Navigation News

German navigation specialist Anschütz GmbH has founded a new subsidiary in the United States. Based in Bethesda, Maryland, Anschuetz USA Inc. aims to continue the successful tradition of “Anschütz of America” and optimize customer support for sales and service partners, commercial shipowners and shipyards, as well as government entities including the Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, Navy and Army.Anschuetz USA is developing local expertise in navigation and bridge systems for the newbuild and refit market, while also strengthening the infrastructure for after-sales and servicing.

FarSounder, an innovator in 3D forward looking navigation sonar technology, has announced a new integration with Anschütz GmbH’s (W)ECDIS NX navigation platforms. This collaboration brings FarSounder’s real-time underwater detection and seafloor mapping data directly into the SYNAPSIS interface. Anschütz’s SYNAPSIS interface enables third-party systems to contribute geo-referenced data layers, such as sonar returns, onto the chart display without requiring modification to the system itself.

The World Shipping Council (WSC) has released the third edition of the WSC Whale Chart, a global voyage planning aid that maps where slower ship speeds and route changes can help protect whales from ship strikes and reduce underwater noise.The WSC Whale Chart brings together all known mandatory and voluntary ship-strike and underwater noise reduction measures worldwide, including speed restrictions, routing measures and seasonal protection zones. It is the first tool of its kind to make this global information available in a single source…

Maritime technology company Orca AI has launched Co-Captain, a new function in its operational platform that allows vessels can share data with each other, in real time, to be better prepared for real-time events and emerging risks.By connecting a growing network of 1,000 Orca AI-installed vessels, with hundreds more set to join, Co-Captain turns every ship into both a sensor and source of awareness, says the company.Building on Orca AI’s advanced computer-vision technology, Co-Captain fuses these fragmented inputs into a single layer of collective intelligence.

Ineffective coordination and monitoring by the crew and harbour pilots on board the container ship Maersk Shekou contributed to its collision with the tall ship Leeuwin II in the Port of Fremantle, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has found.The 333-metre, Singapore-flagged Maersk Shekou was being navigated into Fremantle under the direction of two harbour pilots in heavy squall conditions before dawn on August 30, 2024, when the incident occurred.Audio from the ship’s bridge…

Harren Group, one of Germany’s ship-owning and maritime logistics specialists, will partner with Orca AI to strengthen navigational safety and operational efficiency for their newbuild heavy-lift vessels (HLVs), multipurpose vessels (MPVs), deck carriers and bulkers.Aligned with Harren Group’s shift toward quantifiable safety outcomes, the collaboration targets a reduction in actual and close encounters and near-misses—one of the company’s top operational KPIs. Orca AI’s operations platform combines the SeaPod digital lookout onboard with the FleetView analytics dashboard ashore…

iNav4U, creators of Zora The Operational System for Yachts, has announced a new collaboration with Aqua Map, a  leader in digital marinenavigation. iNav4U is delivering the first fully integrated, end-to-end platform that unifies yacht management, operations, and navigation in one system. By embedding Aqua Map’s advanced marine charts directly into Zora, captains and yacht owners gain real-time situational awareness and advanced vessel management tools, without juggling multiple apps and devices.

German navigation systems specialist Anschütz has officially unveiled ‘Anschütz Autonomics’, a new line of solutions aimed at enabling autonomous navigation and mission automation for commercial, defense and security vessels.The launch follows a series of successful demonstrations with partners in Germany and France, as well as trials with the German Navy.The system is built on certified and operationally proven components, providing safe and precise autonomous navigation and…

Offshore service provider OS Energy has adopted Sonardyne’s SPRINT-Nav DP dynamic positioning (DP) reference system to support its marine renewable energy projects in the North and Baltic Seas. SPRINT-Nav DP will enable OS Energy to maintain DP integrity, even in shallow water and GNSS-compromised environments that are increasingly characteristic of offshore wind construction and maintenance activities. Housed within a single, pre-calibrated unit, the easy to integrate system allows operators ride out GNSS disruption, maintaining safety, accuracy and DP certification.

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) will host an in-person panel discussion during London International Shipping Week (LISW) 2025, bringing together expert voices from across the maritime industry to explore the next generation of navigation standards. Titled "S-100 in focus," the session will take place on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at Sea Containers, London, and is free to attend with advance registration. The event will examine the maritime sector’s transition to the S-100 framework, designed by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO).

Phase 1 of S-100 Standards implementation is now complete after the operational release of standards S-124 Navigational Warnings and S-128 Catalogue of Nautical Products.The S-100 framework is a new global standard created by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), in collaboration with other hydrographic offices around the world, that enables the integration of diverse datasets within a single Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) or other hydrographic…

A steering control system component failure on a multi-purpose carrier resulted in a collision with a bulk carrier in the Houston Ship Channel, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a newly-released investigation report.The multi-purpose carrier BBC Africa lost steering as it was departing the channel on Aug. 25, 2023, and struck the moored bulk carrier Common Faith. No injuries or pollution were reported. Damage to the vessels was estimated at $1.1 million.The crew told investigators they did not find any issues with the steering control systems during the pre-departure tests.

