Maritime IT & Electronics (Nov/Dec 2011)

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November/December 2011

The trusted name in fleet management software for your 60,000 ton hardware.

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Complete Global Coverage!

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©2010-2011 KVH Industries, Inc. KVH, TracPhone, and the unique light-colored dome with dark contrasting baseplate are trademarks of KVH Industries, Inc. “What Broadband at sea was meant to be” and “mini-VSAT Broadband” are service marks of KVH Industries, Inc. ArcLight is a registered trademark of ViaSat, Inc.; all other trademarks are the property of their respective companies. Patents Pending.


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CONTENTS 2

Comment

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News

VSAT VSAT Rewound 8 MITE charts three decades of maritime satcoms history with MTN始s chief technology officer Richard Hadsall

TRAINING 10 Engaging with ECDIS Safebridge is about to launch a web-based live ECDIS simulator, which it believes will address the bottleneck in type-specific officer training

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011

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Short sharp shock in training Giving seafarers a short sharp shock ensures they understand the importance of safety training

ELECTRONICS 18 Evolving Ethernet Lightweight Ethernet (LWE) is a new standard for ship data networks that is supporting the trend for further integration between devices

HUMAN MACHINE INTERFACES 21 Friend or foe? Can usability heuristics help the development of more efficient user interfaces for navigation systems?

FISHING 24 What始s the catch? Regulations are the driving force behind satcoms adoption in the fishing industry, but is broadband overkill? 28 A CRISP collaboration Simrad is combining hydroacoustic and underwater cameras to get a clearer view of the trawl and aid sustainable fishing

Aldgate House, 33 Aldgate High Street, London. EC3N 1EN. UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 7382 2600 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7382 2669 www.imarest.org Editor: Kevin Tester kevin.tester@imarest.org MITE Advertising Manager: derek.wood@imarest.org Graphic Designer: jo.cooper@imarest.org Publication Sales & Subscriptions: lorraine.jordan@imarest.org Publisher: Derek Wood derek.wood@imarest.org Visit MITE online: www.imarest.org/ publications/ maritimeITelectronics

VOYAGE OPTIMISATION 30 Weather for your ship only Vessel-type specific weather forecasts and pirate proximity alerts are the latest innovations to emerge in the voyage optimisation arms-race

SECURITY 35 Defeat your insecurities Security in a satcoms-enabled maritime IT environment comes down to choosing the right level of protection for different data types

漏 Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (2011). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying, storing in any medium by electronic means or transmitting) without the written permission o f the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 6-10 Kirby Street, London, England, EC1N 8TS, website: www.cla.co.uk email: licence@cla.co.uk. Applications for the copyright owner's written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the publisher. Information published in MARITIME IT & ELECTRONICS does not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. Whilst effort is made to ensure that the information is accurate the publisher makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or correctness of such information. It accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any loss damage or other liability arising from any use of this publication or the information which it contains.


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COMMENT

Training apps call for fatter pipes Kevin Tester The maritime satcoms industry has long sought a ‘killer app’, which would drive up demand for its services, and hopefully increase customer yield. The problem has been that virtually all contemporary applications designed for use at sea have their roots in the narrowband era. They were built to operate on links as small as 9.6 Kbps, dial-up services. Indeed this has led to some ingenious software engineering and should be commended. Maintenance planning systems come with clever synchronising that only sends changes to the central database. Condition monitoring systems do most of their number crunching onboard resulting in much smaller datasets. A ship can hold a global portfolio of electronic charts, requiring only small transaction between their chart distributor to gain the necessary licence to unlock and use the pre-loaded chart. This has not stopped satcoms service providers from trying to convince ship owners and managers that full broadband is necessary to use such applications. The latest rouse, for example, relates to the electronic logbooks that fishing boats operating in EU waters are now required to carry. Satellite broadband is your best option to comply with the new rules, proclaims one service provider. It turns out that the logbook data that the vessel must send to the authorities each day is only a few kilobytes in size, hardly requiring a half-meg always-on link. However this is not to say the marketing message is a complete fallacy, as the increased bandwidth could deliver other 2

MITE November/December 2011

real benefits, for example allowing skippers to negotiate a sale while at sea. And if the kit currently on board is nearing the end of its service life, broadband would represent a highly futureproof solution. For the performance offered, prices for both hardware and airtime have fallen dramatically in recent years. Breaking conventions The one application that would really benefit from higher bandwidth availability is onboard training. Electronic training packages are often packed with ‘heavy’ multimedia content, whether interactive exercises with animated graphics or fullmotion video. Today new or updated content is delivered in the form of CD-ROM or DVD collected at pre-arranged port stops. It would be easier for everyone the crew aboard ship and content providers - if the content could be trickled down ‘over the air’. It is therefore gratifying to see that a recently established training provider - introduced in this issue - has bitten the bullet and announced a training system for type-specific ECDIS that requires a decent broadband link from the get-go. The online service from Hamburg-based Safebridge also breaks the established model for maritime training applications. Rather than downloading a big block of content which is then executed as a standalone program, the Safebridge approach is to deliver a live simulation (of an ECDIS console) that is powered from the shore-based server, in a similar fashion to Internet-based ‘massively multiplayer’ games. As such, broadband is not a nice-tohave but becomes a prerequisite.

Editor

Access all areas Given that by most current estimates only 10% of commercial vessels have some kind of broadband onboard, setting the entry requirements so high might at first glance appear a rather ill-advised business model - especially for a company looking to bring type-specific training to the masses. In the near-term, however, Safebridge anticipates most access to its service will be from shore locations connected by fibre or ports with WiFi, such is the bottleneck of officers needing this training to meet the impending ECDIS mandate being phased in from next year through to 2012, compounded by the lack of provision in training academies etc. Nevertheless, the company believes that eventually officers will start logging in whilst at sea. To that end, it has carried out field-trials in cooperation with GE Satcom. It found that although current Ku-band VSAT systems have sufficient downlink speeds (1-4 Mbps), the real challenge is uplink speeds. Because it is a real-time simulation, Safebridge requires bandwidth and low-latency in both directions. Today the capacity of uplinks is typically best measured in Kbps rather than Mbps. This is due to the way the TDMA protocol (used on most maritime VSAT services) works and also a function of antenna size and power. Whether these obstacles can be overcome is unclear. But if Ka-band becomes a reality maybe they won’t need to be overcome.


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NEWS

Mike Robinson is stepping down from his role as chief executive of the UK Hydrographic Office after five years at the organisation. Robinson was instrumental in the introduction of the Admiralty Vector Chart Service (AVCS) in 2008 and subsequently the Admiralty Information Overlay, which gives bridge officers access to additional chart corrections ‒ essentially, issues UKHO has identified with official data supplied to it by foreign hydrographic offices ‒ to make passage planning with ENCs safer and more efficient. Speculation is rife about the reasons behind Robinsonʼs decision to ʻpursue new horizonsʼ, especially since the move follows so soon after the departure of Michael Cauter, the UKHO chief financial officer. One factor is that the UK government was exerting pressure on UKHO to cut costs, and in particular salaries. It wouldnʼt be the first time. In December 2007 the organisation carried out a downsizing exercise codenamed ʻProject Amberʼ aimed at reducing overheads by allowing large numbers of staff to leave under an early release arrangement. Rumour has it that when Robinsonʼs contract came up for renewal this year, the offer on

Money-spinner UKHO chief-exec steps down the table was a pay-packet reduction of some 20%. This in spite of the organisation making more money than ever before from its commercial activities. ʻOverall, it has been an exceptional year and we have achieved record business levels with sales of £130m representing year on year growth of 11.1% which in turn, together with tight cost control, has delivered record profits of £37.9m,ʼ writes Robinson in the UKHOʼs 2010/11 annual report. But maybe this too was part of the problem. The UKHO is an executive agency of the Ministry of Defence but also operates as ʻtrading fundʼ, which is public-sector jargon for a ʻmoney-making businessʼ. This special status means that it is supposed to be totally selffunding through the commercial sale of its data and derived products. However, while being in possession of a virtual government monopoly on data for nautical charts and publications in the UK, it is also supposed to be a public supplier of this in-

formation. A similar conflict is seen within the Ordnance Survey for land mapping. This rather Jekyll & Hyde existence has never really sat well with the sort of people that make up the organisation. MITE has heard there is an upswell of antipathy among staff that under Robinson the pendulum had swung too far towards ʻcommercial aimsʼ and that the Office is in danger of forgetting its roots: namely, the production and maintenance of the worldʼs most accurate nautical charts. In addition to possible salary cuts and existential angst, there was also the thorn of eNavigator. Announced two years ago, this software was supposed to revolutionise the procurement and management of a vesselʼs chart portfolio, an essential aspect of ensuring safe navigation under ECDIS. But it has been beset by technical problems and delays, disappointing both UKHOʼs ship operator customers and its network of distribution partners. For the latter group, instead of

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MITE November/December 2011

ance Indicators (KPIs) including fleet-wide data for maintenance, supply chain, safety and personnel records. With the ability to drill down into vessel specifics, NS5 Enterprise is intended to serve as the backbone for improved planning decisions. NS5 Enterprise was designed in partnership with a global usability research firm that focuses on improving user experience. They garnered and incorporated direct feedback from ABS Nautical Systemsʼ clients to advance numerous critical software performance elements, such as user experi-

Mike Robinson leaves UKHO after bringing in £37.9m last year

having a streamlined system for quickly and efficiently supplying the latest charts to vessels, they are forced to use a non-automated stop-gap replacement of the older APOS system. Furthermore, MITE understands that British Aerospace has been called in to take ownership of the development project. And there is likelihood that BAE may scrap the existing product ‒ originally acquired from Norwayʼs Maris ‒ and redesign it from scratch. Ian Moncrieff, currently chief operating officer and former UK national hydrographer, has been appointed interim chief executive with immediate effect.

NEWS IN BRIEF

ABS Nautical addresses usability ABS Nautical Systems has unveiled a full redesign of its NS5 ship maintenance management software suite. NS5 Enterprise has a more versatile architecture, allowing all users ‒ from senior management to crew members ‒ 24/7 access to the data they need. While senior management can retrieve the latest operational data concerning the status of their fleets, shipboard and shoreside users can reference this same data as it relates to their particular job functions. This new element provides dashboards with customised views to examine Key Perform-

ence, navigation, speed and reporting. Performance has also been addressed, with particular emphasis on searching and retrieving large quantities of data. ABS Nautical Systems says users can load data or run reports, regardless of size, in a tenth of the time it previously took. A so-called ʻLiveʼ version is also available, whereby the core database is hosted on a dedicated server. This option eliminates the need for remote office licenses and installations, while significantly reducing IT infrastructure costs.

STRATOS GLOBAL has expanded its maritime service-delivery capabilities by opening Global Installation & Service Centres in Rotterdam (to serve the EMEA region), Hong Kong, Singapore (to serve major ports in Asia) and Lafayette, Louisiana (to serve Houston and the Americas). NSSLGLOBAL has announced increased coverage and capacity over south east Asia. The introduction of a new ʻspot beamʼ on the SES NSS6 satellite at 95 East will improve communications for maritime users around the busy shipping routes in the region, especially in Singapore and Malaysia.


