Smart Devices News

ABS and Seatrium are working together to advance smart digital technologies for shipyards, with a focus on boosting safety, productivity and efficiency.At Singapore Maritime Week, ABS launched detailed requirements to guide the industry in the application of smart technologies at shipyards and recognize Seatrium as the first shipyard group to deploy smart technologies in its operations, in line with the ABS Guide for Smart Technologies for Shipyards.Seatrium’s Mobile Wearable Personal Device (MWPD) Monitoring System…

Kongsberg Maritime reported that its K-CAT (KONGSBERG Competence Assessment Tool) is receiving positive reports from the global oil & gas fleet supplier Siem Offshore, consolidating a deal between the two companies worth in the region of $68,000 (700,000NOK).A digital tool which enables personnel assessments to be carried out online, K-CAT’s abilities range from pre-employment evaluation through to crew competence verification. It is available via all computers and smart devices with an internet connection, and can also be configured in offline mode.

Kongsberg Maritime announced an integrated strategy to deliver remote, targeted training for its customers. Providing this service through digital platforms reduces travel, cost, time away from home and climate footprint. Three products – Remote Training, e-Learning and K-CAT (Kongsberg Competence Assessment Tool) – combine to ensure that vessel crews can fully benefit from Kongsberg’s expertise from the convenience and safety of their homes or offices.Remote Training is delivered through established virtual classrooms and online training tools.

Smart devices have the potential to radically transform the utility and value of shipping container equipment assets.According to Drewry, Smart containers have increased in prominence in a very short space of time and the pace of adoption is expected to accelerate over the next five years.A container becomes “smart” when fitted with a telematics device that provides real-time tracking and monitoring, enabling operators to increase turn time of their container equipment and so utilization. It also allows beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) to understand the location and status of their cargo so that they can better control their supply chains.“There are a number of factors driving this market growth…

Asuka II, operated by NYK Cruises Co. Ltd., will undergo a 45-day makeover at the Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard in Singapore from the middle of January 2020. Asuka II is the nation’s largest cruise ship flying the Japanese flag (tonnage: 50,142 GT; capacity: 872 passengers).Features to be added during the dry dock include a large open-air bath, Western-style rooms featuring traditional Japanese-style tatami-mat sleeping areas, and a reading lounge where guests can enjoy a little quite time with books, smart devices, and computers.

Keppel Corporation Limited, through its wholly owned subsidiary KepVenture Pte Ltd (Keppel), has entered into an agreement with Envision AESC to invest $50 million for a minority stake in Envision AESC Group Ltd, a leading intelligent lithium-ion battery company. This co-investment with Envision is in line with Keppel's efforts to deploy innovative concepts in its solutions for sustainable urbanization.Envision AESC Group Ltd recently completed the acquisition of Automotive Energy Supply Corporation (AESC), a former venture between Nissan Motor Company (Nissan) and the NEC Group. It has also acquired the entire share capital of NEC Energy Devices, Ltd., a battery electrode manufacturing company owned by NEC Corporation.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) conducted a ferry emergency exercise  to test the readiness of various agencies in responding to ferry mishaps in the Port of Singapore.More than 100 personnel from ten organisations (Annex) took part in the exercise at sea near Kukor Buoy. The exercise scenario involved the evacuation of 72 passengers on-board a domestic ferry after her grounding on a large underwater object.Passengers were then evacuated onto life rafts and a rescue ferry alongside the grounded vessel. A search and rescue operation was also conducted for missing passengers.New to this year’s exercise, MPA trialled the use of smart devices to boost search and rescue efforts.

At BP's massive Thunder Horse oil platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, a dog-sized robot called Maggie uses magnetic tracks to creep along pipes connecting the giant oil facility to the sea floor. Before MaggHD, dubbed "Maggie" by BP, the dangerous inspection job was reserved for highly paid specialist technicians who did their jobs while rappelling along the platform. The energy industry has turned to robots and drones to cut costs and improve safety in some of the world's tougher working environments. Drones inspect gear high up on floating rigs.

We wish we had a dollar for every time we heard or read the words Big Data at the Nor-Shipping exhibition last month. We might even have collected enough cash to buy a round of expensive Norwegian beers for the gang at the Fridtjof bar. Seriously, Big Data is one of the most talked-about subjects at maritime industry gatherings. At Nor-Shipping there were no fewer than half a dozen panels and conference sessions focusing on the role of Big Data and analytics in commercial shipping.

The U.S. Executive Branch has declared that the cyber threat is one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation, and that America’s economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on effective cyber security. Before the maritime industry sounds the danger signal, it needs to monitor other industries and branches of the government and take proactive preventative measures. There is no better place to prepare future and current mariners for these challenges than in maritime simulators.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has announced several new initiatives to improve connectivity in the Port of Singapore, including a new 4G mobile network built in collaboration with M1 Limited. The MPA and M1 also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work together in promoting this 4G technology to shipping companies operating within Singapore port waters, to increase connectivity in an effort to improve operations and crew welfare. Both organizations have also committed to research and testing of new technologies to improve the network in the future. Dubbed ‘Smart Port’, the initiatives range from the installation of 4G broadband access in Singapore port waters for the maritime community and for vessels in Singapore port waters…

So what’s keeping ship operators awake at night these days? Plenty, it seems. Sluggish recovery from a lingering worldwide recession, unsustainable debt loads, endemic overcapacity in most shipping trades, punishing freight rates, rising costs of fuel and regulatory compliance and a lingering sense that ships are not running as efficiently as they could. The last two topics – reducing fuel costs while complying with emission regulations and improving ship operating efficiency – will take center stage at SHIPPINGInsight 2014, scheduled for Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 in Stamford, Conn.

It all started back in the mid 1990’s when the seemingly new fangled internet became a tangible information portal for home computer users. As the prohibitive costs started to dissipate, the so called ‘e’-volution took off, thus making access to email, blogs, and personalized web pages more tangible and popular, even to the point of being expected. Today, the internet has nearly become lifeblood and people are all but helpless without some form of streaming connection to the information superhighway.

Partners Integrate the Iridium Core 9523 Into Advanced Smart Devices To Provide Connectivity Everywhere On The Planet. Iridium Communications Inc. announces the commercial availability of the Iridium Core 9523 transceiver. The Iridium Core 9523 further emphasizes the company’s Iridium ForceSM vision of bringing vital building blocks to partners who develop innovative, portable communications devices. 26 Iridium development partners, including FLYHT, SkyTrac Systems and Fastwave Communications…