Skywave first to sell over 33,000 D+ satellite terminals www.skywave.com SkyWave claims to be the first Inmarsat D+ satellite terminal manufacturer and service provider to have manufactured, sold, and delivered more than 33,000 terminals. Typical applications include the remote fleet management of trucks, shipboard security alert systems, and tuna fishing buoy sensors. In addition to terminals, SkyWave provides a D+ satellite airtime package. SkyWave is expecting continued growth with the launch of two new versions of its hardware with enhanced input/output ports that allow the terminal to act as a complete remote monitoring and control system (rather than needing a separate controller). The new version has a low elevation antenna that enhances terminal performance for marine applications at edge of coverage, down to zero degrees of elevation (Arctic circle). Globe Wireless new website www.globewireless.com image y globe wireless.jpg Caption "Globe's online interface to send messages to the ship" Globe Wireless, has unveiled its updated and restyled website. The new website offers an easy way to send messages to a ship, as well as access to Globe's online applications GlobeLocator and Globe SatMonitor. "The new website offers both existing and potential customers a clear and understandable picture of how Globe can help them with their business," the company says. A re-branding effort has been in progress for several months, and the company says the launch of the website, "furthers its commitment to better represent Globe's dedication to full-service, flexible IT solutions." SOFTWARE / ONLINE Shell and Navarik launch data capture systems http://www.navarik.com CAN PORBABLY GET PICTURE Shell Trading has developed a web based software system together with Navarik Corp of Vancouver, to capture data about crude oil shipments in its offices around the world. The system can be used to collect information from agents and cargo inspectors, standardise the assignment of inspectors to cargoes, make accounting more efficient and improve data tracking and reporting for voyages. The system has several hundred uses worldwide, processing data from dozens of crude oil shipments. The voyage updates are integrated into Shell's overall petroleum trading infrastructure, helping to improve its customer reporting and vendor performance analysis. NYK uses BASS PayNet www.bass.no NYK Shipmanagement (NYKSM) will use BASS PayNet on 70 vessels, including a "plug & play" BASS Budget module, which is part of BASS CrewNet (Crew Management system). NYK is an existing user of BASS Accounting and BASS Purchasing since 2001. "With BASS PayNet, the burden of making monthly portage bill has been alleviated," says Capt. Nakamura, General Manager, NYKSM. "All redundant manual interventions are eliminated and financial reporting time will be enhanced for our management review. We are now able to provide clear justification to our stakeholders when actual payroll exceeds the budgeted amount", BMT research into improved ship evacuation www.bmtproject.net/fireexit CAN PORBABLY GET PICTURE BMT is researching ways to make it easier to evacuate ships of passengers in conditions including smoke and rolling motion in a project running until August 2005. The research is co-funded by the European Union FP5 Competitive and Sustainable Growth programme and Precarn (funding for Canadian partners). Also part of the consortium is the Fire Safety Engineering Group (FSEG) of the University of Greenwich, which developed the maritimeEXODUS ship evacuation and fire simulation software. The project is cleverly dubbed "FIRE-EXIT" [formulation of immediate response and evacuation strategies through intelligent simulation assessment and large-scale testing]. The aim is to develop a simulation tool which can model the way people evacuate ships with more reliability, realism and design utility than the current system, which will lead to design of safer vessels with optimised ship layout and emergency procedures. It could also be used to help plan routine movements such as boarding and mealtimes on large passenger ships, leading to smoother onboard operations in general. A large smoke-filled test facility capable of dynamic motion (moving) is being used with volunteer passengers for live trials. They are timed and videotaped as they escape from muster stations via inflatable slides and vertical chutes, cross a collection platform and enter life rafts and lifeboats. The tool can be used to help meet legislative measures being established by the EU for maritime safety, such as Council Directive 98/18/EC setting out requirements for new class B, C and D ro-ro passenger ships to have escape routes evaluated by an evacuation analysis early in the design process. Fleet Management's web vessel management system www.fleetship.com CAN PORBABLY GET PICTURE Fleet Management of Hong Kong has released new web-based vessel management system known as PARIS (Planning And Reporting Infrastructure (Ship)). Each vessel has an updated database of Equipment and Maintenance, Crew details, Portage Bill, Inspection Reporting, Incidents Record and Reports and Surveys onboard. PARIS connects the vessel to the Fleet Management e-procurement system with automatic synchronization with the office database via XML. Implementation of the system throughout its 100-vessel fleet is expected to be completed within the next two months. Kishore Rajvanshy, managing director of Fleet Management, comments, "We believe we are one of the first companies in the world to have such a system and we are confident that this will help reduce the burden of documentation for ship's staff while increasing our operational efficiency." According to Fleet, benefits of PARIS include greater availability of timely and accurate information to both ship and office, a more efficient and cost-effective management of the ship and lower communications costs. 10,000 users on Equasis http://www.equasis.org Equasis, which provides online information about ships gathered by world port state control among other sources reports that it currently has about 10,000 active users a month, with 11,000 active users in June 2004. The biggest users are the UK, followed by the US, Italy and France. The biggest group of users are charterers and insurers, followed by surveyors, government administrations, shipbrokers, classification societies and port authorities. Equasis says there has been a "noticeable" increase in the number of shipmanager / shipowner users; also seafarers now account for 3.66 per cent of all files downloaded. Groups not using Equasis as much as might be expected are P&I clubs, shippers and financial institutions/banks. Equasis is now four years old. "Our goal has not changed - to improve ship safety through greater openness," says Equasis. Norway simulator project http://www.marintek.sintef.no Four Norwegian shipping companies, 3 simulator companies, a simulator manufacturer and a research institute have embarked on a project to work out how to improve the value of simulators in marine training. The research mainly comes down to asking participants to do tests and complete questionnaires before and after the training, so an assessment can be made of how useful it was. Participants