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NEWS

Navtor sets its sights on making electronic charts less ʻcumbersomeʼ As the deadline for switching to all electronic navigation creeps ever closer, a newly established Norwegian company has set its sights on redefining ‒ and simplifying ‒ the way that electronic charts are distributed and licensed to the merchant fleet. Navtor is based in Egersund, a coastal town south of Stavanger well known for its maritime electronic industry, and backed by local venture capitalist Smedvig. Crucially the company is staffed by a team of veterans in the field of electronic chart production and distribution. Navtor states it will join forces with hardware manufacturers, data providers and others in the ECDIS eco-system to jointly develop and supply a ʻfully automated cost-effective,

user-friendly electronic maritime navigation serviceʼ. It has already sourced a supplier for official chart data through a recently signed distribution deal with Primar. Company marketing manager Willy Zeiler, formerly of Jeppesen, is optimistic about the new venture: ʻWhen we launch our innovative ENC service in the first quarter of next year, it will radically simplify the ordering, licensing, updating and, most importantly, the administration of ENC chart portfolios. Until now, the market has been slow to embrace ENCs, primarily due to the cumbersome way that todayʼs solutions work.ʼ Details on how the new service will work are still scant. Moreover, the planned commercial launch doesnʼt leave the

Willy Zeiler: chart updates should not be cumbersome

company much time to establish a secure footing before IMOʼs ECDIS mandate comes into force that July. And neither is it the first time

a company has attempted to overhaul the chart distribution process. Regular readers will be familiar with Datemaʼs pay-asyou-sail ENCtrack service, which, intra-industry tussles aside, has been slow to drum up business (MITE Sep/Oct 2011).

NEWS IN BRIEF

Members of the inter-governmental Arctic Council saw Inmarsat communications in action at the edge of satellite coverage during sea rescue training exercises. The high-level forum, which promotes co-operation between the Arctic states, was meeting on board the nuclear icebreaker Yamal on its passage through the Northern Sea Route. Maritime safety was on the agenda as the Arctic shipping lane is seeing a substantial increase in traffic due to the

GLOBE WIRELESS has completed its 100th VSAT installation since launching the service in May 2008. The company reports it has had to accelerate its installation programme to keep up with continued demand for higher bandwidth satcoms.

/N BOARD s /N SHORE s /NLINE /N BOARD s /N SHORE s /NLINE

Inmarsat reaches high latitudes shrinking of the ice cap. Inmarsatʼs partner in Russia, Morsviazsputnik, installed a FleetBroadband 250 terminal on the Yamal as well as a Thrane & Thrane Explorer 700 BGAN terminal in the seaport of Tiksi. During the simulated rescue exercises in the Laptev Sea, both were used for voice and data as well as videoconferencing. Despite the vessel being 70km north of Tiksi, at the very edge of the Inmarsat C coverage area, FleetBroadband is said to have performed well.

MITSUI OSK LINEʼS (MOL) LNG subsidiary has deployed the TracPhone V7 satcoms system from KVH Industries on three of its LNG tankers, following the completion of a trial installation on one of the gas carriers earlier this year. WILSON SHIP Management is to equip 80 of its ships with FleetBroadband. As one of the largest operators in the European short sea segment, Wilson has chosen a Shared Corporate Allocation Package (SCAP) to spread the costs across its fleet. The 36-month contract was signed with Marlink and includes both airtime and hardware from Thrane & Thrane.

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EMSA uses SUMO to wrestle ship pollution The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) is to deploy SUMO, special software developed by the EU's Joint Research Council, to enhance its oil pollution detection system, thereby, indirectly helping Member States combat pollution from ships. Entirely developed by the JRCʼs Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen (IPSC), SUMO, or ʻSearch for Unidentified Marine Objectsʼ, is designed to automatically detect vessels based on satellite images. EMSA already uses satellite imagery to detect illegal oil discharges from ships through a monitoring service known as CleanSeaNet (CSN). Under the shell, CSN contains sophisticated algorithms that can automatically discover the oil spills, but identifying the vessels responsible is still a challenge.

Flickr | davidgsteadman

SUMO will also be used to help

SUMO offers a solution by correlating artifacts in the satellite images with positions held in EMSA's vessel traffic monitoring system (SafeSeaNet). SUMO is also the engine used to power the Vessel Detection System (VDS), developed by the JRC in support of EU fisheries legislation. The principles employed are essentially the

police commercial fishing

same, but applied in reverse. VDS can signal to authorities the possible presence of illegally fishing boats, by eliminating the legitimate vessels that are reporting their position and corroborated by cross-referencing with satellite images.

Thrane & Thrane reaches three-zero Danish electronics manufacturer Thrane & Thrane is celebrating three decades in the satcom hardware development business. Formed in September 1981 by brothers Lars and Per Thrane, the firm has remained at the forefront of communication technology. ʻFrom humble roots in Lars Thraneʼs basement, Thrane & Thrane has become highly respected in the maritime, aeronautical and land markets because our systems enable users to effectively and reliably communicate from anywhere on the planet,ʼ comments present day chief-executive Walther Thygesen. In 1982, with a staff of just five people, Thrane & Thrane introduced the TT-1585 radio telexmodem, which could receive and transmit shortwave signals as telexes. It was intended as a more economic alternative to Inmarsatʼs satellite-based solution. Including printer and monitor, the TT1585 came with a rather hefty 6

MITE November/December 2011

£40,000 price tag. By 1985 the company had grown to employee 20 staff and embarked on the development of its first Inmarsat-C terminal, the TT-302A. Introduced in 1987, this too cost £40,000. It was around this time that Thrane & Thrane deepened its partnership with Inmarsat, by becoming more heavily involved in the infrastructure design and implementation of the maritime satellite operatorʼs major services. This effectively created a feedback loop where in-depth knowledge of Inmarsatʼs systems supported ongoing product development for end-user terminals and the like. In 1990, it developed hardware for the first Inmarsat-C landearth station, conveniently located at Blåvand, Denmark. 1997 marked a watershed when original founder Per Thrane stepped down as chiefexecutive, though he remained involved in the company as a board-member. In 2001, after being listed on

the Copenhagen stock-exchange, the company won its largest ever contract ‒ worth some DKK 360 million (approx £46M) ‒ to develop the groundstation element and radio access network (RAN) for Inmarsatʼs proposed BGAN satellite broadband service ‒ the core technology behind FleetBroadband. Despite work on BGAN proceeding in the background, the company launched a slew of new products for the maritime market, including Fleet-77 (128 Kbps ISDN), Fleet-55 (64 Kbps ISDN), Fleet-33 (9.6 Kbps circuitswitched) and, after a brief hiatus, the mini-M. The RAN ground stations for BGAN were approved in the summer of 2005. The first terminal for the new service, the Explorer 500, was brought to market that winter. It could transmit data at up to 464 Kbps, a staggering rate compared to earlier products. The first maritime variant, the Sailor 500, emerged two years later in December 2007.

Italian ferries get mobile Internet Maritime Communications Partner (MCP) has strengthened its foothold in the Mediterranean through a major deal with Corsica & Sardinia Ferries of Italy. The five-year contract covers mobile telephony, mobile internet, WiFi and VSAT for eight passenger ferries and plays a key role in supporting Corsicaʼs ongoing aims to provide crew and passengers with competitive wireless communications backed by a highly reliable quality cellular network. Corsica & Sardinia Ferries are one of the biggest operators on the western Mediterranean transporting about 3.5 million passengers annually aboard their ferries running to and from France and Italy to Corsica and Sardinia. Once it has been fully rolled out, MCPʼs mobile network becomes operational two nautical miles from shore (to avoid any potential conflict with terrestrial telco operators) allowing passengers to access voice and data services, including messaging, MMS, mail, mobile Internet and Blackberry services. Corsica & Sardinia Ferries will also utilise MCPʼs hardware for real-time connection to its headquarters, thereby streamlining fleet operation logistics, monitoring and managing onboard sales and providing even better service management and optimisation.

NEWS IN BRIEF German boxship operator Reederei Claus-Peter Offen decided to install Inmarsatʼs FleetBroadband on all 122 vessels in its fleet. The airtime contract was signed with Stratos Global, which will also be rolling out its AmosConnect maritime email system and chat cards for crew. ʻFleetBroadband ensures we can benefit from the most advanced business and crew applications, in a highly cost-effective manner,ʼ said Ascan Roosen, head of CP Offenʼs IT Department.


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VSAT

VSAT rewound MTN has become the dominant satcoms provider to the cruise sector

As reported briefly last issue, MTN Satellite Communications (MTN) is this year celebrating three decades in the maritime satcoms industry. Since it’s founding in 1981, the company has delivered numerous innovative solutions, initially for a broad mix of government and military customers. Later, it began to focus more and more heavily on the maritime sector and particularly the cruise segment, where today it is the dominant satcoms provider. To commemorate this landmark, MITE asked MTN’s Chief Technology Officer, Richard Hadsall to shed some light on how the technology and the market have evolved over the years. Back in the early 1980s, Inmarsat A was regarded as a top of the line marine satellite system, followed by the slightly smaller Inmarsat B. These were four-channel L-Band systems delivered via a 1m antenna, offering a full 64 Kbps – with 56 Kbps usable – per channel providing voice and fax service and limited synchronous data. (Inmarsat A was finally withdrawn in late 8

MITE November/December 2011

MITE charts three decades of maritime satcoms history from revolutionary 9.6 Kbps connections in the 1980s to the latest innovations in IP-based TV delivery with MTNʼs chief technology officer Richard Hadsall 2007 after more than 30 years of successful operation). Proof-of-concept It was in 1986 when MTN first became involved in Ku-band for the military services, before it had gained much real experience with C-band. In some ways, the company was learning to run before it could walk. Hadsall elaborates: ‘The Ku-band project was undertaken as a proof-of-concept to evaluate the performance of the small size of the satellite beam width. But because we were able to make Ku-band work, we realised we could easily make C-band work as well. In effect we did the difficult part first, then swung back and did it the easy way using C-band.’ The company focused on C-

band military projects until the early 1990s. Continues Hadsall: ‘This was because we needed to cover much larger areas than the Ku-band beams that Intelsat was able to offer us at the time. Military vessels were moving anywhere in the world and they were not at liberty to say when and where they were planning to go. So MTN made the decision to concentrate on Intelsat’s global [C-band] beams. It allowed these vessels to traverse the oceans at will without providing MTN with an itinerary to follow them with specialised hemi or zone beams.’ Around this time MTN was driven to expand its Ku-band network. It was encountering demand for its services from more and more smaller commercial vessels based in the Gulf of Mexico, which could not fit the large C-band VSAT anennas on board. The smaller 1m Ku-band terminals – of similar size to the Inmarsat A and B antennas of the day – were an ideal solution. Official recognition Asides from finessing the hardware for this burgeoning market, the company begun


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VSAT

Ship Equip reaches 1K installs

Richard Hadsall ‒ Chief Technology Officer at MTN

lobbying for improved regulation of fixed satellite services (FSS) for maritime use. It took MTN from the early 1990s to 2003 for its product to be formally recognised on a global basis. This followed the World Radio Commission (WRC) accepting the arguments of Dr Robert Hanson, representing MTN, and issued Resolution 902 on Earth Stations on board Vessels (ESVs). With WRC-2003.902 as its basis, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) created an ESV network licence. Of course, it wasn’t just workboats that wanted VSAT. Cruise lines too were keen early adopters. The first trial took place aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s MS Seaward, with a system capable of delivering a 64 Kbps duplex SCPC channel. It provided eight voice/fax lines and a speedy synchronous 9.6 Kbps data channel to connect the ships’ IBM AS-400 computers in real-time to corporate headquarters, which was never before possible. ‘We quickly increased to 128 Kbps as customers became more accustomed to using the alwayson connections,’ says Hadsall. ‘The fixed SCPC was later upgraded to asymmetrical SCPC where the uplink was set at a fixed data rate, but the downlink would allow ships to burst well above their contracted rates for shore-to-ship data.’ ‘The main challenge for us was to find a core router that would allow inputs from multiple vessels and a single output. It took approximately six months to identify two working models: one from Wellfleet and the other from Cisco.’

