Information Systems News

Maritime operations run on tight schedules and thin margins, and as ships, terminals and supply chains connect systems for visibility and efficiency, attackers gain paths to entry. Cyber risk has become an operational reliability and safety concern, not just an IT issue. “Whether we are looking at this challenge through an operational or organizational safety lens, cyber risk is a critical business risk. An incident will impact everyone,” says Michael DeVolld, Senior Director…

Star Information Systems (STAR) has acquired Sharecat, a provider of solutions for managing and improving technical data quality for complex industrial operations.STAR delivers advanced systems for maintenance, operations planning, procurement, logistics, and master data management, mainly for the maritime sector. The company has grown significantly over over the past four years and is on track to become a leading international player in a competitive market.Data quality is crucial…

Orizzonte Sistemi Navali (OSN), the joint venture owned by Fincantieri and Leonardo, has signed the Through Life Sustainment Management (TLSM 2) in-service support contract with OCCAR (Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation). This marks the continuation of a long-standing strategic collaboration that began with the delivery of the first FREMM-class frigates and their related logistical support. TLSM2 is an in-service support contract for all systems and equipments on FREMM units built and delivered by OSN to the Italian Navy.The agreement…

Admiral Daryl L. Caudle has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next Chief of Naval Operations, more than three months after Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead the U.S. Navy, was fired in President Trump's purge of military leadership following his inauguration.The Senate Armed Services Committee received Adm. Caudle's the nomination on June 17, 2025.Adm. Caudle - currently Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command - is a native of Winston-Salem, North…

Researchers from Dalhousie University and the US Naval Postgraduate School presented a concept for an affordable mother ship with a flotilla of uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) capable of providing coast guard services at the ISCRAM2025 Conference (Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management) in Halifax, Canada, last month.The concept could provide a persistent, on-water presence which could assist with search and rescue response, response to shore-based emergencies…

The Arctic, once a remote and isolated frontier, is rapidly transforming into a hub of activity. Increased shipping, resource exploration, and scientific research are reshaping the region, ushering in a new wave of challenges – particularly in the critical domain of cybersecurity. As a maritime cybersecurity expert, I observe unique threats emerging in this icy environment, where fragile infrastructure, escalating geopolitical tensions, constrained communication bandwidth, and…

Locally supported, high-quality navigation systems for demanding vessels.In accordance with the regulations of the Chinese Classification Society, Anschütz is supplying a comprehensive Integrated Bridge System (IBS) for two newly built heavy-lift crane vessels at Jingjiang Nanyang Shipbuilding Co. Ltd in China.The IBS is equipped with five Synapsis NX multifunctional workstations for Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS), (chart) radar and conning applications, as well as a NautoPilot 5000 NX autopilot, X- and S-band radars and a Standard 22 NX triple-gyro compass system.

The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) and Maersk Training (MT) have entered into a landmark agreement to establish a Centre of Excellence focused on leadership and crisis management training for SCA employees. The agreement was signed at a ceremony attended by senior representatives from both organizations.The contract was formalized by Yasser El Sheshengy, Director of the Communication & Information Systems Department at the Suez Canal Authority; Vijay Rangachari, Head of Growth and Strategic Projects at Maersk Training…

The Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO met for its 108th session at IMO Headquarters in London from May 15 to 24, and its outcomes included revising the roadmap for the development of a code to regulate autonomous ships (Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships - MASS).The Committee approved the report of the third session of the Joint MSC-LEG-FAL Working Group on MASS (MASS-JWG 3) and noted the significant progress made to date to develop the draft MASS Code, including the restructuring of chapters and refining the draft provisions.

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control (Paris MoU) held its 57th Committee meeting in Madrid from May 6 to 10, 2024 and concluded that the results of the Concentrated Inspection Campaign (CIC) on Fire Safety, held from September 1 to November 30, 2023, showed that overall compliance appeared to be satisfactory.The result was less favorable on two specific topics: maintenance of fire doors (9.3 % non-compliance) and performing fire drills (9.2% non-compliance).

Mohammad “Ali” Usman has been hired as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the Federal Maritime Commission and appointed to be a member of the Senior Executive Service.Usman will serve as director in all areas of information technology (IT) and as the primary IT technical advisor to the Managing Director.He assumes his new duties effective immediately.“Well functioning, publicly accessible, and secured information systems are vital to being able to meet the mission of a government agency in the 21st Century. Mr.

