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Equipment


Tyco trialled the new version of the AMOS software


for a period of three weeks on one of its vessels while in standby mode. The aim of the trial was to identify any bugs in the software and solve any training issues that arose. Tyco then established that it was possible to upgrade the software onboard two or three vessels per week. In addition to low-cost VoIP calling and internet access opportunities, VSAT also provides real-time connectivity at sea. AMOS was devised to increase profitability in the


shipping industry through the optimum manage- ment and operation of ships, to improve safety at sea and reduce the risk of environmental hazards by improving the quality of ship maintenance and operation.


Communications OpenPort going


commercial Iridium Satellite LLC of Maryland, USA, is close to completing sea trials of the Iridium OpenPort enhanced-bandwidth marine satellite communication service and the service is on track for full commercial availability in the last quarter of 2008. OpenPort is said to differ from other marine


satellite services currently on the market in some of its key features, such as containing no moving parts on the antenna array, offering worldwide connectivity and its low hardware costs. Peter Döhle Schiffarts-KG, a beta customer of


Iridium OpenPort terminals under an agreement with Vizada, an Iridium service provider, has installed a test unit aboard a 1600 TEU ocean- going vessel. Michael Dittmer, fleet IT and communication


coordinator for Peter Döhle, said: “Our main objective is to centralise all IT applications and software on the boat in order to simplify administration, help maintain the vessels and better manage systems onboard … this is something we believe Iridium OpenPort can help us achieve.” Zodiac Shipping Agencies Ltd, another beta


customer of OpenPort was one of the first shipping companies to sign up for Iridium OpenPort under an agreement with AND Group, another Iridium service provider. Zodiac are said to be pleased with the results of the beta tests, commenting that “voice quality was uniformly excellent, and data throughput has met our expectations. We believe Iridium OpenPort will be a very cost-effective solution for ship’s business, crew calling and e-mail”. At the time of writing, 11 of Iridium’s largest mobile


satellite service partners were preparing to distrib- ute Iridium OpenPort. They include the following


Ship & Boat International November/December 2008


companies: AND Group, Applied Satellite Technol- ogy, Becker Marine Systems Communication, Globe Wireless, Satcom Group and Vizada. Most of these companies will integrate OpenPort with their own hardware and software products to provide a suite of customer-focussed voice and IP-based data packages for crew calling and ship business. Iridium OpenPort offers


three independent


telephone circuits, which can be used simultaneously without interference, as well as a user-selectable range of data speeds from 9.6 to 128 kbits/s to meet ships’ requirements. Data rates can easily be adjusted up or down at any time without making any hardware or software changes, giving the user options that allow them to balance needs for speed of data transmission against cost considerations on a real-time basis.


Emissions Martek Marine


clinches deal Martek Marine Ltd, UK, has finalised a deal with Greek shipping company Metrostar Management Corp to commission seven MariNOx marine engine emissions control systems for its fleet. Metrostar previously bought four MariNOx units


from the UK-based safety and environmental technol- ogy company, and its investment in the control and monitoring technology is in excess of US$2 million. Martek, through the MariNOx product, has


captured 90% of the global emissions monitoring market with the system, it is believed. In total more than 100 MariNOx units have been installed to date, helping shipping companies to achieve compliance with MARPOL Annex VI regulations, the NOx technical code and MEPC.103 (49). As well as monitoring N0x, C02


and S0x, the system


is constructed to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 4%. Managing Director of Martek Marine, Paul Luen,


said: “This deal underlines our excellent and continu- ing relationship with Metrostar, which recognises the economic, environmental and compliance advantages of fitting the MariNOx to their ships.” The MariNOx system increases fuel efficiency by


allowing operators to re-tune engines away from the International Maritime Organisation’s ‘low N0x’ mode back to the ‘economy mode’ while remaining within emissions limits. Each system includes specially designed DATAlink


software that allows the emissions for a single ship, or an entire fleet, to be viewed remotely via an interface with the Purplefinder Intelligent GPS device. MariNOx is Type Approved by Lloyds Register and


won the 2008 Seatrade Award for ‘Protection of the Marine and Atmospheric Environment’. SBI


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