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time the system was brought into being, it was estimated that more than 10-per- cent of sulphur deposition in Sweden, as in Denmark, the Netherlands and

Norway, stemmed from sea transport.

Ships were also considered to contribute between 10 and 20-percent of oxidized nitrogen deposition in Sweden.

The Art of Maneuvering

Vision FT IBS Launched

With a fair amount of secrecy Sperry

Marine ushered customers and interest- ed parties into and out of a private room on its stand at Europort 2003, offering a glimpse of what it hopes will become the standard for integrated bridge sys- tems. Dubbed Vision FT. the unit — the third generation of the company's con- sole bride layout — is impressive with its breadth of integration of current stan- dards, as well as its flexibility for future growth. The Vision FT integrated bridge system (IBS) incorporates the lat- est advances in marine navigation tech- nology and combines all of the ship's navigation sensors and systems — including radars, electronic chart display and information system, gyrocompass, depth sounder, speed log, DGPS receivers and autopilot — into a com- pletely integrated package.

Central to the system is Sperry

Marine's Voyage Management System (VMS) software, which is designed to provide easy and precise route planning and gives a clear real-time picture of the ship's precise position and movement, along with radar targets and automatic identification system data, on an elec- tronic chart display and information sys- tem. "In the future, I believe the main navi- gation display will be an electronic chart with a Radar and AIS overlay," said

Capt. Jan T. Hansen, the company's director of system sales worldwide. This reality is dependent, however, on the availability of electronic chart data.

The Pocket Bridge

While Vision FT, like all other IBS systems, must adhere to standards laid down by international authorities, there are many notable improvements designed to appeal to safety and effi- ciency minded ship operators.

The new bridge console designs have been optimized for modern large-screen high-resolution flat-panel color dis- plays, with easy front-panel access for maintenance and repairs, said Frank

Soccoli, director of marketing for Sperry

Marine. The man-machine interface has been upgraded with a new ergonomic trackball control device and drop-down menu windows for easy operation mini- mizing the need for operator training.

Another interesting offering is the

PocketBridge, a remote wireless multi- function handheld device that is designed to allow for the ship's master and officers to view data from the IBS and other ship systems on a palm-type computer anywhere on the ship.

Another new capability is NaviVision, an aircraft-style "heads-up" display that projects vital ship navigation data directly onto the bridge windows.

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January 2004 37

Cunard's 30-knot cruise liner Queen Mary 2 is tes- tament both to the business verve and the technolog- ical resourcefulness of the maritime industries. The circumspect approach to every facet of the project underscores the preoccupation with issues of long- term structural integrity, safety, and operational dependability and quality, as the essential backdrop to efficient and expansive revenue-earning over many future decades' service on the open ocean.

Many examples of the shipowner's endorsement of pioneering technologies can be found in the 150,000- gt newcomer to the North Atlantic. Besides the by now well documented design, constructional and engineering advances encapsulated in the vessel, the

Cunarder is also claimed to provide the first refer- ence for an onboard PC-based maneuvering simula- tor directly linked to the ship's dynamic positioning system. As the first vessel fitted with a quadruple pod arrangement, particular importance was attached to ensuring officer familiarization with the ship's maneuvering characteristics, handling performance and onboard equipment. Cunard Line therefore contracted BMT SeaTech, a subsidiary of consultancy British Maritime Technology (BMT), to supply its enhanced

PC Rembrandt simulator system to the QM2. In collaboration with Alstom, BMT SeaTech had earlier successfully linked

PC Rembrandt to Alstom's A-series DP system. The end result is a DP simulator combining the specific DP algorithms and console from Alstom with the PC Rembrandt mathematical model and worldwide electronic charting and 3-D visuals. The system has initially been used at the St Nazaire yard of Chantiers de l'Atlantique, builder of the QM2, prior to bridge instal- lation. It permits use in 'stand-alone' mode by the bridge personnel, employing the individual thrusters and pod controls, or with the Alstom DP system, to provide high quality training and familiarization in ship handling, maneuvering and DP oper- ation. According to Giles Heimann, Cunard's Manager-Training, Recruitment and Personnel, "The combined capability of linking the DP hardware to BMT SeaTech's PC Rembrandt simulator has worked very well." He added that "The ability to conduct the training exercises in QM2's ports of call proved to be a significant advantage, and PC Rembrandt has therefore provided an ideal platform for such forms of training and familiarization."