DIGITAL SHIP NEWSLETTER subscriber version you are receiving this version as a paid subscriber to Digital Ship print magazine inside this issue SHIP SHORE COMMUNICATIONS * Iridium signs Telenor and France Telecom as service providers * Inmarsat and Nokia to develop wireless LAN * ChartCo concludes trials delivering electronic charts to ships * SeaWave introduces new account manager MARITIME OPERATIONS * Korean Register of Shipping provides online IMO information * Port of London buys pilotage simulator from MARIN * ABS SafeShip version 2.0 released * Fresh01 wins creative development brief for Numast union web portal * Marine Software supplies maintenance system to research vessel ONBOARD ELECTRONICS * Electronic Navigation Systems to develop £1m bridge system * Conference about electronic propulsion next February in the UK * Nautical Institute plans bridge and navigation conference * Sperry Marine receives Greek type approval for VDR SUPPLY CHAINS * Purfleet Thames Terminal deploys wireless data technology from LXE * Celarix launches Rate Explorer 8.2 for shipping lines to manage rates online * Marshall Islands Registry joins global anti-money laundering network _____________ ******** SHIP SHORE COMMUNICATIONS ******** Iridium signs Telenor and France Telecom as service providers http://www.iridium.com Iridium Satellite has announced that it has signed Inmarsat shareholders Telenor and France Telecom as Iridium service providers. Iridium already had an existing relationship withTelenor through Marlink, a newly branded company comprising the direct sales arm of Telenor Satellite Services, SAIT communications, Radio Holland and Debeg. Under the agreements with both France Telecom and Telenor, LESOs will offer Iridium services across their global dealer networks. Under the agreement, France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications will offer Iridium¹s voice and data services through its extensive dealer network around the world. France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications says it will develop through its fully owned subsidiary Glocall, an international Iridium competence center that will provide product marketing and support to France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications sales outlets. "Iridium is an essential addition to our satellite services portfolio enabling us to significantly broaden our target market and revenue base," said Jean-Louis Charlety, chairman and chief executive officer of France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications. "With global coverage and data capabilities, Iridium delivers a robust mobile satellite communications offering and perfectly complements our existing satellite offerings for maritime and land-based applications. This partnership is key to delivering the most comprehensive suite of satellite communications services to our customers." Iridium has also reported the launch and deployment of two additional spares into a layer above the existing network of 66 low-earth-orbit satellites, complementing the 12 existing in-orbit spares. "The successful launch and deployment of two additional in-orbit spares further demonstrates that Iridium is a viable company with solid fundamentals and tremendous market opportunities," says Gino Picasso, Iridium Satellite CEO. "Combined with our ever-expanding global distribution network, Iridium is meeting and exceeding our business plan objectives." _____________ Inmarsat and Nokia to develop wireless LAN http://www.inmarsat.com Inmarsat and Nokia have announced that they have "joined forces to investigate ways of enabling multiple users to connect to Inmarsat satellite network via a single satellite terminal using Wireless LAN technology." In effect this would mean that users equipped with Nokia WLAN cards in their notebook PC's would be able to access the worldwide web, send and receive emails, and access their corporate LANs and WANs via the Inmarsat network, if they were within radio range of an Inmarsat satellite data terminal. The Nokia Operator Wireless LAN technology offers the potential for development of a number of service opportunities using Inmarsat mobile packet data services. _____________ ChartCo concludes trials delivering electronic charts to ships http://www.chartco.com ChartCo, which broadcasts data to ships over Inmarsat, has concluded its trials for delivering official electronic navigational charts (ENCs) to ships. The trials were conducted with Stolt Nielsen shipping company and chart distribution service PRIMAR. _____________ SeaWave introduces new account manager http://www.seawave.com Wireless communication company SeaWave has announced the appointment of David B. Markell as account manager responsible for sales in the northwest and northeast of the United States and Canada. _____________ ***** MARITIME OPERATIONS ***** Korean Register of Shipping provides online IMO information http://www.krs.co.kr The Korean Register of Shipping, the South Korea classification society, has launched KR-CON, an online database of IMO conventions made available over the KR website. The tool is designed to help resolve the complexity of IMO conventions. Through a series of checklists, users can quickly obtain the requirements for their specific ships, according to criteria such as ship type, length, keel laying data, gross tonnage, type of surveys, kind of certificate and regulation. "KR-CON is the most sophisticated IMO convention database which should be used by shipbuilders, maritime administrations and classification societies," KRS claims. KR has also launched a software system for design appraisal of ships, which is applicable in particular to ships not covered by normal classification rules such as LNG and extremely large container vessels. _____________ Port of London buys pilotage simulator from MARIN http://www.marin.nl The Port of London has signed a contract with the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN) to receive a ship maneuvering simulator for marine pilot training. It will be installed at PLA's operational centre in Gravesend, London, with a bridge, radar, ECDIS and relevant instruments. _____________ ABS SafeShip version 2.0 released http://www.eagle.org ABS has launched an expanded version 2.0 of the Hull Maintenance module of its SafeShip ship management system, with improved functionality. The software is provided free to shipowners using ABS