Web awareness The emergence and evolution of maritime VSAT closely mirrored the increasing awareness and growing popularity of the Internet in the late 1990s. Hadsall notes: ‘Cruise lines embraced the technology very quickly as it opened so many new opportunities for them. They caught on to the fact it could be harnessed as a profit centre rather than a cost centre.’ MTN responded with the introduction of VSAT-enabled Internet cafes for passengers. These have since been superseded by WiFi services, allowing passengers to connect with their own devices, including smart-phones. Over the same period, appetite for bandwidth has grown astronomically. In 2002 commenced a migration to more efficient TDMA IP based services using the then new iDirect technology. This allowed MTN to offer its clients the ability to burst in both directions and allow them greater uplink speeds. Today VSAT is utilised for more than just letting passengers surf the web and get their Facebook fix. It has also become the backbone for sophisticated IPTV systems, which operate beyond the reach of conventional satellite TV. Demand for IP-based TV delivery solutions has increased considerably over the last five years. According to Hadsall two factors are to blame. Firstly, the cruise industry has altered its itineraries markedly over the period, now crossing deep ocean regions rarely transited in the past and berthing in new more remote locations. Secondly, subscription costs for conventional TV satellite broadcasts have continued to rise, combined with limited contract service areas – ie, the satellite footprints under which the programming can actually be received, are increasingly small relative to the geographic areas where cruise vessels now sail.

VSAT SUPPLIER Ship Equip reports it has completed its 1000th VSAT installation. The landmark achievement coincides with the start of the first XpressLink deliveries. XpressLink is a managed service with VSAT and FleetBroadband communication in one integrated package, which is intended to serve as a bridge to Inmarsatʼs forthcoming Global Xpress Ka-band service. The flat-fee XpressLink service delivers 512Kbps/512Kbps with a minimum average data rate of 128Kbps. ʻAs VSAT became more accepted by the maritime community, we had to plan for a larger customer-base. Our approach was to simplify and standardise the product, while allowing for customisation in the setup,ʼ said company chief operating officer Esben Flo. ʻWe did this by putting all the electronics into a five unit rack, with a 12-inch colour touch-screen interface, and standardising on a single stabilised antenna design.ʼ CEO Ivar Nesset estimates that around 10% of the addressable market has installed VSAT. He predicts further growth: ʻThis trend is reflected in the introduction of XpressLink, with higher data speeds at lower prices.ʼ

Bridging broadcasts ‘Cruise operators want to provide their guests with highest quality services, but there was a void of satellite TV coverage in a lot of the areas they were sailing to. This resulted in requests to MTN to “bridge” more content to vessels, via IP-TV, when ships moved beyond the footprint of satellite broadcast channels,’ explains Hadsall. For a number of years MTN has been providing a news channel and more importantly IP spot coverage of major sporting events to vessels. However, this hole in the coverage is only filled with opportune bandwidth, which is often an expensive and hard to acquire resource. MTN’s partnership with its cruise line partners to create a more consistent product has taken IP delivery a step forward and created a separate global delivery system in the form of MTN Worldwide TV. Launched last year, the service currently offers eight U.S. and international programming channels for live news, entertainment and special events to broadcast globally on three overlapping beams. MITE November/December 2011

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TRAINING

ECDIS training has been the subject of intense debate ever since the IMO decreed that electronic navigation was going to become mandatory. Of the many issues to vex ship operators and managers one of the larger areas of concern is how best to impart effective type-specific training. Thanks to IMO’s 1.27 model course framework, an officer may have acquired a solid understanding of the theoretical principles of ECDIS operation and how it compares to traditional paperbased navigation, but this doesn’t necessarily mean he is able to operate the hardware actually installed on his vessel. And he’s likely to be even more perplexed when transferred to another vessel and confronted with equipment he’s never seen before. The proliferation of different ECDIS implementations from different manufacturers is recognised as a very real problem but with few real solutions. It is the variety of graphic user interfaces that lies at the heart of the problem. Indeed, the only element of an ECDIS display that will remain consistent from console to console is the vector chart itself, the appearance of which is strictly governed by the IHO and other bodies. The positioning of the menus and indicators that must be employed to actually use the system is however quite arbitrary. The upshot is that bridge personnel must spend considerable time and effort familiarising – or re-familiarising – themselves with the specific mode of operation. Computer-based training (CBT) is seen by many as a quick and easy way of delivering this familiarisation. For cost-conscious ship operators and managers it is also attractive in as far as it reduces the travel and accommodation overheads that would otherwise be borne sending crew for face-to-face training at an academy or similar institution. 10

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Engaging with ECDIS Safebridge is on the verge of launching a web-based system intended to help officers get to grips with ECDIS systems from different manufacturers in the most authentic way possible

Linear structure On the other hand, critics argue CBT is not wholly effective in instilling the required skill-set, primarily due to its linear structure which limits the user’s freedom of interaction. In short, it’s viewed as passive rather than active. While this might be acceptable for some applications, for example safety management, it is not deemed appropriate for more complex needs, such as ECDIS. ‘After being guided through the basic functions the best way to gain proficiency is simply to exercise and “play around” with the system as it operates in the real-world. This is incredibly hard to replicate in an artificial CBT environment,’ says Ulf Steden, managing director of Safebridge, a Hamburg-based start-up that is proposing a radically different approach, but more on that later. ‘Take a modern mobile phone for example. You will not learn much from reading the manual only. You become familiar by using and playing around with it and gradually gaining confidence that way. A similar pattern can be seen for ECDIS training, which is why we believe a conventional CBT approach is inadequate,’ says

Steden. Moreover, owing to their relatively rigid structure, conventional CBT programs are hard to maintain over the long-term. Incidental changes to the ECDIS interface’s layout by the manufacturer could easily result in the whole solution having to be recompiled and possibly redeployed. Web delivery Safebridge plans to overcome these shortcomings with a completely web-based system that serves trainee officers with a real ECDIS systems from a range of manufacturers they can access remotely. In fact, the company says it has dimensioned its infrastructure to deliver the remote interface to up to 1000 trainees simultaneously ready for when the system goes live, all being well, by year-end. ‘Our approach is to use a real ECDIS with an NMEA feed, so it is functioning and behaving exactly as it does onboard. We have incorporated a guided tutorial to review the type specific elements of IMO’s 1.27 model course and MCA’s MIN 405, a task-oriented interactive mode to explain the general operating principles and, because we recognise the importance of letting the trainee discovering the system for himself, a “free-play” mode,’ explains Steden. In the task-oriented mode, the trainee is presented with certain scenarios while a ship is sailing along a route, for example, querying an object, planning a route or changing waypoints. While these scenarios are based on the model course, they are not a simple regurgitation. Steden elaborates: ‘1.27 is prerequi-


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site for type-specific training so we can assume the trainees have grasped the core principles. What we have done is extract the typespecific elements, such as routeplanning, as implemented by each manufacturer.’ Route-planning is a recurring problem area. A case in point is the grounding of the LT Cortesia on sand banks in the English Channel in 2008. The inability of crew to distinguish whether the vessel’s navigation system was operating as a full ECDIS (official chart display), ECS (unofficial chart display) or RCDS (raster chart display) was highlighted in the subsequent accident report compiled by Germany's Federal Bureau of Maritime Casualty Investigation (BSU). While this ambiguity wasn’t the direct cause of the accident (because fortunately the unofficial charts were accurate), the navigation system was running on default settings because noone had sufficiently detailed knowledge to change them. On completion of the tasks, appropriate feedback is supplied

Safebridge will deliver numerous ECDIS interfaces over the web

depending on whether they have been performed satisfactorily or not. It is worth pointing out the Safebridge system does not replicate a full-blown vessel simulator, but only what is shown on the ECDIS display. Unrealistic expectations While proud of what Safebridge has achieved, Steden is not blind to the bigger picture. ‘It is easy for ship operators and managers to fall into the trap of thinking that if they send their officers for training, they will return fully acquainted with the relevant system. This is an unrealistic expectation,’ he says. ‘Training has to be embedded within company procedures. Before sending officers on any kind of course, you need to put bridge procedures in to place; adjust the ISM manual to take those procedures into account; set up flowcharts for emergency situations such as what to do if ECDIS fails. ‘If there are procedures in place, bridge personnel will feel much more confident in responding. Once this is done, you

can work out how the training fits in. Ideally those procedures and guidelines can actually be integrated into the training.’ To date, the company has sewn up deals with several major ECDIS manufacturers, including Sperry Marine, Transas, Imtech, JRC and, most recently, Raytheon Anschütz, which then supply Safebridge with their software. Crucially this is the same code they install on the type-approved dedicated hardware onboard actual vessels. Steden and his team then go about installing the software on their servers as ‘virtual machines’, which can be called up at any time and, as needs dictate, in multiple instances. It is worth re-emphasising that Safebridge was designed from the outset as a web-service. This obviously has implications on to what extent it can be used aboard ship. Steden told MITE that the system has undergone tests over a VSAT connection (link provided by GE Satcom) with promising results. However one niggle, which MITE November/December 2011

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Furuno goes type-specific in Singapore FURUNO IS on the verge of opening the doors to a new training centre in Singapore making it easier for deck officers based in Asiaʼs maritime hub to undergo type-specific ECDIS training. The Furuno INS Training Centre (INSTC) hosted on the premises of Rico, a subsidiary of the navigation equipment manufacturer, will deliver the two-day course, drawing heavily on the know-how gained at a similar facility established in Copenhagen in 2005. ʻBy sharing the instructorsʼ experiences in Denmark we can provide identical training in terms of quality and content at both training facilities. This allows ship owners to send their crew members to either training centre safe in the knowledge that they will gain the same skills and depth of understanding,ʼ says Ken H Jensen, training manager of Furuno INSTC Denmark Furuno has been very clear about their responsibility as a manufacturer to provide ECDIS operator training. ʻWhen ship owners invest their money sending deck officers to the training centre, we have to give them satisfactory return on investment,ʼ says Jensen. ʻType specific ECDIS training has two goals. One is to facilitate safe navigation by giving the operator proper and thorough knowledge on the user interface and hardware operation. The other is to allow the operator to gain a fuller understanding of ECDIS functionalities and how to utilise this in day-to-day ship operation. In this way, he can conduct his navigation tasks more efficiently, thereby generating a better return for the shipowner.ʼ

might affect how trainees embrace the system, is the slight lag in response time between the ship and server. While this can equally be an issue on a completely terrestrial link due to localised bottlenecks on the network, the dependency on satellite for reaching ships means latency is likely to be a permanent rather than spo-