The Coast Guard has struggled for years to recruit and retain a sufficient workforce. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), the non-partisan, fact-based arm of the Congress, has published multiple reports related to the Coast Guard’s workforce including recruitment and retention challenges. Three of these reports published in 2022 and 2023 have resulted in 17 GAO recommendations to address these issues, but as of today, 16 remain open and need to be addressed. Implementing…

The use of a draft voyage planning tool which included waypoint data errors plus an ongoing technical fault with the vessel monitoring and surveillance system for the Great Barrier Reef contributed to a cargo ship’s grounding on a shoal, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has concluded.The 81-meter general cargo ship Trinity Bay grounded on Harrington Shoal, a charted feature with a depth of 0.9 metres north-west of Harrington Reef, on the morning of January 19, 2021 while conducting a regular weekly passage from Thursday Island to Cairns.

Vigor announced it has completed a three-year modernization project on U.S. Navy Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65) at its Harbor Island shipyard in Seattle.The project, which encompassed more than 1.7 million hours of work for Vigor employees, in addition to work by dozens of subcontractors and the U.S. Navy, was one of the largest, longest and most complex in Vigor’s history, the company said. Work completed including weapons, communications and information systems modernization, as well as upgrades to many other areas of the ship.

Anschütz, a brand with more than a century history (since 1905), has a new owner and is part of DMB Dr. Dieter Murmann Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, meaning that Raytheon Anschütz GmbH is to be renamed Anschütz GmbH once the entry in the commercial register has been made.DMB takes over the entire Anschütz Group with its headquarters in Kiel and international subsidiaries in Panama City, Portsmouth (United Kingdom), Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai and Singapore. Anschütz returns to a…

Teledyne Technologies Incorporated announced today that it has acquired ChartWorld International Limited and affiliates. ChartWorld, headquartered in Cyprus, with additional locations in Hamburg, Singapore, Vancouver and Tokyo, is a provider of digital marine navigation hardware and software provided through a subscription-based model. Terms of the transactions were not disclosed.Commercial maritime subscribers to ChartWorld’s software as a service (SaaS) receive free type-approved Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS), a lifetime warranty and global 24/7 support.

When compared to other major river navigation routes around the world, the St. Lawrence River is a favored waterway.It flows from the mouth of Lake Ontario, at an altitude of 250 meters. From its source to the Gulf, the river travels 1,197 kilometers, and is fed by several tributaries including the Ottawa, Richelieu, Saint-François and Saguenay rivers.But the effects of climate change are being felt. The marine industry is adapting. It is currently embarking on a shift towards…

The National Transportation Board said Thursday that a Mississippi River towing vessel’s pilot and its captain pushed its tow up against a riverbank too close to a railroad track, leading to a collision and train derailment near Galland, Iowa.Marine Investigation Report 22/22 details the NTSB’s investigation into the Nov. 13, 2021, collision between the towing vessel Baxter Southern and a BNSF coal train transiting the track along the shoreline of the Upper Mississippi River. The train struck a barge that was overhanging the railroad track.

The 2022 Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) is scheduled to be held Nov. 15-17, 2022, hosted by Argonne National Laboratory at the Argonne campus in Lemont, Illinois. MRS is an annual international event focused on risks involving the global maritime transportation system (MTS). For the MRS, the U.S. Coast Guard partners with the sponsor, the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and the hosting agency. MRS began in 2011 and has grown in size, scope and interest. The MRS event will be followed by the U.S.

The Malaysian Port of Tanjung Pelepas is taking the next step on its digitalization journey, tackling congestion and boosting sustainability with a port information management system (PMIS) powered by artificial intelligence (AI).The Port of Tanjung Pelepas, the 15th busiest port in the world, will deploy Innovez One’s MarineM solution to optimize tug and pilot operations, minimizing delays in the first and last mile of its logistics chains, while simultaneously reducing emissions.Innovez One has already provided port management information systems to major global players…

Richard Murphy has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of BPA Worldwide, a leading global assurance provider of media, technology, events, and sustainability compliance. He replaces Glenn Hansen, who has announced his intent to retire in June 2023. In the interim, Hansen has been named Executive Strategic Advisor to focus on BPA iCompli Sustainability and Event Audit practices.Murphy brings 30 years of experience with BPA to this position. He was formerly Executive Vice President…

Wärtsilä Voyage acquired PortLink Global, a global port solutions company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. The move is intended to speed Wärtsilä Voyage along its path towards creating an end-to-end connected maritime ecosystem.The transaction was signed and closed in June 2022.PortLink and Wärtsilä Voyage have partnered in the past – collaborating on projects including the co-development of a Port Management Information System (PMIS) for the largest Mediterranean and African port…

HII announced on Monday that Henry Choi has joined its Mission Technologies division as vice president of business development for cyber, electronic warfare (EW) and space.Choi is responsible for driving business growth, strategy and customer engagement for HII’s full-spectrum cyber, EW and space capabilities that address today’s rapidly changing, multi-domain global security threats.“As HII expands its capabilities with mission-critical national security solutions, it is imperative that we have the right team and talent to deliver results for our mission partners…