International Electrotechnical Commission News

Classification society ABS said it has updated its guides addressing both floating and bottom-founded offshore wind turbines.The revised guides incorporate updated industry best practices and industry feedback, lessons learned from a range of projects in Europe and North America as well as latest developments in International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards for offshore wind turbines.“As the global market for offshore wind energy continues to grow, ABS has been involved in a range of industry-leading projects.

The technology group Wärtsilä said it has been awarded a DNV GL type-approval certificate and cyber security certification by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for its Translink solution, part of the company’s connected ECDIS concept. The cyber security verification has been issued according to the updated DNV GL rules and the internationally recognized standard for cyber security for bridge and navigation systems, IEC61162-460. Translink is a system that comprises the hardware, router, and software components.

Lloyd’s Register (LR) has awarded Wärtsilä system-level cyber certification for its network architecture relating to Wärtsilä’s integrated main and auxiliary machinery. The LR’s ShipRight SAFE AL2 certification, which is with Wärtsilä’s Data Collection Unit (WDCU), gives Approval-in-Principle (AiP) for the entire Wärtsilä integrated system network, rather than for any individual component. The certification is one of the first of its kind to be awarded globally.At a time when information and operational technologies onboard ships are being networked together…

The international accredited registrar and classification society DNV GL has become the world’s first certification body approved to issue IECRE - International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) System for Certification to Standards relating to Equipment for use in Renewable Energy applications - certificates for project certification.The Norway-headquartered organization now able to conduct conformity assessments as official Renewables Energy Certification Body (RECB) relating to project certification, project design certification and site suitability evaluation."DNV GL has been unanimously accepted as the first Renewables Energy Certification Body (RECB) for project certification under the international certification scheme IECRE OD-502.

For some years now, the maritime sector has experienced breaches of various computer and information technology (IT) systems. Primarily, these breaches have been collateral damage. The maritime sector has almost never been the intended target. That does not mean that the damage has been minor. In June 2017, A.P. Moller-Maersk suffered a major cyber-attack. The malware had been designed by Russian hackers to disrupt the Ukrainian power sector. Once released, though, it proved to be indiscriminate, infecting IT systems worldwide that had not been kept up to date. In the case of A.P.

German navigation system manufacturer Raytheon Anschütz announced it is ready to deliver Electronic Chart Display & Information System (ECDIS) Software compliant with new International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) standards. The IEC and IHO have published new versions of some of their ECDIS standards, and all users must update their existing ECDIS to be in compliance by September 1, 2017. Raytheon Anschütz has finished type approval of the ECDIS Software according to these standards.

Seagull Oil & Gas has launched the most cost efficient and comprehensive e-learning training package in the industry for offshore personnel working in explosive atmospheres. Building on International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, the new series covers basic understanding, installation in Ex-areas, Exi installation, cable entry, IP degree, and inspection and maintenance. “We believe today’s market requires more cost efficient and better Ex and El safety training” says Morten Aasen, Managing Director, Seagull Oil & Gas. “Together with leading subject experts we have developed a series of new courses covering these safety-critical subjects. The content of the courses includes e-learning modules that normally require two days of classroom study covering theory.

The explosion-proof version of Alfa Laval’s chemical-free ballast water treatment system, PureBallast 3.1 EX, has received approval from the U.S. Coast Guard for use on barges sailing in U.S. coastal waters. The approval comes a year after Alfa Laval PureBallast received an IECEx Certificate of Conformity from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) for use in explosive atmospheres on board ships in international waters. As a pioneer in the ballast water treatment arena, Alfa Laval introduced PureBallast, the first commercial chemical-free ballast water treatment system in 2006.

In the last months Schottel  successfully tested its hydrokinetic turbines in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland. The full-scale tests included 260 operating hours under realistic conditions. The result: One turbine with a rotor diameter of four meters generates 50 kW per second at a rated water velocity of 2.75 meters per second. 10 hours of operation provide enough electricity to supply an average household for a month. The Strangford Narrows in Northern Ireland is a strait between the enclosed Strangford Lough and the Irish Sea with strong tidal currents.

ABS released the ABS Guide for Building and Classing Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Installations to provide the most comprehensive requirements to date. Based on the results of case studies and existing technologies, the new guide provides criteria for the design, construction, installation and survey of permanently sited floating offshore wind turbines and includes specific guidelines for areas subject to cyclonic storms. The guide addresses the floating support structure, the stationkeeping system and onboard machinery…

ABB won orders worth $160m from Jurong Shipyard Pte Ltd. for the design, supply, supervision of installation, testing and commissioning of the main electrical systems for seven next generation drill ships that will operate in the deep water oil and gas fields off the coast of Brazil. The orders were booked in the fourth quarter of last year and first quarter of this year. The ships will be used to drill wells in the enormous offshore pre-salt fields off the southeast coast of Brazil.

Offshore Systems International Ltd., a marine electronic navigation company with a strong defense niche, announced today that it has received Type Approval of its ECPINS® product line as an International Maritime Organization standard Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS). product ECPINS®-M,. said John Jacobson, President and CEO of the company. “While the world’s navies are exempt from the international conventions governing navigation equipment for commercial vessels, our naval customers chose to work with us to gain ECDIS Type Approval for their highly specialized ECPINS®-M systems. navigation tool and with unequaled data-handling capability wrapped up in a Type Approved package.

