 1980 and advanced through the company in various positions until being named president in 2007 and CEO in 2013. “Tony has been an integral part of Samson’s success and growth over the past 40-plus years,” said Russell Ball, CEO Wind River Holdings, which owns Samson.

Shippers can keep tabs on freight thanks to new technology based upon Blackberry's cloud management platform. BlackBerry is rolling out a version of its QNX software, initially targeting businesses in transport-related industries, particularly shipping containers and vehicles to help keep tabs on the whereabouts of their cargoes. The Waterloo, Ont.-based company will provide hardware and software support for cloud-based communications boxes built into shipping containers. Each device will include a cellular radio, Wi-Fi connectivity, a microprocessor and sensors that monitor what's in the container, its location and other details to help fleet managers stay on top of their products and anticipate potential problems.