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radic occurrence. Replicating the responsiveness of real ECDIS consoles requires dataflow to be as close to instantaneous as possible. Lingua franca While there is no doubt that Safebridge’s web-powered solution is a positive development in making type-specific ECDIS

training more accessible, it once again raises the thorny question of whether a greater level of standardisation in interface design by manufacturers would be a better long-term solution. Bridge personnel would, in Steden’s view, welcome more commonality, but this is unlikely to come about. ‘The problem is who has authority to set such standards. IMO is the obvious candidate, but their decision-making process is so longwinded that by the time they agreed on a layout, technology would have moved on, forcing users to run obsolete systems.’ he candidly explains. What would be helpful however is standardising terminology: ‘At the moment each manufacturer has its own way of referring to aspects which are common to all ECDIS systems. As a consequence, officers have to, in effect, learn a different language for each manufacturers’ hardware. The introduction of an industrywide naming convention would help remedy this, without diminishing the scope for innovation among manufacturers as they vie for business.

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A shocking approach to training The risks of working in enclosed spaces and how these can be mitigated was the subject of just one recent training video from maritime training specialist Videotel. While it could have been a relatively dry affair – akin to the health and safety films typically shown during company inductions – Videotel’s production team took a much more progressive approach. What they came up with was a hard-hitting documentary designed to shock its target audience. It opens by recreating a real-life incident where a crew member’s unmoving body is retrieved by his colleagues from the bottom of a cargo tank he entered only minutes before. ‘It has to attract the viewer’s attention. And it has to leave a lasting impression,’ says Videotel’s chief executive Nigel Cleave. The video, made in association with Mines Rescue Marine, took some nine months to put together from start to finish. It employs many of the theatrical devices and psychological tricks used by broadcast documentary makers or for that matter a Hollywood blockbuster to create an atmosphere appropriate to the gravity of the situation, from long panning shots to eerie soundtrack. The project stemmed from a spate of accidents and fatalities when crew were cleaning and carrying out other maintenance in tanks and other enclosed spaces. With a growing awareness of the problem, Videotel sought information from the industry at large on why the inci14

MITE November/December 2011

Giving seafarers a short sharp shock is an effective way of making sure they understand the importance of safety training

Training has to attract the viewerʼs attention. And it has to leave a lasting impression dents occur and how they can be prevented. Together with Mines Rescue Marine, it formed a steering committee with ship owners and managers, P&I Clubs and other relevant bodies such the IMO, ICS, IMEC, MAIB, flag state and class, as well as directors and scriptwriters. The committee determines the agenda and identifies aspects that need to be emphasised. After the finessing script and storyline, the film crew goes onboard a ship and starts filming. ‘It has become harder to get onboard ships in recent years due to much tighter security and shorter times in port. However, most owners are happy to cooperate where they can. They understand the pluses of being involved in promoting safety and corporate social responsibility,’ says Cleave. ‘Once the required footage has been gathered, the post-production team can get to work on cutting and editing.’ Yet this isn’t a one off. At any one time Videotel is working on some 30 such programmes. Some are completely new productions, whilst others are updates to

those in its current library of over 800 films (and more recently interactive training software too). Human tragedy However, the quality and scale of today’s output masks the company’s humble beginnings around the table of a small Greek restaurant in London’s East End in the early 1970s. Present day Videotel chairman Capt Len Holder recounts the story: ‘It started with a human tragedy aboard a tanker that had gone aground. Because the Master thought he would be blamed for the accident for not properly supervising the pilot, he went up to his cabin and shot himself.’ Until this horrific incident, the tanker company involved had established a good reputation for personnel management and looking after the crews’ best interests. Obviously something had gone wrong. In an effort to prevent a recurrence of such an incident ever again, they approached Capt Holder, who was then a lecturer and researcher on maritime training at Liverpool Polytechnic. ‘They wanted to produce a film on master-pilot relationships that would be shown before their ships went into port to ensure the bridge team were properly prepared,’ he explains. Together with Stephen Bond and Pat Ellis,

A blended training approach is necessary. Fortunately increasing numbers of owners and managers are coming round to this way of thinking


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Videotelʼs filmmakers strive to bring BBC documentary quality to maritime training productions

Capt Holder fulfilled the request. They made a film aboard the Mobil Pride going into Le Havre, playing close attention to weave in all the technical details on what should happen. After the project came to end, over a course of Greek appetisers, the trio recognised the opportunity for producing more such films, designed to cater specifically to the needs of the maritime industry. And thus in 1973 Videotel was born. Pat Ellis did not stay around for long, and Capt Holder was drawn away by family commitments (but later rejoined as chairman). But Stephen Bond remained and steadily built Videotel into what it is today. Silver-bullet ‘In terms of driving a message home, no amount of animation or multiple choice questions can substitute a well-made live action video,’ says Cleave. The last decade has seen the emergence of a plethora of computer-based training (CBT) solutions designed to be run on a standard desktop PCs allowing crew to continue their education while underway. Besides the convenience for seafarers, they are an attractive proposition for vessel owners and managers in terms of precluding the costs of sending and accommodating their personnel at a shore-based academy.

While Videotel might have viewed these increasingly sophisticated software solutions as a threat, it instead decided to incorporate their benefits into its own offerings. Depending on the subject matter, a typical Videotel release will include a core DVD, supported by in-depth manual and CBT-style interactive exercises. ‘CBT alone is not the answer. Video alone is not the answer. Face-to-face classroom training alone is not the answer. There is no silver-bullet to delivering thorough training,’ states Cleave. ‘But when combined, these different technologies can and do complement and reinforce each other. A blended training approach is what is necessary. Fortunately an increasing number of owners and managers have already, or are now coming round to this way of thinking.’ As hinted above, Videotel’s current offering is more than just a video library: the company aims to supply an ‘encapsulated product’. ‘The idea is to employ the strengths of all these mediums to bridge the gap between classroom theory and practical working knowledge. The DVD presentation might be followed

It is important to record and demonstrate that the training has been done

Weʼve looked into the possibility of over-the-air updates via satellite but itʼs not yet practicable

by group discussion and CBT exercises,’ elaborates Cleave. Uniquely, if a trainee gives a wrong answer on the CBT, the system will direct them back to the part of the course they need to revisit. Since the questions are internally tagged with the relevant part of the programme, this process is completely automatic. Video jukebox In terms of delivery, Videotel supplies ships with its VOD (Videotel On Demand) system. This is in effect a video jukebox, which typically comes preloaded with around 350 titles. These will include videos on across-theboard subjects such as fire-fighting and first-aid, as well content selected according to the type of vessel it is destined for. But it is not a static collection. As mentioned earlier Videotel is continually updating and adding new titles to its library and regularly pushes these new releases out to some 10,000 ships. At present this is done by sending CDROMS to be collected at port stopovers. ‘We’ve looked into the possibility of over-the-air updates via satellite but it’s not yet practicable. It’s still too costly and the capacity does not yet exist. Even if cost were not an issue, sending out high-definition video over exMITE November/December 2011

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isting satellite connections could slow the entire transmitting process,’ says Cleave. Videotel has also considered the possibility of using Wi-Fi at ports, but this was a dead-end. ‘We identified only two ports worldwide with adequate Wi-Fi facilities: Rotterdam and Singapore. In other locations, it is either restricted because of security concerns or the infrastructure simply isn’t in place. So regular CD-ROM updates will be with us for sometime to come.’ Synchronicity However, satellite links are utilised for synchronising the Onboard Training Manager (OTMplus) with its shore-based Fleet Training Administrator (WebFTA). ‘In the present age it is not good enough to do the training. It is equally important to record and demonstrate that the training has been done. This is where our OTMplus and WebFTA solutions for keeping track and managing crews’ education come into play,’ says Cleave. These tools also bring extra flexibility to the training regime. ‘If there has been an incident on a vessel, shore-based staff could use WebFTA to, in effect, send out an All Points Bulletin to other vessels in the fleet to make sure a refresher training course is carried out by specific seafarers within a set period of time.’ Videotel’s latest technological innovation is NVOD – Networked Videotel on Demand. The NVOD server sits on the ship’s LAN and allows any of the training titles onboard to be accessed through a standard web browser. Crucially multiple users can train simultaneously on the same or completely different subjects anywhere onboard the ship. All training carried out is automatically recorded on the OTMplus database and, where applicable, even transferred into the crew management software records of the individual seafarer via webFTA.

New sims to speed up engineer training The LEST will simulate operational control of marine engineering systems

BAE and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) have selected Kongsberg Maritime to provide a custom engine room simulator for the training of engineers aboard Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Canberra Class Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) vessels. The new LHD Engineering System Trainer (LEST) is designed to let the Navy bring LHD vessel engineering personnel up to speed in the shortest possible time, which has a significant bearing on operational availability. Scheduled for delivery February 2013, the LEST project will include both full mission and desktop simulation systems, with integrated e-learning facilities. The LEST will simulate operational control of all marine engineering (ME) systems and equipment installed on the LHD, enabling training for the operation of ME systems and equipment in remote, local, manual and emergency/casualty modes. The simulators will be developed to provide a highly real-

istic simulation of the ME systems aboard Canberra Class vessels. A core objective is to cover the operation and system understanding of the combined diesel and gas turbine (CODAGE) configuration on the vessels; with electrical transmission where an electric motor is in the pod itself, connected directly to the propeller without gears. The full mission part of the delivery will include control room operator stations with software mimics, electrical switchboard mimic, local control engine-room mimics and bridge control and steering panels. ‘The LEST system will allow ME sailors to be assessed certified and competent to perform their billeted job in the shortest possible time. With basic and advanced remote or on-campus training it will significantly reduce the training load placed on the vessels, and will be configured to meet the RAN’s expected student throughput,’ comments Mark Stuart Treen of Kongsberg’s simulation department. : MITE MITENovember/December October/November 2011 2010