LONDON, March 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE: NOC) Sperry Marine business unit has signed a full production contract for the Integrated Navigation Bridge System (INBS) for the U.K. Ministry of Defence's (MoD) Queen Elizabeth Class (QEC) Aircraft Carrier Programme. The company also signed a design phase contract for the Navigation Lights, Shapes and Sounds (NLSS). Terms of the contracts were not disclosed. Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine will build and deliver the complete INBS, including electronic chart display and information system (ECDIS-N (U.K.)) for the new aircraft carriers. The system will include navigation planning, electronic charts and radar displays, as well as a comprehensive set of sensors and software.

Guy Hardwick, president of TANO Corp. in New Orleans, La., has been named chairman of ASTM Committee F25 on Ships and Marine Techonology. Hardwick has been an ASTM member since 1993 and has been serving most recently as chairman of subcommittee F25.05 on computer applications. A recipient of the John Haas Award from committee F25, Hardwick is the U.S. representative to TC8/SC10 on computer applications for ships and marine technology of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). In addition, he is a member of the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) committee for engineering, the technical advisory group for electrical installations of ships and of mobile and fixed offshore units and cable and cable installations of the International Electrotechnical commission…

Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Sperry Marine business unit has delivered a suite of navigation electronics for a new megayacht being built by Proteksan-Turquoise Yachts in Turkey. The new megayacht is being equipped with a complete Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine VisionMaster FT integrated bridge system (IBS) with TotalWatch multifunction displays. All system components are type-approved to meet International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) performance standards. The system links together all of the bridge subsystems and sensors in a highly integrated Ethernet network, with the widescreen displays embedded in custom cabinetry to meet the yacht's luxurious decor.

Northrop Grumman Delivers Integrated Bridge System for Turkish Megayacht. Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) Sperry Marine business unit has delivered a state-of-the-art suite of navigation electronics for a new megayacht being built by Proteksan-Turquoise Yachts in Turkey. The new megayacht is being equipped with a complete Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine VisionMaster FT integrated bridge system (IBS) with TotalWatch multifunction displays. All system components are type-approved to meet International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) performance standards. The system links together all of the bridge subsystems and sensors in a highly integrated Ethernet network…

Northrop Grumman Corporation was awarded type approval by the U.S. Coast Guard for the Sperry Marine VoyageMaster II Simplified Voyage Data Recorder (S-VDR). The Coast Guard type approval certifies that the Sperry Marine S-VDR meets the International Maritime Organization (IMO) carriage requirements and International Electrotechnical Commission performance standards for “black box” recording devices on cargo ships. Similar to the cockpit recorders on aircraft, the S-VDR provides a permanent record of data from the ship’s sensors and audio recordings from the bridge for use in post-incident analysis. The S-VDR is a simplified version of the Voyage Data Recorder (VDR), which is currently required for all new ships constructed since 2002.

Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected to supply simplified voyage data recorders (S-VDR) for 59 Teekay Shipping vessels. Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit is supplying the S-VDR hardware, as well as technical support, installation kits, interface devices, commissioning and training, through its worldwide service network. The systems will be installed on the ships during drydock overhauls or, when possible, at pierside at a variety of ports around the world. Similar to an aircraft’s black box cockpit recorder, the S-VDR downloads data from the ship’s navigation instruments and voice recordings from the bridge and radio communications, which can be retrieved and analyzed following an accident at sea.

Carrying an estimated 90% of world trade and billions of passengers every year, international shipping represents the life blood of the global economy. Safety, always a major concern for seafarers, has made huge advances in the last century. However, the massive increase in traffic in recent decades requires, among other things, new or better global communication and navigation solutions resting on internationally-agreed standards to maintain and improve safety levels. Shipping was among the very first industries to adopt widely implemented international safety standards.

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. For a variety of reasons, including environmental considerations, it is becoming an increasingly common requirement for ships to shut down ship generators and to connect to shore power for as long as practicable during stays in port. The scenario of receiving electrical power and other utilities from shore is historically known as “cold ironing”.

Northrop Grumman Corporation’s (NYSE: NOC) Sperry Marine business unit has been awarded type approval for its electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS) by the U.K. certification authority, QinetiQ. The type-approval certificate was granted for Sperry Marine’s VisionMaster FT ECDIS products, following tests to ensure conformance with the new International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) performance standards IEC 61174 Edition 3 and IEC 62288. The new performance standards came into effect Jan. 1, 2009 in accordance with International Maritime Organization (IMO) recommendation MSC.232(82). “The QinetiQ type approval assures our customers they are navigating with state-of-the-art equipment meeting the latest IMO and IEC specifications with our VisionMaster FT ECDIS products…

The German certification authority Bundesamt für Seeschiffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH) has awarded type approval to Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) for its Sperry Marine VoyageMaster II Voyage Data Recorder (VDR). The BSH type approval certifies that the Sperry Marine VDR meets the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) performance standards for shipboard “black box” data recorders. International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations require all new ships over 3,000 gross tons to be equipped with an approved VDR to assist investigators in reconstructing the events leading up to and following an incident at sea.

Northrop Grumman Corporation has received orders from SRH Marine Electronics SA of Piraeus, Greece, to supply more than 60 simplified voyage data recorders (S-VDRs) for Greek shipowners to meet International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations requiring S-VDRs on existing merchant ships by July 1, 2007. Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit will supply the S-VDR systems and will assist SRH Marine to oversee installation, integration, commissioning and annual performance testing of the systems through its worldwide service network. The S-VDR orders include 23 ships owned by a Greek container ship operator, with the remainder distributed among a number of other Greek shipowners.