Maritime IT & Electronics (Feb/Mar 2012)

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February/March 2012

THE

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CONTENTS 3

Comment

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News

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

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CRUISE 8 Staying ahead

Satcoms round-up KVH announces new hybrid C/Ku-band antenna and service 16 Game-changer app With sufficient download capacity, the potential for onboard e-learning is enormous 18 Upward curve Intelsat始s Jay Yass sheds light on the company始s ambitions for expanding Ku-band

Norwegian Cruise Lines is exploring technology to boost on-board connectivity

ELECTRONIC CHARTS 20 Smooth switchover

AIS 7

New testing regime AIS units become subject to annual inspections

BROADBAND 12 A bundle of benefits Vizada on why satcoms providers are combining MSS and VSAT in a single package

UKHO wants to help ship owners make the transition to ECDIS 23 Breaking with the past Planning with electronic charts need not mirror practices that evolved for paper charts

NAVIGATION 24 Pelorus reinvented One of the oldest navigational tools found on the modern ship bridge is revamped

MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS 26 Clouds on the horizon Is cloud-computing a realistic proposition in a maritime environment?

28 Claws on a paper tiger Capitalising on mandatory energy efficiency plans;

READER RESPONSE 31 Right to reply Ex chief-exec Mike Robinson explains why he parted company with UKHO

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: peter.marpuri@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/MITE

SECURITY 32 Satcoms hacked?

Maritime satcoms systems are increasingly a target for hackers

MONITORING 34 Ultrasonic sensors The type of sensors employed to collect raw measurement data affects the efficacy of draught optimisation

DIVERSIONS 36 Thinking inside the box Containers can be considered as a packets on a data network

漏 Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology (2012). 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

Striving for perfection, but at what cost?

Kevin Tester Fans of Star Trek’s The Next Generation will need no introduction to show’s perennial enemy, the Borg. Hailing from the Delta Quadrant, the Borg’s only motivation is the pursuit of perfection, albeit in an unemotional and mechanical fashion. This is achieved through forced assimilation, a process which transforms individuals into Borg, enhancing – and simultaneously controlling – them by implanting or appending synthetic components.

Maritime satcoms giant Inmarsat appears to following a similar strategy as it strives to bring ‘perfection’ to communications at sea. Visitors to the websites of either Stratos Global or Ship-Equip will see that ‘assimilation’ is now underway. Both websites feature synthetic appendages in the form of Inmarsat’s corporate logo where the independent company monikers used to be. (For now, Inmarsat is respecting their erstwhile subsidiaries’ colourscheme!).

Raised eye-brows Stratos was once Inmarsat’s largest independent airtime reseller, or, to use the lingo, ‘distribution partner’ (DP). One of many DPs, it would act as an intermediary between Inmarsat and its maritime (or for that matter, aviation and terrestrial) end-users. This enabled Inmarsat to focus on its core business of operating satellites, while DPs would have the capacity to look after the varying needs of a diversified user-base.

Therefore, when, in the spring of 2009, Inmarsat announced its acquisition of Stratos, other DPs were fearful that the level playing field was

no longer level; that they were playing uphill. Inmarsat insisted it was implementing ‘a fair channel management policy by a segregation of its wholesale and Stratos operating divisions’.

The motives leading to the acquisition of Ship-Equip last April were much more transparent. Inmarsat needed to strengthen its distribution channels to current VSAT-enabled shipowners in advance of launching its own VSAT Ka-band service in 2014.

Last summer rumours started emerging that Inmarsat was re-appraising it’s hitherto business model and wanted to reach out directly to its end-users. Some have suggested the strategic rethink was prompted by tougher than expected trading conditions over the last twelve-months and growing uncertainty about future revenue generation. The rumours were followed, in autumn, by a senior level management team reshuffle.

Assimilation underway At the beginning of this year, Inmarsat publicly announced the outcomes of this change of strategy. ‘We are bringing the expertise of our subsidiary companies into a new organisational structure - designed to align our overall business more closely with the needs of customers in our core markets. And, as part of the process, all companies in the Inmarsat group – including Stratos Global, Segovia [for government business] and Ship Equip – will now use the Inmarsat brand name,’ states a news-release.

It goes on to say: ‘Inmarsat does not intend to change its policy of distributing its services primarily through independent channel partners, comprised of its

Editor network of distribution partners and service providers with whom Inmarsat has worked successfully over many years. The Inmarsat restructure is expected to provide further support to independent channel partners through greater coordination between Inmarsat and its channel partners.’

Exactly how Inmarsat plans to go about support its independent channel partners while seeking to bolster revenues from its own ‘market-facing’ business units remains to be seen. In Star Trek, the mostly robotic Borg didn’t have much of a speaking role.

But they did have a catchphrase for any humanoid that had the misfortune to cross their path: ‘resistance is futile’.

Shields up But what does all this manoeuvring mean for shipowners who simply want to get their vessels online? In the near term, it seems unlikely that Inmarsat will want to embark on an aggressive pricecutting campaign, as any gains in market share would come at the expense of a drop in revenue.

Unit price increases would also be difficult at this time.

One could take the view that the company is contriving to reclaim a monopoly position. However, with so many players and so many technologies now in the market, such an outcome seems improbable. In particular it will have to take into account the movements of – and possibly raise its shields against – EADSAstrium, which has suddenly materialised in the sector through its acquisition of Vizada/Marlink.

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NEWS

Maersk to deploy VSAT Danish shipping giant Maersk has selected Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson to oversee the roll-out of a new communications network across its fleet of over 500 containerships.

Currently, the boxship operator only uses satcoms to satisfy its ship-to-shore connectivity needs, but Ericsson will fit the fleet with antennas and GSM base stations, thereby supporting a combination of mobile and satellite communications. ʻMobile communication provides the shipping industry the opportunity to employ new and efficient ways of addressing fleet management, managing delivery times, improving interaction with vessels, enabling proactive issue resolution and prompt information sharing with customers and even im-

proving energy efficiency,ʼ Ericsson said in statement.

On the same day, Thrane & Thrane announced a major contract with Ericsson signed at the close of last year. The Danish satcoms hardware manufacturer will deliver at least 290 units of its Sailor 900 VSAT terminals, in a deal valued at DKK90m (c £10m) including global service, support and training. Thrane says it is the largest single maritime VSAT order ever made.

While Thrane was unavailable to comment on the ultimate end-users for the hardware sold to Ericsson due to a confidentiality clause, if it is destined for Maersk and all the indications do point in that direction, then it represents a major coup for the company, which has only re-

EMSA takes control of LRIT data exchange The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has taken over the Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) International Data Exchange (LRIT-IDE) from the US Coast Guard, which had hosted the Exchange temporarily since 2009.

The LRIT-IDE acts like a central ʻswitchboardʼ ensuring the flow of information between various LRIT data-centres around the globe.

EMSA was appointed by the IMOʼs Maritime Safety Committee during its 87th session, and the transfer process has now been successfully completed.

In addition to its role of operator, EMSA also hosts the EU's LRIT Co-operative Data Centre, which collects position reports from the fleet of the EU Member States, as well as those from several overseas territories, Norway and Iceland and some thirdworld countries.

The United States will continue to provide a disaster recovery site for the IDE, which could be activated to ensure the 4

MITE February/March 2012

continuous and uninterrupted operation of the LRIT system in the case of a critical failure (for example sustained power outage, sustained network connectivity degradation, etc.) at the primary site in Portugal.

The transfer of operations of the IDE to EMSA from its initial, interim operational base in the United States was completed on 18 October and the first message was routed via the EMSA IDE at 1335 hours UTC on that day.

The decision to authorise operation followed the satisfactory completion of integration testing and is subject to the final consideration and endorsement of IMO's Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) at its 90th session in May 2012.

Under the LRIT system, ships in the merchant fleet are required to broadcast their position every six hours every day of the year.

The system was rushed into operation in the wake of the 9/11 as a measure to reduce the risk of a terrorist attacks being mounted from vessels entering port.

cently entered the VSAT antenna marketplace.

Similarly Globecomm Systems went public on a 7-year deal signed with Ericsson ‒ again to an unspecified endcustomer ‒ to provide its se@FLEX VSAT service and below-deck equipment. The contract covers the integration of shipboard terminals accessing Ku-band satellites as a part of Ericssonʼs rollout, and will utilise Globecommʼs Hosted

Over 500 Maersk vessels will have better connectivity

Wireless Services.

The platform will provide automatic roaming between Ku-band satellite beams on a global basis at a flat rate. The system will access over 20 beams operating through 13 teleports and including fibre backhaul to the Globecommʼs New York data-centre.

Cobham moves ahead with Global Xpress antenna Antenna manufacturer Cobham has revealed its 1m Ku-band to Ka-band upgradable marinestabilised antenna system, the Sea Tel Model 4012, will be ready ahead of schedule and should begin shipping during the first quarter of 2012.

The new antenna, which the company claims will be the first of its kind to reach the market, can be quickly upgraded in the field ‒ but only by a trained service technician ‒ to work with Inmarsatʼs forthcoming Global Xpress (GX) Ka-band service.

The 4012 has been designed for ease of installation, with one-step commissioning, a secure web user interface, builtin remote management capabilities, and easy integration into network management systems through its media exchange point (MXP).

Based on the same pedestal as the current 4009 model for Ku-band, Cobham Antenna Systems VP Fred Cahill believes the 4012 is set to become the next

ʻindustry standardʼ for enabling high-speed broadband sea.

The 4012 is being designed to meet numerous mechanical and safety standards including IEC 60721 for operation in harsh environments. It will also sport ʻa highly efficient antenna reflector and a frequency selective fine-tuned radome designed for peak performance in both Ku- and Ka-bandsʼ. The new hardware is currently undergoing beta-testing.

Building directly on its unique position as the strategic launch partner for GX services, Cobham also plans to offer a series of FleetBroadband antennas. The Sea Tel FX line of products will allow for Ku-band and L-band hybrid services for todayʼs maritime needs, as well as Global Xpress and L-band solutions to fit the future needs of customers.

The FX 500 is scheduled for availability in March 2012, followed by FX 250 and FX 150 at a later date.

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NEWS

Astrium acquires Vizada

Transas announces 4-tier ECDIS

Maritime satcoms airtime reseller Vizada has been acquired by the European space technology group EADS-Astrium in a deal valued at €673m. Together the two companies will become one of worldʼs largest providers of satcoms and geo-information services.

EADS is a dominant player in aerospace and defence sector. The group, which comprises Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter, generated revenues of €45.8bn in 2010 and has a global workforce of over 122,000.

Its satellite and space technology subsidiary Astrium had a turnover of €5bn and employs 15,000, mainly in Europe. Notably, it was Astrium that built the I4 generation of satellites that power Inmarsatʼs FleetBroadband service, as well as Eutelsatʼs Ka-band bird among many others. It is also one of the main industrial partners supporting the European Space Agency in its Galileo GPS constellation.

EADS-Astrim purchased Vizada as part of a wider programme to strengthen its services offering. The transaction includes Vizada Americas, Vizada Networks, Vizada EMEA & Asia Pacific as well as Marlink.

Transas Marine has launched a multi-tier range of ECDIS packages in response to the varying needs of different shipowners.

The four tiers are denoted as Standard, Standard+, Premium and Premium+.

The entry-level Standard tier comprises a 24-inch marine panel computer, trackball and Transasʼ wellestablished Navi-Sailor software. While basic, it is fully compliant with IMO regulations. The Standard+ adds more chart formats, route planning functions, additional sensors, AIS, ARPA and target management, tides & currents and a NAVTEX interface.

The Premium tier adds a docking mode, reference points for mooring operations, UKHOʼs Admiralty Information Overlay, a second ARPA, target simulator, trial manoeuvring, ports database among other facilities displayed on a dual chart panel. The top of the

Frontline opts for XpressLink Tanker operator Frontline has committed to Inmarsat XpressLink for more than 100 vessels from its existing fleet and its planned new builds.

XpressLink is a newly introduced ʻinterimʼ satcoms package that allows ship owners to roll-out and use a Kuband VSAT until Inmarsatʼs higher-spec Ka-band service arrives in 2013/14. It includes FleetBroadband as a failover option, to ensure connectivity outside Ku-band coverage areas.

Frontline was already a satisfied customer of Ship Equip, the Ku-band service provider Inmarsat acquired last September, and through which it is delivering its branded VSAT.

ʻIt was a purely commercial decision,ʼ says Kjell S. Langva of Frontline Management AS. ʻThe cost-benefit profile and the failover capability, which offers unlimited usage on Inmarsat FleetBroadband, were key to the decision,ʼ he adds.

