Martek Lands BNWAS deal for V.Ships’ Fleet
Martek Marine has secured a contract to supply its Navgard Bridge Navigation Watch Alarm System (BNWAS) to Seacom Electronics, the UK subsidiary of global ship management services giant V.Ships.
Southampton-headquartered Seacom has placed an initial order for a Navgard BNWAS compliance package comprising a Navgard panel with two weatherproof external resets, an internal reset, three cabin alarms and four high intensity audio visual alarms. Martek will also deliver items including an illuminated push-button reset for the bridge, a bridge wing reset button, officer cabin alarm and a high intensity corridor audio-visual alarm. The initial contract is expected to be followed by orders for further packages to be installed on V.Ships’ vessels during the next three years.
Martek’s Navgard system is designed to comply with SOLAS Regulation V/19 as amended by MSC.282(86), which requires a BNWAS to be installed on all new and existing cargo and passenger vessels. The system also meets the requirements of the performance standards set out by MSC.128(75) & IEC 62616. The Navgard system comprises either a bulkhead-mounted or console-mounted control panel with an onboard Passive Infra-Red (PIR) movement detector that offers a 10m range. The system is highly modular, enabling it to accommodate any bridge size and layout, and has been designed to facilitate and speed up the installation process.
Navgard is the world’s first BNWAS system fully type approved by all major classification societies, and this was a particularly important factor in Seacom’s decision to opt for Martek’s technology, according to Neil Sayce, managing director of Seacom Electronics. “This saved us from the hidden costs and risks associated with getting additional approvals,” he said. Under the terms of the SOLAS amendment all new cargo ships over 150gt and all new passenger ships of any size constructed after July 1 2011 have to be equipped with a BNWAS. Furthermore, all existing passenger ships and cargo vessels over 3,000gt have to be equipped not later than the first special survey after July 1 2012 and all existing cargo ships over 500gt by the first survey after July 1 2013. The final category of vessels, cargo ships over 150gt, will have to comply by July 1 2014.
“The importance of this agreement with Seacom cannot be overstated,” said Paul Luen, chief executive officer of Martek. “Seacom expects to order significant numbers of further ship sets during the mandatory compliance schedule for BNWAS.” Based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, Martek Marine is one of the world’s leading suppliers of safety and environmental monitoring systems to the marine industry. As well as BNWAS, Martek Marine offers systems for engine emissions monitoring, gas detection, water level detection and cargo tank monitoring. Seacom Electronics installs and services a wide range of communication, navigation and entertainment systems for all vessel types. Its parent company, V.Ships, is the world’s largest supplier of ship management services, supporting a fleet of over 1,000 vessels. The managed fleet comprises a broad range of vessel types including tankers, bulk carriers and containerships as well as specialised ships, such as offshore vessels.
