USCG and China approves Nauticast AIS http://www.nauticast.com The US Coastguard and the Republic of China have formally approved Nauticast's AIS system. The company says that it has received orders for 1500 systems so far. Nauticast has recently launched an AIS system for Navy applications, which has encryption and a shadow/silent mode. The company is developing a Navy system for River Information Systems and Vessel Traffic Services. Africa's first simulation academy South African president Thabo Mbeki launched the first maritime simulator academy in South Africa, at a ceremony in Cape Town. The academy was established with a USD 3.3m donation from AP Møller-Maersk Group and the Ap Møller foundation. Telenor Inm-C customers routed through Eik http:www.telenor.com/satellite Telenor Satellite Services is completing the upgrade to its Inmarsat -C system on Sept 30, which means that all Inmarsat -C data will be routed through its Eik land earth station and its Inmarsat -C service at the Southbury, Connecticut station is being turned of. Telenor has been notifying customers of this change for a year but if any Inmarsat C customers are still doubtful if they need to do anything they should contact Telenor's customer care department at +1 301 838 7700; +1 301 838 7701 (fax) or by e-mail at customer.care@telenor.com. No other Telenor Inmarsat services are affected by this upgrade. Lockheed Martin to provide Olympics vessel traffic system http://www.lockheedmartin.com Lockheed Martin has a $1m "sub-contract" from the Hellenic Telecommunications and Electronics company, INTRACOM, to extend the Greece vessel traffic system to provide additional port security during next year's Athens Olympic Games. Numerous spectators are expected to move daily through the ferry ports of Rafina and Lavrio, located on the east coast of the Greek peninsula, which will be equipped with new regional Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) monitoring centers. Lockheed Martin will provide two additional radar systems, one at Evia Island across from the new Olympic rowing and canoeing centre, also covering the Port of Rafina, and the other at the Port of Lavrio. The systems will be integrated into the existing VTS which includes 11 coastal marine radar systems, 3 VTS centres and one national VTMIS centre. Schlumberger launches new maritime VSAT antenna http://www.slb.com Sclumberger has launched a new maritime VSAT antenna, called "SpaceTrack Fast Response (FR) stablised antenna". Schlumberger claims that it can be installed without a VSAT engineer. It is so easy to install, it claims, that it is worthwhile installing for short-term applications as well as long-term. Brynjar Gevelt appointed CEO of Marine Transaction Services http://www.martransserv.com Brynjar Gevelt is appointed CEO of maritime e-procurement service Marine Transaction Services (MTS). He was previously director of projects at MTS and also Technology Director for Visma Marine (SpecTec). Aon launches port facility toolkit www.portsecuritytoolkit.com Risk management and insurance brokerage giant Aon has launched an online "Port Facility Security Toolkit," a software package designed to help port authorities comply with the International Ship and Port Security Code (ISPS). Aon developed the system working together with the Port of Rotterdam and KPMG Qubus, specialists in automated risk assessment. The software helps ports carry out a risk assessment, generate an action plan and a detailed port facility security plan. The software asks questions on topics such as security organisation, port facility access, areas with no or restricted access, handling of cargo, unaccompanied baggage. Based on the answers, it automatically makes an action plan and Port Facility Security plan. A demonstration of the software is available on www.portsecuritytoolkit.com. Star Cruises claims first ISPS compliant cruise ship http://www.starcruises.com.my Star Cruises claims to be the first cruise ship operator to receive an International Ship Security Certificate (ISSC) under the requirements of the ISPS code. The certificate was issued to the Bahamian flagged ship SuperStar Aries, a 37,301 GRT passenger ship in DNV Class. DNV has full authorization from Bahamas to act as a Recognised Security Organisation (RSO) which enables DNV to issue ISSC certificates on their behalf. Admibros uses Vector software http://www.vectorinformatics.com Cyprus shipmanagers Admibros recently signed a contract with Vector Informatics to its maritime software system, covering management information, knowledge, finance, chartering, operations, manning,ISm, maintenance and purchasing. The