include Norwegian shipping companies Bergesen, Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Skipsrederi, Odfjell, Neptune Shipmanagement Services, together with simulator operators Integrated Simulation Centre of Singapore, Norwegian Training Center Manila, Ship Manoeuvring Simulator Centre (Trondheim, Oslo), simulator manufacturers Kongsberg Maritime and Norway maritime research institute MARINEK. Project meetings have been held in Norway and Singapore. Following the research, Norwegian Training Center Manila advises that learning should be applied as soon as possible when onboard; knowledge is reduced by 50 per cent if not used within a month of the course and by nearly 100 per cent if not used within 2 months. The usefulness of the course can be improved if officers discuss the course content between each other. For more information about the project go to the project web site at: http://www.marintek.sintef.no, click on research projects, research council, Improving retention of simulator based training Chinsay opens London marketing office www.chinsay.com Electronic chartering software company Chinsay will have a representative sales office in London from 15th of August, at Scandinavian House in Cannon Street, with Johan Hedberg appointed managing director UK The company says this is in response to, "very good progress and many new users globally." Seagull competency evaluation software updated www.seagull.no Seagull has announced the release of its Competency Evaluation System (CES) version 4.2., which can be used by shipping companies to evaluate the competency of their seafarers. Enhancements from the previous version include the addition of questions relating to knowledge of the ISPS security code. The tool helps in evaluating competency and verifying the knowledge of candidates or new staff members. It will be provided to current customers as an automatic upgrade under their existing subscription agreement. A random selection of questions from a database of over 5000 covering a wide range of essential seafaring knowledge is used to evaluate personnel. Other features include pre-defined STCW-95 tests based on rank, department and vessel type, tests for UK and Norwegian maritime and flag-state legislation, an editor for creating custom tests, import and export functions for all test results, full results reporting and support for multimedia (video, animation and sound). SECURITY Videotel AIS training video www.videotel.com Videotel has introduced a new training package comprising a video and booklet to help seafarers become acquainted with the capabilities and operation of the AIS system. According to the company, although the technology which drives AIS is well established, there are still many areas to be defined. The different manufacturers have not adopted common standards for the equipment and AIS information may be displayed in various formats. There are also uncertainties as to how AIS will be used in practice. The video focuses on explaining the technical principles of AIS, assisted by computer graphics and showing various brands of equipment and types of display on a range of vessels. It also suggests ways in which AIS might assist collision avoidance, and airs the current thoughts of those experts and practitioners most concerned with its development. Animated ISPS video PHOTO REQUESTED www.ibsnet.gr/ International Business Solutions (IBS) of Greece has developed an animated software tool, Seaboard Security 2, which can be used to train seafarers in the ISPS Code. The CD covers awareness of security threats and patterns; security related communications; recognition and detection of weapons, dangerous substances and devices; emergency procedures and plans; recognition of characteristics and behavioural patterns of people likely to threaten security; operations of security equipment and systems; techniques used to circumvent security measures; inspection control and monitoring techniques; methods of physical searches of persons, personal effects, baggage, cargo and ship's stores. There are over 300 lifelike graphics, visual effects and animation. USCG to spend $8m tracking ships off Florida http://www.uscg.gov The US Coastguard, together with the US Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Branch, are working together on an $8m pilot maritime surveillance system around Florida. The program will upgrade existing equipment to detect, track and identify vessel traffic around ports, between ports and "over the horizon," providing a means to find seafarers in distress, intercept drug smugglers and "defend America against her enemies." It will be operated by six watchstanders. ESC's SmartGate system in New Jersey terminals http://www.esystem.com Embarcadero Systems Corporation (ESC) will install its smartGATE and Intelligent Camera system will be used to manage gate operations by Global Terminal and Container Services, Inc. in Jersey City and New York Container Terminal (NYCT) on Staten Island, both owned by Orient Overseas (International) Limited. The total installation is for nine inbound and six outbound lanes at Global Terminal's facility and nine inbound and six outbound lanes at NYCT's facilities in Staten Island. Combined with the in-gates and out-gates, ESC will be providing both bobtail lane and security lane pedestals. The system will be used to replace the current manual system on both inbound and outbound gates. It will incorporate card readers capable of reading the Port's "SeaLINK" identification cards, CCTV, and audio reception using the pedestal installations. Clerks can be stationed in a centralized gate control centre rather than in separate gate booths, and truck drivers can remain in their cabs as their vehicle is processed. The Intelligent Camera system will use existing CCTV gate cameras to capture container and chassis numbers, giving Global Terminal and NYCT the capability of verifying containers against terminal operating system data. New London Cruise Ship terminal www.portoflondon.co.uk A new floating passenger cruise ship terminal designed, constructed and owned by the Port of London Authority (PLA) was opened this month by Keith Hill, Minister of State for London. Modelled on an airport layout, it includes the latest security screening, segregating passengers and their luggage, and there is also provision for on-site immigration and customs. According to the PLA, the facility is a key step in attracting more international cruise ships to visit London. The PLA will use it for cruise ships moored at Greenwich and at Tower Bridge. It will accommodate ships up to 240 metres long and up to 1000 passengers will be able to embark and disembark in central London. Klein Systems VTMIS for Flinders Port www.kleinsystems.com www.flindersports.com.au Vancouver-based Klein Systems Group (KSG) has won a contract to upgrade the Flinders Port operations management system, supplying a combined solution incorporating vessel management, tracking of services, reporting, analysis and billing in a single relational database. Flinders selected KSG because of its extensive experience in port operations, the "solid core functionality" of the application, and design enhancements to meet Flinders Ports' exact needs, it says.