Inmarsatʼs president for maritime, Frank Coles, believes it is a landmark deal for XpressLink: ʻThis is a significant endorsement by the world leader in crude oil shipping. It confirms that we have a highly-competitive product, offering value for money, and with the right focus on delivering reliable high-speed broadband through a combination of L-band and VSAT services.ʼ

NEWS IN BRIEF Icelandʼs oldest shipping company Eimskip is rolling out GL ShipManager and GL FleetAnalyser fleet management platform. The solution from GL Maritime Software will focus on integrating processes such as maintenance management, purchasing and inventory control, and safety management, and will include an interface with the SAP accounting system already in place at Eimskip.

Transas Marine has become the first training institute in Germany to receive BSH Flag State approval for its ECDIS training. The course follows the IMO Model Course 1.27 and is also fully compliant with the Manila Amendments to STCW 2010, which became compulsory from 1 January. Transas was also first to get BSH stamp of approval for its ECDIS back in 1999.

The Standard system is compliant, user-friendly and cost-efficient

range Premium+ builds on this even further with electronic logbook, navi-conning and slew of other advanced planning and precision navigation tools.

Transasʼ product development director Anders Rydlinger says the concept is unique in the market today. ʻThe Standard system is fullycompliant, user-friendly and cost-efficient. However, we recognise some shipping companies will want to go beyond IMOʼs requirements and take advantage of all that the technology can offer,ʼ he explains. ʻOur four-tier approach covers these diverse requirements.ʼ

Raytheon kits out new PSV The Singapore arm of Raytheon Anschutz has won a contract to supply an integrated bridge and navigation system to a new platform supply vessel (PSV) built at Malaysiaʼs Nam Cheong Dockyard. This order is the latest in several projects with offshore support vessels in the region over the past twelve months.

The scope of supply for the new 79m-long, DNV-classed PSV covers four navigation workstations for the front bridge, which feature the functions of radar, chart radar, ECDIS, and a customised conning. The ECDIS is enhanced with a radar video overlay for advanced situation awareness and collision avoidance. For aft bridge operations, a fully operational conning workstation will be delivered.

For the ship's steering system, the adaptive autopilot NP2035 is supplied, which together with the ECDIS forms an approved track control system. Furthermore, a package of navigation sensors including a redundant Standard 22 gyro compass system is delivered, which feeds information through the Ethernet navigation network to the bridge workstations. The project also includes a fully equipped radio communication system for GMDSS sea area A3. * Raytheon has expanded its presence in the US with the opening of a new office in San Diego. The office will be co-located at an already established facility, dedicated to the development and delivery of naval and maritime systems and technology.

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NEWS

Electronic entertainment is distracting OOWs, warns P&I Improvements in telecommunication technology on-board ship have created unwelcome distractions, warns the London P&I. Recognising that on-board communication has improved significantly enabling crew to use mobile phones and laptops at sea, the insurer is concerned that the use of such equipment at inappropriate moments may distract crew from the navigation or operation of the ship.

It highlights several cases that have emerged in recent investigations. A causative factor in a recent pollution incident is alleged to be that the duty officer was attempting to make a Skype call on his laptop during his watch. In a collision case, the VDR playback reveals that the officer of the watch was listening to a news bulletin from his home country that was being streamed through a laptop. The

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officer appears to have missed a radar target and a VHF warning call while listening to the breaking news from home.

The report, published in the September 2011 edition of the groupʼs Stop Loss bulletin, also calls attention to the risk of being exposed to excessive information and simply being unable to process it all. Bridge equipment is increasingly sophisticated and it can provide the crew with access to extensive information regarding the relative positions of other ships.

However, unless it is used in a focused manner, it can confuse, rather than clarify, and ultimately prove counterproductive.

In one case, the OOW decided to use the Automatic Radar Plotting Aid to track 99 different ships whilst transiting a congested anchorage and to

overlay the radar image with Automatic Identification System data. With so much information being displayed, he failed to notice that one of the targets had both a minimal closest point of approach (CPA) and time to CPA and ultimately there was a collision. As such, it is worth giving careful thought to how such equipment can best be used without risking information overload.

An important principle of keeping a safe navigational watch, the report says, is that the OOW ensures an efficient look-out is maintained at all times and the ColRegs are complied with. It is therefore essential that any distractions from those duties are as far as possible minimised or eliminated.

Bridge distractions are by no means a new problem, but it is worrying to see how they

have been directly implicated in so many incidents. And as access to the Internet becomes more ubiquitous, the signs are the problem is likely to get worse.

Unfortunately there are no simple remedies. Indeed, it has been argued that a certain amount of ʻdistractionʼ is necessary simply to stop the OOW from dozing, or worse still, nodding off completely (hence the introduction of a requirement for BNWAS ‒ Bridge Navigational Watch Alarm Systems).

If a solution is to be found it will probably not be technological, but procedural. Shipping companies will need to consider strategies that recognise distractions are pretty much unavoidable and instead of trying to eliminate them altogether, devise ways of managing them in a constructive fashion.

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AIS

AIS testing regime to start this summer New amendments have been added to SOLAS regulation regarding the annual testing of AIS systems. From 1 July 2012 all systems will have to undergo a yearly inspection by an approved surveyor (or servicing facility), who will check that the device’s static information is correctly programmed; that the device is exchanging data with other sensors, primarily GPS, correctly and verify radio performance. Until now in-service AIS units have not been subject to inspections.

The new testing regime comes in the wake of amendments to SOLAS regulation V/18 adopted

by IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) at its meeting in 2010. Before it comes into force, surveyors will be kitted out with special test equipment and must quickly acquire detailed technical knowledge on how AIS works, particularly with regard to verifying radio performance, which involves

Inspections will become mandatory from this summer, but DNV fears there wonʼt be enough surveyors qualified for the job radio frequency measurement and on-air test using a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS).

The AIS system is reliant on certain parameters being entered by the mariner. These parameters, referred to as ‘static data’, are unique to the ship in question, ie, IMO number, call sign, MMSI, etc.

This information is essential for AIS to perform its role of identity beacon properly (see MITE Sep/Oct 2011). The hope is that the annual inspection should lead to discrepancies in static data being corrected more quickly than was previously the case.

Peggy Browning, of the Canadian satellite AIS firm exactEarth, points out antenna installation and placement play

Type-approval bottleneck eased FOR MANY years there has been only one AIS product testing service available in the world. This has resulted in a waiting list for tests of up to nine months, much to the annoyance of OEMs seeking to introduce new products to the market. The launch of a second type-approval testing service ‒ by UK-based TÜV SÜD ‒ should reduce this bottleneck to a more manageable three months.

The news was welcomed by Neil Peniket, COO at SRT, a leading supplier of AIS related technologies: ʻAIS is a sizeable and growing market and requires a responsive and professional service for regulatory approvals testing. To date, the availability of product test facilities has been severely limited, which extends development lifecycles and delays the emergence of new and improved products.ʼ The new testing service will ensure that products are able to communicate with any other AIS equipment and are also compatible with other marine communications and navigation equipment. TÜV SÜD can also certify AIS against the requirements of the Marine Equipment Directive.

TÜV SÜD Product Service managing director Jean-Louis Evans said the launch of an alternative AIS service was long overdue: ʻWe are bringing choice to the market, ending the monopoly situation that the marine equipment industry has suffered. We recognise the commercial pressures manufacturers are under. A nine month backlog was clearly unacceptable.ʼ

an equally important role in the reception of AIS signals by other ships, shore authorities and, of course, satellites. ‘Annual inspections will provide an opportunity to look for and repair corrosion or other wear-and-tear factors that affect the antenna at sea,’ she says.

Subpar antenna performance can be particularly difficult to identify. ‘AIS may have a degraded signal caused by incorrect antenna installation but the master would probably be oblivious to fact because the faulty system will still function – just not at its optimum,’ explains Browning. exactEarth has a vested interest in ensuring that AIS devices are transmitting as clearly and loudly as possible. It makes signal detection from space easier and subsequently improves the accuracy of the information they are selling to maritime-related governmental authorities.

Firms conducting the testing must be certified to work on AIS equipment and the surveyors must hold a formal DNV or national AIS service supplier approval. However, the class society fears insufficient numbers will be vetted and approved in time for this summer’s entryinto-force date.

Therefore it has introduced approval schemes for both AIS and GMDSS service suppliers. Although it is not mandatory for GMDSS service suppliers to have AIS approval, the class society is urging them to obtain the extra approval so that they too can carry out AIS surveys.

The inspections may be carried out in connection with the ship’s annual safety radio (CRC) or safety equipment (CEC) survey.

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CRUISE SHIPS

Norwegian Cruise Line has launched ten ships in the past 10 years, culminating in June 2010 with the launch of the 4100-passenger Norwegian Epic, its largest and most innovative vessel to date. Moreover, it has two 4000-passenger vessels on order: Norwegian Breakaway for delivery in April 2013 and Norwegian Getaway for delivery in April 2014.

One of the reasons the company has been able to establish itself as a key-player in such a short period is due to its progressive attitude. This is especially evident in the way it has embraced cutting-edge information and communication technologies across the fleet. The responsibility for making sure all these systems stay up and running in order to deliver the best possible guest experience lies with Jeff McVay, Vice President of IT Infrastructure and Operations, based at Norwegian’s headquarters in Miami.

‘There’s no two ways about it: demand for Internet services is rocketing. In the past this growth has stemmed mostly from the recreational needs of crew and passengers, but recently we’ve seen a jump in the amount of administrative and operational data

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Staying ahead of the pack To provide the best possible experience for its guests, Norwegian Cruise Line is exploring a variety of innovative technologies to boost connectivity aboard its ships. MITE talks with Jeff McVay, who oversees the fleetʼs IT infrastructure. officers and engineers are sending to and from shore,’ he explains.

This creates a challenge in terms of prioritisation. At the moment, all data is sent over a single link, managed by a very complex arrangement of Qualityof-Service filters. Voice-packets, whether for guests, crew or officers, are assigned highest priority. Following on in order of importance are specific ‘missioncritical’ operational applications

Jeff McVay Norwegian Cruise Lines

Norwegian is doing trials rerouting data over terrestrial WiFi when at its home port of Miami

(such as maintenance and procurement); revenue-generating guest Internet services; crew Internet services; and finally, administrative Internet.

Consequently, if the link is maxed out, it is the officer attempting to file some paperwork that suffers.

Dual antennas Norwegian has standardised the VSAT set-up on ten of its ships, not only in terms of the various equipment and hardware, but also including the amount of upstream and downstream bandwidth available. Norwegian Epic differs in that the company has contracted additional bandwidth from its satcoms provider, MTN Satellite Communications (MTN), in order to satisfy the extra demand for connectivity generated by the greater number of crew and guests on board. Norwegian Epic is also unique in that it has dual C-band antennas, though only one is operational at any given time.

The reason for this is twofold: firstly, to provide a completely redundant system so that if one system breaks down, the other can be immediately

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switched in; and secondly, to avoid obstructions. On occasion, one antenna’s signal can be blocked either by a structure of the ship (such as the funnel or mast) or by objects in the local environment (such as a building, mountain, or crane). When this happens, the other antenna can be utilised to get a clear line of sight path to the satellite. In practice, the antennas alternate nearly always for this latter reason, since the equipment is very reliable.

The dual antenna arrangement wasn’t considered for vessels preceding Epic, says McVay, because the demand for connectivity was not as prevalent when they were built, and they had less ‘real estate’ top of ship for a double installation.

Bandwidth constraints are most keenly felt on ‘sea-days’ when a ship is en route from one destination to another and guests are inclined to surf the web to help pass the time. Demand has been known to exceed triple what Norwegian has contracted from MTN. It is on these occasions when having on-demand supplemental bandwidth, whether through Ku- or Ka-band, would be highly advantageous.

Thinking specifically about

Ka-band, McVay says that while it has generated a lot of excitement, it does not yet offer enough coverage. ‘The footprints that are currently available are very limited, though this is being addressed. The service is also highly susceptible to rain-fade, but here too progress is being made,’ he says with a note of optimism. ‘We will certainly keep a watch on how the offerings develop.’

On ʻseadaysʼ guests are inclined to check email and surf the web to help pass the time

Managing spikes It is when contending with sudden demand spikes that McVay really values the positive working relationship Norwegian has with MTN: ‘They have a vested interest in making sure the system is working well and will do what they can to help.’ He recalls one time when a hurricane struck off the coast of New Orleans and a ship was forced to change course. ‘It was the end of a voyage and had a knock-on effect on its arrival time. So the passengers were frantically calling shore to alter their onward

13 years ago the idea of a cruise ship having its own data-centre on board would have been considered absurd

travel arrangements.

