Ocean Signal, AMI Marine Partner

Communication and safety at sea specialist Ocean Signal and manufacturer of marine electronic equipment AMI Marine have formed a new partnership to collaborate on product development for the large commercial vessel sector.

Combining the specialist knowledge and extensive technical background of two of the UK’s most experienced marine companies, the cooperation facilitates a unique capability to incorporate the latest technology within new solutions to fulfil demand for next generation, mandated equipment.

The new product will be launched later this year and is primarily for commercial vessels of 3000gt and over which are required to meet recent IMO equipment regulations. Targeting supply to OEMs, as well as commercial ship owners and operators, the collaborative project will enable the integration of the technology behind Ocean Signal’s range of GMDSS and safety equipment with AMI Marine’s years of experience in VDR (Voyage Data Recorder) system design.

Alan Wrigley, managing director of Ocean Signal, said: "The partnership brings together two highly successful British companies which have already established themselves as global marine industry leaders due to their dedication and individual attributes. It provides a unique opportunity to combine a huge amount of different experience, knowledge and technical expertise to develop an innovative, reliable and cost effective solution for commercial OEMs and vessel owners and operators who need to meet the latest IMO mandates.”

Martin Cox, sales director at AMI Marine, added: “It is really great to work with a company of the calibre of Ocean Signal and I am confident that both parties will bring significant skills and benefits to this collaboration. This project is part of AMI’s continued evolution as we maintain our focus on developing quality products and further strengthen our ability to adapt and provide bespoke solutions for our customers.”

Both companies have built up a global reputation for engineering excellence and innovation by developing devices and adapting technology to lead the way in their specific fields.

The exceptional engineering team at Ocean Signal use one of Europe’s best marine communication research and development facilities in Margate to design industry-leading safety devices featuring superior operational and battery life, compact size and simple operating controls, for both the commercial and leisure sectors. Ocean Signal recently launched the M100/100X MSLD (Maritime Survivor Locating Device) with AIS and 121.5MHz homing beacon for the professional marine market, adding to its GMDSS product range including the E100G EPIRB, S100 SART and V100 VHF. Its innovative rescueME portfolio features the award-winning MOB1 man overboard device, the PLB1 personal locator beacon and the EPIRB1.

Specializing in interfaces, repeaters, VDRs, advanced docking systems and alarm systems, Southampton-based AMI Marine was one of the first companies in the world to move from electro-mechanical to solid state electronics interfacing solutions and eliminated the necessity for moving parts by converting data using microchip technology. In 2000, AMI offered a VDR - a system which collects data to enable accident investigators to review procedures, instructions and communications in the moments before an incident and help to identify the cause of any accident - before the systems were mandated for commercial vessels, and has since worked with manufacturers such as Kelvin Hughes.

AMI continues to evolve after 20 years in business with its growing portfolio of VDRs and docking systems and further new projects in the pipeline.

AMI and Ocean Signal will be at this year’s SMM in Hamburg from September 6-9.