Marine Electronics – January 2019
ROVOP Acquires ROV
Fleet for Vessels, Rigs
ROVOP, an independent provider of underwater ROVs, has purchased an entire fleet of 28 ROV systems from M2 Subsea.
The fleet expansion will enable ROVOP to better support customer operations by strengthening deployment capabilities globally, with a particular focus on Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The fleet is expected to be deployed in the vessel and rig markets.
L3 ASV to Conduct
Autonomous Nav Study for UK
L3 ASV has received U.K. government funding for a pioneering project on autonomous navigation of maritime vessels. The company will conduct a study with its partners in the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO), focusing on the future of marine navigational data and charts.
The project is funded by the Department for Transport’s Transport Technology Research Innovation Grant (T-TRIG) and aims to promote early-stage science, engineering or technology innovations with the potential to advance the U.K.’s transport system.
L3 ASV’s T-TRIG project will begin by exploring the characteristics of navigational data and charts: what they comprise, their structure and how they are updated. The project will identify the technical data requirements to enable the development of a Smart Chart system to provide information to autonomous vessels for safer navigation.
Rovco Expands Fleet
With Falcon DR ROV
Rovco has expanded its ROV and hydrographic survey capabilities with the addition of a Saab Seaeye Falcon DR ROV to its fleet. The 1,000-m-rated, long-range Falcon DR will enhance Rovco’s ability to deliver intricate and demanding missions that require a variety of high-bandwidth sensors, either at depth or over long distances.
The Falcon DR will support Rovco’s R&D projects by carrying out research into autonomous path planning using the company’s SubSLAM live 3D vision system.
The addition of the Falcon brings Rovco’s range of survey-class ROVs up to five.
Maritime E-Procurement
Undergoing Evolution
ShipServ announced the output from its latest research white paper, “e-procurement in Maritime; 2021 and Beyond,” based on insights from leading chief purchasing officers and managers (CPOs/CPMs). The research showed that while maritime e-procurement is currently at an embryonic level in terms of its evolution—scoring two out of 10—more than one-third of those surveyed believe the market will change beyond all recognition in the next five years, driven by developments in advanced technology and applications.
Fifty percent of CPOs and CPMs surveyed stated that they still use their e-procurement systems for purely transactional, not strategic, purposes.
The white paper highlights critical areas where maritime e-procurement will rapidly evolve, creating a more strategic approach to purchasing, which plays an important role in meeting one of the industry’s biggest challenges: vessel optimization and maximizing the value of the asset for shipowners, operators and managers.
Blockchain will be embedded into future systems, which will solve the challenge of siloed data. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will solve the problem of the current lack of standardization for product descriptors.
HUGIN AUVs for
Ocean Infinity
Ocean Infinity has placed three separate orders for a total of five Kongsberg Maritime HUGIN AUV systems, increasing its inventory to 15. The AUVs are supplied with Kongsberg Maritime HISAS 1032 synthetic aperture sonar, giving Ocean Infinity a total of six HUGINs with the ability to deliver high-resolution imaging in its fleet.
The HUGIN AUVs produce a data set including HISAS imagery and bathymetry, EM2040 bathymetry, sub-bottom profiler data and color photographs.
Cargotec Invests in
Digital Development
Cargotec will invest €32 million in accelerating the development of digital solutions to secure growth of new digital business.
As part of the investment, Cargotec will open a new Digital Solutions Hub in Tampere, Finland. The hub will utilize methodologies, technologies and data to develop digital solutions to all Cargotec business areas: Kalmar, Hiab and MacGregor. The new hub is another tangible step in Cargotec’s strategy of becoming a global leader in intelligent cargo handling.
The new unit will work closely with Cargotec’s business areas. The focus on cargo end-to-end flow will boost the digitalization of cargo handling.
Tommi Pettersson, who currently is in charge of Kalmar’s software and automation development, will head the Digital Solutions Hub. The hub is expected to be fully operational by June 2019.