‘We called MTN, explained the situation and our urgent need for extra bandwidth, and despite this all happening on a Sunday evening, within minutes they were responding with multiple people on the case. In a business like ours that sort of service counts for a lot.’

McVay is also impressed with the continual improvements MTN is making to their services.

‘They have to provide a high-performance service globally, including in regions with a high density of traffic. The Caribbean is particularly busy, with so many large cruise ships like Norwegian Epic consuming a lot of the available bandwidth. So we are in a constant dialogue on ideas to improve the user experience, whether through technology or adjusting business models to iron out the spikes and troughs in demand. Ultimately, we are both working towards the same goals: a better service at a fair cost.’

Overnight, for example, demand for bandwidth drops right off. The upshot being that Norwegian is then paying good money for a high-capacity link that is being under-utilised. One idea to offset this is offering crew peak and off-peak Internet rates. This MITE February/March 2012

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would incentivise them to adjust their usage pattern, says McVay. However he quickly adds it’s not really seen as a long-term solution: ‘The risk is it unfairly penalises crew-members who work night-shifts and are therefore offduty during peak time.’

Looking ahead, McVay believes bandwidth will increase.

‘It’s a competitive marketplace.

So satcoms service providers are all doing R&D to squeeze the most out of their infrastructure.

Hopefully one day we will achieve those high-bandwidths that we need so that everyone is happy – the passengers, the crew whether on or off duty, officers on the bridge, and engineers down below.’

On-shore connections One avenue being considered is to take greater advantage of terrestrial connectivity. While this might initially seem paradoxical, the fact remains that cruise ships spend a lot of their time in or near ports. In Norway, superferry operator Color Line is already harnessing port WiFi to a great effect to reduce its dependency on expensive satcoms links.

But as a ferry operator, it has the benefit of operating on relatively fixed routes between a small number of ports. Cruise operators, such as Norwegian, operate according to a more varied itinerary, making it more difficult to justify the infrastructural costs involved.

That said, there are possibilities, particularly at an operator’s home port, which in the case of Norwegian is Miami. ‘We’re in the middle of proof-of-concept trial, where we re-route traffic when close enough to shore.

When the ship is in port all day, it makes sense to leverage the cheaper and higher capacity terrestrial bandwidth. It is a project in which we are working closely with MTN.’ Hawaii is another port where local WiFi or WiMAX could prove worthwhile. But there’s a fine balance. Apart from assessing what infrastructure is already in place, or what could be set up, it 10

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is also necessary to bear in mind the backhaul from the port to the wider Internet. If the backhaul capacity is limited, like it is at remoter Caribbean destinations for example, the balance might fall in favour of sticking with the ship’s satcoms.

An MTN C-band antenna overshadows the pool. The Epic has a dual installation.

Sleepy smartphones WiFi is becoming increasingly important on board ship too, as an enabler for new services that can be delivered to smartphones and tablet devices. ‘There is no doubt that social media and apps have revolutionised how people interact with each other. We see potential in leveraging that momentum on board,’ enthuses McVay. But before that can happen, there are certain technical hurdles that must be overcome: ‘We find our guests are generally more comfortable about switching on the WiFi on their devices than using network roaming services, which they fear will result in big bills when they get home. The problem is, however, some of the most popular smartphone models have a habit of dropping their WiFi connection whenever the device goes to sleep. This means the user has the inconvenience of re-loggingin each time they wake the device up. Furthermore it means

For us remote access is not a nice-to-have gimmick, but a real cost-saver

they won’t receive push notifications.’

If and when ‘narcoleptic smartphone syndrome’ gets resolved, there’s a whole range of add-on services a cruise operator, like Norwegian, could provide.

‘The most obvious candidate,’ says McVay, ‘is in-ship calling and messaging. There is also scope for reservation systems for restaurants, spas and other onboard amenities, as well as excursions. The entertainments team could announce and publicise upcoming shows and events. Location services such as FriendFinder also could be adapted for on-board use.’

‘In the past, our guests were generally happy to drop by one of our on-board Internet cafés to get email and web access, whether to check for new messages or, oftentimes, their stock portfolios. They did not want or expect ubiquitous connectivity.

‘But that has all changed, partly because of technological progress and partly due to changing demographics: our cruises are appealing to a much younger audience. They nearly all carry smartphones and carry the assumption that the Internet is “just there”. That might not be a realistic assumption, but if we can somehow work things to give them that impression...’

Virtual experts Norwegian’s ships each employ one systems manager and two MITE October/November 2010

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assistant systems managers aboard, except for Norwegian Epic, which because of its size has an extra assistant systems manager. The fact that the IT systems serving a ‘user-community’ numbering in the thousands can be kept in good working order by such a small team is a testament to the welldesigned system architecture, and in particular the care paid to redundancy and disaster recovery.

Much of this comes down to the use of virtualisation: ‘Virtual environments have been rolled out on all but two of our ships. It has enabled us to overcome many of the problems we confronted in the past. They are much more resilient and, if they do fall over, can generally be restored in a few mouse-clicks.’

Moreover, these recovery operations can more often than not be initiated remotely, from shore via satellite. ‘For us remote ac-

cess is not a nice-to-have gimmick, but a real cost-saver. Without it, we would be faced with manning each ship with, for instance, a highly-qualified VMware expert. That would be a very expensive and inefficient use of resources. Instead, we can have a handful of these specialists working shore-side, who can remote in from their desk and if necessary pool their knowledge together.

A side benefit of virtualisation is that it has reduced the quantity of servers that must be installed. The impact here is not the space-saving per se, though McVay says he compressed three racks into half, but simply that there is less kit – and cabling – that could go wrong. Obsolescence and ageing hardware do, admits McVay, create challenges on the older vessels. ‘It’s the usual things, like hard-disc failures. But it does call for a more hands-on approach to mainte-

nance and repair,’ he says.

Norwegian Epic is the first Norwegian vessel to feature dual datacentres. Either one is capable of fulfilling the ship’s entire IT requirements, but the dual arrangement was chosen to ensure the highest possible level of availability. The dual data-centre model is set to be deployed on the forthcoming ships. ‘When I joined the cruise industry 13 years ago, the idea of a cruise ship having its own data-centre on board would have been considered absurd. But it didn’t take long before server rooms became necessary. And now here we are,’ remarks McVay. Notably, the megabytes of information flowing through the data-centre each day is not restricted to the vessel’s hotel services. It also handles operational applications, such as the maintenance management system, and it is for this reason that availability is such a high priority.

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A bundle of benefits As the American author and economist Robert Collier once said ‘supply always comes on the heels of demand’, and as the shipping industry evolves, so satcoms providers’ offerings have had to keep up. And with the maritime satcoms market forecast to grow 50% between now and 2018 to a total value of $1.6bn, there is significant financial motivation to understand and make the most of these changes.

A recent development, introduced by a number of major providers is the bundling of mobile satellite services (MSS) and fixed VSAT systems into a single package to provide global broadband connectivity for business and crew communications requirements. The emphasis here is on the ‘single package’ because, while MSS and VSAT systems have been jointly provided to shipping companies for a number of years, recently offerings have been greatly simplified to avoid multiple airtime and hardware contracts, different prices and different points of contact.

Kevin Sinclair, IT manager for Scorpio Ship Management in Monaco, uses Vizada and service provider Marlink’s bundled MSS/VSAT package for the company’s fleet of 19 Aframax, Handymax and Panamax vessels.

Scorpio had been looking into a suitable VSAT offering for some time to supplement their Inmarsat mobile satellite terminals, but the decision process turned out to be lengthy and complicated: ‘It was a difficult and confusing task to compare the different 12

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Vizada reports on how satcoms providers are bundling services together in response to the evolving needs of shipowners in a time of rapid technological change and financial tumult

bandwidth speeds, installation terms and maintenance commitments, as we discovered that they were extremely variable from provider to provider. In the end, we went for the package that was presented in the most transparent way,’ says Sinclair.

So why is it that shipping companies like Scorpio are stepping up their requirements and demanding simpler broadband satcoms bundles?

Consumerisation bites An emerging driver is the consumerisation of IT. Consumerisation refers to the increasing use of personally owned hardware, whether smart-phones, tablet computers or other Internet-enabled devices, for business purposes. This trend has appeared as people often own kit that is more powerful than that provided by their employers, due to faster consumer upgrade cycles.

Not only do these devices change people’s expectations of the services and applications they access at work, they also clearly require

It was a difficult and confusing task to compare the different bandwidth speeds, installation terms and maintenance commitments

ITC managers to stay one step ahead in providing the supporting infrastructure and ensuring the appropriate level of security.

Ironically the restrained nature of the shipping industry when it comes to embracing technology means consumerisation is being felt more keenly than other industrial sectors. It is common for crew members, even from developing countries, to bring their own laptops etc aboard and take full advantage of whatever Internet access is available to them. And, if it’s not readily available, they are not opposed to using a bit of ingenuity, duct tape and spare length of Ethernet cable to devising a way of making it ‘available’. Consequently, IT managers are confronted with a host of dramatically different cost, security and technical issues which previously were not part of their remit.

Sinclair underlines how consumer technology has seeped into the professional environment on board ship: ‘It’s a prerequisite for many crew members to have access to onboard PCs with Internet, and increasingly, connectivity through their own smart-phones and tablet computers. The security

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and technical implications of this are significant.’

Financial fallout Another major factor continuing to impact on the way companies do business today is the fallout from the banking sector crisis which struck in late 2008. It has brought about a great deal of caution with regard to capital expenditure. Packaged satcoms bundles with flexible contract duration terms and low monthly fees for hardware and airtime have been a necessary antidote to companies seeking greater control and visibility over their expenditure; and while satcoms may represent only 1-2% of shipping companies’ overall costs, the more predictable these costs are the better.

Having taken a look at wider market issues, it is also relevant to address developments specific to the shipping sector, and which are in turn impacting the provision of ITC services.

A major headache for the shipping industry is undoubtedly the rising cost of fuel. Rocketing demand among developing countries has put significant upward pressure on prices, and with the barrel of crude oil currently at $86 (at time of writing), shipping

companies are seeking out savings in other areas. A bundled satcoms service enables companies to pay upfront for access to hardware and airtime, which generally works out more economic than paying for the equivalent services individually.

Scorpio has deployed an MSS/VSAT combo-satcoms service on 19 vessels

Credit: Kevin Sinclair

Coverage considerations Ensuring the security of crew and merchandise on board has always been a concern, but recent geopolitical developments and resurgence of piracy has led operators to reassess their trade routes in order to ensure a higher level of protection. While vessels previously passed through the Suez Canal on the way from Europe to the East, the highly unstable climate around the Horn of Africa, and specifically the Gulf of Aden, has resulted in many companies choosing to send vessels around the tip of the African continent en route to the East.

Many VSAT systems do not

Crew have access to onboard PCs with Internet, and increasingly, connectivity through their own smart-phones and tablet computers. The security and technical implications of this are significant

however provide the global coverage necessary to ensure constant access to broadband communications in certain regions. Consequently, shipping companies operating on a global basis often want to combine VSAT with mobile satellite services (MSS) such as Inmarsat FleetBroadband or Iridium OpenPort, which both offer a global service, but at a cost premium. A number of industry players have recognised this requirement and sought to package both systems into a single service.

Taking it a step further, providers like Vizada have developed online management services to enable the ITC officer to switch easily from MSS to VSAT as the vessel crosses coverage zones. For companies like Scorpio Ship Management whose trading routes are in spots, the team on shore can never predict where the tankers will be from one month to the next. As a result it’s incredibly important to know that, regardless of location, they will always be covered by either the mobile satellite or fixed systems on board.

Another key issue for shipping companies is employing the right crew, and access to broadband play a huge role in attracting and securing quality employees. Sinclair explains: ‘We transport oil derivatives and do ship-to-ship transfers away from the coast which means that the staff can be away for months on end. These days it’s just not feasible to expect them to go without access to Internet during this time.’ Bundled satellite packages enable shipping companies to provide low-cost access to many of the communications services that crew use at home.

With all these changes in mind, it’s not surprising that shipping companies are demanding that satcoms providers revise their approach and develop offerings with a clear focus on transparency, flexibility and simplicity. As the market evolves, it will be an exciting time seeing which providers follow in Vizada’s footsteps and rise to this challenge.

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Single antenna hybrid C-/Ku-band arrives KVH Industries has announced a major upgrade to its miniVSAT Broadband network with the addition of global C-band satellite coverage overlaying its Ku-band footprint. This unified dual-band maritime satcoms network will provide a multi-megabit service covering 95% of the Earthʼs surface, including the worldʼs major shipping routes, offshore oil fields and commercial fishing grounds.

