digital_ship_-_110_-_october_2015.pdf

AA fter five tumultuous years,Inmarsat can finally cele-brate the successful launch

of the third satellite in its GlobalXpress (GX) constellation after thespacecraft was sent safely into orbitfrom the Baikonur Cosmodrome inKazakhstan on August 28th – pavingthe way for the introduction of globalservice on the network at the end ofthis year.

The launch marks the culminationof a project first announced in thesummer of 2010 when Inmarsat con-firmed that it had placed an orderwith Boeing for three Ka-band satel-lites, signalling its intention to moveinto the construction of a VSAT net-work for the first time.

Three years later the companypassed a major milestone with thelaunch of Inmarsat-5 F1 (I-5 F1), thefirst satellite in the GX network, onboard a Proton Breeze-M rocket fromKazakhstan on the 9th December,2013.

The optimism created by this firstsuccess was dulled significantly overthe next two years, as repeated delaysin the launch schedule caused theprojected service introduction date tobe pushed back.

The second GX satellite, I-5 F2, hadoriginally been set for a Q4 2013launch, but an explosion during a dif-ferent launch using the Proton-Mvehicle meant that Inmarsat’s launch

had to be postponed.That launch of three Russian

GLONASS satellites on July 2nd 2013,which saw the rocket crash less thanone minute after lift-off and led to aninvestigation and review of theProton programme, caused the first ina series of delays for the GlobalXpress programme.

While this first setback was a rela-tively minor one, the problems withthe launch vehicle continued tomount as the Proton-M encounteredwhat was described as an “emer-gency situation” during the launch ofan Express AM4R satellite on May16th 2014, which led to the satellite

not being placed into orbit – thefourth launch failure in less than twoyears for the Proton programme.

The result of this was thatInmarsat would not manage tolaunch its second GX satellite in 2014,a major setback for the programmewhich had planned on having allthree satellites in orbit before thebeginning of 2015.

The return to flight of Proton fol-lowing the 2014 investigation didallow Inmarsat to get I-5 F2 airbornein February of 2015, after which planscontinued apace to quickly followthis with a third launch to completeglobal coverage on the network.

IN THIS ISSUE

October 2015

electronics and navigation

software

satcomsVroon and GMS sign Ku-band VSATdeals with SpeedCast – 6

Intelsat launches latest Ku-band satellite – 8

Satcom players return mixed financialresults – 11

GMDSS: the next generation – 12

ZIM and UASC agree new stowage planning software deals – 16

IBM in partnershipagreement with Portof Singapore – 18

GX goes global

Korean shipping companies agreeECDIS contracts – 24e-navigation in app mode – 27

Putting the humanat the centre of e-navigation – 29

Inmarsat has successfully completed the launch of its third Global Xpress Ka-band satellite, and is set to begin offering

services on a global basis at the end of 2015

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The Maritime Communications Experts™

The third GX satellite was launched successfully on August 28th. Photo: ILS

continued on page 2

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However, fate dealt a final cruel blow asyet another Proton failure, incredibly alsoon May 16th and exactly one year after theprevious incident, led to an additionaldelay in the launch programme.

Thankfully for Inmarsat this delay wasrelatively minor compared to the previousProton setback, and the company has nowcompleted its launch programme approxi-mately one year later than planned.

Inmarsat has also invested in a fourthGlobal Xpress satellite, but this will beused as a spare to back up the currentspacecraft, or to add capacity on the net-work – as it stands, the three satellites nowin orbit are expected to begin providingfull global commercial services at the endof this year.

Before then, the Inmarsat OperationsTeam will perform a series of burn activi-ties for I-5 F3, lasting various lengths oftime from two to 90 minutes. Followingthese burns, the solar arrays and reflectorswill be deployed before payload initialisa-tion and testing begins.

This will take place over a series ofweeks before I-5 F3 is raised into its finalorbit, approximately 13 weeks followinglift-off, and is ready to begin offeringbroadband services at sea.

New beginningWhile the three-satellite launch pro-gramme has now been concluded, the proj-ect is, in a sense, only beginning, asInmarsat begins to shift its focus on to salesof this new Ka-band VSAT product to themaritime market – a market used to thecompany’s L-band services and the morerestrained approach to data consumptionrequired by those technologies.

“It has been very exciting for us, ofcourse, we have been sitting here all withcrossed fingers to watch the satellite go up.After that was a big relief for all of us. (Butthe hard work) is only now starting,” saidRonald Spithout, head of InmarsatMaritime, in an interview with Digital Ship.

“It took us five years to get this constel-lation complete, and it will take two orthree months to tune it into the network,and then we will have this global constel-lation up and running. Of course, we stillhave to completely deploy this last satel-lite, and that is ongoing as we speak, but sofar everything is going smoothly. Oncethat is done, then it’s just a matter of start-ing proper marketing.”

“Commercial roll-out we expect earlyQ1 (2016) now, I don’t have an exact datebut that’s the time frame I’ve got. So I haveabout 2-3 months to have everythingready, trained and lined up. We’re verybusy, but right now all of the people arevery encouraged because the satellite wentup fine, and that was the biggest questionmark we still had. That risk has been takenout of the equation, so we have a lot ofenergy now to do these things, because wereally think it’s the best thing since slicedbread. It is potentially a large disruptivetechnology that will change the shippingworld.”

One of the more technical issues to workout between now and service introductionis the final configuration of the infrastruc-ture backbone which will form the basis ofFleet Xpress, the maritime productInmarsat will run over the Global Xpressnetwork combining Ka-band connectivity

with a FleetBroadband back-up.As well as broadband communications,

the service will include an integratedapplication platform based on Cisco tech-nology that will allow users to more easilyinstall, use and update applications thatwill take advantage of the satellite net-work, while also opening new opportuni-ties for services on board.

“On that level of course there are a lot ofsteps and a lot of releases that will buildup, and that we are working on. That hasbeen much more frantic than anything else.It’s the combination of the below deckshardware and software that we have beenworking on, the software versions of Ciscotogether with our gateway, and the typeapproval of all the terminals. Then weneed to tune that in with our delivery network, so we are training partners as we speak to do installations. That has been more hectic on our side of the company, rather than the satellites,” said Mr Spithout.

“What we are doing at our end is sum-marising all of the market requirementsand how we need those features to be builtup in the software. Our development andengineering department is the actual inter-face with Cisco, and they are delivering thereleases and the upgrades as a project. Weare in the defining mode and they are inthe realisation mode, that’s how it works.”

“In my mind, in the maritime businessunit, I take care of the translation frommarketing requirements, trying to buildthat into products. I have my installers anddelivery network to take care of the instal-lations on one hand, and the training of allour partners on the other hand. That willbe a very active period, which is only nowin the beginning phase.”

Customer baseOf course, Inmarsat already has a numberof existing VSAT customers via its acquisi-tion of companies like Ship Equip andGlobe Wireless, with the company report-ing a total installed VSAT base of 2,019ships at the end of 2014, mainly comprisingcustomers of its XpressLink Ku-band serv-ice with FleetBroadband included.

Once commercial service introductionon Global Xpress begins, Inmarsat willbegin the process of trying to wind downits Ku-band commitments and eventuallyhave all of these customers using FleetXpress – however, this will not be animmediate flick of the switch from one net-work to the other, as Mr Spithout notes.

“We will sell XpressLink in the shortterm, because we are still waiting for theglobal coverage, so today we are still sell-ing XpressLink. But of course, the wholemigration of those vessels to GlobalXpress, that is a major project that is start-ing now. The moment we have GlobalXpress commercially up and running, thenI will start migrating those XpressLink cus-tomers over to Ka-band,” he told us.

“For that, I need to have sorted out all ofthe below decks units and other technolo-gy so that we can do it in the quickest andmost economical way for us and the cus-tomer. That is a project that will be runningprobably for the best part of three years.Migrating them over that three years, offthe Ku-band network over to Ka-band,that’s a major undertaking.”

“In January I can start offloading theKu-band network towards Ka-band, but ofcourse, you have to make appointmentswith all your customers, you have to go tothe vessels, touch the units and migratethem all off. So that is going to be runningprobably for almost three years.”

The experience that has been gainedthrough the sale of the XpressLink servicesince it was first announced in 2013, as wellas the VSAT expertise acquired via ShipEquip and Globe Wireless, will also heavi-ly influence Inmarsat’s efforts to expandon its existing customer base with the newKa-band product.

“If I focus on Ship Equip, it was a solelyVSAT service provider, and we convertedthat service into XpressLink. So it gave us alot of knowledge, just through the acquisi-tion to start with, but after the acquisitionit gave us a lot of knowledge of what isneeded to build that seamless service anddo that smart switchover between Ka-band, in the Ship Equip case Ku-band, andL-band, and managing a service level,”said Mr Spithout.

“After this we will step over to FleetXpress, and Fleet Xpress is the first timethat Inmarsat is offering a managed servicebased on our own satellites. It gave us awealth of information about what a cus-tomer is expecting, in terms of managingthe service level.”

“We use our engineers in Norway andin the legacy offices to feed into theInmarsat core development to learn exact-ly what is needed on the application inter-face front to provide that seamless serv-ice. Without that we probably couldn’thave done this because we needed toknow exactly what was expected to pro-

SATCOMS

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‘Commercial roll-out we expect early Q1 2016 now’ – Ronald Spithout, Inmarsat

continued on page 4

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SATCOMS


vide a managed service. There is not a lotof difference when it comes to applicationinterface requirements between Ku-bandand Ka-band, so we needed that informa-tion and that knowledge, and we acquiredthat.”

However, despite this intention to leanon the experience gained through theseacquisitions, Mr Spithout is also consciousthat Inmarsat doesn’t want to “mimic aKu-band service” with Fleet Xpress, andwill aim to make the application integra-tion element the cornerstone of the salesapproach.

“It’s a managed service like XpressLinkis, but the discussions are moving awayfrom the terminology usually used in Ku-band towards more application talk. Whatour sales people are converting into ismuch more of a consultative selling rolewhen it comes to talking about what thiscommunication is going to do for you onyour ship,” he told us.

“It’s changing from ‘I can provide

2Mbps, or 4Mbps or 8Mbps in a managedservice’ to looking at what applicationscompanies are using for their key process-es and how we can support that with acombination of our satellites, our gateway,and the applications. So yes, the role of oursales people is changing completely in thatsense, but not from FleetBroadband, butfrom XpressLink to Fleet Xpress.”

One element of this change of focus thatInmarsat believes will be particularly “dis-ruptive” is a move towards application-triggered bandwidth allocation, where anapplication will trigger the bandwidthneeded on board and the connectivity ele-ment will be wrapped into the cost of theapplication subscription itself.

“We are coming to a stage that where ifyou have, for instance, an e-health applica-tion on board or you have a videoconfer-encing application on board, you don’tneed to buy that capacity in the form of aCIR (committed information rate),” MrSpithout explained.

“You can have that bandwidth trig-gered by the application, so if you only doa teleconference every Monday morningthen that morning you could trigger all ofthe bandwidth there is in a cell to providethe videoconference for the vessel, and youonly pay for that hour. You don’t have tobuy a CIR package, you just buy an appli-cation triggered bandwidth solution.”

“It makes a lot of difference if the appli-cation provider can go to the vessel andsay ‘this is the cost of the application everymonth, flat fee, and the airtime is takencare of’. That will remove a lot of the barri-ers (to VSAT adoption).”

It might seem that, even with the thirdof Inmarsat’s I-5 satellites launched, andglobal coverage for its Ka-band serviceimminent, the difficult work is yet to bedone – strapping $500 million satellites totons of explosives on launch day mightseem like a more relaxing proposition thanconvincing shipowners to part with thou-sands of dollars per month for VSAT.

“I think the biggest barrier was that forshipping companies it had been complete-ly unclear what the cost of an applicationwas,” said Mr Spithout.

“Someone would go to the companyand say they have a beautiful applicationthat will save X per cent of OpEx, but thenthe question is ‘how big is the airtime bill?’The application provider would have tosay ‘I don’t know, it depends on the usageand depends on your provider, and itdepends on the package that you buy’.That is creating a ship manager who isafraid of any kind of bill variations.Applications on board never took off in abig way so far because of that.”

“The discussion is completely new,both for us as sales people and for ourchannel to grasp as well as the customers.So I think we are just beginning a journeyof market education about what is possi-ble with something like this, a seamlessservice plus an Inmarsat gateway. That isjust starting now.”

Imtech Marine sold as parent Group declares bankruptcy www.imtech.com

Pon Holdings and Parcom Capital havereached an agreement to acquire the entirebusiness of Imtech Marine, owner of theRadio Holland brand, from Dutch engi-neering firm Royal Imtech, which has beendeclared bankrupt by the RotterdamDistrict Court.

The details of the takeover are currentlybeing worked out, the company said. TheImtech Marine division was set outside ofthe group prior to the bankruptcy and putunder the control of Imtech's financierswith a view to completing a sale.

This acquisition by Pon Holdings andParcom Capital aims to maintain continu-ity in the Imtech Marine business, to createstability amongst employees, customersand suppliers.

“We are extremely happy with PonHoldings and Parcom Capital as the new‘owners’ of Imtech Marine. Both are highlyprofessional companies, with extensive

experience in the maritime industry, itcouldn’t have been a better scenario forus,” said René ten Brinke, director globalservices at Imtech Marine.

“This new ownership aligns perfectlywith the positive developments that havealready been set in motion within ImtechMarine and will also further strengthenand accelerate growth of our business.”

Imtech Marine employs nearly 2,500staff at almost 100 offices in 30 countries,focused on shipbuilding centres and alongshipping routes. After the takeover, ImtechMarine will continue to operate independ-ently, the company said.

Despite this upheaval in the businessownership, work has continued as normalfor the maritime business, with RadioHolland’s Singapore office having recentlysigned a managed service agreement(MSA) with Thome Ship Management thatwill cover the maintenance of marine elec-tronic equipment, including navigation,communication, automation and IT sys-

tems, on nine vessels for four years.Thome Ship Management, headquar-

tered in Singapore, has worked with RadioHolland for a number of years already, butthis has largely been on an ad hoc basisuntil now.