software will be installed at company head office and onboard vesses. Meanwhile Vector has concluded the second imlemntation phase of its complete software suite for Stelmar Tankers, covering 31 tankers and the office. For the third implementation phase, Vector intends to make web interfaces for collaboration with crewing agnts and suppliers and a performance driven management information system application. Shipquest: online information about cruise ship positions http://www.shipquest.com A new online tool has set up, ShipQuest, which provides information about the location of cruise ships. Searching for cruise ships, by company name or ship name, will reveal information about the itinerary, port and vessel. The tool was originally created for a specific customer, a cruise ship concessionaire that was having difficulties obtaining status information for the cruise ships it worked on. The data is provided directly by the cruise ship company. Klein Systems provides MIS to Shanghai VTS http://www.kleinsystems.com Klein Systems has won a contract to supply the Management Information System (MIS) for a vessel traffic system in Shanghai. It will build the system as a subcontractor to its associate company, HITT NV, which is building the vessel traffic management and conrol system. The MIS will give Shanghai Marine Safety Administration a tool to ensure safe operation of the port and associated waterways. GP&C revises deal for AIS patent http://www.gpc.se GP&C, the company which ownes the SODTMA patent requiring that AIS manufacturers pay 10 per cent of net transfer costs to the patent holder, is revising its position. For companies which voluntarily sign a license deal with GP&C before October 1 this year, requiring them to pay 10 per cent of all net transfer costs of AIS equipment, GP&C will "lower the royalty requirement in several steps" (of undisclosed amount) after October 1. Companies which continue to fight the requirement to pay a commission on AIS sales to SOLAS ships will be subject to legal action by GP&C. The company originally requested 5 per cent of net transfer costs for all transponders including SOLAS, as part of its original negotiations which led to the technology being required carriage on all ships under IMO legislation. Several manufacturers complained that it was not legal for GP&C to require patent payments on equipment with was required to be fitted by law, which led to GP&C revising its commission demand for non SOLAS ships to 10 per cent. Before it was known that it was allowed to charge commission on equipment required to be fitted under SOLAS regulations, it decided to temporary charge the 10 per cent commission on all AIS sales, whether SOLAS or not. GP&C has not specified the size and timescale for any royalty reduction, saying only that it will be "substantial" and "that it will happen 2003." "Hopefully the royalty can be lowered to 5% for all manufactures voluntarily signing a licence and paying properly. For all other GP&C will clam 10% plus costs for court trials and delays," says Håkan Lans, the AIS patent holder. AIS Transmitter Problem Identified Reports to Digital Ship suggest a number of AIS installations are experiencing a persistent problem with the automatic shut-down of the transmitter due to excessive Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR). Digital Ship's radio communications expert Steve Harding suggests this may be due to the use of inappropriate antennae with the AIS. "A high VSWR reading is an indication that a transmitter is not correctly matched to its antennae. In layman's terms, there is a problem with the tuning; the worse the tuning, the higher the VSWR," he says. "Amongst other things, a high VSWR can cause catastrophic damage to the transmission circuitry therefore most equipment is routinely provided with a protection system if it rises above a defined level. "Typical ships' VHF antennae are designed (tuned) to transmit at approximately 156.8 MHz, Channel 16. Depending on the manufacturer, these antennae normally have a useable bandwidth of around 4 MHz, i.e., the limit of their tuning is approximately between 154.8 MHz and 158.8 MHz, ample to cover all the marine VHF channels allocated to ships." "However, AIS operates on VHF frequencies previously allocated to coast radio stations, approximately 162 MHz. Thus, if the AIS is connected to a standard, incorrectly tuned ships' VHF antennae, high VSWR is a distinct probability. This may explain why the equipment, quite properly, is shutting down. "The use of an antennae tuned to 162 MHz and/or with a far wider bandwidth, i.e., to cover ship and coast station