Along with the enhanced coverage, KVH also introduced the TracPhone V11, a new onboard terminal that uses a single, stabilised antenna with a unique dual-band transmit and receive capability to seamlessly switch between C- and Kuband frequencies.

Said KVHʼs chief-executive Martin Kits van Heyningen: ʻThe 1m TracPhone V11 antenna is smaller and lighter than most stand-alone Kuband antennas, and more than

Expanded coverage 85% smaller and lighter than the 650kg, 3.3m C-band domes used with older VSAT technology. The best part is that itʼs one system, not two different antennas like competing products. ʻFurther, the same belowdecks modem is used for both the C- and Ku-band for a truly seamless and unified solution

Iridium and KVH team up Iridium and KVH Industries have joined forces to create an integrated service package that combines the performance of VSAT with the coverage of L-band. ʻKVH is our first distribution partner to launch our new VSAT companion service offering,ʼ said Iridiumʼs executive VP Greg Ewert. ʻWe have optimised the Iridium OpenPort system to seamlessly integrate with a vesselʼs VSAT platform. The combined solution eliminates the coverage gaps, data-rate limitations and comparatively high prices of other L-band mobile satellite service (MSS) providers.ʼ The most wellknown alternative L-band MSS provider in the maritime marketplace is Inmarsat.

The integrated shipboard system will use common below-deck equipment for voice and data connections, combining the Iridium OpenPort and KVH TracPhone V3 or V7 terminals. KVHʼs CommBox shipboard network management appliance automatically selects the mini-VSAT Broadband service or the Iridium OpenPort service using intelligent least-cost routing software.

When mini-VSAT Broadband service becomes unavailable, the system switches to the Iridium OpenPort service without operator intervention. The Iridium OpenPort connection can also serve as a means to access the mini-VSAT Broadband terminal remotely as well as other shipboard maintenance and calibration equipment.

Ewert noted that the integrated maritime service will be fully supported by Iridiumʼs next-generation satellite constellation, which is scheduled to be deployed starting in early 2015. ʻThe Iridium NEXT design ensures backward compatibility for all earlier generation user equipment, and subscribers can be confident that their investment is secure and will not face obsolescence in the future,ʼ he said.

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for the customer. Unlike hybrid systems that use different technologies, this is a pure VSAT solution delivering unified service and hardware. IT managers donʼt have to contend with trying to use different networks with different latencies, IP settings, or protocols to run their onboard applications,ʼ he added. Both the C- and Ku-

band services are delivered using ArcLight proprietary spread spectrum technology, which is provided by KVHʼs partner, ViaSat. In most areas, the miniVSAT Broadband service will use powerful Ku-band transponders to provide the TracPhone V11 with highspeed downloads at rates up to 4 Mbps, but the addition of Cband will deliver a data connection for vessels travelling anywhere between 75°N and 70°S latitude. The C-band service has a much longer wavelength than Ka-band services, providing improved resilience to rain and other adverse weather conditions.

KVH says it already has customers lined up for the new global C/Ku-band offering, and expects to deliver sample TracPhone V11 units during the second quarter. The service is expected to be fully operational at the end of June 2012.

The future is ʻECDIS and broadband combinedʼ, says Orange Consilium and Orange Business Services have joined forces to launch a combined ECDIS and broadband service.

The flat-rate solution, named Current At Sea, is described by Orange as a modular ECDIS and communication system that can include voyage optimisation programs, fleet and ship management systems and monitoring applications.

Orange states the new offering ʻbridges ship and shoreʼ by integrating ECDIS with its fully managed terrestrial and satellite-enabled data communications network. Orange adds

it can enhance value through a full range of enterprise communications tools, such as Business Talk Global, IP telephony, WAN optimisation, M2M and video conferencing to ship.

Orange Business Servicesʼ Nicolas Roy says that Current At Sea is not about simply replacing paper charts with digital ones: ʻItʼs about completely rethinking business processes in order to improve safety, efficiency and costs. This bundled, fixed-price offering with Consilium will help shipping companies revolutionise the way their vessels operate.ʼ

IN BRIEF H2O Satellite has completed its 100th vessel installation. The H2O offering comprises a KNSʼ SuperTrack A-Series VSAT antenna coupled with a contract Iridium on9555: its Litespeed DI3 gives broadband package, serviced by the satellite operator improved SESperformance Astra.

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Odfjell opts for Marlink VSAT

Intellian to build GX antennas Inmarsat has given VSAT hardware manufacturer Intellian Technologies the go-ahead to produce marine stabilised antennas for its forthcoming Global Xpress (GX) service. Intellian will design and manufacture a 60cm Ka-band GX antenna and a 1m Ku-band antenna that can be converted to

Global Xpress when the service starts in 2013. Both antennas will incorporate the GX core module currently under development by iDirect. Intellian is the third OEM to receive Inmarsatʼs blessing, following similar agreements reached with Cobham Sea Tel and Thrane & Thrane.

IN BRIEF Chemical tanker operator Odfjell is to upgrade the satcoms systems aboard 40 of its vessels to VSAT. The Norwegian operator will retire the existing Inmarsat B and F on-demand services with an always-on VSAT service from Marlink in order to support higher demand for data and avoid the inconvenience of the dial-up connections. However the Odjfell states that the fixed monthly cost of Marlinkʼs WaveCall service was the over-

whelming reason for replacing the legacy equipment.

In this particular project Marlinkʼs WaveCall will give each vessel access to four simultaneous voice lines and three LANs for crew retention and admin purposes, including Internet web access and crew calling functionality. The vessels will also be equipped with FleetBroadband 500 terminals (also supplied by Marlink) to provide redundancy.

In recognition of supporting MSS systems on 8000 seagoing vessels, Marlink has been certified as a ʻPlatinum Partnerʼ by Inmarsat ‒ the highest possible ranking on its Partner Accreditation Programme.

Ship Equip has signed its first contract for XpressLink, its Ku/L-band broadband service, with Mideast Ship Management. The hybrid service provides a guaranteed upgrade path to Inmarsatʼs Ka-band Global Xpress (GX) service, planned for launch in 2013. The agreement covers 21 vessels of the Dubai-based ship management company. Ship Equipʼs Gilles Gillesen says the contract is a sign of things to come: ʻShipping companies are demanding more true global coverage and more uptime. With the redundancy built into XpressLink, that is what they will get.ʼ

UPCOMING FEATURES: April/May 2012

Crew welfare Safety Radar e-Commerce

Offshore support vessels Displays and UI design

All issues include coverage of the latest news and developments in the maritime satcoms and IT marketplace For editorial enquiries, please contact: Kevin Tester | +44 20 7382 2633 | kevin.tester@imarest.org To advertise in Maritime IT & Electronics, please contact: Peter Marpuri | +44 20 8144 3240 | peter.marpuri@imarest.org

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Training could be a game-changer app With respect to the Editor’s Comment in the Nov/Dec 2011 issue of MITE, it was asserted that e-learning is the one application which would really benefit from broadband speeds on board. This immediately brought to mind a prescient quote made by John Chambers, the CEO of Cisco systems, the world’s largest provider of computer networking equipment. In 1999, Chambers said:

While it is difficult to predict what opportunities greater bandwidth at sea will create until it arrives and innovators are able to experiment, the potential for e-learning is enormous, writes Murray Goldberg* Murray Goldberg Founder and president of Marine Learning Systems

“The next big killer application for the Internet is going to be education. Education over the Internet is going to be so big it is going to make email usage look like a rounding error.”

Whether or not the prediction has come to pass in a literal sense, there is no doubt as to its truth in every practical sense – at least not in the minds of anyone involved with the eLearning industry. I have had a front-row seat to the e-learning revolution as a faculty member of Computer Science at University of British Columbia, then as a developer of a learning management system (LMS) used by over 14 million students at colleges in 80 countries, and now as the developer of MarineLMS. The only holdout to the elearning revolution I am aware of, until recently, was the maritime industry. While there have been several impediments to this, the major one has been the availability of Internet at sea, or rather lack thereof. Now, finally, the technological barriers have been knocked down and, as we have seen with other 16

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technologies, the cost barrier will begin to diminish over time.

No justification The history of the Internet tells us two important things about what we are likely to see in the maritime industry over the next few years. These will both have profound implications for maritime training.

First, increasing bandwidth brings new opportunities. In the early years of the Internet, networking infrastructure upgrades often had to be pre-justified, with arguments listing the important applications that were awaiting the greater bandwidth.

Today, outside the maritime industry, that is rarely the case.

As much as 70% of learning in the workplace is by informal means

And it will less and less be the case within the industry too.

Instead, there is a realisation that the opportunities greater bandwidth creates cannot be predicted until it arrives and innovators are able to experiment. In the maritime industry, we know that shipboard broadband will be useful in many ways. When it has become commonplace, we will see novel and game-changing applications, many educational in nature, which we have not yet considered.

Secondly, shipboard broadband is more likely to increase in availability and speed exponentially, not linearly. This has been the case with Internet everywhere else and now that the foothold has been established aboard ship, we have begun to climb the blade of the hockey stick. MITE readers will no doubt be familiar with the growth in capabilities already seen with the evolution from narrowband L-band services to contemporary C-band and Kuband VSAT. The race to deliver a high-capacity Ka-band service is evidence that these developments will accelerate.

Although the maritime context creates obstacles which will have a dampening effect on this acceleration, each opportunity drives demand and demand creates opportunity. It is an unstoppable positive cycle and one which will drive on-board education much more quickly than many might predict.

Improved outcomes Maritime training is set to gain most from growing broadband availability, a subject on which I

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have written extensively [1].

Training is at the heart of maritime career advancement, professionalism, performance, safety and job satisfaction.

Therefore, anything that improves training outcomes, increases access to training, or improves training experiences can have a profound effect on the entire industry. On-board Internet most certainly will do all three. The specific implications are as follows: The most obvious benefit is anytime, anywhere learning.

The key is that education can now come to the learner instead of the learner having to go to their education. With broadband, mariners can spend their free time continuing their education and pursuing professional advancement. Full maritime e-learning programs from reputable institutions are more and more becoming the norm. Increased access to broadband will drive the demand for maritime e-learning programs higher, causing the education industry to respond with still more educational variety and availability.

A more subtle, but equally important result is a new opportunity for informal learning, that is to say any learning activity outside formalised instructor-lead, curriculum-based courses. This might take the form of a self-study program, a seminar, interactions with a mentor, reading a book, searching the web, or even reading company policy manuals. Before dismissing informal learning as a hobby or curiosity, it should be understand that by some estimates, as much as 70% of learning in the workplace is by informal means.

There are even stories of informal learning saving lives. One example, reported by ABC, is of a video game player who learned enough first aid while gaming to save the life of his brother who was involved in an accident [2].

A third benefit of shipboard

Vessel operators need to treat on-board internet less as an ‘employee perq’ and more for what it really is: a tool they can employ to create a better trained, safer crew. It gives them the opportunity to host company-based crew communities where employees can connect and learn from one another regardless of which vessel they are serving on.

internet in education is the increased opportunity it creates for mentorship and peer learning relationships. Mariners learn from one another and the value of continuous access to their peers and an experienced mentor cannot be understated. These kinds of relationships already exist in the maritime community, but are greatly hampered by the isolation of being at sea. Onboard Internet provides mariners with access to webbased mentor and peer learning communities which could not otherwise exist.

Screenshots from the Marine LMS training solution

Safety dividend It also gives operators the opportunity to quickly and easily disseminate company training materials, familiarisation materials, self-tests, and to create communication channels to mentors and people at company headquarters. This will lead to improved safety through standardisation on best practices, will provide answers to any questions that mariners have, and will provide access to people who can help when issues arise – limiting the escalation of small issues into big problems. The earlier a problem is identified, the less costly it is to correct.

Thus the on-board Internet revolution that is happening now will result in a concomitant revolution of increased availability and variety of maritime eLearning options, both formal and informal. More e-Learning options will drive demand for web access further still, resulting in yet again more learning options. It is a positive feedback cycle which is good for the entire industry .

[1] www.MarineLS.com/about/blog.html [2] abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section= news/health&id=3548461

* Murray Goldberg is the founder and president of Marine Learning Systems (www.marinels.com), the creator of MarineLMS, a learning management system specifically designed to fulfil the training needs of the maritime industry. Murray began research in e-Learning in 1995 at the University of British Columbia. He went on to create WebCT, the worldʼs first commercially successful LMS for higher education.

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Intelsat tracks an upward curve Anticipating growing demand for maritime broadband communications, Intelsat is about to deploy its Global Mobility Network Ku-band service. The service has been designed to let maritime satcoms service providers, such as Marlink, offer their ship owner and operator customers the ability to traverse the world’s busiest shipping routes with seamless broadband connectivity, whilst providing robust quality of service and bandwidth efficiencies across multiple vessels.