The agreement covers a pool of ninechemical oil tankers of between 45,000and 50,000 dwt. The contract includesservices such as annual radio surveys andmaintenance of bridge equipment, as wellas delivery of spare parts and localisedtroubleshooting.

“I have worked with Radio Holland forover 11 years and have always beenimpressed with the way they have handledthe needs of our fleets during that time,”said Tihomar Baraba, fleet group manager,Thome Ship Management.

“Radio Holland has a large global net-work and enjoys a good reputation. We needa reliable partner we can call on to supportour worldwide activities. We were lookingfor suitable partners to assist our tanker pool

– the Champion fleet – but we found therewere not so many companies with a net-work as extensive as Radio Holland.”

“It is also convenient for us to have alocal contact in Singapore, where we knowthe people and they help us wherever ourvessels are in the world.”

‘This new ownership aligns perfectly withthe positive developments that have

already been set in motion’ – René ten Brinke, Imtech Marine

Kymeta agrees SHARP deal for flat antenna manufacturing

www.kymetacorp.com

Flat panel antenna company Kymeta andJapanese consumer electronics giantSHARP have announced a developmentagreement to design products for themobile satellite communications market.

Under the agreement, SHARP will useits liquid crystal display production tech-nology to manufacture Kymeta’s new flat-panel satellite antenna. Kymeta antennasuse liquid crystal-based metamaterials tocreate antennas that use software to elec-tronically point and steer towards a satel-lite, eliminating the need for mechanicalsteering equipment.

Based on the company’s mTenna tech-nology, this range of antennas uses a glass-on-glass design concept that includesmany of the same components and manu-facturing processes as SHARP’s existingflat-panel display production lines.

This means that SHARP can manufac-ture the Kymeta antennas using its exist-ing production capabilities and, with little or no modification, produce electron-ically scanned antennas for mobile satel-lite communications.

“Three years of intensive collaborationwith SHARP have led us to a productdesign that can be manufactured utilisingSHARP’s existing production capabilities.This is an important moment for Kymeta,”said Dr Nathan Kundtz, CEO of Kymeta.

“By using a production technology thatis already widely deployed in consumerdevices, with over $250 billion of industry-wide investment in infrastructure and R&D,we will be able to mass-produce antennason a scale previously unattainable.”

“Sharp is an excellent partner forKymeta because of its history and cultureof innovation and releasing excellentproducts.”

continued from page 2

DS

Euro package for shipznet service www.bobz.de

Vessel communications company bobzGmbH has announced a new version of itsGSM-based shipznet system, focusing onships travelling in European waters.

To date, shipznet has been available as a single global package covering approxi-

mately 130 countries, offering a world-wide monthly flat rate near-shore and in harbours for connection to mobile networks, without any additional roamingcosts.

“With this new offer for Europe, wecover the demand of shipping companies,which were looking for our running solu-tion, but trade locally in Europe only,” saidClaudia Bobzin, managing director of bobz GmbH.

“This new Europe data packageincludes our established hardware andtechnology, like the world-wide one.”

shipznet consists of an above-deck unitwith two antennas and a below-deck unitthat serves as a router and power supplyfor the above deck unit.

The company says that the service isparticularly suited to companies withfleets operating in Europe, as the ships willfrequently be in mobile network range.

The shipznet antenna system

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SATCOMS

Vroon and GMS sign Ku-band VSAT deals with SpeedCast www.speedcast.com

SpeedCast has agreed two new VSATdeals, having been awarded a multi-yearVSAT satellite communications contract byNetherlands-based shipping companyVroon, as well as a another extended dealwith Gulf Marine Services (GMS) for theprovision of dual-beam Ku-band satelliteservices to nine GMS barges.

Vroon operates and manages a diversefleet of approximately 170 vessels, withapproximately 400 shore-based staff and around 4,000 marine personnelworldwide.

The new deal with SpeedCast will covercommunications for subsea-support ves-sels carrying 10-25 people, walk-to-workvessels with up to 60 on board, and windturbine installation/maintenance vesselsthat can have up to 110 passengers at anyone time.

SpeedCast says that the contract wasawarded by Vroon following a competitivetender process to find a VSAT supplier thatcould offer a “hotel experience” for thevessels’ internet.

“With an ever-increasing demand forinternet services from our clients, weselected SpeedCast to deliver these servic-es in order to fulfil our clients' current andfuture needs,” said Rob Frenks, VroonGroup ICT manager.

The contract covers the delivery of whatSpeedCast calls “multi-megabit” band-

width speeds to the Vroon ships.“With our global infrastructure and

innovative technology we can deliver asolution that will meet Vroon’s needstoday, and for many years to come,” saidPiers Cunningham, VP of maritime servic-es, SpeedCast.

“Looking forward, by delivering oursatellite communications solution, we canhelp Vroon to deliver a future-proof and scalable internet service that will meetthe needs of their clients today and in the future.”

Gulf Marine Services (GMS) meanwhilewill be provided with a Ku-band systemfeaturing burst rates of 2048 kbps/512kbps, with committed information rates(CIR) of 512 kbps/256 kbps, to each vessel,with scope to upgrade as necessarydepending on client requirements.

“We have a modern fleet that enables us to serve our clients’ needs, whichrequire sophisticated communications sys-tems,” said Simon Cook, COO of GulfMarine Services.

“Not only does SpeedCast achieve this,but they are also able to deliver anadvanced, globally accessible communica-tions solution that is reliable and has aproven operational deployment record.”

SpeedCast says it will deliver principlesupport for GMS from its Dubai, UAEsales and support centre, backed by itsglobal support network.

“The Middle East is a critically impor-

tant market for the offshore oil sector,”said Mr Cunningham.

“SpeedCast has continued to invest inits network and infrastructure to servicethe demanding requirements of its off-shore customers. Likewise, SpeedCast has continued to invest in products andservices, for both FSS and MSS, that allowus to serve as a one-stop-shop for ourmaritime and energy customers’ criticalcommunications.”

SK Telecom to developmaritime wireless network

www.sktelecom.com

SK Telecom has announced plans tolaunch what it says is the world’s first pilotLTE-M (LTE for Maritime WirelessCommunications) network, as part of aresearch and development project led bythe Korean Ministry of Oceans andFisheries (MOF).

The aim of the LTE-M project will be toprovide high-speed wireless telecommuni-cations to ships up to 100 kilometres fromshore. In particular, it is hoped that thiswould significantly enhance safety of nav-igation for smaller ships with limited com-munications capabilities.

SK Telecom says it plans to deploy thetest network by May 2016 in the East Sea offKorea. This will feature radio signals trans-mitted from a high-gain antenna located ata high altitude on the eastern coast beingreceived by an LTE-M router installed on aship, which will then be converted to Wi-Fi.

The telecoms company will develop thehigh-gain antenna and the LTE-M routerspecifically for the maritime environment.

“SK Telecom will successfully deployLTE-M, high-speed maritime wirelesscommunications network, by leveragingits extensive expertise in communicationstechnologies, and thereby contribute toenhanced safety of ships,” said ChoiSeung-won, senior vice president andhead of the network strategy office at SKTelecom.

Rob Frenks, Vroon ICT manager

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SATCOMS


Globalstar tech for new asset-tracking systemwww.globalstar.com

Globalstar has announced an agreementwith Identec Solutions which will seeGlobalstar’s STX3 chipset integrated into anew asset-tracking solution, which can beused to track items like containers any-where in the world.

Identec Solutions will add the iQ350LXGPS/SAT tag to its existing platformdeveloped for companies carrying outremote operations all around the globe,both land-based and offshore. TheiQ350LX GPS SAT tag has already beengranted Zone 1 IIC ATEX certification forharsh environments and is currently goinginto worldwide deployment.

The new Identec solution incorporates

both satellite technology and Active RFIDfeatures, with the ability to dynamicallyswitch transmission types, and as such canoffer uninterrupted tracking visibility.

In addition to reporting the location ofthe asset, the unit also provides data onmovement and can report any shocks thathave been experienced, information which

could prove useful when carrying cargo ofa fragile or hazardous nature.

“In today’s competitive business envi-ronment, companies in all industries needto know where their assets are at any giventime,” said Corry Brennan, regional salesmanager – Simplex at Globalstar.

“Efficient asset monitoring and man-agement are critical in order to satisfy thedual requirements of retaining customers’loyalty, as well as improving operationalefficiency.”

“Identec Solutions has been a pioneer inthis field and we at Globalstar are delight-ed to be working with such an innovativepartner to help businesses in oil and gasand other verticals to monitor and reapmaximum value from their assets.”The STX3 is similar in size to a US quarter

First Iridium NEXT transceiverprototypes delivered

www.iridium.com

Iridium has announced another step for-ward in the development of its next-gener-ation Iridium Certus broadband servicewith the delivery of the first BroadbandCore Transceiver (BCX) prototypes forinteroperability testing on the IridiumNEXT satellite network infrastructure.

Designed by Cambridge Consultants,the prototypes will be used by Iridium'smanufacturing partners to design, buildand distribute products compatible withthe new broadband capabilities of theIridium NEXT network, scheduled tobegin launching in late 2015 with commer-cial service expected in late 2016.

Iridium says that the BCX module rep-resents a significant advancement on itscurrent-generation broadband products,

measuring just 75 per cent of the size offirst-generation Iridium broadband equip-ment, while being expected to initially sup-port triple the data speeds of the currentservice and eventually reaching as high as1.4 Mbps.

The BCX will be made available to theIridium Certus broadband manufacturingpartners that Iridium announced earlier thisyear, a list including Cobham SATCOM,Thales, Rockwell Collins, L-3, and ICG.

“This is another exciting step forwardfor us that reinforces our strategy to driveinnovation by designing core technologyand putting it into the hands of industry-leading partners to build and distributeend solutions,” said Brian Pemberton, vicepresident and general manager, Iridiumaviation and maritime business.

“As initial development continues, we'll

be working diligently to support our part-ners in a collaborative environment and cre-ate a number of truly cutting-edge mobilesatellite broadband solutions that meet theneeds of our many diverse markets.”

Iridium will make the BCX prototypes

available to manufacturers as part of theIridium Certus Integrator DevelopmentKit and says it will assist product develop-ment efforts with technical support andtesting services. BCX production deliveriesare planned for the first half of 2016.

Development is continuing on the Iridium NEXT network

Intellian 60cm and 1m antennasapproved for THOR 7

www.intelliantech.comwww.telenorsat.com

Intellian reports that it has partnered withTelenor Satellite Broadcasting (TSBc) toreceive approval for use of its 60cm and1m VSAT platforms on the TSBc Ka-bandsatellite, THOR 7.

The Intellian v-Series antennas, thev60Ka and v100Ka,include Intellian’sAptus RemoteControl Softwarewith a built-in spec-trum analyser, andoffer secure SSLconnections as wellas the ability to net-work via a LANfunction for man-agement of multi-ple devices.

The antenna con-trol units also support multiple user inter-faces, either via a front panel display andkeyboard or through Aptus.

With the v60Ka and v100Ka now both

approved by TSBc for use on its Ka-bandnetwork, the v60Ka has become the onlyapproved 60cm system for use with Thor7, Intellian said.

“Designed to enable maritime cus-tomers to benefit from high-speed broad-band connectivity on the THOR 7 Ka-band

n e t w o r k ,Intellian ispleased to beable to bring thev60Ka andv100Ka productsto the market,”said Eric Sung,Intellian CEO.

“The additionof these intelli-gent antennasolutions boostthe existingVSAT Intelliano f f e r i n g ,enabling us to

bring the capabilities and service excel-lence enjoyed by our customers on currentKu-band terminals to those in the Ka-bandspace.”

www.intelsat.com

Intelsat has announced the successfullaunch of its Intelsat 34 satellite fromFrench Guiana, aboard an Ariane 5 vehicleon August 20th, which will bolster thecompany’s Ku-band capacity for the mar-itime market.

The Intelsat 34 satellite separated fromthe rocket’s upper stage 40 minutes after

launch and signal acquisition has beenconfirmed, the company said.

Intelsat 34 is a C- and Ku-band satelliteto be placed into service at the 304.5˚Eorbital location. The satellite includes a C-band payload which will deliver mediadistribution services as well as a spe-cialised Ku-band payload serving theNorth Atlantic that will support broad-band services for the maritime sector.

The satellite is one of Intelsat’s currentgeneration spacecraft, and not part of theEPIC HTS series which is expected tobegin launching next year.

“Intelsat 34 is a great example of thebreadth of services that Intelsat’s satellites areable to provide to communities around theworld,” said Stephen Spengler, CEO, Intelsat.

“With services spanning from DTH andcable programming distribution, to broad-band for vessels and planes traversing theNorth Atlantic, Intelsat 34 demonstratesour role in delivering broadband infra-structure and media distribution withsuperior reliability.”

“We are thrilled with (this) successfullaunch and look forward to our next twolaunches which are scheduled for the firstquarter of 2016, including the first of ourIntelsat EpicNG satellites, Intelsat 29e.”

Intellian’s Ka-band antennas

Intelsat launches latest Ku-band satellite

Intelsat 34 launched on August 20th

p1-15:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 15:41

p1-15:p1-14.qxd 18/09/2015 08:12

Heights™

Networking Platform

SATCOMS


KeyIdea agrees deal to bring One Horizon VoIP to ships www.onehorizongroup.com

One Horizon Group has signed an agree-ment to be the exclusive supplier of Voiceover IP services to Chinese satellite equip-ment manufacturer KeyIdea InformationTechnology, which will be incorporated intoa new KeyIdea maritime satellite service tobe launched in the fourth quarter of 2015.

One Horizon already operates its ownChinese retail VoIP service, brandedAishuo, and develops and licenses a band-width efficient mobile voice over InternetProtocol (VoIP) platform for smartphones.Under this new deal KeyIdea will supplycrew-calling services exclusively using theAishuo platform when its maritime servicehits the market.

