Software Update News

The use of a draft voyage planning tool which included waypoint data errors plus an ongoing technical fault with the vessel monitoring and surveillance system for the Great Barrier Reef contributed to a cargo ship’s grounding on a shoal, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has concluded.The 81-meter general cargo ship Trinity Bay grounded on Harrington Shoal, a charted feature with a depth of 0.9 metres north-west of Harrington Reef, on the morning of January 19, 2021 while conducting a regular weekly passage from Thursday Island to Cairns.

A software flaw combined with the captain’s failure to use back-up controls led to the grounding of a passenger ferry last year in New York City, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday.The high-speed passenger ferry Commodore, owned and operated by Seastreak, was transiting northbound on the East River on June 5, 2021, when the catamaran lost primary steering and speed control to both of its port hull water jets and then grounded. One minor injury was reported among the seven crewmembers and 107 passengers on board.

The Furuno RD50 Remote Data Display has received an upgrade with software version 1.16, introducing the new 3-Axis Speed Indication when connected to a Satellite Compass. Critical for towboats, ferries and other commercial vessels, 3-Axis Speed Indication simultaneously displays important speed information for three different points of reference: Longitudinal Speed (ahead-astern), Transverse Speed port-starboard at the stern, and Transverse Speed port-starboard from a user-determined reference point.The RD50’s 8.4" Color LCD provides a wide variety of data from onboard sensors…

Oldendorff Carriers signed a deal last week in Oslo with Yara Marine for the installation of U-type scrubbers on two newbuild capesize vessels.Torsten Barenthin, Oldendorff Carriers' Director of Innovation, and Aleksander Askeland, Yara Marine Technologies' (YMT) Chief Sales Officer, have signed an agreement for the first installation of YMT’s new U-type SOx scrubbers on board two bulk carriers at the Nor-Shipping conference and exhibition in Oslo on Wednesday, 6 April 2022. This…

FarSounder and Navtor announces a new partnership, with FarSounder now including support for NAVTOR official ENC chart data in itsbase software package.Navtor is centered on creating e-Navigation tools that are safe, simple and efficient. Similarly, FarSounder’s Argos 3D Forward Looking Sonar is designed to provide safe navigation by detecting many ocean obstacles via an easy-to-understand user interface. According to the pair, this partnership will bring an impactful software update for Argos technology."By implementing the NavtorECDIS Kernel in the FarSounder platform…

IMO2021 came into effect on January 1, and it is vital that ship owners and managers continue to monitor the systems and processes in place to ensure vessels remain cyber secure. Mike McNally, Commercial Director at GTMaritime discusses what shipping companies can do to ensure cyber security and that they remain compliant with the new regulations.The IMO2021 guidelines on maritime cyber risk management provide the basis for a safer, more secure and resilient cyber space for shipping operations.

A next generation automated vacuum mooring solution from Cavotec is designed to reduce fuel consumption and increase port productivity by simplifying and accelerating the mooring process. Cavotec, a Swiss-headquartered manufacturer of connection and electrification solutions for the maritime industry, on Tuesday launched its MoorMaster NxG with the goal to “revolutionize the way ships enter and leave ports,” enabling ships to dock in as little as 30 seconds.Mikael Norin, Cavotec CEO…

Maritime electrical and automation systems integrator RH Marine reports it is performing an increasing number of its services remotely amid travel restrictions and other challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.The engineers and people from RH Marine that normally go on board vessels to solve malfunctions, update software or for sea trials and other testing have not always been able to do so due to various COVID-19 measures due to reduced airline availability, government…

Northrop Grumman Sperry Marine has released a major upgrade to its VisionMaster FT bridge software. VMFT11 includes several key updates that support safety of navigation, including enhanced bridge alert management, an improved user interface and secure data exchange onboard ship and between ship and shore.A key driver behind the VMFT11 software update is to decrease the mariner’s workload in alert management, by reducing the number of high priority radar and ECDIS alerts, so that…

In a show of prototypes, a pod of unmanned sailboats from around the world competes to cross “The Atlantic” test tank in Horten, Norway. Cross the real ocean, and the Sail Bots race similarly challenges scholarly robotic-vessel designers to North America for a bit of station-keeping, collision-avoidance and “cargo moves”. For all, the future seems bright — the first commercial runs of unmanned vessels are underway or scheduled worldwide. These earliest movers have the support of governments, Google and grateful clients.

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…

Over the past two months the world has been rocked by three major hacking events that have garnered international notice. These included the EQIFAX event in which 140 million individuals were reported to be possibly compromised, the WannaCry attack and the NotPeyta event. In the past two years the emphasis on the cyber security of the Marine Transportation System, a vital economic cog to the world has come under increasing scrutiny. In August, trade journals and major international…

B&G, the world’s leading sailing navigation and instrument specialist has upgraded its latest software for the full range of Zeus2 and Vulcan chartplotters. The new software upgrade enhances B&G chartplotters, allowing users to wirelessly download high-resolution weather information using PredictWind* GRIB files to store meteorological forecasts. This new functionality helps in trip planning or developing strategy for top-level competition. PredictWind is recognized as the leading global supplier of weather data for inshore and offshore sailing, with forecasts ranging from low-bandwidth offshore route planning to specialized, highly detailed local area forecasts of 1km resolution.

