Shipping company GC Rieber has signed a fleet-wide agreement with NAVTOR for the supply of navigation services, data and publications, spanning both paper and digital deliveries, across its seismic and offshore ships.

NAVTOR has been selected to represent the maritime industry in the ENABLE project, an EU initiative to validate the safety of autonomous vehicles in Europe, with the Norwegian firm having received funding to investigate the concept of ‘shore-based bridges’ over the next three years as a stepping stone on the path to autonomous vessels.

Three of the industry’s largest ECDIS suppliers, Transas, Wärtsilä SAM Electronics and Adveto, have supplied the first Sea Traffic Management-compatible onboard equipment, with 225 such systems being made available to the EU-backed project.

NAVTOR has launched a new passage planning module for its NavStation software, to assist navigators in creating the required documentation while planning vessel voyages.

Transas has launched a new navigation and ship operations concept called THESIS – Transas Harmonised Eco System of Integrated Solutions – which aims to create a common platform for collaboration between ships on navigation and operational issues.

CASCADe, a three-year, EU-funded project which is closing at the end of January, reports that it has developed new methodologies for information sharing and display on a ship’s bridge.

The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) has initiated the first full-scale trial of e-navigation in Norwegian waters, which will see the ferry MS Stavangerfjord digitally sharing its routing information with NCA via NAVTOR’s NavStation, a ‘digital chart table’.

The EU is to contribute €21 million to the Sea Traffic Management Validation Project, part of the overarching Motorways of the Sea initiative, as the concept is tested in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea with input from 300 vessels, 10 ports of different sizes and three shore centres.

German software company Geomaris has announced the release of its eNavigation Kernel SDK.

The EU has approved a DKK 85 million (approximately $12.5 million) Danish-led maritime innovation project, intended to enhance safety of navigation and increase efficiency at sea.