KeyIdea will purchase pre-paid callingcards from Aishuo and resell to the crewon board, with the cards able to be topped-up online using the Aishuo App. The callswill be carried through Aishuo's PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN) inChina and billed to the crew on a pay-as-you-go basis.

One Horizon has already gained someexperience working with other stakeholdersin the ship communications market, havingpreviously completed successful maritimedeployments with Singtel and with SmartCommunications in the Philippines.

“The expansion of our business intoproviding satellite services alongside ourhigh quality equipment is expected todeliver increased revenue and better mar-gins for KeyIdea when linked togetherwith a turnkey smartphone VoIP serviceavailable in all the App stores in China,”said Xiaogang Chen, CEO of KeyIdea.

“We are really excited about the cooper-ation with One Horizon and using theirunique technologies to improve the wel-fare of the crew on our fleets.”

With its Chinese roll-out having startedin late February 2015, downloads of theAishuo retail App have already surpassed7 million across the 20 Chinese AndroidApp stores, including Baidu, Tencent,360.CN and Xiaomi.

“We were delighted to be able to show-case our solution to the newest entrant in

the satellite sector here in China and withour track record of success in thePhilippines and Indonesia, we were confi-dent in winning this contract,” said OneHorizon Group CEO, Brian Collins.

“The team worked tirelessly to deliverwhat is going to be a truly high qualityand affordable calling solution forKeyIdea's fleets.”

Navarone to installSmartBox-Vwww.setel-group.com

Setel Hellas reports that it has agreed adeal with Greek shipping companyNavarone to deploy its SmartBox-V sys-tem across its fleet.

SmartBox-V is a communications man-agement system used to centralise configu-ration of onboard networks, with addition-al options to manage e-mail, remote access,security and crew welfare applications.

“The onboard ICT infrastructure must bean extension of our shore one,” explainedMr Sakellakos, ICT Manager of Navarone.

“Taking that as granted, and consideringthat the high availability, the redundancy,stable performance and the centralisedmanagement of our fleet is not an optionany more, we have carefully chosen theSmartBox-V solution of Setel Hellas thatguarantees all the aforementioned alongwith a superior 24/7 after sales supportavoiding a lock in to our air time provider.”

The entire Navarone fleet will install the system

Hutton’s Group has been appointed asthe sole UK distributor of Sim4crewglobal SIM cards for seafarers. Operationalin over 4,500 ports and 120 anchorageareas, the Sim4crew SIM card starts at fivecents a minute for calls and from nine

cents a minute for data.

bobz GmbH and SDSD haveannounced a partnership agreement where-by the shipznet mobile service by bobz willbe added to the SDSD product portfolio.

www.huttons-group.com www.shipz.net www.sdsd.com The Aishuo app is already popular in China

p1-15:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 15:41

Digital Ship


With a number of publicly-traded players in the maritime satcom industry recently issuing their financial results forthe first part of 2015, we look at how SpeedCast, Intelsat, Iridium and Inmarsat have fared so far this year

Satcom players return mixed results with financial reports

AA number of the publicly-tradeplayers in the maritime satellitecommunications industry have

recently released their financial results forthe first half or second quarter of 2015,showing varying levels of growth com-pared with last year.

SpeedCast’s half year 2015 results,through to the end of June, reported 38 percent growth in its maritime business year-on-year.

The company says that it has managedto perform “well above the market averagegrowth rate” for the year to date, addingvessels to its customer base and growingits market share. The number of shipsbeing served with SpeedCast VSATincreased from 689 as of 31 December,2014, to 836 on 30 June, 2015.

Overall revenues from core servicesacross all sectors grew 32 per cent, toUS$71.7 million, with pro forma revenuewhen accounting for the impact ofacquisitions completed in 2014 growing 23 per cent.

“We continued to deliver strong finan-cial performance with significant growthacross our key operating metrics,” saidPierre-Jean Beylier, CEO of SpeedCast.

“We finished the first half with a strongbacklog of work won, but not yet activat-ed. This, coupled with the significant winsalready achieved in the second half, willunderpin the delivery of organic growth inthe second half of 2015 and into 2016.”

“The execution of our strategy, combin-ing both organic and acquisitive growth,continued in 1H 2015 with the acquisitionof four companies, continued expansion ofour business in the maritime segment, anda string of early successes in our newEnergy business, which is poised tobecome a new major growth engine forthe group.”

The acquisitions of HermesDatacommunications, Geolink SatelliteServices, and the teleport and satelliteservices business of NewSat were all com-pleted this year, with the $14.2 million pur-chase of SAIT Communications finalised atthe beginning of August.

SAIT Communications, a maritimecommunications service provider based inCyprus, is primarily an L-band satelliteservice provider focusing on the Greek andCypriot shipping markets, with a client listincluding 2,500 ships in its close to 10 yearsof operation.

SpeedCast says it has demonstratedconsistent organic growth for the past fewyears, with further sustained organicgrowth expected through the further adop-tion of broadband services in the merchantshipping sector.

In particular, SAIT has rolled outFleetBroadband services to 1,500 ships andhas more recently started providing VSATbroadband services.

For SpeedCast this transaction will help the company gain a foothold inSouthern Europe, a region it says it expectsto offer continued L-band growth andaccelerated future VSAT services growth,in particular in Greece and Cyprus. SAITCommunications’ management team willremain with the SpeedCast group.

The new combined entity will now serv-ice over 5,000 vessels with communica-tions and IT services.

“Our maritime business is a key growthengine for SpeedCast. With this acquisi-tion, we are expanding our presence inmajor and fast growing maritime marketsin southern Europe. These low VSAT-pen-etrated markets are well positioned foraccelerated growth,” said Mr Beylier, CEOof SpeedCast.

“I am thrilled to welcome the very experienced and talented SAITCommunications’ management team, astogether we position the group as an evenstronger global provider of state-of-the-artcommunications and IT services to themaritime sector.”

“There are significant revenue synergiesbetween the two companies, and a strongpotential for revenue growth and marginexpansion in the key markets where SAITCommunications operates.”

Activities are now well underway tointegrate SAIT and the company’s otheracquisitions into the broader SpeedCastGroup, the company says, and it is expect-ed that these efforts will create synergisticbenefits in the second half of 2015 and overthe course of next year.

IntelsatIntelsat’s Q2 2015 results showed total rev-enue of $598.1 million and net income of$60.2 million. The $598.1 million total wasdown from the approximately $615.7 mil-lion total recorded for the same period lastyear.

Though revenue from services to mar-itime providers is not reported separatelyby Intelsat, it does form part of the compa-ny’s Network Services end of the business,which was responsible for approximately$270 million in revenue – down approxi-mately $17 million on the same figure forQ2 2014.

“Overall, Intelsat delivered a solid sec-ond quarter with revenues of $598 million.Contract renewals in each of our networkservices, media and government business-es are within our expectations for the yearand include promising contract expansionsthat use traditional and next generationIntelsat Epic NG services,” said IntelsatCEO, Stephen Spengler.

“Progress on our operational prioritiesallows us to position for a return to growthover the long term. We are continuing toleverage sector innovations that will differ-entiate our services and enable us to

address new and faster growing applica-tions and vertical markets.”

One area where Intelsat will look toexpand its capabilities is through its newalliance with OneWeb and its proposed lowearth orbit satellite platform, which will beinteroperable with Intelsat Epic NG follow-ing a deal agreed in June, as well as thecompany’s latest product IntelsatOne Flex.

“This (deal with OneWeb) will createthe first and only fully global, pole-to-polehigh throughput satellite system, provid-ing increased differentiation of our mobili-ty networks and government services,”said Mr Spengler.

“We continued our work on introduc-ing new services in the second quarter,announcing IntelsatOne Flex, a fully-man-aged infrastructure service for the mobilitysector. IntelsatOne Flex gives our cus-tomers flexibility to better manage capaci-ty for geographic expansion and surgerequirements.”

“Our expected satellite launches (in2016 after the recent launch of Intelsat 34),Intelsat 29e, and Intelsat 31, remain ontrack, even after accounting for disruptionsin the launch sector. We expect that thesuccessful entry into service of these satel-lites will refresh existing capacity and pro-vide significant incremental inventory,supporting the growth strategies of ourmedia, network services and governmentbusinesses.”

IridiumIridium Communications reported netincome of $26 million on total revenue of$101.9 million as it delivered its financialresults for the second quarter of 2015.

This total revenue figure consisted of$78 million of service revenue and $23.9million of equipment, engineering andsupport revenue. Total revenue declined 1per cent versus the comparable period in2014, however service revenue was up 2per cent from the same period last year.

Service revenue was 77 per cent of totalrevenue for the second quarter of 2015,from 766,000 total billable subscribers.Total billable subscribers grew 9 per centyear-over-year, driven by growth inmachine-to-machine (M2M) customers, thecompany said.

Commercial service revenue, whichincludes the maritime segment, was $60million, largely unchanged from last year'scomparable period.

Commercial voice and data subscribersincreased 2 per cent from Q2 2014, to359,000 customers, while commercial voiceand data average revenue per user (ARPU)was $41, down 7 per cent from last year'scomparable period, primarily due to foreign currency impacts and lower air-time usage.

Commercial M2M data subscribersgrew 15 per cent from the year-ago period

to 342,000 customers, with the M2M dataARPU of $15 representing a decrease fromthe $17 in last year's results.

Iridium's commercial business endedthe quarter with 701,000 billable sub-scribers, compared to 650,000 for the prior-year quarter. M2M data subscribers repre-sented 49 per cent of billable commercialsubscribers.

Looking ahead, Iridium CEO said thatthe company was also making solidprogress on its next generation constella-tion, Iridium NEXT, with a first launch stillexpected by the end of the year.

“The satellite platform software testingis 100 per cent complete, our team is mak-ing good progress on payload testing andthey've validated the performance of voiceand data calls on the new network archi-tecture,” he said.

“We continue to move the initial spacevehicles through low-rate production andhave successfully integrated the firstAireon payload with the satellite platform.However, a subsystem supplier is rework-ing an important hardware componentrelated to the Ka-band satellite links,which is pushing our initial launch on theDnepr rocket out two months toDecember.”

“We also have full faith and confidencethat SpaceX will be able to meet our launchrequirements, and we still expect IridiumNEXT will be fully deployed in 2017.”

InmarsatFinally, Inmarsat, despite enjoying a recentlaunch success with its third GX satellite,reported a 3.5 per cent drop in maritimerevenues, down $5.3 million to $147.3 mil-lion compared with last year, as the com-pany issued its half year results for theperiod up to the end of June 2015.

This drop was mainly attributed todecline in the company’s older products,with revenue from the Fleet service in par-ticular down by 55 per cent in the quarter.

Newer services have been on the up forInmarsat however, with FleetBroadbandrevenue up 17 per cent and the company’sVSAT business delivering 11 per cent rev-enue growth for the quarter. These twoservices now account for more than 75 percent of total maritime revenue, the compa-ny said.

FleetBroadband represented approxi-mately 60 per cent of total maritime rev-enue in the quarter, compared to justunder 50 per cent in the same period lastyear. There were 41,689 FB users at the endof the quarter, spending just under $700per month on average.

VSAT revenue growth, which the com-pany says was almost all from itsXpressLink service, included almost 40new installations per month in the quarter,taking the total installed base to almost2,200 ships at the end of the period. DS

p1-15:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 15:41


SATCOMS

As IMO’s review of the GMDSS continues, Iridium is pushing for a place at the tablewhile Inmarsat is looking to evolve its offering to include ‘safety as a service’

GMDSS: the next generation

TT he IMO’s review of the Global Mar-itime Distress and Safety System(GMDSS) has been the subject of

much debate at the Organization’s mostrecent Navigation, Communication, andSearch and Rescue (NCSR) sub-committeemeetings, in particular the proposal to openup the provision of GMDSS services to oth-er satellite companies beyond the currentsingle authorised provider, Inmarsat.

GMDSS is the international frameworkthat relies on terrestrial and satellite tech-nology and ship-board radio systems forsearch and rescue. Under the GMDSS, allcargo ships of 300 GT and upwards, as wellas all passenger ships engaged on interna-tional voyages, must be equipped withradio equipment that conforms to interna-tional standards as set out in the system.

For many years, Inmarsat has been thesole provider of the space segment neces-sary for GMDSS to operate. In April 2014however, Iridium submitted a formalapplication to the IMO to be considered asa provider.

In November of last year, the IMO’sMarine Safety Committee (MSC) agreed thata panel of experts should produce a techni-cal and operational assessment of Iridium,and that assessment is now well under way.

IMSO (International Mobile SatelliteOrganization) initiated its formal assessmentand evaluation in April, and that is ongoing.A formal report will be submitted to the IMOthis November, which will be reviewed atNCSR-3 in the first quarter of 2016.

The United States has backed the bid byIridium to allow its satellite network to beused for GMDSS services, and current dis-cussions are examining both the purelytechnical side, with a review of the compa-ny’s network, and the practical issues ofhow the change might potentially affectthe global maritime industry.

France and Spain have previouslyexpressed concerns on the proposal to widenthe net of GMDSS providers, based on theview that “the use of additional mobile satel-lite communication systems posed severaloperational problems” and could poten-tially cause difficulties in ensuring equip-ment interoperability, while also creatingnew costs for maritime stakeholders.

However, the United States has respond-ed to these concerns with its own presenta-tion to NCSR, refuting these concerns.

The US noted that IMO has alreadyendorsed the idea of adding anotherGMDSS service provider to add redundan-cy and expand coverage to Polar areas, aswell as introducing healthy competition,and also dismissed issues of interoperabil-ity by making an analogy to the interna-tional operation of mobile phones.

“We all make calls to mobile phonesserved by any number of different carriersfrom our various devices and the calls arecompleted seamlessly. All one needs is thephone number of another subscriber andthe call is completed through interconnec-

tion with the Public Switched TelephoneNetwork (PSTN),” the US delegation said.

“This same scenario applies to GMDSSservices whether provided by Iridium orInmarsat – or any other carrier as long asthe interconnection requirements ofResolution 1001(25) are complied with.”