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Evolving Ethernet The implementation of new shipbourne data networks and integration technology has been, relatively speaking, slow. An obvious reason for this is that there have been no compelling technical reasons to adopt the new technology available but this is changing with developments in international legislation. It started perhaps with the data acquisition methods required for VDRs in 2002, which have continued progress, with a recent development allowing radar to send images to the VDR via Ethernet and TCP/IP. Also the introduction of the Automatic Identification System (AIS) in 2003 increased the integration requirements as it requires several serial line interfaces to cover data input and output requirements whilst the Integrated Navigation Systems (INS) performance standard requires INS equipment to interface to a Central Alert Management (CAM) system. This requires bidirectional communication that is not directly supported by the older standards. Technical developments in networking do occur away from meeting regulations and virtually all manufacturers of bridge equipment have their own proprietary network solutions, normally based on Ethernet, that are able to handle many of the integration requirements. However, standards are needed for efficient interfacing between different manufacturers’ equipment and will also be beneficial where incremental improvement or refurbishment of navigation components is an issue. This is part of the background for the new IEC 61162-450 standard on ship data networks that has recently been published by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). This is an Ethernet-based network specification with a relatively low-level of proto18

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Lightweight Ethernet (LWE) is a new standard for ship data networks that is supporting the trend for further integration between devices

col complexity, hence its nickname ‘Lightweight Ethernet’ (LWE). LWE is a result of a tradeoff between technology complexity and specific requirements from the ship equipment industry. In 2007 Sweden proposed the new work item 80/506/NP to the IEC on an Ethernet based interface standard. This proposal was accepted in March 2008 and work group 6 (Digital interfaces) of technical committee 80 (Maritime navigation and radiocommunication equipment and systems) of IEC went to work developing the standard. The final standard was published in April 2011 and issued as IEC 61162-450 [13]. The name Light Weight Ethernet is also apt because one of the design goals was ease of implementation. Increased capacity ‘The current trend in navigation is to integrate, aggregate and combine information from various sensors. One example is ECDIS with AIS overlays or radar images, but many more can be envisaged; IMO and IEC have begun strategic work on, for example, e-Navigation and Integrated Navigation Systems. However, the old serial line communications are not well suited to this approach as ‘many-to-many’ communications are necessary,’ says Morten Jagd Christensen, a key player in the development of LWE and software technology manager at Thrane & Thrane. According to Morten, in order to meet the demands of modern integrated systems there is an ever growing need for bandwidth:

‘Some of the new types of data are binary data of significant size, compared with the older short text based messages, whilst at the same time as equipment evolves, higher update frequencies are expected. The scalability of much larger messages and much higher update frequencies are multiplied to a bandwidth requirement that the old technologies couldn’t accommodate. Ethernet, on the other hand, has proven to evolve with the customers need for speed from 1mbit/s initially up to currently 100Gbit/s – a tremendous bandwidth increase of five orders of magnitude that by far surpasses the development of serial technology.’ Given the increasing amount of navigation devices, troubleshooting in a misbehaving network is becoming harder and harder, but LWE is able to overcome this. Determining the timing of events relative to each other can be a particular issue as it hinders the determination of the root cause of a problem. LWE has tried to alleviate this by introducing the requirement to use the tried and tested ‘syslog’ protocol, which enables a log server to collect (and correctly timestamp) events from multiple devices. This, according to Morten, will be a major improvement going forward. Of course, Ethernet networks are already widely in use aboard ships, so LWE was designed to take advantage of this fact and use existing Ethernet switches. The network compatibility/security aspects are good – a LWE network can utilise the firewalls and proxies a ship has installed to gain protection from the outside world, apply rule based permissions and segregate user traffic from navigation traffic etc. ‘Ethernet is also a very cheap technology; it’s affordable to implement even in the smallest sensor device, and the same goes for Eth-


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ernet switches. The possibility to use Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) also potentially cuts the cabling demands in half, providing even greater cost savings,’ explains Morten. ‘It’s important to remember that LWE is an extension though. It’s not all new. It uses the old 61162-1 NMEA 183 sentence format with an added header and TAG block. This ensures that it is very simple to create LWE gateways to legacy devices in a plugand-play fashion, and allows a gradual evolution of the LWE network.’

Lightweight Ethernet should result in easier hardware installation, whilst increasing data throughput on shipbourne networks

Implementing LWE Thrane & Thrane presented a new network protocol at SMM 2010 that was developed to enable greater communication between various types of equipment. So-called ThraneLINK (see MITE March/April 2011), it first saw light of day in Thrane & Thrane’s Sailor 6000 Series GMDSS products, with easier service and maintenance being highlighted as the main benefits. Essentially, with ThraneLINK, Sailor 6000 GMDSS consoles, which can include multiple VHF, MF/UHF and touch-screen message terminals, can be accessed at a single point by engineers, therefore making diagnostics, updating MITE November/December 2011

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and general maintenance a much less time consuming affair. This was all straightforward enough but Thrane & Thrane’s stated plans of expanding the use of ThraneLINK to other Sailor products, such as FleetBroadband, and indeed working with other companies to further development, are now well underway. One of the first uses of LWE was as a result of ThraneLINK’s introduction. Thrane & Thrane partner Polaris Electronics was keen to discuss the possibilities of ThraneLINK within its recently developed NAVTEX receiver, Sirius-3. The navigational warning messages were shown on a small display on the unit but the receiver had an unused Ethernet interface and boasted a Linux operating system. ‘It became clear that if Polaris implemented ThraneLINK with

LWE they would be in a unique position as an equipment manufacturer to be an early adopter of both technologies,’ says Morten. ‘Since space is at a premium aboard ships, using the new protocols would allow the NAVTEX receiver to be placed conveniently while messages could be viewed from a central message terminal. In addition, the NAVTEX receiver could also use, for example, GPS information carried over LWE from a Thrane & Thrane mini-C on the network as well as transmitting NAVTEX messages to it. This operation is one of the corner stones in future e-Navigation concepts.’ This concept reflected a ThraneLINK Management Application (TMA) demo at SMM, running on the new Sailor 6006 message terminal hardware, which gathered information about all devices in the ThraneLINK network

and presented that information graphically. ‘We agreed that if Polaris Electronics implemented the basic ThraneLINK protocols (zeroconf and SLP) as well as providing NAVTEX messages over LWE we would include the Sirius-3 NAVTEX in the TMA and also show the NAVTEX messages on the terminal,’ continues Morten. ‘This was successfully achieved this spring. It was one of the first LWE implementations and certainly the first interoperability test of LWE ever.’ Klavs Torp, owner of Polaris Electronics concludes: ‘The Sirius3 is part of GMDSS installations, as is the Sailor 6000 Series. By implementing LWE in the Sirius-3 we offer the ship owner all the benefits of the integrated system, such as easier support and maintenance, but also other features such as printers in the installation.’

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Friend or foe? Timely, reliable, clear, consistent, readable, unambiguous, intuitive… These are all crucial attributes that should apply to the data, functions and controls on navigational displays, to the direct benefit of the crews on the ships. MSC.191(79) – the ‘Performance Standards for the Presentation of Navigation-related Information on Shipborne Navigational Displays’ – was created to achieve this objective, having the explicit purpose of harmonising shipborne navigational displays and ensuring that that all navigational displays adopt a consistent human machine interface philosophy and implementation. MSC.191(79) is an overarching set of Performance Standards that apply to all navigational displays on a ship’s bridge, whether the particular instrument is subject to type-approval or not, and furthermore, these Performance Standards take priority over individual equipment standards in cases of conflict. As is common in the maritime domain, MSC.191(79) is supported by a set of Test Standards, which specify the test methods to apply when assessing conformance to the Performance Standards, and the test results to be achieved. Here, the corresponding Test Standards are listed by IEC 62288 ‘Presentation of naviga-

SAM Electronicsʼ Erik Styhr Petersen* asks whether usability heuristics are a ʻfriendʼ or ʻfoeʼ in the effective presentation and communication of navigation-related information

tion-related information on shipborne navigational displays – General requirements, methods of testing and required test results’. As is often the case, IEC 62288 additionally elaborates the requirements, or objectives, contained in the Performance Standards. The role of IEC 62288 is significant. In the daily work with the development, maintenance, conformance assessment and type approval of navigational displays, IEC 62288 is the document referred to (apart from the instrument-specific Test Standards). So manufacturers must obtain and maintain approval of their navigational display products according to this document. A large part of IEC 62288 takes a declarative form, and conformance testing is often binary in nature. One example is that flashing information is reserved for unacknowledged alarms, and the test is to observe that this really is so in the equipment under test. Another example is that information should not depend

ECDIS display: Testing the effectiveness of a user interface is fraught with difficulties

solely on colour coding, but such coding should be combined with other symbol attributes, like size, orientation or shape to convey actual status. The corresponding test, in this case, is to be performed by inspecting relevant, documented evidence. Rules of thumb When it comes to the usability of navigational displays – usability being defined as the combination of effectiveness, efficiency and the subjective satisfaction the usage of a system brings to the user – IEC 62288 also contains a number of central requirements (see Table 1). Following the template of ‘usability heuristics’ – or ‘usability rules of thumb’ to phrase it more simply – every one of these points addresses important human factors issues, and all are well recognised in the human factors literature. In slightly greater detail, catering for the consistency in layout, the readability and the logical grouping of information MITE November/December 2011

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Table 1: Usability heuristics required by IEC 62288 1

Consistency of information and operations

2

Preference to information based on importance

3

Logical grouping of information

4

Clarity of language

5

Readability of information

6

Intuitiveness of interaction

Table 2: Suggested usability heuristics to supplement IEC 62288 7

Informative system feedback

8

Effective dialogue design

9

Good error prevention

10 Easy reversal of user actions and effective recovery from errors 11 User control

doubtlessly has a positive influence on a system’s usability. Consistency in methods and functions, as well as using language that is familiar to the user, and which meshes with the user’s mental mode, eases comprehension and supports the provision of an HMI which is intuitive to use. Identifying and subsequently presenting the most important information, considering the context-of-use, in the most noticeable position of the HMI is further an important, basic human factors and interaction design quality. Consulting human factors literature and work on usability, it however transpires that the points required by IEC 62288 could benefit from augmentation with other well-recognised usability heuristics (see Table 2) – heuristics which, in our opinion, are of no less importance to the usability of a system than those already included in IEC 62288. Good feedback In short, good feedback is imperative for maintaining the mental picture the operator has of the situation. Good dialogues, good error 22

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prevention and easy reversal of user mistakes, should they occur, all provide for a reduction of the mental load on the user and thus let operators concentrate on the tasks at hand, rather than ‘fighting the system’. Additionally, since mistakes carry only negligible consequences, such attributes encourage the user to explore unknown parts of a system, easing learning. Finally, avoiding automated actions by allowing the user to be in control of the interaction reduces the risk of ‘getting lost’ in the system, and hence the risk of losing the overview. Conformance to the usability heuristics shown in Table 1 is normally carried out by ‘Observation’ – a method which, in the words of IEC 62288, refers to ‘simple examination of the presentation of information’. In other words, the applicability of the method is limited to directly observable phenomena. However, the usability heuristics to be assessed are conceptually more complex, the point being that apart from the ‘readability’ requirement, they all relate to

human cognition and mental processes. This leads us to suggest that the IEC 62288 assessment process could benefit from a different choice of methodology, potentially considering inspection methods designed to assess cognitive issues. Of these, the ‘Cognitive Walkthrough Method’ may be well suited, but the less known ‘Formal Usability Method’ could also be considered. For issues such as logical grouping of information, the methods of ‘Link Analysis’ and Card Sorting’ are widely known and frequently employed. Usability inspection A further methodological aspect that should be considered is the number and qualifications of the usability inspectors involved in the conformance assessment: According to human factors literature, dependable usability inspection results are a function of the human factors qualifications possessed by the usability inspectors, as well as the number of inspectors undertaking the assessment. On the first subject, it has become known that the assessment by lay persons is ineffective, while both domain experts and human factors experts return better and more consistent results. The best assessment is however undertaken by ‘double experts’, ie, inspectors that have both human factors and domain knowledge. Also the number of inspectors is important to the quality of the assessment. A single inspector is likely to find 35% or less of the issues in an HMI, and less than 3-5 inspectors, which will identify perhaps 66%-75% of the usability issues, is unlikely to provide dependable results. A final, and perhaps all-important, point is that usability inspection conceptually is designed as a design tool. Hence, usability inspection is not meant to be a ‘final solution’, and usability inspection cannot be expected to provide more than guidance. User testing, where systems are tested under realistic conditions with ‘real’ users, are far better indications of the usability of a system.


