Page 76: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 2012)

76Maritime Reporter & Engineering News Faster Broadband at Sea Broadband for applications at sea is anarea that is experiencing rapid growth and one that demands increasingly fast data transfer speeds. Levels of use are blossoming as communication, controland monitoring are increasingly beingcarried via onshore operative nodes. Gothenburg-based Satcube AB is in the process of developing terminals to handle the next generation of satellite capacity. "These satellite terminals need to be more accurate and demonstrategreater efficiency than the old L-band system terminals they replace," says Jakob Kallmér, Satcube's CEO. "Avail- ability and robustness requirements con- tinue to be extensive. However, customers aren't prepared to pay muchmore for the hardware. That's why you need to take a new approach when de- veloping this type of terminal," he said. Satcube has developed a high effi- ciency antenna system in order to drive down the cost of the equipment's active components. Using an innovative plat- form, the antenna is able to maintain po-sition in relation to a satellite withoutthe need for expensive optical gyros. The platform also features an active dampening system, which eliminatesshocks and vibrations, minimizing serv-ice interruptions and the number of sys-tem failures. Kallmér said. The company plans to release a beta version of the system this winter to test the concept in the demanding opera- tional environment of the North Sea. It is expected that a fully industrialized product will be available by mid-2013. Dutch Invention Prevents Towline Failure The Rotterdam based shipping com-pany Rotortug and ASD Ship Design from Alblasserdam have invented a tug- boat technology to prevent towline fail- ures from chafing against a tugboats fixed towing point. The invention of Mr. Ton Kooren (Rotortug) and Mr. Arie Aalbers (ASD Ship Design) is the az-imuth friction free towing point. Conventional towing point designs are usually fixed bitts fitted with polished and stainless steel cladding in line con-tact areas guiding a towline to a towing winch. Using state-of-the-art towing winches, towlines are winched in and out automatically by using a pre-set lineforce to prevent both dynamic overloads and slack wires. Synthetic towlines can easily fail due to chafing and friction with increased risks for safety. Fast in and outgoing movements of a towline with these winches cause high temperatures in especially the inner coreof synthetic towlines. This is an even bigger issue at high outdoor tempera- tures. The fiction and the high result temperature cause much wear and, atthe end, failure of a towline connection. Thomas Gunn LaunchesNew Generation Voyager Voyager 4 is the latest incarnation of the highly regarded automated chart management system from Thomas Gunn Navigation Services. The Voyager Series has earned a reputation for inno-vation, reliability and responsiveness to customers? needs ? and Voyager 4 is no exception. Packed full of new applica- tions, Voyager 4 offers the mariner an easy to use, cost effective and high qual- ity database of navigational data neatly displayed using an interactive map in- terface with Admiralty information overlay which can be customized to in- dividual voyage requirements. As part of the service provided by Thomas Gunn, subscribers to the Voy- ager system will automatically receive the new Voyager 4 software. Voyager?s state of the art file compression tech- nology ensures easily delivery of weekly updates for British Admiralty Notices to Mariners and Tracings, and Admiralty Vector Chart Service and Ad- miralty Raster Chart Service updates. To ensure that the mariner continues tohave the most up to date port informa- tion available to them, any amendments available will also be included in the weekly Voyager updates service. BALPURE BWTS EarnsBV Type Approval The Type-Approved BALPURE bal- last water treatment system from Severn Trent De Nora has received type ap- proval from classification society Bu- reau Veritas (BV) for its full range of standard ballast water treatment systems that can treat ballast water flow rates of up to 5,000 cu. m./h. Standard systemscan be supplied as multiple sets to treathigher flow rates. The type approval was granted by BV following stringent review of the BALPURE system per BV rules and guidelines along with the guidelinescontained in the IMO ResolutionMEPC.174(58). This involved a thor- ough review of land-based and ship- board testing results, corrosion testingresults as well as hydrogen gas disper- sion risk analysis by Glosten Associates. Severn Trent De Nora is in the process of obtaining type approval from other classification societies including ABS, DNV, GL and LR. With the US Coast Guard (USCG) Final Rule published on23 March 2012, Severn Trent De Nora has also been actively pursuing Alter- nate Management System status withthe USCG, with an objective to be one of the first ballast water management systems with the UCSG Type Approval. TECHNICALPRODUCTSUltraJet JetMaster 2 Ultra Dynamics in partnership with South Boatsand Rotec Hydraulics announced the introductionof the New UltraJet JetMaster 2 DNV Class ap- proved electronic control system for South Boats Wind Farm Support vessels (WFSV). The New UltraJet JetMaster 2 electronic control system canbe seen down on the Pontoon on 19m South Cata- maran WFSV?s named Seacat Endeavour and Offshore West Hinder and are two of the 7 WFSV to be fitted with this new system this year. JetMaster 2 can be configured to meet any serv- ice provider?s exact control requirements. Jet- Master 2 ship control and management systemfeatures integration of diesel engine, transmis- sion, waterjet and interceptor functions into a sin- gle intuitive vessel control system. MR June12 # 10 (74-80):MR Template 6/12/2012 10:25 AM Page 76