Resolution 1001(25) concerns the inter-operability of systems in GMDSS, and saysthat an approved network “should be con-nectable to the public switched telephonenetwork” and that “satellite systems usingthe public switched network for routingmaritime distress calls and distress trafficto and from MRCCs should, … immediate-ly attempt to establish the connection nec-essary for the transfer of the distress alertor message.”

It also requires that “The satellite sys-tem should have a reliable communicationlink to one or more associated MRCCs. Thearrangements between the system and theMRCC are subject to approval by thenational administration.”

Turning to the issue of SAR authoritiesand RCCs having to adapt to additionalrequirements and acquire new equipment,the US countered that an RCC would notneed an Iridium terminal to receive orrespond to distress alerts, or to transmitdistress alert relays.

“The means used by a particular RCC orSAR authority to access the Iridium systemwill vary according to the particular needsand capabilities of the RCC or SAR author-ity,” the delegation said.

“The ability to receive and to send alertsfrom the RCC will generally be the samemethods used today for the existingGMDSS satellite provider, Inmarsat.Iridium is discussing requirements withthe RCCs and SAR authorities to deter-mine what arrangements are necessary.”

This back and forth on these GMDSSissues suggests that the debate will rumbleon for some time to come, as Iridium’sapplication is evaluated further and thedetails of any changes in the safety infra-structure are ironed out.

For the moment, that will next takeplace at the eleventh meeting of the JointIMO/ITU Experts Group on MaritimeRadiocommunication Matters, from 5 to 9October 2015, at IMO Headquarters inLondon.

IridiumIridium’s move to try and gain approval asa GMDSS provider does contain a few keyelements which would seem, outside ofIMO’s complicated discussions at least, tobe of benefit to the industry as a whole, aswell as commercially beneficial to the com-pany itself.

Probably foremost among these, andmentioned by the US in its presentation toNCSR, is the possibility to add Polar cover-age to the distress system, includingAntarctica, particularly at a time when traf-fic through the NW passage is increasing.

The other key benefit Iridium believes itcan offer is redundancy through diversity,creating options in GMDSS service provi-sion for the maritime industry, rather thanthe “monopoly” Iridium points to withInmarsat as the sole current provider.

GMDSS is a free service of course, so theprice related concerns of monopoly mar-kets are not an issue, but Iridium believesthat the maritime industry would be betterserved by having additional options forboth equipment and service providers. Bydiversifying network providers it wouldalso allow for the use of a backup means ofcommunication in an emergency.

There are commercial considerationstoo, of course. If Iridium does manage toget its terminals installed on ships to beused for free in times of distress, it is alsolikely to see some paid traffic over the sys-tems if they are installed and operationalon a wider number of ships.

For now there is still a lot of hard workto be done in moving towards that finalgoal of GMDSS approval, but the companyis excited at the prospect.

“I was actually in London recentlymeeting with the IMO and IMSO(International Mobile SatelliteOrganisation) on moving our evaluationforward,” explains Brian Pemberton, vicepresident and general manager of aviationand maritime businesses at Iridium.

“That process is going very well. Wehad the kick-off meeting with the panel ofexperts, and they’re now getting underway to complete their operational evalua-tion and submit their final report inNovember of this year, to be reviewed inwhat looks like the first quarter of nextyear at the IMO.”

“So right now things couldn’t be goingbetter. We’re very excited to have the panelof experts assembled, and to have the rela-tionship we do with IMSO and the IMO toundertake this evaluation. We’re on a time-line for the IMO to make a decision regard-ing authorisation of the Iridium networkfor GMDSS services probably in 2016.”

Even if that application is successful, anumber of other steps must be completedbefore Iridium can be up and running as aGMDSS provider.

Integration with search and rescueoperators around the world is required,and Iridium has begun this effort alreadyin anticipation of a positive decision fromthe panel of experts. Similarly, Iridium’snew Certus broadband service, which willoperate over the company’s upcomingNEXT infrastructure, has been configuredto be GMDSS compatible, and Iridium ishoping the broadband terminals beingdeveloped by its partners will be the firstto also be approved for GMDSS use.

“At the moment we’re planning for suc-cess,” says Mr. Pemberton, “that theywould undertake that decision and that wewould have a favourable outcome in late2016, and that the integration effort with

some of the different rescue coordinationcentres and operators would take placelate in 2016 through 2017.”

“One of the key elements that we’vetargeted with the development of IridiumCertus Broadband services is that this plat-form would be capable of supportingGMDSS. So it’s very likely that the IridiumCertus broadband terminals will be thefirst broadband terminals approved forsupporting GMDSS services, which onlyhelps to support the complimentary naturewith VSAT, as well as the standalone ter-minals. We’re very excited about the devel-opments in our GMDSS efforts.”

Presuming approval is forthcoming, theintegration of broadband communicationswith GMDSS capabilities could be anappealing prospect to ship owners, andwill potentially be a differentiator forIridium. An alternative to Inmarsat in theGMDSS space may also be welcomed byship owners if competition leads to lowerequipment pricing.

“Obviously GMDSS is important for awhole bunch of reasons,” says BrianHartin, vice president of sales and market-ing at Iridium.

“Maritime customers tell us that they’reeager to have an alternative to Inmarsat’sGMDSS monopoly. With an addressablemarket of 60,000 SOLAS vessels, there’sclearly a strong desire for alternative solu-tions as one size does not fit all.”

To focus purely on whether havinganother GMDSS provider will make shipssafer, Iridium believes that the distinct dif-ferences in the technology used to provideits low Earth orbit (LEO) connectivity, via66 satellites positioned 780 km above theplanet, compared with Inmarsat’s geosta-tionary Earth orbit (GEO) coverage via itsfour I-3 satellites at an altitude of approxi-mately 36,000 km, should improve the like-lihood of maintaining a good connection ifboth were installed.

“We believe there is great value in bothnetwork diversity and in architecturaldiversity. Our omni-directional antennas,combined with the unique architecture ofthe Iridium network, provide reliable com-munications even when a vessel's antennachanges direction," said Mr Pemberton.

"When vessels are in emergency situa-tions and the ship becomes partially flood-ed or heeled over, it can cause an antennato face a new direction, away from thesatellite it was originally connected to.”

“With our mobile, low-Earth orbit satel-lite constellation, even if an antennachanges direction, it may still be able to con-nect to a new satellite and provide reliablecommunications during an emergency.”

InmarsatAs the discussions and evaluation by IMOof Iridium’s application go on, Inmarsat iscontinuing to fulfil its commitment to offerglobal distress communications via theGMDSS, but is currently also looking to

p1-15:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 15:41

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supplement those services through theintegration of a new range of safety servic-es for the shipping industry.

“To look at what IMO is doing, they’rerewriting parts of SOLAS, in particular theGMDSS requirements, and taking out anyexplicit reference to a particular networkor a particular service. As a company wewholeheartedly agree with that, becauseby having those explicit references in thereit limits the ability for anybody – us andother people – to be able to innovate or dosomething different,” explains PeterBroadhurst, vice president service devel-opment, Inmarsat Maritime.

“What we want to be able to offer in thefuture is ‘safety as a service’ – a GMDSSvoice service, a GMDSS data service – andthat will be offered by Inmarsat built to thestandards that Inmarsat has always builtour safety services to, but almost, in a way,agnostic to whatever transport layer sitsbehind it.”

“So it’s not on a FleetBroadband, it’s noton a Ka-band service, it’s not on anInmarsat-C, the Inmarsat connectivity thatyou have on board will work with yoursafety service. You don’t have to worryabout over which network it’s going.Inmarsat will offer a GMDSS voice safetyand a GMDSS data safety service, as a serv-ice rather than through a specific network.”

As things stand at the moment thiswould also require further approval fromIMO, perhaps as part of the overall GMDSSreview, as Inmarsat’s I-4 network, used toprovide FleetBroadband services, is not per-

mitted to run GMDSS services at present.“If you look at it from a holistic level,

we are building so many different technol-ogy satellites today, why would we haveour maritime customers relying on onlyone set of our satellites?” says RonaldSpithout, president of Inmarsat Maritime.

“We’ll have global Ka-band satellites,we’re building an S-band satellite, so I’msure that in the future we’ll have differenttechnologies in our constellations. Andbecause of the different constellations youcould even benefit from double routing onthe satellite level, better than ‘only on L-band’ like in the past.”

“What we’re trying to do is take safetyto the next standard, where the customerswill benefit from all the constellations wehave and all the double-routed infrastruc-ture that we have, and come with a ‘safetyas a service’ device on board which is com-bining all of those capabilities.”

The ‘device’ envisioned by Inmarsatwould include a range of integrated safetyservices, including free GMDSS connectivityalongside other paid services that could beused for tracking and monitoring purposes.

“If you look at the SSAS requirementand the GMDSS requirements, it’s a lotmore than just an Inmarsat-C terminal.There’s a breakout box for SSAS, there’s abridge installed for GMDSS that takes inthe VHF, the HF and other capabilities thatyou need to have. What we’re offering issomething that will go in as part of thatand be a part of the GMDSS installationthat goes on board,” says Mr Broadhurst.

“For retrofit, yes, it may be a separatebox that goes in, and in future it may wellbe built into the bridges when they’re builtthrough the bridge manufacturers.Because by maximising all of the differentnetworks that are available it means youare maximising the reliability, the redun-dancy, the flexibility.”

“The services that you can offer goes toa whole new level when you take intoaccount everything that’s available ratherthan trying to keep it to one individualtype of terminal.”

Inmarsat believes that this approachwill complement IMO’s own review of thefuture of safety services, looking towards apotentially expanded version of theGMDSS, both in terms of the number ofproviders and the number of approvedsatellite networks.

“It’s entirely what they’re doing, they’removing away from functional basedrequirements to goal based requirements,not just for GMDSS but across the wholeremit of SOLAS,” says Mr Broadhurst.

“It’s certainly the way in which they’removing, to offer that flexibility for opera-tors and the flexibility to service providersto innovate within that. That way no one isever tied to the lack of choice of having justone individual terminal on board.”

Inmarsat is aiming to have somethingavailable and in the market from this inte-grated safety as a service concept “by theend of this year” covering items such asSSAS, LRIT, and noon day reporting ontop of GMSS.

“All of those things are actually regula-tory communications requirements. So it’llbe a platform that offers all of these com-munications requirements, not justGMDSS. We’ll be rolling out more andmore functionality with the first set of itcoming later this year. We hope to havesomething out there on board ships by theend of 2015, at least,” says Mr Broadhurst.

“We are (dependent on other people onthe regulatory side), but if you look at thebroader range of services like those SSAS,LRIT and noon day reports, which aremandatory in SOLAS, all of these arealready written as goal-based rather thanbeing tied to specific technologies. So wewant to embrace that and be able to offerthose services, and then roll out the othersas they bring the rewrite of GMDSSthrough as well.”

“We’ll be working with the class soci-eties, flag states, IMO – it’s not somethingwe’ll do in isolation, we’ll be working withall of those stakeholders so that they knowall the plans as we’re going through.”

With all the excitement and hypearound the launch of next generation HTSsatellite networks, and endless debateabout the next application to drive datatraffic in maritime, it is reassuring at leastto see that innovation is continuing in thedevelopment of safety services.

After all, distress calling provided theinitial impetus for the introduction of satel-lite services at sea. It’s worth rememberingthat sometimes, as the ultimate ‘killer app’should always be the life-saving one. DS

p1-15:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 15:58

www.interschalt.com

Liner shipping companies ZIM IntegratedShipping Services of Israel, and UnitedArab Shipping Company (UASC) in theUAE, are to implement the StowMan[S]software system from Interschalt to man-age stowage planning for more than 160ships between them.

ZIM will implement the software acrossits entire its 93-ship container fleet. Inaddition to the stowage planning software,the contract also includes the provision ofSeacos MACS3 loading computer systemsto ZIM’s vessels.

“While looking for the best stowageplanning software currently available,StowMan[S] impressed us with the speedand efficiency with which we were able toplan different stowage scenarios accordingto various criteria, in order for us to decideon the optimum plan with maximumcapacity utilisation,” said David Arbel,chief operation officer at ZIM.

“There is no other software like it on themarket today. Operated together with theMACS3 loading computer, we see a realis-tic possibility to optimise the capacity util-isation of our ships – both on board and on

land, taking into account safety criteria aswell as economic aspects.”

UASC meanwhile will use StowMan[s]to assist in the management of containerson its fleet of 71 ships.

In addition to the stowage planningsoftware, UASC is already an existing userof Interschalt’s Seacos MACS3 loadingcomputer, used on all ships put into oper-ation since 2011, and is equipping its mostrecently constructed A15 and A18 classships with the company’s Bluetracker ves-sel performance software.

“We are delighted by the confidenceentrusted in our products and services byUASC,” said Robert Gärtner, CEO ofInterschalt.

“It is a confirmation of our strategy tooffer ship owners and managers innova-tive software with attractive pricing mod-els, tailored to meet their needs.”

StowMan[S], developed in cooperationwith the IT University of Copenhagen andlaunched in September 2014, is used togenerate multiple optimised stowageplans for a ship.

In an iterative process, the softwareexamines a range of criteria relevant to thestowage of containers in making its recom-

mendations, such asthe container size,crane capacity, seg-regation of danger-ous goods, reefercontainer plug-ins,and also the opti-mum trim.

The StowMan[S]software package isnow in use onapproximately 600ships around theworld.

SOFTWARE

DITAS aims to optimise performance with ECO Insight www.dnvgl.com

Turkish ship management companyDITAS Marine Operations and TankerManagement Co is to implement DNVGL’s ECO Insight fleet performance man-agement software to monitor the perform-ance of the company’s ten tankers.

ECO Insight provides data on a varietyof fleet performance variables, includingvoyage information, hull & propeller state,as well as engine and system performance,supplementing the shipping company’sown fleet reports with industry data suchas AIS, weather, or fuel reports.

The portal also comes with an optionalon-board vessel reporting system calledNavigator Insight which monitors thequality of data collection on board throughplausibility checks against specific vesselparticulars.