The launches of the Intelsat 19, 21, 22 and 27 satellites, which together deliver seven Ku-band beams, will fulfill demand for broadband over the oceans that is currently unmet by other mobility services.

Intelsat’s solution supports automatic beam-switching technology thanks to its IntelsatONE terrestrial infrastructure, which is built on its IP/MPLS core network, ensuring highly reliable connectivity at high data rates.

Notably, it allows for highspeed unicast and multicast for economical distribution and updating of fleet-management software. It will also offer operators scalable, affordable bandwidth to increase the efficiency of critical applications, including onboard control systems, electronic charts and real-time weather updates.

These services are the latest examples of Intelsat’s commitment to design and develop satellite solutions that address current and future requirements, while meeting the mobility needs of its customers.

Growing demand The uptake of VSAT in the maritime industry has grown dra18

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With demand for VSAT services fixed firmly on an upward trajectory, Intelsat is embarking on ambitious network expansion programme, writes Jay Yass*

Jay Yass Intelsat

matically, with thousands of terminals now deployed at sea. According to the COMSYS’ 2010 Maritime VSAT markets report, in the past several years VSAT broadband revenues have increased by double digits, with annual growth projected to reach 9% through 2014.

The increased traffic in recent years is due primarily to the widespread acceptance of crew calling, commercial and private email, social media and the deployment of ship-management applications. This trend is bolstered by cloud computing (which calls for an always-on connection) and continued demand for traditional applications

– such as VPN, VoIP and GSM. Yet despite the sizeable growth in traffic, maritime VSAT communications costs per Mb have decreased due to improvements in efficiency and quality of services.

Bottom-line addressed In the area of crew communications, offering broadband services helps recruit and retain qualified crewmembers. This helps build a productive workforce, while reducing the training costs associated with excessive crew turnover.

VSAT is also helping cut costs in other areas. The services enable higher vessel availability.

With broadband-assisted remote support and faster problem solving, outages can be reduced. This results in lower maintenance costs and higher revenues, as the ship is more consistently available for commerce.

A reliable, efficient broadband VSAT platform can enhance the performance of ship-management applications employed for planned maintenance, procurement and safety. It also facilitates remote management, allowing head-office staff to manage the ship’s computers without visiting the ship. Technical support from experts on shore helps the crew and managers achieve the best possible operational performance, such as lower fuel costs, while eliminating travel costs associated with experts flying out to visit the ship in person.

Despite the sizeable growth in traffic, maritime VSAT costs per Mb have decreased due to improvements in efficiency and quality of services

* Jay Yass is VP, Global Accounts and Strategic Sales for Intelsat. He has more than 20 yearsʼ experience in the satcoms industry, with expertise in a wide range of platforms ‒ including mobility, VSAT, DTH and network services.

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Smooth sailing for ECDIS switchover ‘There is no point pretending that the transition from paper charts to their electronic counterparts is going to be a breeze,’ insists Rear Admiral Ian Moncrieff, the recently appointed new chief-executive of the UK Hydrographic Office.

‘Anyone who believes otherwise is deluding themselves. There is no end of practical and procedural hurdles and that’s before we even begin to consider the issue of adequate training,’ he elaborates.

Not so long ago, in the years before IMO decreed that electronic navigation was to become compulsory, it was vector chart coverage and consistency that most preoccupied minds at the organisation. These problems could, for the most part, be tackled internally. Indeed the UKHO now offers a global chart portfolio of over 11,000 ENCs which cover 2,950 of the world’s busiest ports, of which 290 are unique to Admiralty.

The challenge now is to 20

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UKHO sees its role more than simply being a provider of charts. It wants to proactively help ship owners and managers make the transition to ECDIS

Rear Admiral Ian Moncrieff UKHO Chief Executive

It would be easy for us to give ship operators their charts and walk away.

But a major part of our remit is to ensure the safety of navigation at sea

oversee the migration of the merchant fleet to electronic charts. Of course, to be successful this will require the whole industry to pull together. Naturally UKHO wants to offer assistance where it can. ‘It would be easy for us as a chart supplier simply to give ship operators their charts and walk away. But part of our remit as the UK’s national hydrographic office is to ensure the safety of navigation at sea,’ says Moncrieff. ‘We want to prevent shipowners from tripping up as they embark on their journey towards electronic navigation. In short, make the transition as seamless as possible.’

Practical guidance Over the past 18-months, UKHO has been accumulating a body of operational experience from both merchant and naval fleets.

It has then distilled this information to produce a practical no-holds-barred guide to ECDIS implementation, which it is now disseminating to ship and fleet owners about to take their first

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UKHO sheds SevenCs and ChartWorld MORE CHANGE is afoot in Taunton. The UK Hydrographic Officeʼs commercial arm, Admiralty Holdings, has sold its two Hamburg-based subsidiaries SevenCs and ChartWorld to DutchBelgian-Trading GmbH. According to Admiraltyʼs current chief-exec Ian Moncrieff CBE, the sale is part of a bigger strategy to refocus resources on the organisationʼs core area of expertise, namely producing accurate and reliable navigational data. He added, however: ʻWe will continue to work closely with our distributors and mariners to ensure that weʼre delivering that information through Admiralty products and services.ʼ SevenCs is a software-house that develops applications for the maritime navigation sector. Key products include the EC2007 ECDIS Kernel, used by OEMs around the world in a wide range of chart display applications, ENC digital chart production tools, used by hydrographic offices and ECS navigation software for specialist applications, such as, portable pilot units.

It was acquired by the UKHO in 2005 to support the development of its nascent digital navigation products and services. Its subsidiary company, ChartWorld, is a digital chart agent which supplies both S-63 and SENC charts and related data services to professional mariners.

DBT plans to utilise the know-how possessed by the two German concerns to accelerate the development of a ʻcompletely new concept for integrated ECDIS and digital chart data services aimed at the SOLAS retrofit market. ʻThis acquisition is a big step towards the realisation of that concept,ʼ said managing director Jochen Rudolph.

steps with electronic navigation.

To do this, the organisation called upon several renowned experts, including Master Mariner and ECDIS consultant Captain Paul Hailwood and Joe Collins, a Master Mariner with almost 40 years’ experience in the marine industry.

The guide collates the copious legislation explaining to owners what they must comply with and by when. It details the various types of risk assessments that need to be carried out to satisfy the flag-state. It examines issues surrounding installation to ensure the equipment operates effectively, as well as providing real-life examples of what not to do.

It describes bridge procedures that need to be updated and revised in line with the new hardware, which, according to Moncrieff, is something that often gets overlooked. It also touches on issues relating to training and effective chart management. ‘To be forewarned is to be forearmed. With this guide, we believe shipping companies will avoid many of the mistakes of ECDIS earlyadopters.’

Moncrieff notes successful

ECDIS implementation involves more than ensuring that the end-user bridge officer has undergone adequate training. It impacts on the whole management chain from the technical superintendents downwards, who are often charged with overseeing the fleet rollout.

‘Among the shipping companies that installed ECDIS discretionarily over the last few years, a fair few underestimated the scope of the project. They came unstuck by considering it mostly in terms of a hardware upgrade exercise, without addressing the underlining issues, particularly training their officers how to use it properly.’

ECDIS is the future of navigation, and as such UKHO is inexorably intertwined with that future. The organisation’s motto is always to put the mariner first. Therefore it is committed to supporting shipping compa-

The transition wonʼt be binary.

Ships will not change from paper to electronic charts overnight. For an interim period, they will likely operate on a blend of paper and digital products

nies in making sure the switchover proceeds as smoothly and painlessly as possible. ‘In many cases the transition won’t be binary. Ships will not change from paper to electronic charts overnight. For an interim period, they will likely operate on a blend of paper and digital products, which allows for a phased transition to full digital navigation, and provides comprehensive back-up for ships at the start of the process.’

Digital N2Ms The Admiralty Information Overlay (AIO) is one example of how UKHO is striving to ensure safe navigation using ECDIS. With paper charts, UKHO would publish Admiralty Temporary and Preliminary Notices to Mariners (T&P NTMs) highlighting future or short term changes to the information given on the chart. This information is not currently included for about 60 per cent of the world’s ENCs so UKHO has developed a new overlay as an extra feature of its Admiralty Vector Chart Service.

The overlay provides this information in a simple, additional layer that sits on top of the chart.

The overlay also has a second benefit for mariners in that it also includes the results of the comprehensive reviews of the world’s ENCs that the UKHO undertakes. UKHO believes this is particularly important while ships continue to operate with a combination of paper and digital charts.

‘Resolving conflicts between ENCs and paper charts can take time as it may involve seeking responses from other hydrographic offices worldwide. Until that happens, the Admiralty Information Overlay acts as an interim safeguard. It came about because we saw a need to replicate the Admiralty T&P NTM facility and ensure consistency between paper and electronic charts.’

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pendent on the OEM adding the necessary software interfaces – it is primarily intended for use on the planning station, analogous to how the paper version of this information would be used.

It is therefore logical, UKHO’s new Admiralty e-Navigator software includes the ability to view the Information overlay.

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Among the shipping companies that have installed ECDIS already, a fair few underestimated the scope of the project e-Navigator The Admiralty e-Navigator product is a software platform which is intended to be a single port-

of-call for chart management and a wider mix of navigationrelated information. In addition to a real-time view of the paper and digital chart holdings, ordering and product delivery, e-Navigator will also deliver consistent tide, weather and other related data to shore-based managers and mariners, cutting the complexities of voyage planning and optimising sailing and port turnaround times.

The system was first announced at the tail end of 2009.

UKHO has since been rolling out a back-end system among its network of distribution partners.

This has been necessary in order to enable the more streamlined purchasing process of chart permits, which could not be handled with the existing back-end infrastructure. ‘Our distributors vary significantly in their shape and size and e-Navigator has to work with them all.

Now this has been done, we can concentrate on delivering the system to our end-users,’ reports Moncrieff.

‘Until now, both shore managers and mariners have had to work with a multitude of different information from different sources. The objective of e-Navigator is to bring together all of the information needed for safe navigation, voyage planning and efficient fleet management in one place. We believe it will eliminate much of the administrative overhead that besets today’s navigators.’

UKHO is keen to stress the system is not limited to chart management. ‘The system is able to host applications adjacent to the core functions of navigation. It will act as a platform for decision making and voyage support services required before the voyage is executed,’ says Moncrieff.

Envisaged applications include voyage optimisation, weather routeing and port documentation services. While some of these will be built in-house, UKHO anticipates external parties also coming onboard.

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The role of navigators is less and less about navigating ships and more and more about paper-shuffling and box-ticking. Some have argued that the rising administrative burden is eroding the job satisfaction of the current generation of bridge officers. Therefore any system capable of reducing the amount of bureaucracy involved in contemporary navigation practice is likely to be welcomed.

One of the biggest issues is chart management and more specifically checking that the licences and permits to access the electronic charts needed for the upcoming voyage are in order.

While most chart suppliers today offer some kind of software intended to streamline this task, Navtor’s Willy Zeiler believes more can be done.

‘With a traditional ENC service, the navigator had to plan the voyage and then order a calculated portfolio of ENC chart cells by email for the route. He then has to obtain the permits or license files and make sure these are installed prior to setting sail,’ he explains. ‘This is mainly due to the way ECDIS evolved as a technology to mirror the practice with paper charts.’

The team at Navtor believe the time is now right to completely rethink the mechanisms for chart supply. ‘What we are proposing is a subscription service in which all ENCs and their permits are preloaded and immediately available, for convenience, but not least for safety and security as well.’

This may sound similar to the Pay-As-You-Sail (PAYS) concept pioneered by Netherlands-based Datema. But, in fact, takes it one step further. The ENC Track by Datema requires additional hardware to be installed on-board in the form of a GPS transponder, which monitors the vessel’s location in order to determine which charts have been accessed and charge the owner accordingly.’

In contrast to Datema, Navtor does not need to install a transponder on the vessel to get

Breaking with the past

Reducing the admin related to chart licences would let bridge officers look out the window

Planning with electronic charts is cumbersome because it mirrors the practice with paper products. It does not need to be this way, argues Navtorʼs Willy Zeiler

the exact position, but takes advantage of and uses existing equipment. Hence, the shipowner will negotiate a contract that fits the trading patterns of his vessels. ‘One owner might opt for coverage of, say, European waters on a yearly subscription, while another with less predictable routes might choose a global portfolio on a threemonthly plan. Our objective is to free officers from the burden of managing hundreds of permits.’

