Software Licenses News

Kongsberg announced Wednesday it has acquired Danish software company COACH Solutions, expanding the Norwegian maritime technology company's range of solutions for vessel performance and monitoring.The newly rebranded KONGSBERG COACH Solutions will be integrated within Kongsberg Digital’s Maritime Digital Solutions portfolio, supplying vessel operators, owners, pool managers and technical managers with a suite of software tools for vessel performance, weather routing and noon…

Kongsberg Digital has signed the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) as a pilot-customer for the cloud-based application of the sophisticated K-Sim simulation technology. BCIT will be among the first to offer simulation as a service by integrating K-Sim with the new Kognifai digital platform, to enable its students to train anytime and anywhere. Initially, Kongsberg Digital will focus on enabling students at BCIT’s School of Energy to use the K-Sim Engine Thermal Power Plant (TPP) simulator for industrial/utilities engineers, by giving them access to the simulator on their own devices. However, the train anytime and anywhere strategy is already set to improve and extend the use of simulation in power engineering training.

Trelleborg’s marine systems operation has supplied the Association of Maryland Pilots with SafePilot Portable Pilot Units (PPUs) and a Port System server solution to facilitate consistent, real-time information sharing between almost 70 pilots. The SafePilot system is part of Trelleborg’s Smarter Product Portfolio, which its marine systems operation is evolving to support the ‘Port of the Future’. The Association of Maryland Pilots serves the Chesapeake Bay, the longest pilotage route on the East Coast of the United States, with its nearly 200 miles of waters. The scale of the waters put particular demands on the operational battery time the piloting equipment requires.

Sometimes being an industry supplier offers interesting insights – your business is touched by the ups and downs of the charter market, but you are never so involved in it that you lose sight of the big picture. Some of our clients have been hit hard by the market’s general downturn; one client I visited last month began 2008 with 41 maritime software licenses for their vessels – just seven remain today. “We just sold another ship yesterday,” he said, and then after a pause: “Please spare me the update costs for this one, it won’t receive any.” Of course, I nodded.

Project to optimize LNG ship hull forms aims to reduce emissions and save significant amounts of fuel for LNG vessel operators. On the shores of the Amazônia Azul – or Blue Amazon, the part of the Atlantic off the coast of Brazil – the LNG ship of the future is being designed. The shape of an LNG ship’s hull and cargo tanks are critical for the vessel to sail with minimal resistance through water. This is important as fuel use is the biggest cost for ship operators, and reducing fuel use significantly lowers emissions.

Maritime training solutions provider Buffalo Computer Graphics Inc. (BCG) has donated its Enhanced Graphical User Interface (GUI2) simulation software to the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation in Annapolis, Md. for distribution to the academy’s seamanship and navigation department. BCG’s donation included four software licenses to support past donations from Northrup Grumman Corporation of the Navy’s Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) to train midshipmen on the charting system they will encounter once they graduate and move out to the fleet.

AVEVA Marine and AVEVA Bocad software licenses will be deployed in Korean Universities and schools to encourage the ongoing development of the local marine industry. Students will be introduced to the ship design process through hands-on experience with essential engineering and design disciplines. "We welcome AVEVA’s support to bring critical job skills to our students," said Professor TaeWan Kim, Seoul National University. "By working closely and training the professors and teachers on the software…

Bureau Veritas has just completed the acquisition of Quiktrak Inc., an American company specializing in vehicle and agricultural machinery stock audit. Founded in 1991 and headquartered near Portland, Oregon, Quiktrak provides field inspections and inventory auditing services for leasing and finance companies. The company has leading-edge technology, including some of the most advanced risk management tools in the industry, particularly its RevoquestTM software for automating the audit and inventory management process. Quiktrak operates primarily in the United States and Canada, and currently distributes its software licenses in 14 countries. The company employs 90 people and has a vast network of independent inspectors giving the company a strong footprint across the United States.

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) announced today that its Ingalls Shipbuilding division has awarded nearly $108,000 in grants for 25 different projects from schools and educational organizations in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The grants, which were requested by all of the organizations, will be used for projects associated with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This is the sixth year for Ingalls' STEM program. The company has awarded more than $500,000 for STEM-related projects during that period.

Oceanografia S.A. de C.V., one of Mexico’s largest offshore vessel operators specializing in underwater survey, diving, pipe laying construction and maintenance operations, has signed a contract with ABS Nautical Systems to implement the NS5 Enterprise asset management software across its entire fleet of multi-purpose offshore support vessels. Six of the vessels are ABS-classed newbuilds and will utilize the Maintenance & Repair and Drawings Management modules as part of the ABS Newbuild Program, resulting in savings for software licenses, database development and consulting services of nearly $100,000. In addition, the company will also install the Purchasing & Inventory and Crew Management modules.