“We were looking for a solution that iseasy to implement and to use,” saysKoray Yaş, Ditas’ technical and newbuild-ing manager.

“Less than four weeks after the kick-offworkshop we have commenced the fleetroll-out already.”

The web-based fleet performance man-agement solution was launched in autumn2014 and currently has more than 300 ships

using the system.DNV GL has recently expanded the

ECO portfolio with the addition of a newtool to its ECO Retrofit service, whichexplores the effect of alternative opera-tional options when examining new bowshapes based on computational fluiddynamics (CFD) calculations for retrofit toexisting vessels.

In addition to analysing a fleet’s pastperformance, the tool aims to show theeffects of changes in the way those vesselsoperate that might be required in the future.

“Even though our new ECO Retrofittool cannot change the volatility of themarket, it quantifies performance for abandwidth of scenarios from worst-case to

best-case scenarios, supporting moreinformed business decisions,” says CarstenHahn, senior project engineer ECO Linesat DNV GL – Maritime.

ECO Retrofit creates 5,000 to 10,000 ves-sel-specific bow designs and assesses themfor a range of operational conditions usingCFD. An Excel-based tool includes the‘what-if’ scenarios for those different con-ditions, with input drawn from the targetoperational profile and typically displayedin a matrix of four speeds and three drafts.

Optional constraints, such as reachingdesign speed at 85 per cent engine power,are also considered before the best bowshape for the operational profile is chosen.The tool can then assess the performance ofthis bow for alternative operational profiles.

ECO Insight offers a range of voyage data


ZIM and UASC agree stowage software deals

93 ZIM ships are included under the contract

Paramarine implementedat IIT Madras

www.qinetiq.com

QinetiQ’s Paramarine ship and sub-mersible design software is to be imple-mented by the Ocean Engineering Centerof the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Madras, to support the training ofits students.

The Ocean Engineering Center wasestablished over 25 years ago by the IndianGovernment to act as a centre of excellencein the field as part of IIT Madras, an insti-tution with over 8,000 students.

The Paramarine software was sup-plied along with preliminary training byConceptia Software Technologies ofBangalore, the authorised local distribu-tor for the application.

“We selected Paramarine not onlybecause it is one of the world’s leadingmulti-market ship design software pack-ages, but because it is very user friendlyand offers an extensive range of function-ality,” said Professor SurendranSankunny, IIT Madras.

“Its pedigree as naval architecturesoftware of choice is further reinforcedby the fact it is used by many universitiesaround the world to educate and informstudents.”

www.flowtech.se

Flowtech has introduced a new module forits SHIPFLOW 6 vessel design package forcomputing ship motions in waves, with anew solver it says is up to 10 times fasterthan its predecessor.

SHIPFLOW MOTIONS is used to com-pute ship motions and added resistance inregular and irregular waves, takingaccount of wave resistance, sinkage andtrim in calm water.

The company says that the SHIPFLOW6 RANS solver XCHAP used in the systemis about 10 times faster than its predeces-sor, version 5.2, allowing a resistance com-putation to be run within 15 minutes and aself-propulsion simulation within 1 houron a workstation.

Flowtech says that the improved solvershould assist in automatic shape optimisa-

tion of ship sterns for ship designers, withthe potential to optimise the deliveredpower using self-propulsion simulationstaking the two (often conflicting) aspectsof resistance and propeller efficiencydirectly into account.

“We are thrilled to offer the new effi-cient capabilities for optimising the shiphull to reduce the delivered power andimprove the performance in waves,” saidLeif Broberg, managing director ofFlowtech International AB.

“These optimisations can now be used byour customers in their ship design processand we hope that it will contribute to moreenergy efficient and safer ships in the future.”

SHIPFLOW was developed byFlowtech in cooperation with SSPA andthe Department of Shipping and MarineTechnology at Chalmers University ofTechnology in Sweden.

Flowtech improves ship motion calculation

www.marinecfo.com

MarineCFO has announced the launch ofits new Endurance software system, aCloud-based version of the company’sexisting MarineCFO Enterprise Solution.

The development of the new packagehas followed on from the company’sacquisition by software house VerticaLivein 2013, with the new system offering sub-scribers options for management ofPlanned Maintenance, Compliance &Safety, Personnel, Training, Certifications,Operations, Logging, and DocumentManagement.

Endurance can also be extended withmobile apps, and through integration withMarineCFO Enterprise or other softwaresolutions.

“MarineCFO has proactively sought tobring efficiency, ease of use, and afford-ability to the broader marine transporta-tion market,” said Dean Shoultz,MarineCFO Chief Technology Officer.

“We have simplified the shipboard userinterface and improved upon existingMarineCFO Enterprise functionality. Wehave also brought the solution pricing wellwithin reach of the most financially sensi-tive marine operators.”

Cloud-based system launched by MarineCFO

p16-20:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 16:03 Page 1

Digital Ship


www.enginei.co.uk

Diesel power company Royston reportsthat its Enginei fuel management system isbeing installed on 25 vessels in Nigeria,with a similar number of additional instal-lations planned for the coming months.

The Enginei system is being used formonitoring of bunkering and fuel con-sumption data to help identify and over-come fuel security and potential pilferageissues, the company says.

“Access to reliable fuel consumptiondata is taking on even greater importancefor a wide range of fleet management andfuel security issues. Our upgraded Engineifuel management system has attractedconsiderable interest from shipping opera-tors in Nigeria, and we have responded bysetting up special arrangements to ensurethat all installations are carried out by our

own skilled and experienced engineers,”said Damian McCann, product managerfor fuel management systems at Royston.

“We take direct OEM responsibility forthe installation and performance of the sys-tem - giving ship owners and operators thereassurance that specialist support will beprovided for the entirety of a vessel’s work-ing life or operational time in Nigeria.”

“In addition, our electrical engineerswork closely with local fabricators to keepsystem installation rates competitive. Wehave installation coverage throughoutAfrica and are now working with many oilsector majors and fleet operators – withinitial customer feedback already confirm-ing that significant reductions in fuel con-sumption are being achieved.”

The Enginei system includes anonboard flowmeter and sensor systemoffering real-time engine and vessel per-

formance measure-ments. Installationincludes tamper proofarmoured cables and atamper prevention tapefor flanges and electri-cal cabinets.

The data is present-ed on board via touchscreen monitorsinstalled on the bridgeand in engine controlrooms. In addition, thesystem remotely sendsthe information fromship to shore where it can be accessedthrough a web dash-board to show an operational profile of a vessel.

Fuel monitoring system gets Nigerian boost

www.kvh.com

KVH Media Group has added a range ofnew titles to its NEWSlink portfolio withthe launch of four daily editions focusingon the Balkans region, for Romania,Bulgaria, Serbia, and Montenegro.

Each title covers daily news, sports andentertainment stories from those States,and is available in the native language ofeach country.

The Balkan editions are standard four-page newspapers delivered sevendays a week, similar to most other cur-rently published NEWSlink titles, andwill also be made available later this year on KVH’s IP-MobileCast contentdelivery service.

“The Balkans area provides a large pro-portion of the world’s seafarers and whilstwe have covered these countries with ourEnglish-language versions, we are againresponding to feedback from our cus-tomers that providing crew with newsfrom home in their own language goes along way to make them feel more connect-ed to life back home,” said MarkWoodhead, managing director of KVHMedia Group.

“As we reach the second anniversary of

the ratification of MLC-2006, we remainfocused on key welfare requirements forseafarers, and believe that sometimes it’sthe thoughtful but important touches suchas providing a daily news service, that cansometimes make a big difference for manyseafarers away from home for months on end.”

Balkan titles added to NEWSlink range

Enginei displays fuel data on the bridge

Bulgarian is one of the languages for the new edition

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SOFTWARE

IBM in partnership deal with Port of Singapore www.mpa.gov.sg

The Maritime and Port Authority ofSingapore (MPA) has announced a part-nership with technology company IBM todevelop and test-bed new analytics-basedtechnologies, aimed at improving mar-itime and port operations in line withgrowth in vessel traffic in Singapore.

Singapore remains one of the busiestports in the world, with an estimated 1,000vessels calling at any one time, accordingto the MPA. Every year there are approxi-mately 130,000 vessel calls at the Port ofSingapore, which means a vessel arrivingor leaving every two to three minutes.

As part of the two-year agreement, IBMwill create a unified platform to integratereal time data and provide a view of datapoints across port operations, in areas likevessel positional and weather data, forexample.

Using IBM’s Traffic Prediction Tool,predictive analytics will also be applied toforecast vessel arrival timings and poten-tial traffic congestion.

The partnership will additionally aim touncover new methods for sense-makingand event monitoring to detect unusualbehaviour from vessels and prevent illegal

bunkering, using technologies includingfusion analytics, anomaly detection anddata mining, while also leveraging existingIBM systems.

“IBM has worked with over 800 citiesaround the world to address some of their most critical challenges and helpthem become smarter and more effective,"said Tim Greisinger, managing director,IBM Singapore.

“Our history of smarter cities engage-ments have demonstrated how the right

investments in infrastructure and adoptionof analytics-based technologies can beeffectively used to create synergy and pro-vide seamlessness across an organisation.”

“The capabilities that will be created inthis initiative are aligned to Singapore'saspirations to be a smart nation, and we arehonoured to be partnering MPA in our jointcommitment to improve the long-term effi-ciencies of the maritime industry andenhance Singapore's position as a world-class international maritime centre.”

Tim Greisinger, IBM Singapore (left) and Andrew Tan, chief executive of the MPA, sign the MOU

Eniram launchestraining packages

www.eniram.fi

Eniram has introduced a new range oftraining services for its Eniram platformand associated products, including onboard, on shore, and Computer BasedTraining (CBT) options.

The training portfolio is aimed at shipofficers as well as staff onshore, organisedalong a series of training paths describingwhich courses are intended for each audi-ence and the order in which they shouldbe taken.

The graduated learning system movesfrom introductory to advanced levelsacross topics like general nautical opera-tions, Eniram product operations (trimoptimisation, speed optimisation, engineusage, analysing and tracking energymanagement, etc) as well as advancedtroubleshooting on board.

A mix of live and web-based conferenc-ing options are available, along with self-study components that can be accessed asthe crew schedule allows. The self-studyComputer-Based Training (CBT) libraryincludes presentations, how-to videos,manuals and other materials, while atablet will also be provided for the crew touse during the voyage.

“By developing this comprehensivetraining offering, we will be able to provideour customers with the opportunity to godeeper in understanding and interpretinghow Eniram gathers, monitors and tracksfuel-saving data, and to gain improveddata transparency across their fleet and intheir organisation as a result,” said TomiUrho, director of Eniram Academy.

“At the same time, the training portfo-lio supports officers onboard to gain theknowledge and skills to efficiently opti-mise the fuel consumption. The trainingportfolio will also be further expandedwith Eniram certification programmeslater this year.”

Vroon completes crew and payroll software implementationwww.soft-impact.com

The Vroon Group in the Netherlands hasannounced that it has implemented theSeanique maritime software system fromSOFTimpact across its entire fleet.

Seanique is based on the MicrosoftDynamics AX platform, and will be usedby Vroon to manage operations in crewingand payroll for its ships.

The roll-out is part of Vroon’s goal ofcreating a single ‘future-proof’ global sys-tem to be used by all Group companies,manning and recruitment agencies, vesselsand related stakeholders.

Seanique has now been successfullyimplemented at Vroon’s managementcompanies in Aberdeen in the UK, Den

Helder and Terneuzen in the Netherlands,and in Singapore. Since early July the man-agement companies in Genoa, Italy, andStokesley in the UK havebeen on production use,with Manila, Philippines,scheduled to jointowards the end of 2015.

The software willreplace a range of differ-ent independent systemsformerly used by the dif-ferent Group companiesin various countries. Atthe same time, the imple-mentation project hasalso been used as anopportunity to stream-

line and standardise particular crewingrelated processes across the Group, thecompany said.

Maersk Line to implement ABB and MeteoGroup optimisation systems www.abb.com

ABB reports that it is working withMeteoGroup to equip 140 Maersk Linecontainerships with advisory software thatwill help to optimise routes based on fac-

tors including hull design and weather.The deal will see ABB combine its

Octopus motion-monitoring, forecastingand decision-support software withMeteoGroup’s SPOS Seekeeping plug-in.

Once fitted on Maersk Line’s ships, thesoftware will enablecaptains to define onboard loading condi-tions, and more accu-rately determine areasof the ocean where theship’s motion is likelyto exceed thresholdvalues. Routes canthen be optimisedautomatically to skirtadverse conditions.

“Both MeteoGroupand ABB take great

pride in the fact that we are delivering anonboard advisory tool for the world’sbiggest container shipping company,” saidHeikki Soljama, managing director ofABB’s Marine and Ports business unit.

“This will enable Maersk to executecargo transportation across the world in asafe and efficient manner.”

ABB’s Octopus advisory packageincludes a three-dimensional hydrody-namic database for each individual hulltype to produce calculations about how aship will respond to dynamic weather andocean conditions.

This means that the resulting routingadvice is tailored to the individual vesselwith respect to environmental conditionssuch as wind, currents and swell, and theeffect these changing conditions may haveon the ship’s behaviour.

The software will be used to optimise routes

Orkim Ship Managementadds E Foqus software

www.glomaris.com

Malaysia-based Orkim Ship Managementis to implement the Glomaris softwaresystem from E Foqus for management ofits commercial and voyage operations, thecompanies have announced.

Orkim is a Clean Petroleum Product(CPP) tanker operator, founded in 2004and with 11 vessels under ownership andmanagement.

“Glomaris has all the features we werelooking for and more, above all its superi-or technology and user friendliness,” saidCapt Mohan, general manager, commer-cial division, Orkim.

“The solution is designed to optimiseefficiency by automating tasks and givingthe user total support to improve bottomline.”

Niels Ammendrup, the COO of E Foqus,said that Orkim will now act as an “E Foqusambassador” in this region, which the com-pany hopes will expand its profile withinthe Malaysian shipping community.

