Page 52: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2004)

Marine Electronics • Integrated Bridge Solutions

AutoChief C20 Reports

Good Market Penetration

The future is now for Kongsberg. and its futuristic looking AutoChief C20 propulsion control system. First announced at Nor-Shipping 2003, it has received a good deal of attention and. more importantly, early orders. By reducing the amount of buttons and con- trols on the panel itself, operation of the propulsion control system has been sim- plified, leaving crewmembers to con- centrate on more complex actions.

AutoChief C20 is actually the fifth generation AutoChief, with the first

AutoChief appearing in 1967. Ole

L

Gunnar Hvam, VP Navigation and

Automation said, "We will follow the

AutoChief closely and listen to feedback from the users before we commit to the direction of the design of our other bridge equipment." The design is prov- ing popular already though, with the

Norwegian Design Council recently awarding the AutoChief C20 a sought after design award, stating that it is. "A consistent and complete control panel for larger ships where the functionality is considerably simplified and improved. The pure visual design is intuitive, it has good tactility and feed- back to the user. This is a professional and uncluttered product of high quality, with good aesthetics and high durabili- ty."

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SAM Electronics Advances Bridge Automation

Current developments from Hamburg-based SAM Electronics include its series of Ship Control Centers (SCC) which typ- ically combine and automate all main bridge equipment operating functions inclusive of navigation, communications, engine control and alarm monitoring. Using standardized consoles, systems basically centralize all ship management information with commonality of interfaces and data as well as instant redundancy in the event of any sub-assembly failure. They are primarily designed to meet so-called one-stop shopping requirements, with particularly strong sales to South Korean yards.

To date, nearly 200 SCC's have been ordered worldwide. Among latest commissionings is a system for Pride of America, the new 81,000-gt 281m cruiseliner presently being constructed by Lloyd Werft Bremerhaven for NCL as part of its Project

America 1 undertaking following NCL's acquisition last year of the vessel's partially completed hull built by Ingalls Shipyard in the US. The system is to incorporate a NACOS 65-4 navigation command system while SAM Electronics will also pro- vide the vessel with cabling, electrical distribution, lighting equipment and other facilities.

Pride of America, whose existing hull is being lengthened by Lloyd Werft by around a further 25m, is due to be complet- ed in April of next year. It will be the first new ocean-going passenger vessel in nearly 50 years to sail under the US flag, beginning service in Hawaii.

Circle 51 on Reader Service Card "With ILS, we are able to compete with our biggest competitors without making huge investments."

Inventory Locator Service,* LLC 1-800-233-3414 (North America) • 1-901-794-5000 (Worldwide) • 1-901-794-1760 (Fax) • [email protected] • www.IL5mart.com

We're proud to have kept Inter Seas Services and Trading GmbH steaming ahead. We thank them and all of our longstanding subscribers for letting us be a part of their success.

Ulrich Freudenberger and Maike Pabst, Managing Directors "We signed up for the ILS e-marketplace because it offers us the exposure of advertising, along with the lead generation of an aggressive marketing campaign at a fraction of the cost. It pro- vides us with highly qualified leads and has introduced us to some significant customers that would never have known about us previously. With ILS, we are able to compete with our biggest competitors without making huge investments. The amount of business ILS has delivered is worth a ten-year subscription."

Ulrich Freudenberger, Managing Director at Inter Seas Services and Trading GmbH, NORDERSTEDT, GERMANY

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Vision FT IBS

Late last year in Amsterdam Sperry

Marine rolled out its vision of the bridge of the future.

The Vision FT integrated bridge sys- tem (IBS) incorporates the latest advances in marine navigation technolo- gy and combines all of the ship's navi- gation sensors and systems — including radars, electronic chart display and information system, gyrocompass, depth sounder, speed log, DGPS receivers and autopilot — into a completely 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 navigation display will be an electronic chart with a Radar and AIS overlay," said Capt. Jan T. Hansen, the compa- ny's director of system sales worldwide.

This reality is dependent, however, on the availability of electronic chart data.

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

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