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R Anschütz Please visit us at

Conclusion So are usability heuristics a ‘friend’ or ‘foe’ in the presentation of navigation-related information? Any usability effort should be considered an unqualified ‘friend’, which certainly includes the usability requirements contained in MSC.191(79) and IEC 62288. Addressing the intuitive operation and consistency of information, and providing preference to the presentation of readable, important information, given in clear language and grouped logically, is of crucial importance to navigational usability and cannot be anything but ‘friendly’. We wish to stress that as our firm belief. The ‘foe’ perspective however enters the stage for a number of reasons. Firstly, we are concerned with what we see as important usability heuristics missing in the current edition of IEC 62288. Secondly, we believe that the positive effect of the usability heuristics contained in IEC 62288 could be significantly enhanced by clarification and augmentation of the evaluation method(s) employed, to the benefit of consistency and objectivity of evaluation. Thirdly and finally, it is important to note that so far no usability inspection method(s) has been identified as being capable of replacing user testing, but is only a part of a more complete methodology. We suggest that the assessment of maritime usability must be augmented correspondingly, and we recommend that user testing of navigational information displays is recognised as a significant part of the future means towards more reliable and consistent usability evaluation of marine navigation systems. * This article is an abridged version of a paper by Erik Styhr Petersen (SAM Electronics GmbH), Thomas Porathe (Chalmers Technical University) and Margareta Lützhöft (Chalmers Techni-

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cal University), presented at the 11th ISIS conference, September 2011. The full paper is available in the conference proceedings, ISSN 2191-8406, published by DGON, www.dgon.de.

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Whatʼs the catch? Vessel monitoring systems (VMS) were introduced in the early 2000s on a regional basis. They have been adopted by many countries and regions. As far as fishermen are concerned, a VMS is essentially a small GPS transponder which pings a vessel's location, course and speed back to the relevant flag-state’s fisheries monitoring centre (FMC) every 2hrs. They function autonomously and generally do not require any interaction from the vessel’s crew. In Europe, VMS is now complemented by the Electronic Reporting System (ERS), which requires trawlers carry electronic logbooks that send additional data on the size of catch etc. FMCs are obviously enthusiastic about getting their hands on higher resolution data, as it will make the job of monitoring and regulating fishing activities in their jurisdiction a lot easier. The fishermen however are somewhat less enthusiastic. Installing the equipment, getting it operational and getting accustomed to how the software works is taking longer than authorities 24

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Regulations aimed at monitoring and protecting against overfishing are the main driving force behind the adoption of satcoms in the commercial fishing fleet in Europe, and further afield, but is broadband overkill?

had hoped. While some fleets have been keen to embrace technology – as it can be employed to their commercial advantage – others remain reticent. Their crews are not necessarily computer literate. VMS is presently compulsory for EU vessels above 15m (and from 1 January 2012 vessels above 12m). Non-EU vessels of the same size are obliged to have an operational satellite tracking device installed on board whenever they are in Community waters.

Narrowband satisfaction Transmission equipment for sending back the regular position reports is usually based on narrowband satcoms services from Inmarsat or Iridium, which means the vessel installed hardware is relatively low-cost, and easy to procure. Satcoms hardware manufacturer Thrane & Thrane makes mini-C terminals specifically designed for use as part of VMS, with two new systems for fishing vessels launched earlier this year alongside its new SSAS and LRIT variants. The position data must be transmitted at least every 2hrs (many EU member states operate a 1hr scheme) and include the geographical position of the fishing vessel, with a position error, which shall be less than 500m, with a confidence interval of 99%. The speed and course of the fishing vessel as well as UTC timestamp are included in each transmission. Once the data is in the hands of a FMC, it can be passed to patrol vessels and aircraft, and land based inspectors, to ensure that the vessel is fishing only where it


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is authorised to. The member states are also obliged to exchange data with other member states when fishing in their waters ie, when a UK vessel is fishing in Dutch waters, the UK FMC automatically forwards the position of the UK vessel to the Dutch FMC as long as the vessel is within the Dutch economical zone (EEZ). The member states are also required to use the information obtained via the VMS to crosscheck with data obtained from other data sources ie, paper logbook, sightings from inspections vessels/aircrafts and so on. Handling all of this data is a complex task so company’s like Denmark’s Visma Sirius develop solutions to assist the authorities in fulfilling these requirements. ‘The fact that the Inmarsat C network is also used for GMDSS ensures high availability of the network, giving our costumers a VMS system they can rely on at any time,’ says Ole Hertel of Visma Sirius. ‘We have developed our vTrack VMS solution for thirteen different countries and organisations with a clear goal of ensuring that the large amounts

of data can be collected, used and divested to stakeholders easily. Catching renegades ‘To achieve this we include a wide range of possibilities to create alerts when certain criteria are met, and make it straightforward to add new functionality based on the requirements of the authorities. The systems also makes it easy for the authority to monitor areas that are restricted for various reasons ie, spawning, that enables the few renegade fishermen that are not respecting the spawning areas to be prosecuted. At the end of the day, this will benefit the fishing industry,’ continues Ole. With vTrack, the Fisheries Monitoring Center (FMC) users have a powerful tool to monitor large numbers of vessels. A number of reports help the control centre users to get the overview they need, eg, ‘missing data episodes’, ’data delay warnings‘ or ’current active flag states’. Also the grouping of vessels is a quick and efficient way to perform targeted control. The control centre user also specifies and monitors

E-logbooks will make data on the size of catch more visible to the authorities

alarms and missing transmissions as well as having the ability to change the data exchange format between the countries without calling IT developers. This feature also enables position information to be sent to new countries in new exchanges formats, as well as to other public authorities in completely different formats including e-mail, SMS or XML. ‘Each VMS project is different. For instance, migrating the old VMS system in the USA to vTrack was challenging due the amount of data. There were over 3000 vessels reporting every hour and we had to be able to meet certain response time requirements, but our data model proved to be robust and we were able to handle the requirements,’ says Ole. ‘The project for the Community Fisheries Control Agency was challenging due to its complexity. The requirement for the CFCA is very different from a member state, and we had to add extra functionality to ensure that vTrack could operate as needed. Electronic logbooks ERS entered into force for craft over 24m (72ft) long on 1 January 2010 and was extended in July this year to include vessels over 15m (45ft). It will be further extended this coming January to cover vessels over 12m (36ft). To comply with ERS skippers must complete their fishing logbooks with details of catches, transhipments and landing each day before midnight (as with paper logbook) and transmit this data back to their state’s Fisheries Monitoring Centre (FMC). Data must be submitted even when there are no catches. This effectively means the vessel’s ‘official’ logbook resides ashore in the databases of the shore authorities. When a vessel from another member state comes to fish in, for instance, local Irish waters, Irish authorities will quickly be able to access catch and historical data from other FMCs, which should largely eradicate the traditional problem MITE November/December 2011

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of misreporting and falsification of logbook data. The regulations rightly allow fishermen to make corrections to logbook data previously submitted. Mistakes will be made, particularly until the skipper becomes accustomed to the new technology. Such corrections will be recorded in the shore databases and can be subjected to detailed analysis. Instances where patterns of corrections emerge would lead to further scrutiny by control authorities. Each member state is permitted to implement individual ERS solutions. The only mandatory requirement relates to the content and the format of the ERS data to be exchanged between member states. Data security is seen as critical to the integrity of the whole ERS system and the non-repudiation of data sent from the vessel to the shore databases. For that reason, for example, the laptops used by Irish fishermen have hard-drive encryption and are loaded with client certificates for identification by the shore databases. Each skipper must register to receive an individual username and password (later to be upgraded with an individual USB 26

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smart key containing another certificate), thereby providing a ‘digital signature’ for all ERS transmissions. Silent transmissions While the directive carefully sets out the requirements for reporting of e-log data to competent shore authorities and the rules for exchanging data between members states, it is largely silent on the subject of how the information should be transmitted; it merely specifies that the connection should be by ‘electronic means’. EU member states therefore had the option to choose between the traditional store-and-forward technology, such as Inmarsat C, or an IPbased technology, such as FleetBroadband. Ireland was the first to go down the IP route followed by Spain and the UK. Those using the older Inmarsat C technology include Denmark, Poland and Germany. France uses both. Ireland issued a tender in preparation for ERS, through its Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA), based in Cork. The SFPA specified IP as the underlying technology for its national elog solution, which it regarded as

A skipper enters data into a laptop before transmission

a better longer term solution. The philosophy was to go beyond the matter of compliance with the EU directive but to use the new rules as a springboard for bringing the national fleet into the 21st century by connecting them to the Internet. The Irish ERS solution consists of three components: a dedicated laptop to allow data entry, Sirius IT vCatch e-logbook software and a FleetBroadband 250 terminal to provide an always-on connection. To make its software as userfriendly as possible the SFPA decided to include a feature that allows the skipper to view the electronic logbook in the ‘old paper logbook’ style. At any stage in the fishing trip, the skipper can switch between the two views. Another advantage to this functionality is that inspectors from other member states, who are not used to the Irish software, can view the logbook in an easily recognisable format. Future-proof argument Says SPFA Sea Fisheries Protection Officer, Patrick Allen: ‘We considered the full life of the system, from the perspectives both of the state and the fishermen – MITE October/November 2010

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though we tried to weight it in the favour of the fishermen. We reached the conclusion that the IP route was the more futureproof solution. We didn’t want to face the situation of telling the fleet to upgrade again four or five years down the line.’ Inmarsat states FleetBroadband was the first officially approved service to meet the EU Directive with others following later, thereby giving it firstmovers advantage. At the time of writing, over 700 vessels have been equipped with a FleetBroadband terminal from its Spanish distribution partner Satlink. Satlink believes that demand for IP technology onboard will increase and James Collett, head of maritime services at Inmarsat, agrees: ‘It makes sense for the industry to future proof itself against further expense. Fishing vessels need to be cost effective when working at sea, so it is farcical for a boat to go back into harbour because the fishing areas have changed and it cannot receive the ERS necessary modifications through Inmarsat-C.’ Inmarsat says that many fleets already rely on satcoms services for downloading weather or oceanographic data to help them find and catch fish faster. Moreover it allows them to check fish prices on the Internet and negotiate a sale while still at sea, over the phone or via email. For this reason, the transition from paper logbooks to electronic ones ought to be relatively straightforward. However, in reality, the picture is not as simplistic as Inmarsat would like to make out. While an IP-based solution, such as FleetBroadband, does confer benefits, it is not the only solution and definitely not the cheapest one. The data packets that vessels must send to comply with ERS are only few kilobytes in size, so deploying a fullyfledged always-on broadband system is akin to using a sledgehammer to crack open a nut.