AB Maritime, Inc. a bulk carrier company based in Piraeus, Greece, will implement ABS Nautical Systems’ NS5 Enterprise fleet management software. The contract includes six vessels, two of which are ABS-classed newbuilds that qualify for free software licenses under the ABS Newbuild Program. The company will also implement Hull Inspection, Maintenance & Repair, HSQE, Purchasing & Inventory, Crew Manager and Vetting on all six vessels. AB Maritime, Inc. is currently using another system to manage their vessels; however they believe that the NS5 Enterprise platform will provide the flexibility they require to handle their requirements going forward. National Energy Transportation S.A.

Caspian Drilling Company, based in Azerbaijan, will install ABS Nautical Systems’ NS5 Enterprise software on four of its drilling rigs. Three of these rigs will take advantage of the ABS Newbuild Program and the Transfer of Class Agreement Initiative (TOCA)* by implementing the Hull Inspection and Maintenance & Repair modules. A Survey Planning Document will be prepared for each of these rigs as well. Utilizing these offerings represents a savings of over $300,000 in software licenses, database development and consulting services.

STX OSV standardises on AVEVA Marine for all engineering and 3D design; Technology will be implemented in ten shipyards globally. AVEVA has announced STX OSV has standardised its engineering and 3D design work on AVEVA Marine and has purchased more than 100 additional software licenses. The technology, which STX OSV has selected over Tribon and a competitive solution, will be implemented globally across ten shipyards. “We are pleased to confirm our first project’s critical path in the design process was reduced by 30%", added Magne Bakke, Chief Operating Officer, STX OSV AS.

AVEVA extends training programs to Brazilian universities in Pará and Pernambuco. Degree programs to include software products from the AVEVA Plant and AVEVA Marine portfolios. AVEVA has announced it will expand its training programs with Brazilian universities. Federal universities in Pernambuco and Pará states will implement AVEVA’s engineering and design software from the AVEVA Plant and AVEVA Marine portfolios within their engineering course curriculum. "With engineering skill shortages in Brazil specifically and Latin America in general…

ABS Nautical Systems announced that its fully integrated asset management software suite NS5 has been selected for trial by Formosa Plastics Marine Corp. (FPMC), part of the Formosa Plastics Group - the only privately owned Taiwan oil refinery and the second largest gasoline and gasoil producer in Taiwan. This new relationship marks the entry of ABS Nautical Systems into the Taiwan market and continues its expansion throughout Asia. FPMC will evaluate several modules from the NS5 software suite through the ABS Newbuild Program including Maintenance & Repair, Hull Inspection and Drawings Management. When making a decision to assess ABS Nautical Systems’ offerings, FPMC was particularly interested in the software’s capability for class integration with the ABS Eagle Survey Manager program.

Communication Intelligence Computer Corporation, Ltd. (CICC), has signed a licensing agreement for its InkTools(R), biometric, electronic signature and Office Automation (OA) software with Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. of Shanghai, China ("Hudong-Zhonghua"). Under the terms of the agreement CICC will provide software licenses and integration services for its InkTools software enabling the use of biometric signature verification for improved security, electronic signatures for automation of traditional paper based processes, as well as the company's Chinese handwriting recognition and natural input solutions to increase user efficiency.

Offshore Systems International Ltd. (OSI) announced that its teaming partner, Nautronix Ltd., has signed the final prime contract to supply the Royal Australian Navy with a fleet installation of OSI's ECPINS-MTM electronic chart navigation system. "We announced our selection by the Royal Australian Navy this past July, and we are pleased that the complex technical evaluations and prime contract negotiations are now fully complete," said John Jacobson, President and CEO of OSI. "This procurement further expands our track record in the naval market, and it will significantly improve the Royal Australian Navy's ability to operate jointly with NATO-member navies. We would like to thank our Australia-based partners, Nautronix Ltd.

Halliburton has signed an agreement with Vanco Energy Company for the provision of engineering and consulting services in several deepwater regions offshore West Africa. The agreement comes as Vanco, the largest holder of deepwater exploration licenses in Sub-Saharan Africa, prepares for a major drilling program offshore West Africa, beginning in late 2002. The operator expects to drill at least six deepwater exploratory wells offshore Equatorial Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Morocco, and Namibia. Halliburton is providing Vanco with a LNG project screening study, software licenses, and screening tools. Halliburton's business unit, Halliburton Energy Services, is scheduled to begin engineering related work within the next few weeks.

Lawyers and the millennium computer bug are about to demonstrate again that it's an ill wind that blows nobody any good. If computers around the world succumb to the bug at midnight on December 31, 1999, nobody really knows what the consequences will be. In a worst case scenario, experts say hospital patients might die if high-tech equipment fails, while power cuts or systems failures might cause accidents on roads, trains, ships or planes. Less dramatic theories have companies failing as crashing computers wipe out databases containing the life-blood of some enterprises. Either way, when the dust settles the search will be on for scapegoats and compensation. Enter lawyers with writs trying to suppress smug grins.