Vroon will roll out the system across its fleet

p16-20:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 16:03 Page 3

FURUNO ELECTRIC CO., LTD.9-52 Ashihara-cho, Nishinomiya, 662-8580, JapanPhone: +81 (0) 798 65-2111 • fax: +81 (0) 798 65-4200, 66-4622

www.furuno.com

Fast, intuitive route planning and navigation monitoring

•

•

•

FMD-3300 [23.1" LCD]FMD-3200 [19" LCD]

FURUNO provides thoroughgoing ECDIS training:FURUNO's ECDIS training programs consist of:

Generic ECDIS training in accordance with IMO ECDIS Model Course 1.27. Presently, the generic ECDIS training is only available at INSTC Denmark.

FURUNO type specific ECDIS training. The FURUNO type specific ECDIS training is available at INSTC Denmark, INSTC Singapore and through the NavSkills network of training centers:

FURUNO Deutschland (Germany), GMC Maritime Training Center (Greece), ECDIS Ltd. (UK), Thesi Consulting (Italy),, Ocean Training Center (Turkey), Odessa Maritime Training Center (Ukraine), RHME/Imtech Marine (UAE) A.S. Moloobhoy & Sons (India), FURUNO Shanghai (China), New Alliance Marine Training Centre (China), COMPASS Training Center (Philippines), VERITAS Maritime Training Center (Philippines) and PIVOT Maritime Intl. (Australia)

Please contact INSTC Denmark at: [email protected] for further details

Multifunction display capability, featuring

ECDIS, Conning, Radar/Chart Radar and Alert

Management

Instant chart redraw delivered by FURUNO's

advanced chart drawing engine

Task based operation making the ECDIS

operation simple and intuitive

Fast, precise route planning, monitoring and

navigation data management

p16-20:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 16:03 Page 4

The meeting place for Maritime ProfessionalsDanish Maritime Fair is not only a professional exhibition with exhibitors pre-

senting the latest news in products and services. The Fair is the natural focal

point for the concept Danish Maritime Days which was introduced last year.

Danish Maritime Days present more than 60 different events and three of the

largest events take place in the same venue as Danish Maritime Fair.

If you are working in or have interests in the maritime business,

it́ s a must to visit the Fair for many reasons. You will:

• Increase your knowledge about the latest innovation in the business

• Get a unique insight into a dynamic and exciting professional business

• Get an introduction to various educations and further training

• Get an overview of job- and career opportunities in the business

6th to 8thOctober2015

Registration is now open for delegates We are giving away 500 free tickets to the readers of Digital Ship Magazine, just use the

voucher code “digitalship” when you register, and you will get your ticket for free.www.eventbuizz.com/danish-maritime-fair-2015/detail/

For booking of exhibition stands: +45 31 60 40 [email protected]

p16-20:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 16:03 Page 5


ELECTRONICS & NAVIGATION Digital Ship

Tsakos Group adds new simulators to training centre www.km.kongsberg.com

Tsakos Group is to add new ship-handlingand Dynamic Positioning simulators fromKongsberg Maritime at itstraining centre, the MariaTsakos TCM Academy inAthens, Greece.

Tsakos’ existing K-SimPolaris DNV Class A shiphandling simulator will beupgraded to the new genera-tion K-Sim Navigation systemin order to meet the latestDNV GL and NauticalInstitute compliance require-ments.

The migration from thePolaris system to K-SimNavigation is included in aLong Term System SupportProgram (LTSSP) establishedin 2013 as part of a Kongsbergsimulator delivery to Tsakos,which covers access to the lat-

est versions of the simulation software andtechnology.

Working jointly with the Maria TsakosTCM training academy team, Kongsberg

Maritime will also develop a brand newDP vessel model for use on the new K-SimNavigation and K-Sim DP (DynamicPositioning) simulators.

Tsakos Group and Tsakos ColumbiaShipmanagement (TCM), the Group’stechnical managers, established the MariaTsakos TCM Academy in 2014 for the

training of the company’s seafarersand shore staff.

“When you are at sea, mistakesare not allowed. The protection ofhuman life and the environmentare non-negotiable matters,” saidCapt Panagiotis Drosos, managingdirector of TCM.

“The simulator offers you anunprecedented opportunity tooperate and react in a virtual, yetfully realistic environment wheremistakes become lessons learnt. It’san exceptional educational experi-ence not available on board.”

“It also serves as the best proac-tive measure to initially educateand ultimately test and evaluate anofficer’s competence and readinessto undertake higher rank dutiesand responsibilities.”

The US Department of Transportation’sMaritime Administration (MARAD) hasannounced that it is providing $500,000to support a feasibility study for thedesign, construction, and operation of ahigh-speed passenger ferry powered byhydrogen fuel cell technology and ahydrogen refuelling station.

The fuel cell would provide power forthe ferry’s propulsion and auxiliary elec-trical systems, while the hydrogen refu-elling station – which would be thelargest in the world – would service theferry, electric cars, buses and fleet vehi-cles, and other maritime vessels poweredby fuel cells.

“This study is just one more way inwhich MARAD is working to find newand efficient technologies for use in themaritime industry that offer clean-fueloptions to cut emissions,” said MaritimeAdministrator Paul ‘Chip’ Jaenichen.

“The US maritime industry can playan important role in reducing the world’scarbon dioxide emissions and creating amore sustainable future for us all.”

MARAD has partnered on this projectwith Sandia National Laboratories, partof the US Department of Energy (DOE),which will lead the research effort. Thestudy will examine the technical, regula-tory, and economic aspects of a high-speed hydrogen fuel cell vessel as a cleanenergy alternative.

This study is part of ongoing work byMARAD’s Maritime Environmental andTechnical Assistance Program (META)and other industry stakeholders to con-duct research, testing, validation anddocumentation of fuel cells for marineapplications.

The work complements an ongoingjoint project to demonstrate fuel cells toprovide auxiliary power for other portand shipboard applications, such as pow-ering refrigerated containers and replac-ing diesel generators.

MARAD is also funding an effort todemonstrate a fuel cell for ship auxiliarypower for its school ship Kennedy, whichis used by Massachusetts MaritimeAcademy as a training vessel.

MARAD to fund ship hydrogen power cell research

The K-Sim Navigation system is part of the delivery to Tsakos

www.transas.com

The New Alliance Marine Training Centre(NAMTC) has joined the Transas GlobalECDIS Training Network (GET-Net), tobecome the first GET-Net partner in China.

The New Alliance Marine TrainingCentre was established in Wuhan, China,in April 2009 to help Chinese seafarers to improve their competence in meetingthe requirements of the global maritimemarket.

In the interim, NAMTC has trained

more than 20,000 seafarers who haveworked for more than 50 of the largestshipping companies in the world. In thenear future the Centre says it will extendits training capabilities from a singleclassroom to include a full-missionbridge simulator featuring 360° field ofvision, an Offshore simulator, and aTechSim ERS 5000 Engine RoomSimulator.

GET-Net now includes approximately40 training partners around the world,offering type-specific training on ECDIS.

Global ECDIS Training Networkexpands into China

NAMTC is the first GET-Net centre in China

www.exactearth.com

COM DEV International has announcedthat the proposed initial public offering ofits subsidiary satellite-AIS companyexactEarth is being postponed.

The company says that the offering willbe delayed due to the “current challengingconditions in the capital markets.”

exactEarth's current shareholders, COMDEV and Hisdesat Servicios Estrategicos,note that they “are fully committed to

exactEarth and its business plan, and willcontinue to evaluate future public and pri-vate funding options to support its growthstrategy.”

COM DEV also says that it plans toupdate its shareholders as further deci-sions are reached.

In June, COM DEV had announced thatit had filed a preliminary prospectus withthe securities regulatory authorities inCanada in connection with the proposedIPO of shares in the satellite-AIS business.

exactEarth IPO postponed

The satellite-AIS company will not be listed as scheduled

p21-32:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 17:16 Page 1


ELECTRONICS & NAVIGATION

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y or in ith our customers e can meet their in ivi ual nee s an constantly re ne our uni ue e navi ation solutions re ucin navi ator or loa , enhancin safety, an increasin e ciency for shi mana ers, o ners an o erators orl i e.

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Gangway motion management project beginswww.km.kongsberg.com

Kongsberg Maritime, Norwegian shippingcompany Østensjo and the NorwegianMarine Technology Research Institute(Marintek) are working on a new jointR&D project for operations using motioncompensated and telescopic gangways,typically found on accommodation vesselsin the offshore sector.

The project is part of the NorwegianGovernment’s innovation programmeMAROFF (Maritime Activities andOffshore Operations).

Accessing any fixed or floating offshorestructure via a vessel can be complicateddue to the movement against the structure,with weather conditions adding to thecomplexity. Gangways eliminate the needto use ladders but require that the distancebetween vessel and structure is within theoperational limit of the telescope on thegangway.

Positioning equipment can be used tokeep the vessel and structure within oper-ational limits, but with gangway connec-tion and disconnection operations per-formed relatively rarely, crew training is

not always as up to date as one might like.To combat this, the new R&D project

will aim to develop solutions formulatedfrom the collection and analysis of opera-tional data from Kongsberg Maritime’sDynamic Positioning (DP) controller usedin the operation of Østensjo’s new genera-tion accommodation vessel, Edda Fortis.

This will involve performance of simu-lation studies using the SIMO simulationtool package and data manipulation viaKongsberg Maritime’s DP algorithms. Inaddition, a tailor-made simulation soft-ware system for crew training on criticaloperations, incidents and planned opera-tions preparation will be developed.

Sensor data will be interfaced toKongsberg’s DP system to simulate thecompensation of the motion between therig and the accommodation vessel, withthat data then used to adjust the DP con-trol strategy on board with the aim ofextending the operational window definedfor gangway operation.

“We are enthusiastic about taking partin this advanced R&D project,” explainedTerje Heierstad, global product manager,Kongsberg Maritime Simulation.

“The accurate full scale data from theaccommodation vessel will be used toimprove, update and tune the simulatormodels to an extreme level of accuracy,which is important when training for oper-ations with high safety requirements andsmall risk margins.”

www.gnsworldwide.com

Global Navigation Solutions (GNS) hasbeen named as the supplier of all newcharts for the new Suez Canal, whichopened on August 6th.

The Egyptian authorities (Suez CanalAuthority and Egyptian NavyHydrographic Department) have pro-duced new charts of both the Old andNew Canals, replacing the existingAdmiralty charts for the region, and theyhave advised that no vessels will be per-mitted to pass through Suez Canal unlessthey are carrying the new charts.

The enlarged canal will allow ships tosail in both directions between theMediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, and isexpected to lead to an immediate doublingin the capacity of the Suez Canal from 49to 97 ships per day.

“We are working closely with our glob-al client base to ensure that they have thenew charts where required,” said HayleyVan Leeuwen, head of product and mar-keting at GNS.

“Our global reach means we can sup-ply to vessels in most parts of the worldinside 48 hours. Obviously it is importantfor the flow of international trade that we help avoid a bottleneck of delayed vessels.”

GNS to supply all charts for

new Suez Canal

Simulation will be used to assist in training

p21-32:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 16:16 Page 2

Interschalt maritime systems hasannounced that its new generation VoyageData Recorder, VDR G4[e], has been typeapproved by the China ClassificationSociety (CCS). By granting the typeapproval, CCS certifies that the VDR com-plies with the international regulationsand performance standards of IMOResolution MSC.333(90).

Interschalt maritime systems hasalso expanded its Asian service network bymaking Seven Seas Electronic its pre-ferred service partner in China. Seven Seaswill be responsible for installing and main-taining Interschalt’s VDR G4[e], S-VDR,and MER-(s)-VDR systems, and for carry-ing out the annual VDR performance tests

(APT) in line with IMO regulations. Pole Star Space Applications

has announced the internal appointmentof Julian Longson to the position of man-aging director of the company. MrLongson has been with the company sinceits launch in 1998, originally joining thestart-up team as business developmentmanager before progressing to the PoleStar Board as business development direc-tor, and most recently working as chiefbusiness development officer.

ServoCore, a commercial-off-the-shelfalarm, monitoring and control solution(AMC) from Servowatch Systems,has received type approval from classifica-tion society Lloyd’s Register. This fol-lows the successful type approval in Julyof SevoSentinel, the company’s embeddedcomputer module for marine applications.

Erik van Boom has been appointed ascountry manager for the Euro borderregion Scheldemonden by AlphatronMarine, following the company’s recenttakeover of the sales and service activitiesfor maritime navigation and communica-tion equipment of Astron NV.

Interschalt’s VDR now has CCS approval


Digital ShipSRT agrees $5 million Bahrain AIS contract

www.softwarerad.com

SRT reports that it has signed a contract tosupply a national AIS Maritime DomainManagement (MDM) system to Bahrainworth approximately US$5 million.

The contract with the Bahrain nationalauthority is for the initial phase of a longterm programme, with additional phasesexpected in the future, according to SRT.

The MDM system will be used to pro-vide a national-scale maritime monitoringand management capability for the identi-fication of potential threats, prevention ofillegal fishing, management of sensitivemarine areas and enhancement of searchand rescue capabilities.

Implementation will include the supplyof a GeoVS data management and multi-node viewing system, with terrestrial andoptional ABSEA AIS satellite data for longrange tracking, AIS coast stations andthousands of AIS transceivers.

The system will create a national mar-itime database of vessel and other relatedinformation which can be viewed andmanipulated by multiple stakeholders,such as the Coast Guard and the police.

The system will also integrate and enhanceexisting surveillance systems, SRT says.

The GeoVS viewing and data manage-ment system uses dynamic 3D displaytechnology and standard 2D to assist inreal-time situational awareness in remotecontrol rooms and also on location at seaon official vessels.

“We are delighted that another of ourvalidated sales pipeline opportunities, cur-rently valued at approximately £200 million,has reached the contract implementationphase,” said Simon Tucker, CEO of SRT.

“We have been working with this cus-tomer for over a year, conducting exten-sive validation trials to ensure that ourMDM system meets their demandingrequirements within a challenging envi-ronment. Maritime domain awareness isnow widely recognised as strategicallyvital and our MDM system provides arobust, reliable and scalable solution.”