‘Accessing charts for planning purposes when the vessel is alongside dock and not moving is free of charge. The rules state that navigators must plan their voyage on the charts they will sail on. Once underway, we invoice only for the chart cells actually used for navigation. The invoice will be generated after usage.’

In the case of additional coverage being needed, it is not necessary to send an email to the chart supplier placing a new order.

Everything is already available on-

board. Likewise, should the vessel’s destination change after setting sail, it is not necessary to get in contact with the supplier to request a credit note for charts no longer required. Portfolio renewal is also more straightforward.

Navtor’s approach is built on the premise that conventional methods for obtaining charts are on the way out. Electronic charts are not subject to the same limitations as their physical paper predecessors. The technology for PAYS exists and there is increasing awareness of the concept within the industry. It is true there has been resistance to the idea, from some hydrographic offices and mainly by those that are “doingvery-well-thank-you” from the traditional business model, but that will crumble eventually.

Zeiler believes that the introduction of compulsory ECDIS will drive the commercial acceptance of PAYS. ‘Until now ECDIS uptake has been limited to a subset of the world’s fleet. But when carriage becomes mandatory on more and more vessels, so more and more owners and operators will be confronted with the administrative headache that comes with managing a chart portfolio. Some may plod on, but others will look to systems that can eliminate some or all of the drudgery and hassle.’

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Bringing the pelorus into the 21st Century The pelorus is one of the oldest navigational tools still found on board ships today.

It is a simple device that allows mariners to triangulate their position when close to shore, and which has changed remarkably little over the centuries. Yet, despite continuing to perform a useful and vital function, it is becoming increasingly isolated on the modern ship bridge. Its fundamental simplicity has made it difficult to feed the information that it provides into contemporary navigation systems, and particularly ECDIS. Presently, the bearings have to be taken and then transferred by hand.

However, this might be about to change. Navy researchers in the US have put their hand to developing an electronic version that addresses this lack of connectivity. Engineers working at the US Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Centre first came up with the concept around 12 years ago, but a lack of funding meant the idea never reached fruition.

Recently the project was restarted, thanks to new funding becoming available, and SPAWAR teamed up with UrsaNav, a navigation technology research company based in Chesapeake, VA, to make sure that this time round the e-PelorusTM goes beyond the drawing board and becomes a reality.

UrsaNav’s Bill Woodward, who worked on the original project, takes up the story: ‘When we devised a proof-of-concept for the True Bearing Transmitter (TBT), or e-Pelorus, we never got to test it on a surface ship. But we are much closer to doing that 24

MITE February/March 2012

A joint naval and commercial venture is seeing one of the oldest navigational tools found on the modern ship bridge ‒ the pelorus ‒ being revamped for the age of electronic charts

now. We’ve already carried out successful laboratory tests on a mock-up unit. Crucially, we’ve proven both accuracy and repeatability.

In some respects, the decadelong hiatus has worked in our favour. Our next-generation prototype is much more compact than the original design, as the components it relies on have dramatically shrunk in size over the intervening years.’

Submarine lessons Ironically, while surfaceships have retained the traditional pelorus, submariners have long had the ability to obtain accurate bearing information through the periscope, which works according to the same fun-

Fig 1: e-Pelorus kit

damental principles. ‘A submarine’s periscope will provide bearings up to a tenth of a degree. And ever since computers have been on board, the navigator could take this bearing and feed it directly into the [torpedo] firing control system.’

The accuracy of a surfaceship’s conventional pelorus is generally much less accurate than the periscope arrangement.

‘When using a compass repeater, we discovered significant errors because the inner and outer compass rings were not accurately centered. This misalignment is typically due to vibration, but can result in errors as high as 1.5°. The TBT reduces this inaccuracy,’ explains Woodward.

The e-Pelorus comes as a portable kit (Fig 1) that attaches to a ship’s course indicator. When used with the standard telescopic alidade, it can provide the true bearing or relative bearing of an object with an accuracy of ±0.1°. The system is designed for rapid installation and integration into the ship’s navigation and charting system, and because the position data is encoded in NMEA format, it is compatible with future electronic navigation systems. By improving the precision of visual bearings, the e-Pelorus should lead to better fix accuracy, with or without GNSS information.

Conflict resolution Moreover, the e-Pelorus can deliver a bearing to the chart system in real-time. ‘The SPAWAR research group UrsaNav is working with is also involved in developing specialised charting systems intended for naval appli-

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Fig 2: Block diagram

cations. They realised that the latency in transferring bearings manually could result in significant discrepancies. And, when comparing the measurements from two separate nav-aids, it raises the question of credibility: which position should I trust?

Real-time delivery helps nullify that problem.’

The desire to bring peloruses into the 21st Century has also been recognised beyond the perimeters of the US Navy’s research labs. The International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) made reference to the technology in

its Worldwide Radio Navigation Plan (WWRNP), published in December 2009. Section 4.1 ‘Integration of visual information’, states: ‘an electronic pelorus would enhance the functionality of the traditional shipboard compass for taking bearings of fixed and floating objects by capturing bearings that would then be automatically recorded for use within the electronic navigation system.’

The document goes on to state that an e-Pelorus ‘must be capable of visually sighting an object and transferring a line of position (LOP) to an electronic navigation system display, possi-

bly by pulling a trigger or pressing a button’. Woodward says the UrsaNav e-Pelorus meets these goals.

Assembly arrangement In terms of construction, UrsaNav’s e-Pelorus comprises two main assemblies (Fig 2): the portable sighting assembly mounted to the top of the compass repeater and a permanently installed lower assembly on the base of the pelorus stand. The portable sighting assembly mounts to the compass repeater just as a bearing circle or telescopic alidade would. The bearing circle or telescopic alidade mounts on top of the e-Pelorus sighting assembly as if mounting directly onto the compass repeater, ensuring compatibility.

The electromechanical components in the sighting assembly measure the relative bearing from the e-Pelorus to the target navigation aid.

The lower assembly installs onto the base of the pelorus stand, replacing the junction box cover plate. It contains the power supply, synchro-to-digital converters, operator controls, status indicators, and operating firmware. The synchro-to-digital converters read own ship’s heading, which is combined with the relative bearing information from the sighting assembly to obtain the true bearing. This is transmitted over a serial data link to the ship’s chart system or to other equipment, as required.

The upper and lower assemblies are waterproof and designed for the harsh marine environment. A waterproof trigger, called a ‘pickle’ by submarine personnel, also attaches to the lower assembly. The operator uses the pickle to signal when the sighting device is aligned to the chosen aid to navigation, marking a bearing which can immediately be fed to the electronic chart system. In this way, the e-Pelorus will provide the crew with improved navigation capability, faster responses, easier coastal navigation, and more efficient chart operation.

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The concept of cloud computing and its close relation software-as-a-service (SaaS) is gaining a foothold in terrestrial IT environments. Part of the attraction is that it greatly simplifies the administrative overhead of maintaining software in a corporate network. Instead of having to license and install software – whether standard office productivity software or bespoke ERP applications – on multiple machines, sometimes in multiple geographical locations, users can access them via their web-browser.

The availability of webbrowsers on virtually all major platforms means this approach neatly sidesteps the emerging challenge of workers wanting to use different hardware types (Window/Apple/Linux) or even mobile devices (tablets/smartphones) to carry out their job.

So far, so good. However, cloud computing is predicated on the availability of a reliable and relatively fast Internet connection. And as MITE readers will keenly appreciate, this is generally still not the case in the maritime environment. While the adoption of services such as FleetBroadband from Inmarsat and Ku-band VSAT is following an upward curve, much of the world’s merchant shipping fleet still connects over a narrowband dial-up connection.

But this less-than-ideal ‘operating environment’ has not discouraged a number of software companies from developing and marketing cloud-based applications designed specifically to address maritime needs. Perhaps one of the most ambitious attempts is the real-time ECDIS simulation system created SafeBridge of Hamburg (see 26

MITE February/March 2012

Cloud computing might be catching on in commercial settings shore-side, but is it yet a realistic proposition in the maritime environment?

MITE Nov/Dec 2011). Elsewhere, Teledata Marine Solutions of Singapore is marketing its ShipManager 7.0 suite. Meanwhile, Zurich, Switzerland-based MESPAS is actively promoting its cloud-based asset and planned maintenance management system – MESPAS R5. MITE caught up with MESPAS’ Christa Thoma to learn more.

‘While fleet IT managers are generally familiar with the advantages of the cloud and SaaS, one of the challenges we face is convincing those higher up the corporate hierarchy – the ones making the decisions,’ she says.

‘But awareness is gradually increasing, thanks to the prolific and positive coverage of cloudbased solutions in the businessmanagement press.’

It is easy to extoll the benefits of cloud computing, but there are also potential drawbacks that must be considered.

These primarily relate to data security and sovereignty; limited scope for customisation; and resilience.

Security Businesses considering cloud solutions generally fall into two camps when it comes to security.

Larger firms are concerned about effectively handing responsibility for the security of their data to a third party, while smaller companies often welcome the fact they can outsource a task they don’t have sufficient internal resources to invest in.

Thoma understands the hesitation, but points out that people keep their savings in a bank account and often manage it over the web. ‘It’s necessary to weigh up the relative merits and demerits. In terms of technical fleet management, we believe it benefits most companies to outsource their data security.

‘If done properly, in-house data security incurs sizeable capital and operating expenses. It can entail offsite storage in a high-security server farm meeting high demands on server redundancy, data backup, power backup, no-fail internet connection, fire protection, etc. Also, a do-it-yourself approach means in-sourcing expensive IT knowhow, diverting resources away from a shipping company’s core competency: shipping.’

Sovereignty Data sovereignty – under which national jurisdiction information is stored – is a related issue. Disregarding recent problems, Blackberry wouldn't have been so successful among business users if its servers were based in the USA, not Canada, due to local laws on data access. It's considerably easier for lawyers and law enforcement agencies to gain access in the US than Canada.

In the case of MESPAS, data is located in Switzerland. Furthermore, the company’s partner developer works, among others, for a well-known Swiss bank for which it developed a highly secure authentication / security

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application. Because data from all clients is stored on a single central server, particularly close attention was paid to minimising the risk of unauthorised access.

Data ownership can sometimes be a point of confusion.

End customers (ie, shipping companies) are continually entering data into MESPAS’ system through their day-to-day work.

‘Who owns this data? Clearly it belongs to the customer. MESPAS is providing the platform as a service. Again, bank accounts offer the perfect analogy: banks hold monies on behalf of their customers, but this doesn’t mean the banks own the monies,’ explains Thoma.

Incremental improvements When SaaS first emerged, many offerings came with a permanent ‘beta-release’ caveat. This was partly due to the incremental development schedule, whereby minor improvements are deployed more frequently – sometimes weekly – compared to conventional installed software, where upgrades and/or patches might be pushed out once or twice a year.

Unease about transferring mission-critical operations to such services is gradually dissipating as the SaaS concept becomes more widely understood.

MESPAS regularly distributes software updates, enhancements and patches via its central server, but the process is typically invisible to end-users until they next log-in and find the additional features.

Thoma states that over the last five years MESPAS has had an uptime of 99.95%. ‘Our server is down for approximately 10 hours/year for scheduled maintenance operations. As much as possible, we time these upgrades to happen over weekends to minimise the amount of disruption to our end-users.’

‘Compare this to upgrades on servers installed in-house, where the update must be executed on each server, taking up time and resources. Furthermore, each server has to undergo rigorous testing, since different configurations can react to changes differently.’

Human factor Improvements are made in response to customer and market requirements, says Thoma: ‘We’re in continual dialogue with customers and we are usually able to implement their requirements.

However requests must be judged against other considerations, such as impact on system speed and usability, and usefulness to other clients. The enhancements are introduced simultaneously for all customers, which makes us more agile and cost-efficient than our competitors.’

However, Thoma warns about becoming too triggerhappy about customisations: ‘We provide interfaces to ERP and major accounting systems, but there is such a thing as featurebloat. The classic example is an average Microsoft Word user, who only has need for about 10%

of the program’s functionality. So there is an art to creating software that contains the must-have modules and functions, but is not unnecessarily complex.’

‘This is even more critical in the maritime sector for practical and financial reasons. Crews frequently change. Also, they have diverse backgrounds both in terms of their home country and their knowledge/experience of IT systems. So training them up costs both time and money.’

Resilience A crucial aspect of any cloud computing application is service resilience. Shipping companies must find out what level of uptime a provider offers in its service-level agreement and assess it in relation to the reliability of their existing software. In the event of a network outage – a real possibility when at sea – vessels can still continue to working with MESPAS. Explains Thoma: ‘Operations will be performed and processed locally until connectivity is restored and the backlog of transactions can be batch uploaded to the web-server. So for short periods it should not prove a problem. The repercussions of an extended outage could be more serious, as the risk grows of nonup-to-date data being used to feed another process. However, in circumstances close to a full-blown disaster mode, it is likely the restoration of other systems, such as email, will be assigned greater importance.’