Not all fishermen are computer literate, so some monitoring centres are having to provide training

As mentioned above, the ERS directive is silent on the transmission mechanism. This means any transmission system can be used. The small size of the data packets mean even a dial-up connection is sufficient. Indeed Thrane & Thrane’s latest pair of mini-C terminals – the Sailor 6140 Maritime and Sailor 6150 Distress – are quite adequate. Satcoms overkill The overkill of a full broadband solution becomes more apparent still when the higher upfront costs of purchasing and installing new kit are taken into account – though in this respect many member states have offered various subsidies to encourage swift adoption and timely compliance with the new requirements. Nevertheless uptake has been a drawn out process. It has taken the best part of two years to get the systems installed and operational on vessels over 24m in size. In the 15-24m category, many are still getting to grips with the new technology. One FMC approached by MITE has experienced considerable problems with crew miskeying data and as a result has intorduced an outreach programme to educate

new users. There are concerns the situation will become more shambolic when 12-15m vessels are also subject to the new rules. However there is hope the situation will improve. In the UK, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has come up with a specification for VMSplus, a hybrid VMS and ERS system, which will reduce the amount of kit needed onboard and, more importantly, the costs of keeping it operational. This is because vessels will be able to consolidate the communication needs for both reporting services under a single subscription. In addition, they will have complete freedom in choosing a transmission mechanism that works best for them, whether satellite IP, satellite dialup or, for vessels that operate in waters close to shore, GSM. It will also have a facility to transmit higher frequency position reports, which will help serve the needs of in-shore fisheries that are also coming greater scrutiny. Engineers at AST, a UKbased maritime communications provider, are already hard at work on developing the first such hybrid solution. MITE November/December 2011

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A CRISP collaboration As the company that first commercialised Sonar for fishing vessels and drove the development of echosounders and catch monitoring systems for the last 50 years, it’s safe to say that Norway’s Simrad knows hydroacoustic imaging. But in order to improve catch monitoring to the benefit of sustainable fisheries, the company is turning to underwater cameras to enhance the already highly detailed pictures provided by its trawl monitoring system. This development is part of Simrad’s involvement in a new Norwegian research centre. The brand new ‘Centre for Researchbased Innovation in Sustainable Fish Capture and Processing Technology’ (CRISP) opened its doors in Bergen, Norway on 5 May 2011, with skills and equipment contribution from Simrad. The Centre, which is being run by the Institute for Marine Research (IMR), will look at ways of developing new tools for professional fishermen that may improve catch whilst also contributing to sustainable stocks and environmental protection. 28

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Simrad is combining hydroacoustic and underwater cameras to give skippers a much clearer view of the trawl The new CRISP centre will focus on two main modes of industrial fishing and its products, namely trawling and purse-seine fishing. Some 90% of total Norwegian landings (by weight) are taken by these methods. Through partnerships with industry and research bodies, the Centre aims to transform fisheries technology, and bring the industry a major step forward with respect to reduced environmental impact and improved food quality. Simrad’s involvement in the CRISP centre is a natural progression of the company’s mission to support fishermen in making the most of their time at sea by improving catch, whilst at the same time providing systems that enable species identification and improved trawl and purse seine control to improve fishery sustainability.

One of the first projects that Simrad is developing with CRISP is a new solution for improved pre-catch identification of species and volume of schools in purse seine fishing. With more accurate species information and volume data skippers can help to alleviate damage to fish should they have to be put back into the water after being caught. Avoiding catches of non-target species or size is a major problem in purse seine fisheries. Slipping whole or parts of the catch is common if the catches are too big, the species wrong, or the size or quality is unsatisfactory. High grading is often applied in the cases of mackerel and herring, or when a mixture of species and sizes are caught, like in the tuna purse seine FAD (Fish Aggregating Device) fisheries. Survival studies of mackerel and herring that were caught and crowded in a purse seine have shown that these species are vulnerable to such procedures (Huse et al. 2008, Tenningen et al. 2009), and that slipped fish suffer high mortality rates. ‘A real problem today is that if a vessel has to dump any caught fish over the side, due to being


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Short burst data enough for e-Logbooks THE CAPACITY of the Iridium Short Burst Data modem is sufficient to send VMS position reports along with ERS catch reports, negating the requirement for a more expensive broadband service. This is a cost-effective solution for all national fisheries with limited budgets and no access to the subsidies available within the European Union for purchasing a broadband solution, typically priced at €4500 per terminal per vessel. An example of migration to an e-Logbook system exists in Croatia where a BlueTraker Iridium solution was installed two years ago, before electronic catch reporting was compulsory. Having the foresight to select an Iridium solution meant Croatia could install an e-Log system without having to change their older VMS devices. Albania is the most recent country to select an Iridium-based VMS solution, having seen the benefits enjoyed by the Croatian Fisheries department. The government awarded EMA to install the BlueTraker-VMS on more than 200 vessels in the nationʼs commercial fleet. The BlueTraker device offers additional communication bandwidth by integrating an Iridium satellite channel and GSM-GPRS mobile network channel into one hybrid terminal. If voice communication via satellite is required, this can be achieved by adding an Iridium handset to deliver an overall cost-effective solution. The hybrid terminal ought to appeal to fishing vessels equipped with older standalone VMS terminals installed before 2006, which are particularly prevalent in the Mediterranean fleet, as it would preclude the need to purchase and operate an additional satellite gateway simply for compliance purposes alone.

over quota or catching the wrong species, then it may be that some of the fish are already dead because they have been packed too tightly into the trawl or purse seine,’ explains Thor Bærhaugen, product manager for catch monitoring systems at Simrad. ‘The system we are developing uses sensors and cameras, to provide skippers and crew not only with data on fish type, but also alert them to conditions for the fish in the trawl, so that in a throw back situation, the fish may live on.’ The new system uses Simrad’s FS catch monitoring system integrated with underwater cameras developed by sister Kongsberg Maritime divisions and companies. ‘As part of the project, Simrad engineers are working closely with Kongsberg Maritime in Scotland and Kongsberg Mesotech in Canada, who are both world leaders in the design and manufacture of specialised harsh-environment underwater video and sonar systems. The result of this internal collaboration and external collaboration at CRISP is the development of high performance ‘real-time’ imaging system solutions for advanced fish trawl monitoring,’ continues Bærhaugen.

Although using cameras on the trawl itself isn’t a new phenonemon, the Simrad system plays a trump card in that the images from the FS trawl monitoring sonars and the underwater cameras may be delivered to the vessel via a single wire. Considering the complexity of a pelagic trawl, this is a very important breakthrough in such systems.

Underwater cameras allow predominant species to be identified pre-catch

‘We have already tested the new system on the GO Sars research vessel and a commercial factory trawler conducting semipelagic fishing for cod and haddock, with very promising results. It was officially unveiled at the Danfish Expo in October and we expect to start installing it aboard customers’ vessels from 2012,’ concludes Bærhaugen.

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In a bid to out optimise its competitors, Applied Weather Technology (AWT) has upped the ante with the development of vessel-type specific services for tankers, bulk carriers, break bulk carriers, box ships and pure car carriers. By bringing together a team of experts – a diverse bunch including meteorologists, marine scientists and mathematical modellers, supported by end-ofvoyage analysts and ex-ship captains – to hone in on the requirements of specific ship types, the company believes it can further enhance voyage safety, fuel consumption and cost and time-keeping. For example, tanker owners and operators, whether involved in crude, chemical, LNG/LPG trades or others, are subject to some of the most stringent and complex safety regulations in the world for the trading of their tonnage. They are also subject to demanding commercial pressures. Their high-value cargoes can often be bought and sold several times during a single voyage, which can significantly affect operational requirements. Because the vessel crew and shore-based operating personnel must ensure that the ETA of the vessel remains within the agreed laycan, critical, well-founded decisions must be made throughout most passages. These decisions relating to the weather, sea and current conditions expected en route help ensure the optimum route is followed, and the laycan achieved with the minimum cost. AWT’s specialised tanker service incorporates these commercial variables in addition to prevailing metocean data. Fleet summaries, updated hourly, with colour-coded icons make it easy to identify ships that need attention regarding fuel consumption and ETA. Protecting cargo Meanwhile, to protect the high-value cargoes carried by pure car carrier and roll-on rolloff (Ro-Ro) vessels, AWT utilises 30

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Rogue wave alerts allow ship managers to change course in good time

Weather for your ship only Vessel-type specific weather forecasts, rogue wave and pirate proximity alerts are some of the latest innovations to emerge in the voyage optimisation arms-race its extensive historical wind, wave and tropical cyclone data to determine the likelihood of heavy wind or wave events along any route. Information and recommendations are often required long before the loading of the cargo begins, as intricate route plans may need to be studied. Thereafter, from loading of the cargo, to its carriage at sea and its discharging, the vessel and cargo must be closely monitored to ensure their safety. Bulk operators also need metocean information in advance in order to evaluate the amount of cargo which can be loaded, calculate the draft and estimate the voyage costs along several route

options. AWT’s timely advice is derived from its 16-day forecast and proprietary ‘climatological ship resistance’ models. Besides its route optimisation service, the company factors in the likelihood of ships encountering severe motions or rogue waves. Rogue waves are not always the largest found at sea; they are, rather, unexpectedly large waves for a given sea state and are normally steep faced and often breaking. AWT has developed a global model to forecast where current focusing rogue waves are likely to occur. Violent rolling Each year numerous ships experience severe rolling, resulting in crew injuries or cargo loss. One of the reasons why a ship might suddenly and severely roll is due to resonance, when the roll period of the vessel and the wave period relative to the vessel are nearly the same. When this happens, a vessel can go from slight or moderate rolling, to dangerous


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35deg plus rolls very quickly. Violent rolling can cause cargo to shift or break loose, which can further affect vessel stability. AWT’s analysts factor in criteria specific to the vessel as well as wave conditions to anticipate the motions that could lead to resonance and severe rolling. Even in the same weather, different vessels will respond in different ways due to their speed, length, beam, draft or stability. On average AWT fields between 10-30 resonance alerts each day, depending on the time of year and weather patterns. It evaluates each alert and sends course change and/or speed recommendations in the cases when the company believes the vessel may experience a problem. The alerts show where and when severe motions are likely to occur and indicate which headings and/or speeds could be used to avoid these areas, thereby reducing the risk of heavy weather damage. Pirates found AWT shares and highlights predicted extreme weather zones with shore-based managers through its GlobalView client software, which now also has the

facility to deliver pirate proximity alerts. Real-time pirate tracking data from NATO, including ‘mothership’ locations and anticipated trajectory, hijacking information and pirate attack group operating areas, is processed and plotted in an intuitive visual format. The system can also display war risk waters and embargo areas, as updated by IMO’s Joint War Committee. Typically closer to shorelines, this helps fleet managers, captains and route analysts work together to either avoid or

GlobalView has been updated to display last known positions of pirates

minimise exposure to high risk areas. To avoid information overload, users can filter the datasets which are displayed by timeframe, location, type of pirate activity, and other parameters. Beyond these safety features, fleet managers can now integrate their own custom data into GlobalView. This will be particularly welcomed by users who were already using separate instances of Google Earth to display their internal data. Instead, it can now be flagged for display throughGlobalView’s resource filters.