Kongsberg Maritime has delivered new fleet and vessel management functionality through a recent customized software update across Dampskibsselskabet NORDEN A/S’ fleet and shore offices. The software roll-out took place during January 2016 and included updates to vessel and shore based modules covering maintenance, spare parts, information sharing, procurement and budgeting. The updated software was developed in close co-operation with NORDEN, an independent Danish shipping company operating a large global fleet of dry cargo vessels and product tankers.

Lowrance announced the upcoming software update for the HDS Gen3 fishfinder/chartplotter series — enabling wireless compatibility with the complete line of C-Monster compatible Power-Pole products. These efficient hydraulic anchors and all-electric Micro Anchor products quickly and quietly anchor fishing boats and kayaks in shallow-water situations. A simple touchscreen control on the Lowrance High Definition System (HDS) Gen3 display allows anglers to wirelessly engage the anchor — saving anglers additional steps and minutes, so they can focus on fishing. First announced in December 2014, the HDS Gen3 7-, 9- and 12-inch models offer a unique combination of professional-level features and easy-to-use operation.

Whether you are a cruiser looking to avoid a squall on your way back to the harbor, a sailor trying to determine a route with the best wind or a fisherman looking for sea surface temperature breaks, Furuno’s new BBWX3 SiriusXM Marine Weather Receiver has what you need. Utilizing SiriusXM’s subscription based marine weather service, you can get live, up-to-date weather forecast information obtained from the weather industry’s leading experts. The BBWX3 connects to your NavNet 3D, TZtouch or TZtouch2 network with a simple Ethernet cable. Once connected, and your SiriusXM subscription is activated, you will be able to view premium weather content right on your NavNet screen…

CD-adapco release STAR-CCM+ v8.02, a major new version of its integrated solution for multidisciplinary engineering problems. CD-adapco is the world's largest independent CFD focused CAE provider. "The STAR-CCM+ v8 releases are specifically aimed at increasing engineering productivity, making the software even easier to use and interact with, and significantly reducing the time required to get a high-quality solution," said Senior VP Product Management Jean-Claude Ercolanelli. Parts Based Meshing allows users to associate mesh definitions with geometric entities, resulting in greater control, better automation and reduced turnaround time.

Lowrance, a world-leading brand in fishing electronics since 1957— announced today its all-new Outboard Pilot for use with the Lowrance High Definition System (HDS) series. This easy-to-use autopilot system allows fingertip steering of the outboard engine— giving anglers an “extra hand,” so they can focus more on their fishing activity. Featuring integrated control froman HDS Gen2 orHDS Gen2 Touch, the Outboard Pilotcan be installed withhydraulic— or cable-steered outboard systems – all with commands coming directly from the HDS display. Designed for single outboard set-ups on boats 30 feet or less in length, the Lowrance Outboard Pilot can steer to a selected heading…

Vesper Marine announced today that its XB-8000 Class B AIS has a software update available for all new and existing owners, incorporating new features and capabilities to enhance marine safety. The XB-8000 is an upgradeable AIS platform, designed to be compatible with a continuous stream of feature updates, adding a host of new and unique capabilities. The most recent update makes it the first AIS transponder to allow users to connect an external buzzer to enable an audible alarm for AIS Man Overboard (MOB)…

Koden Electronics Co., Ltd. announced that its CVS-FX series echosounders (CVS-FX1, CVS-FX2 & CVS-FX2BB) are now fully compatible with the Olex 3D navigation system. Koden’s CVS-FX series is a frequency selectable digital broadband echosounder. Olex is a unique system for navigation, fishery plotting and ocean mapping, developed and manufactured by the Norwegian company Olex AS. Using the ships own echosounder and GPS the Olex creates a continually updated depth/position database which is used to produce a realistic 3D seabed view.

As a result of the recent successful completion of sea trials on-board the high speed car and passenger ferry, Blue Star Delos, Eco Marine Power (EMP) has now cleared the Aquarius MAS + Solar and Aquarius Marine Solar Power solutions for commercial release. During two days of testing and evaluation on the 17th and 19th May, 2015, the performance of the Aquarius MAS + Solar trial system on-board Delos was assessed by both EMP and Blue Star Ferries technical personnel as part of the Blue Star Delos Renewable Energy Innovation Project. Aquarius MAS + Solar is an innovative renewable energy solution for ships and the trial system includes a 2.3 kWp marine solar panel array, a 5.4 kWhr battery pack, MPPT charge controllers, a marine computer plus associated communications and interface devices.

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.

To serve its growing commercial maritime customer base in the Asia-Pacific region, KVH Industries, Inc. said it has doubled the service delivered by the JCSAT-1B satellite, which is part of KVH’s mini-VSAT Broadband network. This additional capacity, available as of last month, will support mariners in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes some of the world’s busiest shipping routes, and is one of the fastest-growing areas in the world for maritime broadband demand. “The additional…