Electronic Equipment News

A new tugboat is slated to enter service for Bisso Towboat this Spring.The Luling, La. based marine towage provider has been working with Main Iron Works to update its fleet, replacing a conventional tug with a tractor tug about every 18 months. In late 2022, the Houma, La. shipbuilder began building a new tractor tug Mr. Brian—the sixth azimuth stern drive (ASD) tractor tug built by Main Iron Works for Bisso in the past eight years.Named after Bisso’s vice president of operations Brian Cyprowski…

The Rhenus Group announced it has upgraded two canal push boats operated by Deutsche Binnenreederei (DBR) with new stage V engines.While the new construction of more sustainable hydrogen-powered vessels is a long-term project, the Rhenus Group is retrofitting its older vessels with modern and therefore more environmentally-friendly technology in the short term. The two canal push boats, RSPSB146 and RSPSB153, which were built in 1978 and 1979 respectively, are the first to undergo this process.It has taken about ten months to convert the two vessels.

Danelec, a leader in the production of electronic equipment for the maritime industry, consolidates its market position in the Voyage Data Recorders sector with the acquisition of MacGregor's business in this field. With this investment, Danelec enhances its installed base to a total of 16,000. With the acquisition of MacGregor's Voyage Data Recorder business (VDR) including the Maritime Data Engine (MDE) Software, Danish Danelec further establishes itself as a global leader in the market for VDRs in the maritime industry.MacGregor is owned by Finnish Cargotec.

The quest to build a series of five National Security Multi-Mission Vessels (NSMVs), which will serve as training ships for five U.S. maritime academies, has drawn a broad cadre of suppliers. The powerplant was a main focus, helping to evolve the schools from steam power plants to a modern propulsion package.NSMVs being built for the maritime academies is widely lauded as a ‘win’ for U.S. shipbuilding, an example of commercial shipbuilding practices applied to a government shipbuilding project.

Luling, La. based marine towage provider Bisso Towboat said it has ordered a new tractor tug from Houma, La. shipbuilder Main Iron Works. Construction is scheduled to commence in late 2022 with delivery in early 2024, Bisso revealed in an announcement.The 5,000 BHP ASD tug will feature two Caterpillar 3516E Tier 4F main propulsion engines generating 2,500 BHP each at 1,600 RPM. The engines will drive a pair of Kongsberg US205S azimuthing thrusters with 2,400 mm diameter stainless steel propellers in stainless steel nozzles. Estimated bollard pull will be 66 tons.Other onboard equipment will include a JonRie Series 240 escort winch, Caterpillar C4.4 118 KW generator sets and a full complement of safety, monitoring and electronic equipment, Bisso said.

The possibility now exists for ships to navigate the globe with no one at the helm. This capability has been demonstrated in the United States, Europe and Japan by autonomous workboats, survey vessels, and coastwise voyages by autonomous cargo vessels and ferries with the development of larger vessels capable of making trans-oceanic voyages coming soon. Despite this new reality, aside from a patchwork of voluntary best practices, there are no international standards for the safe design…

Babcock International Group achieved Ready for Sea Date for the Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset at Babcock’s Devonport facility.HMS Somerset started her extensive overhaul at Babcock’s Devonport facility in November 2018. During that time, she has undergone a significant upkeep, which has included repairs and updates to her hull and living spaces, replacement of her Sea Wolf with the new Sea Ceptor weapon system and improvements to key electronic equipment. In addition to this, HMS Somerset’s project team have completed the replacement of her four diesel generators…

Aberdeen, Scotland-based Seall has secured a partnership with global marine electronics and service provider Mackay Marine to distribute Seall’s suite of software solutions and products to the maritime industry, as they expand their worldwide footprint.Mackay Marine, headquartered in North Carolina, USA, has 50 locations in 16 countries, making it Seall’s largest distribution partnership agreement to-date. Seall will work with Mackay to build and scale their offering across their network of partners and customers.

Luling, La.-based Bisso Towboat said it has signed an agreement with Houma, La. shipbuilder Main Iron Works to begin construction of a new 6,008 BHP azimuthing stern drive (ASD) tractor tug. Construction is scheduled to commence in August 2020 with delivery expected in early fall of 2021.The EPA Tier 4 compliant tug will feature two Caterpillar 3516E Tier 4F main propulsion engines generating 3,004 BHP each at 1800 RPM. The engines will drive two Schottel SRP 460 FP azimuth thrusters with 98.4″ diameter stainless steel propellers in stainless steel nozzles.

Owners of a factory ship moored off southern France which normally turns seawater into bottled mineral water have converted it to make sanitizing solution in the fight against the coronavirus.At the start of the year, the 179-meter long Odeep One began making bottled water pumped from the depths of the Mediterranean but since April 1 the plastic bottles which roll off its production line have contained alcohol solution instead.The French owners of the Panama-flagged ship currently produce just over 43,000 of the 600 milliliter bottles a day but they soon hope to more than double capacity to over 750,000 bottles a week, according to technical director of the parent company OFW Ships, Charles Denise."Sailors are used to helping with rescue operations, it's in their DNA.