bands, should improve the situation. Furthermore, in accordance with good practice, those supplying AIS should always ensure the antennae provided is optimised for the frequency in use, as should those who are responsible for the installation's survey and certification." The technical bulletin of a well known AIS supplier suggested another possible cause of the problem. "Sporadically 2 to 4 seconds after transmission of an addressed safety related message an unexpected fault "0002 Antenna VSWR exceeds limit" or "0001 Tx Malfunction" appeared," it said. "This could happen only if the acknowledge of the addressed ship was missing and a transmission retry was necessary." The recommended solution was a software update; the equipment was fully type-approved. Anyone who is experiencing a transmission or other fault with their AIS installation should immediately contact the supplier for advice. Globalstar reduces prices / opens Dublin headquarters http://www.globalstar.com Handheld satellite communications company Globalstar has established a European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, to provide sales and support to Globalstar dealers and customers in Europe and part s of North Africa. Together with the new office, Globalstar has reduced its pricing plan by as much as 50 per cent, and also reduced international roaming charges to less than GSM roaming prices. Under the new plan, calls between any two points in Europe cost Euro 0.70 (GBP 0.48) per minute, and calls to other parts of the world cost Euro 1.09 (GBP 0.75) per minute exc VAT. Globalstar maritime coverage area includes the Meditteranaan and much of the North Sea. For further information see http://www.globalstar.com/view_page.jsp?page=coverage Telenor Satellite launches free "e-mail advanced" software http://www.telenor.com Telenor Satellite Services has launched "e-mail advanced," an e-mail tool designed to reduce satellite communications costs and improve efficiency. As well as the usual duplex message transmission and automatic compression, the software has a crash recovery program, enabling the transmission to be resumed if it is broken mid-transmission without resending any data. Telenor's e-mail hub also automatically virus scans al messages. The software can be downloaded from the Telenor website [www.telenor.com/satellite, click on "products and services", or provided by CD-ROM. It runs behind Windows Outlook. G Inmarsat releases announcement about sale http://www.inmarsat.com On Sept 17 Inmarsat issued the following announcement: LONDON - 17 September 2003 - Inmarsat Ventures plc, the Total Communications Network, and the world's leading provider of global mobile communications via satellite to enterprises, today announced that following receipt of final proposals from competing bidding consortia, the Independent Committee of the Board of Directors of Inmarsat Ventures plc (the Company) has entered into an agreement with Apax Partners Worldwide LLP and Permira Advisers Limited (acting as joint bidders) to work with them on an exclusive basis to finalise the terms of an offer for the Company. C-MAP launches chart product catalogue http://www.c-map.no C-MAP has launched its Chart Product Catalogue, to help users find the right chart for a specific route. The idea is that a shipping company can order the ENCs over the specific route being covered, rather than buy a whole portfolio of ENCs. The customer can also see the total cost of the order before placing it. Thirdly, the user can obtain a license for every chart required all together, rather than applying for separate licenses for all of the charts. C-MAP signs agreement with Icelandic Coastguard for Iceland digital charts http://www.c-map.no The Icelandic Coastguard, incorporating the Icelandic Hydrographic Service, has recently signed an agreement with C-MAP stating that C-MAP can produce and distribute digital copies of the Iceland nautical charts. The charts will be available in C-MAP NT+ format for chart plotters and CM-93 Edition 3 format for ECS. Danaos announced next version of Info@GATE Http://www.danaos.gr Maritime software company Danaos has launched a new version of Info@GATE, its messaging software for the maritime industry. The Version 5 includes a new address book manager, an improved user interface, a new "Send" panel with capabilities to give users an easier way to create and edit messages, a custom browser search, new message browsing functionality, a security module to define application piviliges and access. Danaos is developing an interface between Info@Gate and an IP telephone system. Info@GATE is used by over 80 companies.