Marine Electronics – March 2019
Guidance for Analysis,
Testing of DP Systems
The International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA) has published “Guidance to Identify DP System Components and their Failure Modes” (IMCA M 247).
Unexpected events that jeopardize station-keeping integrity are regularly reported via the IMCA DP Station Keeping Report Scheme. This guidance will help minimize such events and assist those involved in the analysis and testing of dynamic positioning systems. IMCA M 247 identifies the different components of a DP system and how these systems might fail.
Canopus Transponder for
European Geodetic Research
iXblue has been chosen by the European Institute for Marine Studies to provide eight Canopus LBL transponders for a major geodetic mission off the coast of Sicily. Deployed on the seabed, 2,500 m below the surface, the Canopus transponders will measure the crustal deformation along the North-South Alfeo faults with a millimeter-scale resolution over four years.
The Canopus LBL transponder is suited for scientific and industrial applications that require high autonomy, instrumentation, repeatability and accuracy.
Iridium Certus Rolls Out
New L-Band Service
For months, Network Innovations Inc. (NI), one of the first Iridium Certus service providers, has been successfully beta and field testing the new Iridium Certus service. With global teams conducting vigorous testing, NI has been able to gain first-hand expertise and in-depth knowledge of both the service and the hardware while assisting Iridium in preparing for the commercial launch. The lessons learned through testing resulted in early customer adoption with one of the first commercial activations.
NSSLGlobal is another company now service ready for Iridium Certus, the new L-Band service from Iridium. Maritime customers can get immediate access to the enterprise-grade global broadband functionality and high-quality voice capabilities offered by Iridium Certus, either as a standalone service or in conjunction with NSSLGlobal’s VSAT IP@SEA service.
Iridium Certus ensures that crews at sea are safely connected with consistent communication, regardless of location. It offers a variety of speed classes.
Dualog Offers First-Line
Cybersecurity Defense
Tromso-based Dualog has launched a new service to protect vessels and onboard IT systems before an attack occurs. Dualog Protect is designed to be the first line of defense in a robust approach to cybersecurity on board, where malware and unwanted data traffic are blocked at the DNS-level.
A Cisco security research paper claims that 91.3 percent of malware uses DNS in attacks.
Dualog Protect blocks ransom-ware, trojans and phishing attempts, as well as preventing command-and-control call-backs and data exfiltration. It addresses the emerging needs of the shipping industry to implement robust cybersecurity measures, given the advent of always-on operations, digitalization, Internet of Things (IoT) and new connectivity demands from the maritime workforce.
SMD Shanghai Manufactures
Quantum MkIII WROV
Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd. (SMD) announced that SMD Shanghai, SMD’s Chinese entity, has successfully completed the manufacture and commissioning of a Quantum MkIII work class remotely operated vehicle (WROV) at its facility in Lingang, Shanghai. This is the first WROV to be built at the facility since its opening in 2018.
SMD Shanghai’s facility is home to a 3,700 m2 workshop that contains an in-house training facility featuring a state-of-the-art ROV training simulator and 405 m3 test tank. Having this capability in-house means that SMD Shanghai is able offer customers a full solution, from sales support to training and aftercare.
The Quantum WROV is the largest and most heavy-duty WROV in SMD’s range. It is ideal for offshore tasks where high thruster performance and tooling power are required. Generous chassis space allows for upgrades and additional equipment to suit customer requirements.
Nigeria Gets New
Bathymetric Capabilities
The Nigerian Navy Hydrographic Office (NNHO) has selected Teledyne CARIS to provide solutions for current and future national and international charting requirements. Equipped with CARIS Ping-to-Chart technology, the NNHO is establishing new capabilities for bathymetric analysis and completion of hydrographic and other geospatial data. These tools will ensure an efficient workflow for the production of electronic charts and paper charts according to the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and NNHO standards.
The first part of the project was completed in late 2018, with delivery of software and training. It will continue into 2019 with professional services from Teledyne CARIS to help ensure a successful launch of the new software infrastructure.
Connecting ROV Owners
And Seekers Online
The first online marketplace dedicated to ROVs has been launched by Scottish company ROVHUB, rovhub.com. It connects ROV owners with opportunities worldwide and allows ROV seekers to shortlist and contact relevant contractors.
David Gault developed ROVHUB after seeing the potential of technology to efficiently bring together the supply and demand sides of the ROV business.
ROVHUB has thousands of ROVs and hundreds of ROV companies in its database.