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Sharing the data, with GL Germanischer Lloyd has teamed up with Hamburg Süd to develop an innovative data management system for systematically capturing all environmentally relevant ship operation information. The future ‘GL Emission Manager’ will enable detailed evaluation and analysis of relevant data fleet-wide. Hamburg Süd has set itself the goal of creating a valid basis for further reducing the emission of contaminants by its deployed fleet. ‘Until now there has been no easy way of systematically collecting and analysing environmental data our vessels,’ says

Hamburg Süd’s Arnt Vespermann. ‘[Emissions Manager] gives us the capability to satisfy the most diverse reporting requirements quickly and easily.’ The system is to be used throughout Hamburg Süd's entire fleet from December 2012 and, in addition to emissions data, will make other operational information, such as vessel position, cargo mix, or weather conditions, available on demand. On the data-capture side, the GL Emission Manager will consist of a data recorder installed on board the vessels and a ‘Green Server’ located at Germanischer Lloyd which will act

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as a central repository for performing advanced analytics. Meanwhile boxship operator Reederei Claus-Peter Offen has deployed voyage optimisation software from GL Maritime Software on its 14 000teu newbuilding Savona, whilst contributing to a major data collection project. GL SeaScout, formerly known as Shipboard Routing Assistance System (SRA), combines advanced computations with seaway measurements, wave and weather forecasts, cargo data and other signals. It keeps bridge personnel posted on how the ship is responding to current conditions and warns them of extreme mo-

Last monthʼs ʻSafe Ships, Safer Seasʼ seminar in Athens sponsored by Kelvin Hughes explored the question: ʻWhat next for ECDIS?ʼ With the start of the ECDIS mandate less than three months away, there is no doubt that now is the time for ship owners and operators to put their operational plans for ECDIS plans in place. The 100 delegates that attended the event from some of Greeceʼs most prominent shipping organisations were left in no doubt that it is impossible to predict the future but that one thing we can be sure of is that fact that the way we communicate will advance rapidly and the amount of data we have to deal with on a day-to-day basis will continue to increase as bridge technology becomes more intelligent. ECDISPLUS from Kelvin Hughes is revolutionising the way we manage data. Its unique Outfit Management System has been developed to allow fast, compliant remote management of the chart licences and updates essential for a smooth transition from paper charts to ENCs. With ECDISPLUS, customers can be assured of the latest ECDIS equipment, cost effective supply and management of charts, real-time updates and IMO-approved ECDIS training as well as total flexibility to choose a provider, worldwide installation and a unrivalled global support network. To find out more, go to: www.ecdisplus.com

MITE October/November 2010

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The SeaScout console aboard the Savona

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tions including rolling, slamming, and bending moment. The application also lets officers simulate different speeds and courses, in this way assisting them decide on a speed and course optimised for the ship’s hull with respect to the prevailing seaway and loading conditions. Onboard the Savona, GL SeaScout is interfaced with a radar-based wave measurement system, which should further enhance the system’s accuracy. Captain Piotr Kruszewski, commanding the Savona on its last voyage, gave a glowing report. He found it especially helpful with planning the vessel’s speed in area of heavy weather. He welcomed too the simple user interface. ‘We do not need overly sophisticated systems which require special training,’ he said. Notably, the Savona installation will contribute to a joint development project being undertaken by GL and Korean shipyard DSME in order to permanently record environmental conditions. The information collected from this long-term data gathering exercise will contribute to ongoing rule development at GL and will be used by FutureShip (a GL company) for validation of numerical simulation methods with respect to whipping and springing phenomena.

iiX X has has ttaken aken a g giant iant step step fforward. orward. F From rom upgraded upgraded software to to redesigned redesigned hardware, hardware, the the new new iX iX product product software release provides provides next-generation next-generation design design and and functionality. functionality. release With an an extended extended product product range range featuring featuring new new 4.3”, 4.3”, With 7” and and 10.4” 10.4” panels panels with with widescreen widescreen format, format, powerful powerful 7” performance and and connectivity. connectivity. performance Learn more at: att: www.beijerelectronics.com www w.beijerelectronics.com .


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From ship to shore, simplicity is the key to success.

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SECURITY

Defeat your insecurities A maritime operator is much like a landbased commercial business in terms of communications generally, and network security more specifically. The needs of a cruise liner can be compared to those of a hotel, a container ship to that of an office and a yacht to that of an individual wealthy homeowner. In a military context, naval requirements have many parallels with their army counterparts. Large multinational corporate entities and individual employees alike want the same benefits of advanced voice and data communications they enjoy at home and in the office. At the same time, they want a service that is cost effective, reliable, simple-to-use and, most importantly, secure. ʻFit for purposeʼ Whether the communications solution is designed for a land or

IT security in satcoms-enabled maritime environment comes down to choosing the right level of protection for the data that needs to protected, explains Simon Watts*

maritime environment; whether it is terrestrial, radio or satellitebased, the issue of security management must be addressed within the broader commercial context. This means that the best security solution is one that is ‘fit for purpose’ – in other words, it should provide the appropriate level of security demanded by the type of information that needs to be protected. Every time a layer of security is added, it causes an increase bandwidth overhead, equipment complexity and associated cost. For this reason, it is important from both a budgetary and network design perspective not to go overboard on security, just as there will be a minimum level required to ensure the necessary level of data protection. Again different kinds of information require appropriate levels of security protection. In a terresMITE November/December 2011

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SECURITY

Cyber attacks on supply chains likely to rise trial environment, it might be thought that credit card transactions would require an especially high level of network security. Yet in reality this is not the case: all related data will have been encrypted and protected in the payment device within the bank or other business before entering the network. This means that transmitting such data only requires a reasonable level of security. In the maritime world for example one might send the ship’s manifest in a secure package whereas the bulk of the rest of the data such as engine maintenance data need not have this protection. Best practice A best practice satellite solution will deliver an integrated network to an individual remote site over a virtual private network (VPN). This provides true site-tosite (typically, corporate headquarters to remote site) bi-directional encryption, with no unencrypted portions en route. The solution benefits from the flexibility of being able to provide both a secure a back-office network at the same time as independent Wi-Fi internet access by using virtual LAN separation. Practically speaking, this means at sea the captain and senior officers can transmit and receive sensitive data over a secure corporate network, whilst other crew can have open internet access for their personal use when off duty. When we talk of online security, especially in the maritime sector, it is important to consider the issue of network hacking. It is often said that the best way to hack into any system is to look over the user’s shoulder. However, from a technology standpoint, security is maintained by ensuring a private network remains exactly that, by allowing access only to those devices known by the user. This is best achieved by adopting a ‘challenge authentication’ approach when trying to 36

MITE November/December 2011

CYBER, ʻHACKERʼ, pirate and terrorist attacks are expected to rise across the global supply chain over the next 20 years and firms should plan now to protect their assets. This was the takeaway message of a recent survey undertaken by PriceWaterhouse Cooper and the Supply Chain Management Institute (SMI) at EBS Business School in Germany. On average those surveyed said there was a 56% probability of a rise in attacks in some form. It is not just cyber attacks that firms need to prepare for, the report says, they also need to be prepared to handle natural or man-made disasters. Overall, those surveyed said they were even more concerned with hacker attacks affecting their supply chains than they were actual physical attacks. ʻThe supply relationships between producers, suppliers and consumers have become more complex and more accident-sensitive in the last few years. Today 90% of the worldwide trading volume is concentrating on about 39 gateway regions. If just one of these hubs fails, the economic consequences could be enormous after a very short period of time, and affect most economies around the globe,ʼ said Klaus-Dieter Ruske, partner and Global Transportation and Logistics Industry Leader at PwC. ʻAs a consequence of the increasing threat, the transportation and logistics companiesʼ expenditures on security will broadly rise. Thus, capital investment on security, also on security of IT systems, will be one of the most important cost drivers of the logistics industry.ʼ Businesses are urged to devise contingency plans now as the economic impact of such attacks could be devastating, the report says. Assaults on certain, highly-frequented ʻchokepointsʼ, a geographic bottleneck with only one narrow transport link across a valley or bridge, are predicted to be potential targets. Examples of such chokepoints in global shipping include the Strait of Homuz, the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal. Egypt, for example, already loses more than $640m each year because shipping companies are avoiding the passage through the piracy-threatened Gulf of Aden and the Suez Canal. In spite of the rising risk there will not be any renunciation of highly diversified international division of work. Survey respondents said there was a 70% probability of logistics companies having to perform obligatory security checks on their whole supply chain, and they said there was a 60% probability that modern technology would offer businesses better protection. Freight screening as well as ʻriskʼ profiling of employees, and using trusted shipping operators, will also help businesses stay ahead of the hackers, the report adds. Ruske added: ʻEnterprises will have to analyse and counteract every possible scenario of danger to protect their supply chains. It is not just about prevention, but also about developing alternatives for the case of emergency. Thus every enterprise should be prepared to quickly compensate any drop out of a supplier.ʼ

connect a satellite router to the network. With Hughes systems, there is a seamless and fully integrated authentication system which scrutinises every device against a pre-defined list of criteria. This prevents undesired consumer devices using the business’s private network and minimises hacking or other types of fraud. Evolutionary development Faster voice and data speeds are putting increased demands on providers to deliver greater bandwidth. At the same time, pressure remains to maintain maximum resilience and robustness within a cost-effective and secure network framework.

Therefore, the key elements of any best practice network security solution for the maritime sector should be to ensure network separation, incorporate challenge authentication and offer the flexibility of optional levels or layers of security where needed. Solutions are readily available to deliver this functionality in a variety of satellite-supported maritime environments, ensuring the highest level of affordable yet effective security to match those available in land-based applications. * Simon Watts is chief engineer, Hughes Europe, a satcoms provider seeking to expand its presence in the maritime sector

MITE October/November 2010

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IMarEST Marine Arc Flash Conference

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Preventing the arc flash hazard in ships and ensuring a safe environment

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Tuesday 8 November 2011 America Square Conference Centre, London EC3

Technology

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Conference Chairman

The arc flash hazard is beginning to be addressed in land-based industries and considerable research has gone into developing standards which allow the calculation of heat flux and advises on suitable personnel protection.

IMarEST’s Marine Arc Flash technical conference* will bring together those in the industry responsible for electrical safety to discuss the magnitude of the issue with respect to:

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