“We now look forward to workingclosely with this strategic customer toimplement this first phase over the nextyear and into the future as they continue toevolve and build their new maritime secu-rity and safety apparatus.”

© 2015 Raytheon Company. All rights reserved.“Customer Success Is Our Mission” is a registered trademark of Raytheon Company.

Raytheon-Anschuetz.comTel: +49 431 3019 0 [email protected]

A NEW

RADARTO LEAD THE WAY

With its fl exible network infrastructure and optimized

lifetime cost, the NAUTOSCAN NX radar transceiver stands out as

the latest in the long line of Raytheon Anschütz navigation technology.

NAVIGATION RADAR

HE Interior Minister Lt-General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, with SRT Marine CEO Simon Tucker

www.interschalt.comwww.polestarglobal.comwww.servowatch.comwww.alphatronmarine.com

p21-32:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 16:16 Page 3

www.acrartex.com

ACR Electronics has added new Class Aand Class B Automatic IdentificationSystem (AIS) transceivers to its range ofproducts, following on from its recentacquisition of UK-based safety and com-munication company Ocean Signal.

Suitable for installation on commercialvessels affected by the recent US CoastGuard mandate on AIS requirements, orfor other workboats and recreational boats,the ACR AISLink CA1 Class A and CB1Class B transceivers are certified to the lat-est AIS regulations.

“As the US Coast Guard’s March 2016deadline approaches for commercial ves-sels to comply with the requirements toinstall AIS, we will also be working withand assisting boat owners and operatorswho may have questions about the man-date or who may need help installingtransceivers on their vessels,” said GerryAngeli, President of ACR Electronics.

“It is very reassuring that we will soonhave more of the commercial vessels work-ing along our coasts equipped with AIS. Byfacilitating faster communication and nav-igational planning, especially when vessels

are hidden or obstructed from radar, ourcompact transceivers will greatly improvevessel safety and Marine DomainAwareness by sending and receiving wire-less navigational data to and from nearbyships equipped with AIS, including thevessel’s name, position, course or speedover ground, heading, and rate of turn.”

“Looking ahead, AIS is a technologythat will evolve in the years ahead to fur-

ther improve safety, security, tracking andaccident investigations and we feel it is important for ACR to be at the fore-front of this developing area of maritimesafety.”

Most US and foreign-flag commercialvessels operating in US navigable watersare required to install a USCG TypeApproved AIS by March 2016 under thenew ruling.



www.kelvinhughes.com

Kelvin Hughes reports that it has been con-tracted to supply radar systems to thePorto de Vitória in Brazil.

The company will supply two of its SBS-900-2 SharpEye radars to the port throughIndra, a Spanish Vessel Traffic Service(VTS) system supplier and integrator, to

facilitate the monitoring and managementof vessel traffic in the area and the provi-sion of data to the port’s surroundingmunicipalities.

The SBS-900-2 system consists of a singleX-Band radar transceiver mounted on amast close to the antenna. The antenna itselfhas a span of over 6 metres (21ft) and has aswitchable polarisation capability between

horizontal and circular beamwidth.The SBS radar system will be fully

remote controlled and can also adapt auto-matically to changes in the weather andenvironmental conditions without theneed for any operator intervention.

“We’re delighted to be working withIndra again following the recent award offour SBS-700 radar systems at the Port of

Southampton, UK, one of the busiest deep-water ports in the world,” said PaulMariner, Kelvin Hughes’ regional salesmanager.

“Winning this new contract to help protect the Port of Vitória is further evi-dence of the superior capability and cost-effectiveness of our Shore Based Sensorradar systems.”

Brazilian port to install radar monitoring systems

ACR adds new AIS systems

The CA1 Class A

Korean shippingcompanies

agree ECDIS contracts

www.transas.com

Transas has agreed two new contractsto supply ECDIS systems to shippingcompanies in Korea, with Dong-A Tanker and Woolim Shipping set toimplement the company’s equipment ontheir vessels.

The deals were agreed in cooperationwith Transas’s local partner in the coun-try, Arion Communication.

The Navi-Sailor 4000 ECDIS will bedelivered to nine Dong-A Tanker vessels,with an option to increase to dual ECDISand to also extend the roll out to morethan 20 vessels in the future.

The package includes the TransasAdmiralty Data Service (TADS) for deliv-ery of official digital charts and updates.

The systems will be installed and sup-ported locally by Arion Communicationand its subsidiary Sealink Electronics inBusan. Transas and Sealink have built atraining and service centre in the city,where most major Korean shipping com-panies have their bases.

“We have considered various factorswhich may affect operational costs in thenext five years, like ECDIS implementa-tion, crew training, maintenance and dataservices,” said Ahn Min-han, executivedirector of Dong-A Tanker.

“The most important factor is that ourcaptains and crews, who have alreadyexperienced using various brands ofECDIS, are very satisfied with the Navi-Sailor system from Transas.”

The other contract, with WoolimShipping, includes the supply of theTransas Navi-Sailor 4000 ECDISPremium system with Radar Overlay for ten oil & chemical tankers, again rely-ing on Arion and Sealink for implementa-tion. Woolim Shipping currently owns 22 such tankers.

Transas’ ability to agree these Koreancontracts has been facilitated its recentreceipt of ECDIS type-approval from theKorean Registry (Korea MarineEquipment Research Institute).

The approval certifies the system’scompliance with all ECDIS-related regulations valid for the South Korean flag state, covering Navi-SailorECDIS in Premium and Standard configurations as well as all supplemen-tary components.

p21-32:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 16:16 Page 4

In quiet surroundings, with a view toWestern Norway's picturesque fjords, asmall group of experts have the world attheir fingertips. The substantial task of PRIMAR is to cooperate with a multitude ofhydrographic offices to collect hydrograph-ical data from around the world. The datais quality checked, before reliable, autho-rised and official charts are distributed toall players in the maritime field to ensuresafe and hassle-free navigation at sea.

PRIMAR’s core aim is to make up-to-dateofficial charts available to everyonethrough innovative solutions that bestserve the end-users. This is achieved notonly through close cooperation withhydrographic offices, but through theinnovative technological collaborationwith their global distributor network.

FREEDOM TO CHOOSEFor successful operations at sea it is vitalfor all involved parties to see the samereality. PRIMAR’s database of charts withworldwide coverage is available through a number of user-friendly distributor solutions to seafarers and all players inthe maritime community on a variety ofplatforms 24/7. Some of the innovativesolutions are briefly described below.

PRIMAR UpdateTracker(PUT)

The PRIMAR Update Tracker is a web basedENC update overview which enables you to view and track changes made since thelast ENC update.

PUT increases the user’s ENC updatefamiliarization, allowing him to stepthrough the updates and changes in hisactive chart folio. Such a visualization ofthe ENC update will contribute to improvethe user´s situational awareness eitherfor navigation or planning purpose. Theuser may also find it useful if he wishes tobecome more familiar with the waters hefrequently operates in.

FunctionalitiesBy using the PUT the user can see thechanges in the ENC content from an earlier state. - Easy access - Web based - Allows the timeline selection and

comparison of the ENC content. - ENC update information displayed in

both text and graphic format on the chart.

VIEW CHANGES IN BOTHTEXT AND SYMBOL FORMAT ON THE CHART.

Who can use the PRIMAR UpdateTracker?PUT is available to distributors and userswith a valid PRIMAR ENC subscription. PRIMAR distributors will also be able toimplement PUT in their B2B interface.

How much does it cost?The user needs only to be identified witha valid ENC subscription registered withPRIMAR. There is no extra cost for PUT.

How do I access it?Via the PRIMAR Portal. Contact PRIMAR for more information.

Web Chart Service

Say you are a desk worker responsible forthe activities of a ship thousands of milesaway. By accessing PRIMAR’s Web ChartService, the ENC images you view on yourcomputer screen are identical to the datathe captain sees on the ship’s navigationinstruments. When the service is integra-ted with other technical features installedon most vessels nowadays, such as theAutomatic Identification System (AIS), youcan monitor the vessel’s progress andweather conditions in that exact area.Working with up-to-date authorised chartsduring an operation, whether at the planning stage in an office or on-board the vessel, is the lifeline to safety andsuccess.

ONE-STOP-SHOPPRIMAR is a one-stop-shop for operatingsafely at sea. The security of using autho-rised official charts together with type-approved navigation systems helps pre-vent accidents and protects the maritimeenvironment. Its benefits are undis-putable across all sectors of the maritimeindustry from fisheries to oil and seismicoperations, leisure cruising, commercialshipping and search and rescue missions.PRIMAR’s innovative and flexible solu-tions, tailored in close collaboration withtheir global network of distributors, giveall players in the maritime field the free-dom to choose the ENC platforms bestsuited for their needs.

FREEDOM TO CHOOSE

www.primar.org

Seeing the same picture is seeing the big picture

• Non-profit organisation operated by the Norwegian Hydrographic Service in close cooperation with the Electronic Chart Centre (ECC)

• Operates the world’s first Regional ENC Coordinating Centre (RENC)

• Global provider of consistent and reliable electronic navigational charts (ENC).

• All ENCs meet IMO’s SOLAS chart and carriage requirements.

• World-wide ENC database

• Global distributor network

• Provides ENCs to navies, marine pilots, coast guard, search and rescue, port control services, commercial shipping etc.

FACTS:

PRIMAR contributes to the Maritime Safety Circle as all actors in need of chart data haveaccess to the same charting information

Non-profit e-chart provider PRIMAR is the starting point for safe navigation at sea. Through flexibleand innovative distribution platforms PRIMAR supplies the international maritime community

with official Electronic Navigational Charts.

p21-32:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 16:16 Page 5

Solid State S-band radarAstonishing target discrimination

v Now 8ft as well as 12ft arrayv Air shippable size & weightv Normal or high speed versionv IMO approvedx Magnetron

www.jrc.am

p21-32:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 16:16 Page 6


Digital Ship

Software applications or “apps” have become a ubiquitous part of our lives and several industries use them in their operations. While commercial shipping is no stranger to the concept, the potential

of apps for navigation is largely untapped, writes Michael Bergmann, CIRM and Jeppesen

e-navigation in app mode

AA pps have been made widely pop-ular with the rise of the smart-phone and the tablet. With that, a

sizeable number of apps have been devel-oped for the maritime industry, with func-tions ranging from checklists (e.g., to helpwith international convention require-ments, fire safety or marine pollution pre-vention), to TripAdvisor-like apps thatinform boaters about facilities offered at marinas.

So far, however, few apps are availableto support professional commercial navi-gation. One reason for this lies in theexisting regulatory paradigm for bridgeequipment.

The current regime, whichdrives the development andimplementation of systemsused on the bridges of shipssailing under those regulations,requires manufacturers toattain full type approval fortheir systems, as well as addi-tional certification before beingapproved for operational use.

This certification is neces-sary to ensure that solutionsare safe, but also slows downdevelopment work. As a result,many systems now installed onbridges are based on systemarchitecture from up to twodecades ago.

While the maritime industryhas been trending towardsintegrated systems withinrecent years, it is still far from acomplete integration.

In new IntegratedNavigation Systems (INS), youfind displays allowing you to switchbetween different modes, say, from a radarto an ECDIS display. But even that is just acase of different systems sharing a displayrather than being truly integrated.

There clearly is a demand from theindustry for a new approach to e-Navigation solutions that, according toSimon Pelletier, president of theInternational Marine Pilot’s Association,hasn’t been met.

The lack of functionality within the cur-rent suite of ECDIS software has encour-aged pilots to look for solutions in PortablePilot Units (PPUs), essentially laptops run-ning navigational support software.

“We pilots need more than just ECDIS.That’s why we take our PPUs on board.They provide us with data on shoals andwater levels in real time,” says Mr Pelletier.

“If there is a shoal in in the channel anhour after a survey is conducted, wereceive the information superimposed onour chart. This is valuable information forus that ECDIS just doesn’t provide.”

In addition to functionality benefits, the cost of app development should also be considered.

Geir Ståle Tennfjord, product managerat Vard, says that “at the moment, there's abig focus on cost reduction, and applica-tion development is very pricy. To shareapplications across different ships andsuppliers and reduce the integration costwould be very useful to that end.”

Mr Tennfjord also hints at the potentialof a maritime app store as a way ofimproving this situation – a portal wheredifferent suppliers could offer new infor-mation and navigation systems.

“I think users don’t ask for this becausethey don’t think it’s possible. But if wemake it possible, I think it will be a suc-cess,” he said.

“Of course, the industry will have tocollaborate and also focus on safety andsecurity, but in turn the platform will openup for creativity, new information, servicesand applications.”

The app-centric approachIn the last 10 to 15 years, the electronicsindustry has seen a paradigm shift to acomponent- and app-centric approach.Individual software components are devel-oped to execute certain functions within aparent application.

They can only run within their parentsoftware, which provides commonly usedfunctions, such as ‘copy’, and ‘paste’. Aprominent example is MS Word, whichruns within MS Office.

In this way, the underlying parentapplication prevents one app from nega-tively affecting others. If correctly imple-mented, new apps can be easily added or changed without affecting the rest of the system.

As a large number of basic functionali-ties is already handled by the parent appli-cation, the app development can focus on specific functionalities. This concept

makes development and innovation much more efficient.

The aviation industry has already estab-lished this concept in the shape of‘Electronic Flight Bags’, which use a parentapp that allows inclusion of function-spe-cific apps requiring less type approval.

With a focus on human-centred design,these systems seamlessly allow for botheasy switching between apps andexchange of information. Users can alsodownload and install new apps as they arelaunched.

Land-based transport has followed suit, as noted by Trond Hovland, manag-ing director at the Norwegian transporta-

tion union, ITS Norge.“We have a lot of apps

for personal transport,” hesays, “but we also see, inGermany for instance, appsfor goods transport emerg-ing. They let you easilytransfer goods withinGermany via private apps.”