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Software adds claws to a paper tiger Ship owners and charterers have twelve months to prepare for the introduction of a mandatory Shipping Energy Efficiency Management Plan (SEEMP), which will be implemented from 1 January 2013.

The approach that many owners and charterers are taking is to implement paper reporting aboard with submission later to the head office.

However, this means that data may well be out of date and — because one vessel never has the same dynamics and operating conditions as the next one — the nature of the metrics vary considerably. Whisper it, but if not utilised properly, SEEMP could very well be the ‘paper tiger’ many have named it – all stripes and no claws.

Energy reports Maritime software house NAPA has however developed a solution that, if used correctly, positions SEEMP as an opportunity to make considerable fuel savings. Through years of collaboration, particularly with cruise lines, which were among the first to identify a need to track where their energy was being used, NAPA has come up with a system to measure, report and share those reports. Consequently, action can be taken against inefficiencies in real time, meaning that fuel and money can be saved on an ongoing basis.

NAPA’s software feeds data and metrics from various ship operations through to the bridge where the data can be checked and issued as a report by officers, saving valuable time in situ reporting from the point of oper28

MITE February/March 2012

Implemented intelligently SEEMP could be much more than a ʻpaper tigerʼ, it could be a powerful weapon taking some very large bites out of operating costs, writes Esa Henttinen*

ation that would be required with ‘paper’ reporting of SEEMP. The software issues a number of reports: one for the onboard crew and further reports that are sent to the shore-based offices via a web portal.

Rule specific Each of these reports is tailored in level of detail and types of data to give the person viewing it the information they need to perform their function within the organisation. For example, the CEO would invariably receive a top-line overview of the performance of the fleet whilst a superintendent would typically be provided with a more detailed breakdown by vessel type right down to individual vessels.

The reporting element however is only the start. Once a baseline has been established then improvements can start to be made.

Key to identifying where these improvements can be implemented is an algorithm, developed by NAPA, which takes the data and normalises it across a fleet. This algorithm takes into account the environmental con-

SEEMP should be viewed as an opportunity not another time-consuming formality

ditions such as waves and wind strength allowing the software to analyse how effieciently the vessel is actually performing despite those conditions. Crucially, this allows for direct comparisons between vessel’s.

Superintendents can either view a vessels data directly or see the results on NAPA’s traffic-light display, which will highlight underperforming vessels.

Aggregate savings The savings that can be achieved by operating the ship at its most efficient are significant, with NAPA estimating that savings as high as 15-20% can be achieved. This might be hard to believe for some but when you consider that voyage speed profiling can save 2-3%, route optimisation can add ~5%, virtual arrival saves another ~5%. Add to that hull and propeller maintenance and continuous monitoring of fouling and performance at ~5% savings and this software is much more than simply a record or a management plan.

Bunker prices are again approaching record levels, and operating a vessel with easily improved inefficiencies does not make financial sense. The key to overcoming this sluggishness is moving the perception of SEEMP from a plan and data to be acted on in the future to a procedure that could be impacting the size of fuel bills now.

In the current market a 1% fuel saving on a Handymax vessel would equate to a saving of $50,000 and the more fuel a vessel requires the more money a company could be adding to their bottom line. Money will

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An operator uses NAPAʼs software to analyse energy efficiency

most likely become the key driver to how swiftly and successfully SEEMP is implemented.

Fuel costs are often passed on to charterers in shipping, yet fuel costs, and as a result fuel efficiency, are becoming the single factor determining which vessels are chartered and which are not. This pattern will only intensify post SEEMP and EEDI implementation. SEEMP should be viewed as an opportunity not another time-consuming formality.

To take the example of wearing a seatbelt in a car, it isn’t done because it is the law, it is done because it prevents injury should the car be involved in a collision. SEEMP is not being enacted to make ship owners and operators lives more difficult; it is to their benefit to implement it in the spirit it is intended. * Esa Henttinen is Vice President, Development in the NAPA Group, a software house supplying safe and eco-efficient solutions for ship design and operation. Henttinen holds a Masterʼs degree in Naval Architecture from the Helsinki

Replication engine overhauled AFTER FOUR years of intense development and testing, Spectec ‒ the company behind the Amos maintenance management application ‒ has unveiled a completely revamped replication engine.

Ensuring the data held across multiple locations (ie, a fleet of ships and shore-based office) is always up-to-date is one of the main technical challenges facing the developers of any maintenance management system aimed at the maritime market, due to the limitations in connectivity.

Over time, the emergence of new breeds of database has further complicated matters.

Replication is perhaps the most accepted solution. In the early days, this involved periodically copying the whole database from location to location. But the underlying ʻreplication enginesʼ have gradually become more sophisticated and intelligent, for example, only copying parts of the dataset that have changed since the previous replication. Spectec was one of the first to devise this technology for the maritime market.

The new engine, called Replicator, was designed from the ground up to be capable of copying data between any systems/database breeds. Says Spectec chief-executive Giampiero Soncini: ʻReplication was a hot issue. We needed to deliver maximum local flexibility while ensuring that data integrity is maintained. It was not an easy task, and we could see that with increasing customers (and their sites) and increasing usage of Amos, the task was going to become very complex.ʼ AMOS Replicator (AROR) consists of a suite of programs that allow users to install and configure the software, import and export data, monitor the import and export processes, and keep track of data replication history.

A key design point was to resolve problems arising from importing data with missing references. The software was created with Microsoft.NET Framework 3.5 and is compatible with numerous database types, including major players such as MS SQL, Oracle, Sybase.

AMOS Replicator allows data to be sent and received in a number of ways. This flexibility is made possible by providing ʻrulesʼ external to the application that handle the communication between the application and the database, and the application and the data transfer methodology.

These rules can be duplicated or ʻversionedʼ based on the userʼs business strategy. The related updates are automatically registered by both the involved databases.

Functionalities include Data Capture, Data Packaging, File Splitting, File Posting and Sending.

In File Splitting mode, Replicator can split the file to be sent into predefined maximum sizes (defined by users) and then reassemble it into its original size at the destination.

University of Technology (Aalto University). He has worked with NAPA since 1999.

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UK ferry operator P&O Ferries has recently taken delivery of Marine Software’s MPM Hibernation upgrade for vessels European Seaway and Pride of Dover after deciding to put these vessels into lay-up.

The Marine Planned Maintenance (MPM) solution was originally installed during a fleet-wide software purchase in 2005 for 18 vessels, together with Marine Software’s centralised spare parts, procurement package and CODA finance system integration.

This upgrade will ensure that all next due calendar based jobs not outstanding at the hibernation date will be suspended, as most machinery equipment will not be running during this period. For manned vessels during hibernation, planned maintenance job issue lists will only include those scheduled due jobs

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Ferries enter controlled hibernation

for actual running machinery, along with any outstanding jobs at hibernation.

Once the vessel returns to service, the MPM system will automatically advance most calendar-based planned maintenance job routines forward by the exact number of hibernated days. This reschedule feature offers time

European Seaway: When taken out of service, it will require a special maintenance regime

savings to the crew, as they will not need to manually adjust all next due dates into the future from the re-activation date.

Not all calendar-based jobs will be automatically hibernated, for example Class Survey Jobs will remain active. Some machinery will also still operate during hibernation, including main engines, generators, domestic services, compressors etc, should a skeleton crew remain on-board.

Should a vessel go into an extended hibernation period such as a hot or cold layup, additional job cards can be created for dedicated layup type maintenance routines, for example: turning crankshafts, turbocharger rotors and checking hanging anodes.

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READER RESPONSE

Right to reply I would like to thank MITE for giving me the opportunity to ‘set the record straight’ in terms of my decision to step down as Chief Executive, UKHO. I joined the UKHO in 2006 on a three-year contract which then was extended by two-years.

Within UKHO it was always known that my move away from the private sector was never going to be a permanent one, but I always said that I would remain as CEO until the UKHO was on a secure path to future success in the digital world.

My contract ending provided a key decision point; should I accept the permanent contract I was offered (on what were very favourable terms given the state of Government finances), or return to the private sector. The statement ‘One factor is that the UK government was exerting pressure on UKHO to cut costs, and in particular salaries,’ is therefore untrue; UKHO was under no such pressure, and my salary was not being cut.

Nor was my leaving anything to do with the fact that last year the UKHO had record profit. It is true that as a Trading Fund UKHO must be self-funding, but to try to imply that there is a conflict between the UKHO's commercial aims, its duty to provide charts of UK waters, and its focus on safety is simply wrong.

However, it is a mistake that people often make when looking 'superficially' at how the UKHO operates. The truth is, that rather than being in conflict, the organisations differing aims are complimentary.

To start with, safety is not only ‘at the heart’ of the organi-

Subsequent to the report in the last issue of MITE on the speculation surrounding Mike Robinsonʼs departure from UKHO, the ex-chief executive explains the reasons behind his decision

sation, it underpins everything the UKHO does and how it does it. As a result, UKHO produces products that are ‘worldrenowned’ for their quality and safety and this drives UKHO’s commercial success – 70% of the world’s merchant shipping use Admiralty Charts & Publications.

Therefore, doing anything to reduce the safety of the product would never be permissible by UKHO’s owner, and moreover would be commercial suicide.

Our aims therefore, rather than being in conflict, form a virtuous circle. In terms of MITE hearing that ‘there is an upswell of antipathy among staff’ or that the office had become ‘too commercial’, I do not believe this is accurate.

Nevertheless there remain a small minority who disagree with the UKHO’s commercial aims and do not understand this virtuous circle.

The article also then refers to the ‘thorn’ of e-Navigator and that ‘MITE understands that British Aerospace have been brought in ... and there is likelihood that BAE may scrap the existing product’. I fear that MITE has been led down a garden path on this by listening to the misinformed views of a number of par-

ties that do not want (for their own reasons) e-Navigator to be the success it undoubtedly will be. e-Navigator will revolutionise the procurement and management of a vessel’s chart portfolio, however as is often the case with revolutionary developments, there have been teething problems. However the decision to bring in a new development partner, once the initial product was launched, was always the plan. In terms of ‘scrapping the existing product’ all I can say is that was categorically NOT the plan when I departed (and I doubt very much this has changes) and therefore the article is quite misleading in respect of its comments on e-Navigator.

So, as none of these were factors in my decision to leave, why did I step down from running an organisation that I had been extremely proud to have been CEO of for over five-years? There are basically three reasons; firstly five-years is longer than I had intended to be away from the private sector; secondly, the plan I had formulated for the next few years has increased focus on completing the transformation of the businesses operations (as opposed to growing the business) and my passion is for growing businesses; and finally, as the UKHO is now on a assured route to continued success in digital, I had met the criteria I had set for leaving. It really is as simple as that.

So, as is often the case, the truth is not as exciting as the rumours...

MITE February/March 2012

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SECURITY

Privacy International, a Londonbased NGO, has recently published the findings from an extensive investigation into the murky international market for surveillance equipment. While you might be forgiven for thinking this comprised of garage-outfits selling low-quality gizmos for tapping phone lines and such like, it discovered professional outfits that, among other services, openly offer ‘to target and break specific commercial communications satellites, including Thuraya [covering the Middle East], Iridium satellite phones, and Marlink’s VSAT.’ Traditionally, the only organisations possessing enough resources to mount such interceptions would have been state security agencies, military or other government-backed bodies. While MITE does not have any evidence about the efficacy of these new satellite wire-taps, it is a worrying development that such technologies are becoming more readily available.

At this point it should be borne in mind that no encryption system is entirely impenetrable – recall the codebreakers at Bletchley Park who deciphered the German Enigma code. Rather less historically significant, but a move visible example in recent years has been the cat-and-mouse game played 32

MITE February/March 2012

Satcoms systems widely used within the maritime community are more vulnerable to cyber-terrorists and hackers than ever before, it has emerged out by Hollywood studios and record labels trying to prevent pirates from copying their wares.

Late Apple CEO Steve Jobs once even advised the music industry to ‘give up on DRM’. DRM, or Digital Rights Management, refers encrypting media files so they cannot be easily shared in order to protect copyright. ‘Music companies may feel protected by their DRM, but DRM hasn't worked in the past and it won't work in the future. There are smart people circumventing this stuff,’ he argued.

Hopes that quantum cryptography would be a truly secure mechanism for transmitting information have also been dashed. Hackers have exploited the fact that practical implementations must cope with a certain amount of environmental background noise to discover the ‘key’ required to decode the message. [1] This is not to say encryption is futile. Rather it is important to bear in mind its limitations. And, as Simon Watts explained last issue (MITE Nov/Dec 2011),

choose a level of security that is appropriate to the information that needs to be protected. While no code is completely secure, it does serve a function in preventing casual observers taking a peek at sensitive information.