A keel-laying ceremony has been held for Surveyor, a new charting and mapping vessel being constructed for NOAA by Thoma-Sea Marine Constructors, LLC., in Houma, Louisiana.In 2023, NOAA announced two new charting and mapping vessels would be added to its fleet. Surveyor is expected to be completed in 2027 and Navigator in 2028. The ships will be used primarily for ocean mapping and nautical charting as part of NOAA’s mission to deliver tools and information to help mariners safely…

Columbia Group has launched a mobile and web-based app designed to teach the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs).The COLREGs Challenge is an educational tool which uses gameplay to turn regulatory learning into an immersive, interactive experience.Targeted at cadets, junior officers, and developed in collaboration with 4Growth.com BV, the app presently includes more than 20 interactive modules covering practical maritime scenarios. More modules will be introduced soon.Themed campaigns cover basic navigation…

Anticipating a strong cross-current that never materialized, an experienced tow pilot deviated from the sailing line on the Mississippi River and struck components of the Fort Madison Bridge near Fort Madison, Iowa, the National Transportation Safety Board has concluded.The towing vessel Joe B. Wyatt was pushing 13 loaded hopper barges and two empty tank barges downriver on May 9, 2024, when the tow struck the bridge’s protection cell and fendering system and broke apart.No injuries or pollution were reported. Damage to the protection cell, fendering system, barges and the Joe B.

This week MarineLink reported on the NTSB’s analysis of a 2024 collision on the lower Mississippi that resulted from a tow pilot’s distraction caused by personal cellphone use.While navigating the tow for about 1.5 hours before the collision, the pilot engaged in non-operational, secondary tasks, including taking an administrative phone call from the company’s safety officer, making a personal phone call and sending text messages.The pilot had only had about four hours of continuous sleep in the 36 hours before the collision…

A cargo ship narrowly avoided grounding after its rudder fell off, and New Zealand’s TAIC report highlights the need for careful oversight and quality assurance during installation of safety-critical components and for strong international safety standards.On 24 July 2023, the cargo ship Achilles Bulker, fully loaded and under pilotage, was outbound from Tauranga.The ship deviated from the center of the channel shortly after clearing the harbor entrance. As the crew and onboard pilots tried to steer it back on course, the ship’s rudder broke off.

Furuno has introduced TZ MAPS on its NavNet TZtouchXL system, delivering what it calls the most advanced and customizable charting platform ever developed for recreational and professional mariners.TZ MAPS unlocks new features on TZtouchXL multi-function displays, including AI Routing, AI Avoidance Route™ and BathyVision™.TZ MAPS is built from official hydrographic data, high-resolution bathymetry, satellite imagery and crowd-sourced surveys. It has a Community Maps feature which empowers users to contribute local knowledge by creating and editing chart objects…

A tow pilot’s distraction caused by personal cellphone use resulted in a collision last year with moored barges on the lower Mississippi River, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.The towing vessel William B Klunk was pushing 22 loaded hopper barges on April 17, 2024, when the tow collided with moored barges at a fleeting area near Baton Rouge. Thirteen barges broke away from the William B Klunk tow and three barges broke away from the fleeting area, resulting in damage to the barges, a fleet crew boat and two mooring dolphins.

Australian quantum software company Q-CTRL has demonstrated its software-ruggedized quantum sensing for navigation technology in a major field trial onboard the Royal Australian Navy’s multi-role aviation training vessel, MV Sycamore.Quantum navigation promises a robust and reliable GPS backup that cannot be jammed or spoofed.Q-CTRL deployed a quantum dual gravimeter, which measures tiny variations in Earth’s gravity as part of a next-generation quantum-assured positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) system operable when GPS is unavailable or untrusted.In quantum gravimetric navigation…

Anschütz has designed an integrated Autonomous Navigation and Command System for naval vessels. Using proven, readily available and type-approved components, it provides navies with enhanced safety and sustainable capability for unmanned systems, all the while retaining full technological sovereignty.Scalable from assistance systems to highly automated solutions, and from the monitoring and control of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) to automation solutions for large combatants…

Terma A/S, a leader in surveillance radar technology, has partnered with Sperry Marine, a manufacturer and service provider of marine navigation systems, to deliver the SCANTER 4603 and SCANTER 6002 series of naval surveillance radar to Seaspan Shipyards for the upcoming Canadian Coast Guard’s Multi-Purpose Icebreaker and Polar Icebreaker Programs.This milestone underscores the ongoing partnership between Sperry Marine and Terma A/S and the two companies’ commitment to empowering the Canadian Coast Guard with radar technology designed for precision situational awareness…

The S-100 framework is a new global standard created by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), in collaboration with other hydrographic offices around the world, that enables the integration of diverse datasets within a single Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS).Mariners will be able to combine various data layers with Electronic Navigational Charts including detailed depth information and dynamic information on tides and currents.S-100 builds on the digital foundation of S-57, the standard for electronic navigational charts since 1992.