Software Maintenance News

Mobile, Ala. shipbuilder Austal USA said it has been awarded a modification to previously awarded contract with a total potential value of $43,362,000 by the U.S. Department of Defense. This contract was modified to exercise the options for Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Class design services, material to support LCS Class design services, and the Integrated Data Product Model Environment (IDPME). Austal will provide LCS Class design services to all LCS ships and services may include program management…

Kalmar, the provider of cargo-handling solutions and services to ports and terminals, has concluded a comprehensive software maintenance and support agreement with Australian terminal operator Patrick Terminals.The agreement, which covers the equipment automation systems at the company’s Brisbane and Sydney AutoStrad terminals, was booked in Cargotec's 2019 Q4 order intake, with the agreement coming into effect from November 2019, said the Cargotec unit.Patrick Terminals is Australia's leading container terminal operator, handling over three million TEU annually. The company operates some of Australia's most technologically advanced terminals at four strategically located ports: Brisbane AutoStrad Terminal…

Telemar, the Marlink Group company, launched its BridgeLink solution.Telemar engineers will use the BridgeLink Smart Maintenance Application to provide pro-active support to reduce potential down-time and increase efficiency of Bridge Electronics hardware as well as associated software maintenance and repair.“BridgeLink will enhance our efficiency in servicing our customers’ needs in terms of bridge electronics maintenance,” said Giorgio Santantonio, General Manager, Telemar Italy.

The secretary-general and chief executive of BIMCO, Angus Frew  is stepping down for personal reasons. BIMCO expects have found a replacement by the end of this year.Angus Frew has announced he will step down in the summer of 2020, as he wishes to spend more time in the UK and less time working.“In six successful years, Angus has moved BIMCO to the forefront of the shipping industry and made sure our members’ opinions and positions are listened to at the highest levels of government. He will leave an organisation very well prepared to deal with the challenges the industry will face in the coming years,” says Sadan Kaptanoglu, President of BIMCO.Under Angus Frew’s leadership, BIMCO has strengthened its brand and member focus significantly.

BIMCO’s Secretary General & CEO Angus Frew spent some time with Maritime Reporter & Engineering News to discuss the burning topics of the day in maritime … environmental regulation, digitalization & cyber security, and reducing the administrative burden on the ship’s master. We left no stone unturned for the man who recently had his contract extended to the end of 2022 to remain at the helm of the world’s largest international shipping association. Many of our readers surely know BIMCO, but to kick things off, can you give me a ‘by-the-numbers’ overview of BIMCO today?

BIMCO and the international association for the marine electronics industry, CIRM (Comité International Radio-Maritime), have sent the industry’s first proposal for an industry-wide standard for software maintenance to the IMO for consideration. Without an industry-standard, BIMCO sees an increasing risk of severe incidents on ships, delays and costs to shipowners and cyber security problems. "We hope the entire industry will adopt these standards, to make ships safer, to prevent cyber security problems and to save money," says Angus Frew, Secretary General and CEO at BIMCO. "The industry has been living in a world of hardware. But software has been integrated into most physical equipment on the vessels…

Marlink has launched XChange Telemed, a new telemedicine service designed to improve the health and safety of crew and passengers at sea, while meeting new ILO/MLC and IMO/STCW labor regulations for health and medical treatment on board. XChange Telemed provides a cost-effective way for shipping companies to manage both regular and emergency medical consultations for the welfare of crew and passengers, thereby supporting the medical health of seafarers and reducing the risk of spiraling costs incurred due to medical emergencies on board.

Venyu, a company in business continuity, cloud-based virtualization, and battle-tested data recovery, announced that E.N. BISSO has expanded its VenyuCloud, cloud computing and virtualization platform. E.N. BISSO, a provider of harbor and tug towing services for the Gulf Coast, is improving operations with flexible cloud hosting, improved network availability and enhanced IT support, Venyu said. E.N. BISSO supported its fleet of 15 vessels for docking and undocking of oceangoing vessels and barge combination units via a small data center in its main location, linked to a small branch office.

Shell has selected BMT Asia Sdn Bhd (BMT) to provide three-year maintenance services for a production storage facility offshore Malaysia. Sister company, BMT Scientific Marine Services previously installed Marine Instrumentation Systems (MIS) and Marine Advisory Systems (MAS) on the platform. This contract allows the organization to provide servicing and maintenance on MIS/MAS instrumentation exposed to the offshore marine environment, in order to ensure that components remain functional and provide accurate data.

Veson Nautical offers a hosted option for IMOS (Integrated Maritime Operations System), its flagship solution. The new IMOSLive option eliminates up-front IT infrastructure investment and management, in-house installation of software, and internal hardware and software upkeep. “The IMOSLive model is something our clients have been asking for, and we’re excited to move in this direction with them. It’s is a scalable way for shipping companies to get up and running with IMOS quickly,” says Sean Riley, Vice President of Commercial Operations at Veson. “On top of IMOS’ industry standard workflows, IMOSLive provides quick and resource-efficient implementation. IMOS is built around the way people work, enabling users to make better business decisions that ultimately maximize profits.

Tideworks Technology, Inc., a provider of full-service terminal management and planning software solutions, announced that California’s Port of Stockton will deploy Tideworks Technology’s terminal operating system (TOS) to manage its container-on-barge operation and improve overall operational efficiency. Port of Stockton’s implementation of Tideworks’ TOS is part of the M-580 Marine Highway, a federally funded project aimed at moving ocean shipping containers by barge instead of truck between Oakland and the Central Valley in California.

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has been selected by Canada's Department of National Defence (DND) to provide in-service support for the MK-49 inertial navigation systems and navigation data distribution systems fielded aboard surface ships and submarines of the Royal Canadian Navy. The $12.1 million contract, awarded by Public Works Government Services Canada, includes material spares and software maintenance for the next five years. This is the fourth in-service support contract that Northrop Grumman has received from the DND since 2001.

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.

Lockheed Martin, Maritime Systems & Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded a $23,119,281 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the operation and maintenance of a limited in-service support program for the Royal Norwegian Navy new frigate (NNF) F310 CL program.These efforts include software baseline development/maintenance, software maintenance management, engineering support, configuration management, logistics repair, spares support and diminishing manufacturing sources/material shortages. This contract supports the Government of Norway under the Foreign Military Sales program. The effort described herein provides limited in-service…