enhanced ship classification, to monitor and control the maintenance of the vessel's structure over its service life. The new system has improved definition of critical areas and condition tracking, with creation of gauging plans. _____________ Fresh01 wins creative development brief for Numast union web portal http://www.numast.org.uk FRESH01, a media solutions provider, has announced that it has been selected to design and develop a web portal strategy for NUMAST (National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers), the trade union and professional organisation for some 19,000 members working in the British and international shipping industry. _____________ Marine Software supplies maintenance system to research vessel http://www.marinsoftware.com UK-based software house Marine Software Ltd reports that it has delivered its Marine Planned Maintenance system on QinetiQ's Trimaran demonstrator vessel, R.V. Triton. QinetiQ also commissioned Marine Software Ltd to import historic data into the Planned Maintenance system so that existing data structures were maintained. Maintenance history will also be monitored ashore by the Trimaran project team, using the office version of Planned Maintenance for Windows. _____________ ***** ONBOARD ELECTRONICS ***** Electronic Navigation Systems to develop £1m bridge system http://www.centerprise.co.uk Maritime electronics company Electronic Navigation Systems (ENS) has awarded UK PC manufacturer Centerprise a £1m contract to develop a fully integrated ship navigation system, "Navigator GNIS 800". The system is intended to improve the volume of information available to the shipmaster and support staff on land, with three systems of the kind already installed on COSCO vessels. ENS will provide the software, Centerprise will provide the hardware. The system can be set up to regularly e-mail ship's position to shore. There are dual removable hard disks. _____________ Conference about electronic propulsion next February in the UK http://www.imarest.org The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (ImarEST), together with the Société de l'Electricité, de l'Electronique, et des Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication (SEE), is planning a joint conference on February 13-14, 2003, in Edinburgh, UK, about advanced electrical and electronic technologies on ships, especially electronic propulsion. It will look at power generation equipment, fuel cells, environmentally friendly power sources, power distribution, energy storage, propulsion devices, safety systems, machinery monitoring control and diagnostics, with a view to maximizing the benefit of the "all electric" ship concept. _____________ Nautical Institute plans bridge and navigation conference http://www.nautinst.org The Nautical Institute is calling for papers for a conference about integrated bridge and navigation systems, to be held in London on Nov 13-14 this year. The conference is in co-operation with the International Association of Marine Electronics Companies, the International Electrotechnical Commission, the International Federation of Shipmaster's Associations and the International Marine Pilots Association. It will look at the latest technology, discuss users' perspectives, identify training needs, examining best practices for displaying information, look at best practices for using AIS and displaying AIS data and look at development of future bridge systems. _____________ Sperry Marine receives Greek type approval for VDR http://www.sperry-marine.com Northrop Grumman's Sperry Marine Unit received type approval from the Hellenic Ships Inspectorate of the Department of the Ministry of Merchant Marine for the VoyageMaster Voyage Data Recorder (VDR). The type approvals certifies that the VoyageMaster system meets or exceeds all specifications for shipboard VDR equipment to meet the International Maritime Organization carriage requirements, which come into effect July 1, 2002. After that date, all ro-ro passenger ships and new cargo ships over 3,000 gross tonnage must be fitted with an approved VDR system. In addition to Greece, the VoyageMaster VDR has also been type-approved by DNV, QinetiQ, BSH and the Croatian Register of Shipping. _____________ ***** SUPPLY CHAINS ***** Purfleet Thames Terminal deploys wireless data technology from LXE http://www.lxe.co.uk Purfleet Thames Terminal (PTT), the UK terminal arm of Cobelfret NV, has implemented wireless data communications infrastructure and mobile computers from LXE. The terminal which is located on the north bank of the Thames estuary handles approximately 250,000 trailers, containers and tanks per year. The implementation of wireless technology aims to eliminate bottlenecks that were limiting the efficiency of the terminal; the process of handling and administering cargo arrivals and exits, and the process of loading RoRo units onto ferries. "The LXE system has given us all the performance benefits of spread spectrum radio technology without the cost of installing a large number of access points." comments Gary Walker, General Manager and Director of Purfleet Thames Terminal. "The LXE mobile computers have been very well received by our operators, and have proved to be robust and easy to use. Our business is about moving freight as fast as possible through the terminal and meeting our promised service levels. The introduction of the LXE system as part of our freight location project has played a crucial part in the re-shaping of our operations", concludes Walker. _____________ Celarix launches Rate Explorer 8.2 for shipping lines to manage rates online http://www.celarix.com Online supply chain management company Celarix has released Celarix Rate Explorer 8.2, a tool for shipping lines to improve pricing, customer service, sales and back office operations. Shipping lines can use the tool to manage service contracts in a calculable format for improved rating productivity and accuracy, and to automatically produce bills of lading and bookings. _____________ Marshall Islands Registry joins global anti-money laundering network http://www.register-iri.com The Marshall Islands ship registry has jointed the Egmont Group, an international network of financial intelligence units to promote global communication to prevent and investigate money laundering. _____________ published by Digital Ship Ltd, 213 Marsh Wall, London E14 9FJ, UK http://www.thedigitalship.com