So how does this discussion apply to the wire-tapping of maritime satcoms services? Transmissions sent across modern satellite services are protected in a variety of ways – some expressly for encryption; others just an intrinsic part of transmission mechanism. Iridium, for example, uses private interfaces in combination with all manner of frequency- and time-hopping algorithms. Breaking into this and extracting useful information is by no means a trivial exercise.

What has made it a possibility however is the shear amount of number-crunching power now available at relatively low cost.

In the past, carrying out a bruteforce attack on particularly tricky cypher might have required access to a Cray supercomputer. Today, similar performance can be achieved by aggregating the processing power of multiple desktop machines.

Of course cracking the transmission channel is only one part of the challenge. The hacker will then need equally sophisticated tools to analyse and identify the target information passing through the channel, amid the noise from other sources and

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SECURITY

Practical action needed on cyber-threats

users. And the chances are that if information is deemed valuable enough to attract the attention of a hacker, it will be encrypted as part of a VPN channel, ie at the HTTP transport layer. And if the sender was feeling especially paranoid, the actual message would have been encoded in some way prior to transmission.

In short, our cyber-spy would be tasked with defeating numerous protections one after another, like peeling an onion-skin. Because of the amount of work involved, many hackers prefer to focus their energy on a softer target – namely, manipulating the human operator, typically the weakest link in any security chain.

But the above discussion presupposes the reason for hacking the satellite channel is information espionage. However, there could be other motives, for example, obtaining access to free, nontraceable communication would certainly be advantageous to any illegal organisation operating in remote areas. And it doesn’t take much imagination to guess one such group of outlaws found operating on the high seas.

THE MARITIME industry is critical to sustaining the movement of goods and the functioning of the global economy, yet the risks posed to this supply chain by a cyber-attack are woefully underestimated. Therefore steps must be taken to identify weaknesses and improve the resilience of this essential infrastructure. This was the take-home message from a workshop held by ENISA, the European Network and Information Security Agency, in Brussels last autumn.

Participants noted the widespread lack of information exchange on cyber-security incidents and related threats (eg, fraud, e-crime etc), and thus a need to improve awareness and communication of these issues. Mechanisms are required to enable more pro-active sharing of intelligence between different stakeholders.

The role of ports came under the spotlight. The level of ICT implementation maturity varies considerably from one port to another, and security is not always given the priority it should.

Therefore, a first step towards achieving cyber-security at port level would be the implementation of ICT systems that are secure by design. Propositions were also made regarding a possible categorisation of ports, linked to their size. Similarly, cyber-security maturity models could also be defined for this context. It was also stressed that cyber-security should not target only major/mature ports. Less mature ports should be offered the opportunity of implementing cyber-security initiatives.

At a more practical level, it was recommended that ship crews should include personnel who have an understanding of the issue and possess basic cyber-security skills. In this respect, it was suggested a framework was needed to provide relevant training, with possible certifications (e.g. for ship captains). This training should not be overly technical but instead focus on giving a familiarisation with commonly encountered issues.

In terms of implementing cyber-security in the maritime sector, the workshop concluded the approach should be top down (from authorities to ports) and based on a holistic risk management perspective. For ports to take the threat seriously and invest in protections, it will be necessary to show what assets are at risk, what risks they are facing and what possible impacts the occurrence of a cyber-security incident could have.

However, participants fully appreciated that cyber-criminals donʼt respect national ‒ or even supra-national ‒ borders. To have any real chance of making a difference, cyber-security in the maritime sector has to be considered as a global issue. As such, it is not limited to the European context, and should probably be raised to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

[1] http://www.nature.com/news/2010/ 100520/full/news.2010.256.html

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MITE February/March 2012

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MONITORING AND CONTROL

Ultrasonic sensors promise big payback Draught measurement has traditionally been achieved by one of three general methods: reading the draught marks fore and aft while measuring the heel; using a submerged pressure sensor while correcting for observed heel using an inclinometer and simulating the static buoyancy of a vessel using an analogue loading computer.

Each of these rely on secondor third-order measurements, which do not provide a dynamic, real-time view of vessel position relative to the water plane while in transit, or during loading and unloading.

34

MITE February/March 2012

The concept of draught optimisation isn始t new, but the quality of results is greatly influenced by the type of sensors used to gather the raw measurements that feed subsequent calculations, writes Iain Weir-Jones* Weir-Jones Engineering, a company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, has devised a system that overcomes this inaccuracy. It stemmed from an approach, almost two decades ago, by BC Ferries, which at the time was in search of a system that could provide a live graphical display of vessel position and that could be retrofitted to existing ships with no

Crew check the draught readings to make sure the ferry始s maximum capacity is not exceeded while cars are being loaded

hull penetration required.

This culminated in the development of the Automated Draught Indicator System (ADIS), which is now in use on more than 50 ships within the British Columbia Ferry system, Washington State Ferries, the Alaska Marine Highway System, and the United States Navy.

The system uses four or six ultrasonic transceivers mounted outboard of the hull on brackets, or in the rubbing band if available, so they are always above the mean water plane even when the ship is fully-laden. The surface of the water is rarely dead calm; there are ripples, wavelets, and waves, and the periodicity of these, together with the response of the hull, makes the definition

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MONITORING AND CONTROL

of the position of the mean water surface a non-trivial task.

The sensors provide continuous readings accurate to ±2mm and, combined with proprietary algorithms from Weir-Jones, produce a temperature- and humidity-corrected graphical display to the deck and the bridge, which offers an aggregate accuracy of ±10mm. The data can also be routed to voyage data recorders and other external systems, and printed to hard copy.

ADIS provides live, accurate, first-order display of draught, freeboard, heel and trim. In addition, in conjunction with known parameters such as cargo capacity and fuel load, it can provide a definitive display of cargo tonnes to

The ADIS central signal processing unit collects data from all the sensors and feeds it to the display unit

Located in the wheel house, the display unit shows the trim and tonsto-go values

ABB plans to take greater control DEMAND FOR upgraded vessel information and control systems has increased markedly over the last 12-months, reports ABB. The engineering and technology conglomerate attributes the growth to ship operators needing to comply with new environmental regulations, while also wanting to lower energy use and fuel consumption.

ABB has an installed base of more than 3000 automation and control systems in the maritime sector. In 2011, it sold 350 automation, vessel management and control systems of various types for a wide range of vessels, including drill ships, jack-up drilling rigs, offshore support vessels, and passenger vessels.

The companyʼs portfolio of solutions comprise a broad range of fleet management reporting solutions, integrated automation, vessel management and control systems, and marine instrumentation and sensors. These are designed to help optimise vessel operations and performance, improve energy efficiency, equipment reliability and availability as well as ensure operational safety. Furthermore, ABB says, they provide the ʻvisibility and controlʼ needed to improve operating costs.

Reflecting the increased demand, the company has established a new vessel information and control business unit to develop solutions specifically for maritime, which will draw upon know-how and experience gained in land-based industrial applications.

go during loading, which ensures safety standards are maintained.

More recently, interest has shifted towards reducing fuel consumption by optimising trim during long voyages, allowing vessel operators to reduce their CO2 footprint and realise significant savings in fuel costs.

For example, a 300,000 dwt tanker in ballast, cruising at 17 knots, will burn 2400t of fuel during a 30-day voyage. At $700/t, this amounts to $1.7M. Studies by Mitsui in Japan indicate savings of 5-7% are possible by optimising trim. Even taking the conservative end of this range, with a 5% saving, a vessel will save $80,000/trip in ballast, and CO2 emissions will be reduced by more than 300t. At typical installed costs, Weir-Jones states ADIS would pay for itself in fewer than 60 days.

The operational safety benefits, combined with the economic advantages of fuel savings and emission reductions, and the minimal system and installation costs, ensure that ADIS is the world’s leading solution for vessel safety auditing relative to real-time draught and trim monitoring. * Iain Weir-Jones Ph.D., P. Eng., is president of Weir-Jones Engineering Consultants Ltd and chairman of the Weir-Jones Group of Companies.

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Thinking inside the box The role of a cargo container in the global supply chain in many ways mirrors that of an individual data packet travelling across an electronic network. This was the analogy employed by Tom Smitt of Staxxon when he had to describe the mechanisms that make shipping happen to a crowd of IT innovators at last year’s SXSW. ‘Companies such as Apple and Wal-Mart provide the product, or “payload”. Boxship operators, such as Maersk Shipping, deliver these payloads through a complex, standards-based, slowmoving “packet system” through their container ships as network pipes to consumers who complete the model as “users”.’

While cargo containers deliver upwards of 90% of all finished goods, Stitt argued this network is stuck in the 19th century. He went on to challenge the audience, comprised mainly of social media developers, to apply their tools and techniques to the container supply chain. There is great potential, he believes, to transform this inefficient and antiquated container network to ‘better inform and shape processes, to reduce waste, inefficiency and environmental impact’.

Whether ‘tweeting’ or FaceBook’s ‘liking and ‘friending’ can be practically harnessed to achieve these noble list objec36

MITE February/March 2012

Cargo containers deliver upwards of 90% of all finished goods, but the underlying network is stuck in the 19th century tives remains to be seen. But there are certainly efficiencies to be gained at lower layers in shipping’s network topology.

Containers are often shipped empty after a delivery, wasting a lot of resources. According to the World Shipping Council, there are upwards of 18 million standard containers currently in use. It is estimated five to ten percent of those containers travel on routes where there is a high imbalance of empties. While the cost of transporting an empty container is only marginally less than transporting one filled with goods. The financial imperative is therefore less about increased costs and more about lost revenue.

To overcome this glaring inefficiency, a number of start-ups are looking to exploit the idea of collapsible containers. Among others, Cargoshell (of Rotterdam) has a collapsible shipping container made from light-weight composite materials, while Staxxon (of New Jersey) is showcasing an accordion-like vertical folding design that allows for up to five nested containers to be shipped in the same space as one regular container. The logic is

that slots previously ‘wasted’ on empty backhaul boxes can instead be opened up to revenuegenerating cargo.

Staxxon states its containers require no significant changes to supply chain relationships and are designed to honour existing workflow and safety standards.

As far as possible they are built from components found in conventional boxes, which commercial director Tom Stitt says was a deliberate decision. ‘Shipping companies are loath to incorporate new technology that requires changes to current equipment and procedures.’

In addition to reducing operational costs, Staxxon containers also have the potential to reduce the size of a shipper’s carbon footprint. The reduced number of moves, lifts or ‘touches’ of empty containers ‘means that the cranes at the terminal do not demand as much electricity, and there are fewer truck moves through the terminal gate,’ offers Stitt.

Previous attempts at solving this problem typically involved containers that collapsed from ceiling to ground or had large sections that had to be removed before folding. ‘They had the fundamental problem of what we call widows and orphans,’ says Stitt. In other words, they required a precise number of units together in order to be able to move them again. ‘We don’t have to wait until we have five.’

International Conference Highlights

2012 INEC 2012 conference themes Design and technology Propulsion and auxiliaries Materials Modularity Submarines Combat systems Weapons and sensors

Affordability and sustainability Supportability Global support Global access Global economics Collaboration Interoperability

Safety and environmental issues Human factors Manning Disaster relief Simulation Sustainable procurement Training

Civil/military technology transfer Cruise Oil and gas Offshore and subsea vessels Science Anti piracy hardware Innovation

Unmanned operations Launch and recovery Underwater operations Mission bays UUVs USVs UAVs

ENGINEERING NAVAL CAPABILITY

11th International Naval Engineering Conference and Exhibition

Tuesday 15 – Thursday 17 May 2012 Edinburgh, UK Organised by The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology

INEC 2012 Chairman, Keynote and Patrons

Major sponsors

Conference Chairman Capt John Newell MBE RN Keynote Address Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope GCB OBE ADC First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Ministry of Defence Patrons Vice Admiral Sir Robert Hill KBE FREng HonFIMarEST Vice Admiral Andrew Mathews CB FREng Rear Admiral Nigel Guild CB FREng Rear Admiral (ret) Ruurd Lutje Schipholt RNLN Commodore (ME) Dr Ir Arie Jan de Waard RNLN Commodore (Dr) Rakesh Rana IN Official publication

Sponsorship and exhibition INEC 2012 is the ideal platform to promote your company and reach potential customers directly - both face to face with delegates and to the wider audience who see the event promotional material.

If your organisation is interested in sponsoring INEC 2012, please email: christine.martin@imarest.org for further details.

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