“We also need to encour-age this in maritime andbuild a platform to keepeverything organised. Thiswill increase the use of seavessels and trains for ship-ping and public transportin the future.”

One success factor forapps is the ready availabili-ty of both static data withslow update cycles (such asENCs and digital publica-tions) and situational infor-mation with quick updatecycles (dynamic real-time

data such as weather or tidal), tailored tospecific needs.

In the ‘Electronic Flight Bag’ example, apilot can rapidly switch between differentsituational displays to enable better, fasterdecision making.

In the maritime world, a pilot has simi-lar options to access situational data with aPortable Pilot Unit (PPU).

“The information needed to address dif-ferent situations can be completely differ-ent,” notes Mr Pelletier.

“For example, on the St. LawrenceRiver, the focus is on constantly changingwater levels. Towards Montreal there’s notidal effect, but the river is so narrow youneed an application that gives you theexact position of other big ships to avoidcollisions. In Rotterdam, they have PPUswith centimetre accuracy, because theyhave to navigate huge ships in a limitedbasin.”

Another benefit of the app concept is areduction of data density, as the informa-tion can be distributed over several app screens.

Currently, the use of single, specificdevices is very common. However, the use

of several devices that inter-communicateallows a simultaneous view on differentaspects of a situation.

The ability of devices to inter-communi-cate could even extend to the exchange ofship data with shore side services andallow vessel traffic centres to provide accu-rate guidance.

The future of navigational apps

The benefits that the app concept couldbring to users are only limited by thedeveloper’s creativity.

Since they tend to be easy to use, appscould even play a supporting role in navi-gational training. More and more focus is put on the usability of applications,which is also an important aspect of e-navigation, so lightweight and easy-to-use apps could make a significant differ-ence in this regard.

Another vital aspect of e-navigation is how to deliver the intelligence within the information.

A user needs specific data to carry out aparticular task, such as weather data forexample, which is important on a generalbasis. However, when the same data isused in tasks like route optimisation andfleet performance analysis, it can boost theperformance of a mariner, a vessel or anentire fleet.

In the future, e-navigation is likely tofocus even more on applications and serv-ices relying on extensive data exchange.

The integration of bridge systems alongwith faster data rates and a growing number of sensors will increase onboardconnectivity, while higher bandwidthchannels will allow for more extensivedata exchange.

This, in turn, will improve ship and fleetlogistics as well as real-time voyage opti-misation. As a result, increased real-timedata will help to improve operations.

To take full advantage of the app con-cept in the maritime environment, its type-approval concept needs to be revisited.Take the PPU for example — its versatilitymakes it hard to standardise and thusattain type approval. But taking away itsversatility, on the other hand, would makeit less useful for mariners.

The certification of hardware and par-ent applications, along with methods toensure necessary encapsulation routines,may allow a new level of type approvalfocused on specific apps rather than fullsystems.

This situation has been recognised bythe e-navigation working groups at theIMO, the International Association ofMarine Aids to Navigation and LighthouseAuthorities and CIRM.

Consensus on these issues may taketime. But the potential benefits to beachieved would make those efforts worthwhile.

A more integrated system could offer major benefits to the maritime industry

DS

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TT he IMO’s e-navigation programmehas been something of a slow burn-er, with years of discussion and

debate having led to very little concretemovement towards the introduction of newtechnologies or methods of ship operation.

However, there is some hope that thecogs in the machine may be beginning toturn. Following the approval of an e-navi-gation Strategy Implementation Plan (SIP)by MSC 94 late last year, a list of tasks hasbeen defined which are expected to becompleted during the period 2015–2019and which will hopefully provide a frame-work for technology providers to begindesigning products and services to drivethe e-navigation era.

This is expected to include the use ofexisting equipment in different ways, mak-ing modifications to interfaces and controlson some existing onboard equipment, aswell as the addition of completely newtechnologies and applications.

The SIP prioritises five specific areas –they are:� improved, harmonised and user-

friendly bridge design;� means for standardised and automated

reporting;� improved reliability, resilience and

integrity of bridge equipment and navigation information;

� integration and presentation of available information in graphical displays received via communication equipment;

� improved communication of VTS Service Portfolio (not limited to VTS stations).

For the first of these, the IMO’s sub-com-mittee on Navigation, Communicationsand Search and Rescue (NCSR), taking theplace of the previous COMSAR and NAVsub-committees, has now issued a set ofguidelines for software quality assuranceand human-centred design following itsmost recent meeting.

The prior NCSR meeting had establisheda Correspondence Group on harmonisationof guidelines related to e-navigation, underthe coordination of Australia, creating thedraft text for the documents.

These were considered at the mostrecent meeting and, following referral tothe Navigation Working Group for finali-sation based on those discussions and withthe addition of further technical informa-tion submitted by the Republic of Korea,the sub-committee endorsed a draft MSC(Maritime Safety Committee) circular titledGuideline on Software Quality Assurance andHuman-Centred Design for e-navigation, andinvited the Committee to approve it.

That approval was granted at MSC’s95th session in June, and now IMO mem-

ber governments are being invited to bringthe guidelines to the attention of all partiesconcerned.

New guidelinesThe document created by IMO aims to con-centrate technology system developers’focus on Software Quality Assurance(SQA) and Human-Centred Design (HCD)in the creation of systems for use withinthe developing e-navigation framework.

The guidelines note that “Systems sodesigned, developed and managedthroughout their life cycle deliverimproved user performance, being stableand resilient, and, most importantly, sup-port users in low and high workload envi-ronments, such as during challenging nav-igation and environmental conditionswhen users are most vulnerable to makingmistakes and when error management andrecovery is essential.”

“Other important benefits include limit-ing the amount of operator familiarisationtraining that is needed and the time andresources required for system maintenanceand support.”

Perhaps the most interesting element ofthis is the Human-Centred Design part ofthe guidance. It could be argued that mar-itime technology has traditionally beenextremely function-focused in its design,with user experience featuring quite lowon a list that is more likely to prioritisemeeting type-approval and keeping costsdown.

IMO’s guidance on the matter maystruggle to have much immediate impactin that regard, but declaring the issue asimportant to future development in thesector is a positive step at least.

As IMO describes it, what ideally wouldbe achieved would be the development ofsystems that are specifically designed tosuit the characteristics of intended usersand the tasks they perform, rather thanrequiring users to adapt to a system.

A key component of this is UsabilityTesting (UT), which tests the ability of sys-tems to support user needs and helps toidentify potential problems and solutionsduring design and development stages.The iterative approach used in effective UTwill test the design again and again, as itevolves through rounds of prototyping,testing, analysing and refining.

In theory this is clearly a worthwhilepursuit and would undoubtedly improvethe practical usability of new technologiesthat are introduced to the maritime mar-ket. However, the downside is likely to beone of cost, with the repeated additional‘human’ testing adding further time andcomplexity to the equipment or softwaredeveloper’s purely technical testing – and

perhaps pushing up prices considerablyfor the end user.

Putting the cost element to one side forthe time being, it is worth examining exactlywhat IMO is recommending in these guide-lines when it comes to system development.

GuidelinesAs IMO describes it, its guidelines areintended to be used by all stakeholdersinvolved in the design and development ofe-navigation systems, but are primarilyaimed at those who develop and test e-navigation systems.

The broader stakeholder group includesequipment designers and manufacturers,system integrators, maritime authoritiesand regulators, shipbuilders, shipowners,ship operators, Vessel Traffic Serviceauthorities and Rescue CoordinationCentres, while international organisationssuch as the International Association ofMarine Aids to Navigation and LighthouseAuthorities (IALA) and the InternationalHydrographic Organization (IHO) are alsoexpected to take note.

The overarching goal for IMO in thisregard is to ensure that all of these playersare maintaining a sufficiently high level ofquality when it comes to e-navigation sys-tem design attributes.

Where that becomes a little more com-plicated is in the fact that the guidance isgoal-based and “not intended to specify ordiscourage the use of any particular quali-ty assurance, management process, or test-ing method,” according to IMO.

This means that detailed specific designrequirements have not been created – andas such there is no exact ‘quality standard’to test technologies against. Instead, it issuggested that system developers “be gen-erally familiar with contemporary quality

management processes, software qualityassurance and human factors” – whichmany maritime technology companieslikely already are.

It is also suggested that quality assur-ance checks be embedded into the devel-opment life cycle process, with the guide-lines applying both to the development ofnew systems and the modification of exist-ing technologies.

For Human Centred Design specifically,the IMO’s advice is to incorporate a check-list of six activities into the full develop-ment lifecycle for maritime technologieslinked to e-navigation, which we will lookat in more detail below.

EHEA and specifiedcontext

At number one in the six-point checklist isa suggested ‘pre-activity’ to be carried outat the very beginning of the project toestablish an understanding of usabilityissues, which IMO refers to as EarlyHuman Element Analysis (EHEA).

Before work begins on the technologybeing developed it is recommended that theoperation of other similar systems bereviewed first for lessons they can teach interms of usability, and that these be docu-mented for consideration in a new project.

This can be helpful in identifying howchanges in technology may have an impacton the human element, in terms of usability.

Following this we move to the secondpoint in the checklist, which is understand-ing and specifying the context of use of thesystem being developed.

As IMO describes it, “Context of use con-sists of the users' characteristics (and theirassociated individual cognitive and physi-cal factors), their goals and interactions withtasks, stakeholders, physical operating

The IMO’s long and winding road towards an e-navigation future has recently passed an important point, with the Organisation laying down guidelines for technology companies developing future systems on how to put

the operator at the centre of their technology. Digital Ship looks at the potential of Human-Centred Design

Putting the human at the centreof e-navigation


Digital Ship

Making the user the core focus of technology development could result in systems that are more efficient

p21-32:p1-14.qxd 11/09/2015 16:16 Page 9



environments (i.e. the work environmentwhere the e-navigation system is beingused), and social and management environ-ments (i.e. training, the company and itsmanagement policies and procedures).”

This is a pretty comprehensive list, andcreates quite a significant burden for thesystem developer if they need to createextremely detailed plans of the various cir-cumstances the technology could beexpected to be used in, and map out all ofthe various stakeholders both on and off aship that might be impacted by its use.

As IMO notes, this also needs to extendto the area of overlap between the systembeing developed and other technology inuse within the same environment, so thatthe context of use of the combined systemstogether is understood during the develop-ment process.

User requirements Following the preparatory work of the firsttwo activities (or activity and ‘pre-activity’perhaps), the third and fourth items listedin the guidelines focus on the specific userrequirements of the system being created.

Specifically, this will include user needsand task-related needs already identifiedin the preparatory work with regard to thecontext of use of the system and its task-related activity.

To do this the developer needs toprogress those user and contextual needsthat have been identified into an explicitstatement of user requirements, as theyrelate to the intended context of use andthe business objectives of the system.

IMO’s guidelines suggest that attemptsto define user requirements (the thirdactivity in the checklist) should includesome or all of the following steps:1. clarification of system goals;2. analysis of stakeholders' needs and

expectations;3. analysis of user needs and expectations;4. resolution of conflicts between differ-

ent user and task requirements;5. identification of safety issues (risks and

hazards);6. analysis of training needs;7. analysis of system/equipment famil-

iarisation requirements;8. generation of operational concept and

top-level system requirements;9. ensuring the quality of user require-

ment specifications; and10. further development and refinement of

task-based scenarios and test cases.The fourth activity of producing anddeveloping design solutions to meet userrequirements should follow, applying theknowledge gained earlier about theintended context of use, including userroles, responsibilities, tasks and their out-puts to design solutions.

This could involve development of pro-totypes or specific test beds, as well asdesign solutions that can be tweaked andaltered based on UT feedback. User-systeminteraction and user interface designscould be approached at this point to meetcontext of use and usability requirements,while the development of a mainte-nance/support regime is also recommend-ed at this stage.

The final two activities in IMO’s check-list call for the evaluation of the design cre-ated against usability criteria, and ongoingmaintenance of the system’s usability inthe longer term after the design is finalised.

As IMO describes it, the evaluation ofthe design against usability criteria shouldbe conducted before a system is deployedoperationally and should, as a minimum,employ test participants who are represen-tative of user groups.

The usability testing requires the selec-tion of relevant scenarios and test cases,identifying and recruiting testing partici-pants, choosing methods, techniques anddocumentation for collecting and analysingdata, and then determining the acceptancecriteria that will deem the system ‘usable’.

Determining whether the system has asufficient degree of usability meansanalysing the effectiveness in performingthe required task, efficiency in effort andtime of getting to that goal, and satisfactionin the experience for the user themselves.

IMO suggests a number of what it calls“appropriate methods” to uncover this infor-mation, including expert evaluation (such asobservation of scenario/task performance),questionnaires, interviews, walk-throughs,task-based user testing and observations.

A similar usability method, referred toas the “usability rating method” hasalready been applied to ECDIS testing, sosimilar procedures can be brought throughinto other e-navigation technologies.

Once the system is designed, developedand out in regular use in the market, IMO’sfinal human centred design guideline

activity involves assessing the technologyin operation when trained users are includ-ing it in their normal work patterns.

This will be the greatest single source ofpotential feedback on the success or other-wise of the human centred design, maylead to refinements to the system and sub-sequently improved performance in newerversions – creating a loop and bringing usback to the beginning of the checklist forthe next version of the system.

Future developmentIt is hard to say whether IMO’s guidance onhuman centred design for e-navigation willhave a major impact on the development offuture maritime technology systems.

In a commercial market, usabilityalready plays a role in the decisions madewhen purchasing equipment like ECDIS,for example, and it is clearly an issue thatthe big manufacturers at least take serious-ly in the design of their products.

However, the more effort involved in test-ing and re-testing systems with groups ofstakeholders to assess their feedback on theusability of various design features, the morecost will be incurred in the developmentprocess – and cost already plays a large roleas it is in maritime technology purchasing.

The hope is that a more deliberate focuson the issue of human centred design willhelp to raise industry standards in thedesign of the next generation of ship andshore technologies. There is no doubt thatthe benefits will be felt by everyone – butharnessing the will to make that happenmay be the more difficult process. DS

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