Marine Electronics – February 2019
STR Buys Fusion 2 LBL, INS Software
Subsea Technology and Rentals (STR) has become the first company to invest in Sonardyne International Ltd.’s new long baseline (LBL) and inertial navigation system (INS) software, Fusion 2. STR will upgrade its existing 6G hardware to Sonardyne’s new 6 “plus” variants, which, combined with Fusion 2, will make marine survey and offshore construction projects faster and easier than ever.
Fusion 2 features Wideband 3, which enables sensor telemetry data (e.g., pressure, depth, temperature) to be embedded in navigation (ranging) telemetry data, meaning there are no pauses in tracking when installing subsea structures, giving operators awareness at all times and reducing risk.
MacArtney, Kongsberg Supply
Sensors for Morocco Vessel
MacArtney France, as a representative of Kongsberg Maritime, has supplied the sensor package for PIRIOU, shipbuilders and naval engineers supplying the Royal Moroccan Navy.
After a long partnership with SHOM, the French Service Hydrographique et Océanographique de la Marine, the King of Morocco commissioned a new hydrographic vessel for the Royal Moroccan Navy. This vessel will map Morocco’s Exclusive Expansion Zone (EEZ), an area of up to 200 nautical mi. to be explored and utilized for marine resources, including energy production from water and wind, as outlined by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The MacArtney package included EdgeTech side scan sonars and sound velocity sensors and profilers from Valeport.
Consortium for Blockchain-Based Certification
Maritime Blockchain Labs (MBL), founded by blockchain technology and governance experts BLOC and the Lloyd’s Register Foundation (LRF), has established a consortium that will pilot a blockchain-based seafarer certification system. The project aims to streamline and expedite processes that can be marred by a lack of verification for safety documentation, paper-based certificate management and a lack of access to validated safety and training certifications of seafarers. These factors can lead to significant issues for crew management agencies, ship operators, and regulatory and port authorities for securing and insuring crew.
The second of three demonstrator projects funded by LRF, this consortium brings together stakeholders who either rely on or support crew certification.
Upon validation and scaling, the final solution would enable seafarers to manage their certificate repository from original issuance; maritime administrations to manage the renewal and endorsement across jurisdictions; crew management organizations to manage seafarers for crewing of vessels; and vessel owners to receive an overview of their crew, certificates and endorsements.