Powerbox has announced the release of a new dual channel power supply for Marine engine control. Based on a ruggedized platform for use in harsh environments, the ENMA500D24/2x27-CC provides two 27V/20A isolated outputs and a total power of 540W. The power supply is housed in a robust IP56 case, it is mechanically designed for efficient conduction cooling, and it complies with DNV/GL standards.From local low power DC/DC converters powering sensors to high power DC generators powering the whole boat…

UiT, The Arctic University of Norway takes over new ProZero Workboat for its Autonomous Ships Navigation research program.The ProZero 8m Full Cabin Service Boat is outfitted and utilized as a fast and flexible multi mission workboat, and is purchased from ProZero of Denmark, after an extensive tendering process. The boat has now been built to the desired specifications of UIT and is taken over by the University after full sea trials at the ProZero building yard, Tuco Marine in…

Hafnia Tankers, a member of BW Group, and shipyard-affiliated leasing company CSSC (Hong Kong) Shipping have formed a joint venture named Vista Shipping to finance and operate product tankers.A term loan facility of USD 111 million is intended to be used to finance four LR1 newbuildings. A banking consortium consisting of KfW IPEX-Bank, Societe Generale Hong Kong Branch and OCBC Singapore participate with 33% each as lenders at the term loan facility and have reached financial close.KfW IPEX-Bank acts as Facility Agent, Sinosure Agent and Security Agent. The 12-year post-delivery financing profits from Sinosure cover and is secured by…

Familiarity can and does breed contempt. You don’t need anything else added to that heavy burden.We live and work in a frenetic environment replete with a wide range of both human and technological distractions. When those two elements came together on the bridge of a towboat traveling downriver to pick up a load of empty barges, the result was career-changing for the vessel’s first mate, who was on the wheel. It was yet another costly reminder of the need for professional mariners…

The new ship El Coquí entered service for domestic operator Crowley in late July 2018 as one of the world’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled combined container and roll-on roll-off (ConRo) vessels.El Coquí, along with sister ship Taíno currently under construction at shipbuilder VT Halter’s Pascagoula, Miss. shipyard, feature a wide range of state-of-the-art onboard technologies, including advanced integrated bridge systems (IBS), complete with consoles, and ancillary…

Cincinnati schoolteacher Bryce Carlson set a record for the fastest solo unsupported west-east row across the North Atlantic ocean on Saturday and also became the first U.S. citizen to complete the feat.The 37-year-old landed at the port of St Mary's in the Scilly Isles, off the coast of south-west England, some 38 days six hours and 49 minutes after he set off from St John's in Newfoundland.The previous record for the solo west-east crossing was 53 days eight hours and 26 minutes set by Canadian Laval St.

Requirements for ships to collect data on their fuel oil consumption entered into force on 1 March. Other important amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) have also entered into force, covering the classification of garbage, including the addition of a new category of “e-waste”, and amendments to the International Oil Pollution Prevention Certificate. The ship fuel oil consumption data reporting requirements are the latest mandatory requirements aimed at enhancing the energy efficiency of international shipping. The data collection will begin on 1 January 2019 with data reported at the end of each calendar year to the International Maritime Organization (IMO)…

Just two weeks after accepting the U.S. Coast Guard’s congratulations on a military career spanning almost three decades, Rob Nakama drove from Washington D.C. to Seattle to join Foss Maritime as the company’s Manager of Contingency Planning and Emergency Response. “I’ve been in the military for the majority of my life; the transition has been surreal,” he said. Nakama was born in Hawaii, growing up on the island of Maui as the son of a taro farmer who worked for the Aloha Poi Factory.

GE’s Marine Solutions brings the latest technology in vessel control and dynamic positioning (DP) systems, SeaLyte. The new solution complements GE’s bespoke SeaStream solutions, providing a structured and standardized package to better serve customers with smaller vessels for offshore support and merchant markets. Marine companies are facing increased cost pressure to get through the current market downcycle. In response to the challenge, GE’s SeaLyte offers a range of configurable product solutions.

The Coast Guard's Command, Control and Communications Engineering Center (C3CEN) awarded a contract to FLIR Maritime US, Inc., of Nashua, New Hampshire, Wednesday, for the Scalable Integrated Navigation System, Two (SINS-2). The single award Firm Fixed Price Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract is valued at $50 million and consists of a five-year base with a five-year option. The total period of performance is 10 years. The Coast Guard originally procured legacy SINS for a portion of the small boat fleet in 2002, and the original components have significantly exceeded their life expectancy. Efforts to refresh legacy SINS began in August 2013 with revising the system’s required specifications…

Indonesia invites Taiwanese investors and businessmen to invest in the maritime sector to support government programs to make Indonesia into the world's maritime axis, reports Antara News. The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) has said the investment potential in the maritime sector has reached US$1.2 trillion. Seeing this great potential and in line with the objective of realizing the vision of becoming an axis of the maritime world, Indonesia invited investors from Taiwan. Director of Investment Planning in the Agribusiness and Natural Resources of the Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Hanung Harimba Rachman said the maritime sector is a priority in the countrys 5 year development program. "The maritime sector is a priority in our strategic plan for 2015-2019," Hanung said.

The new Ocean Signal E101V float-free EPIRB with integrated voyage data recorder (VDR) memory capsule is designed according to the latest VDR performance standards as a leading solution for commercial vessels of 3000+ gross tonnage. Developed in collaboration with VDR specialist AMI Marine, the E101V is Cospas Sarsat and MED certified and approved to IEC61097-2 as a float-free EPIRB with built-in memory capsule. Enabling ship owners and operators to meet new mandates for VDRs as defined by IMO Resolution MSC.333(90), the Ocean Signal device can be easily integrated with a vessel’s VDR, a vital on-board system which helps to identify the cause of any accident…

Marine communications specialist Ocean Signal and VDR manufacturer AMI Marine will introduce a new float-free EPIRB with integrated voyage data recorder (VDR) memory capsule at this year’s SMM in Hamburg. The Ocean Signal E101V provides a reliable and innovative solution for commercial vessels of 3000+ gross tonnage to store recorded data in a float-free capsule within their VDR systems, as required for compliance with the revised recommendation on performance standards for VDRs. Developed by communication and safety at sea experts Ocean Signal in partnership with AMI Marine, world-leaders in VDR design and manufacturer of marine electronic equipment…