GPS News

Autonomous vessel experts and artificial intelligence (AI) pioneers behind the first full-size unmanned research vessel to conduct scientific experiments while autonomously navigating across the Atlantic Ocean have announced their plans to launch the world’s first fully autonomous uncrewed surface vessel (USV) fleet for long-term lease or charter. The owners behind the company, Zero USV, a collaboration between the founders of Marine AI and MSubs, aim to have the first vessels fully teste...

OceanWise will be supplying and installing a marine environmental monitoring solution in Langstone Harbour, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Hampshire. This important installation will provide the harbour with tide and weather equipment and a cloud-based data platform to support ongoing harbour operations and environmental monitoring. Langstone Harbour Langstone Harbour is located on Hampshire’s Southern coast nestled between Portsmouth and Chichester and managed under La...

NorthStandard and Orca AI have entered an exclusive partnership that will see the global marine insurer encourage its members to adopt Orca AI’s market-pioneering automated situational awareness solution. Orca AI’s situational awareness platform is designed to ensure vessels can navigate safely in challenging weather conditions and through congested waters. The enhanced real-time situational awareness tool enables rapid and more informed operational decision-making, reducing the li...

ICEYE, the global pioneer in SAR satellite operations for Earth observation, announces the launch of ICEYE Ocean Vision, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) product family, to provide actionable intelligence for maritime domain awareness. Nearly 75% of international trade occurs over water, making ocean shipping a cornerstone of global economic activity. Heightened geopolitical tensions combined with the rapid proliferation of waterway hazards together present a unique challenge for corporations a...

ClassNK has granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to a Smart Ship© Hub, developed by Smart Ship© Hub Digital. Smart Ship© Hub is described as an easy & quick to deploy remote vessel management platform for safety, reliability and operational efficiencies. ClassNK verified its functions ClassNK has verified its functions, 1. Condition and health monitoring of the machinery, 2. Pattern recognition of the machinery’s operation data to determine...

U.S. Flag Ships should be preparing to be fully compliant with SAFER SEAS ACT of 2023 by December 31, 2024 or next drydock.   If the following criteria apply to the vessel(s), Mackay Marine has a vetted, customised solution - the MD5000 Safer Seas Package, to ensure the ships will meet the equipment monitoring & recording requirements to avoid attracting penalties. U.S. Flagged VESSEL CRITERIA: Commercial Oceangoing Non-Passenger Vessel (Excludes Fishing) ≥ 24 m Length (79...

ClassNK has granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to a straight leg course control - called “ACE Function” (ACE: Advanced Control for Ecology), which can be integrated with the autopilot systems, “PR-9000” and “PR-6000” offered by TOKYO KEIKI INC. The company describes that “ACE Function” can automatically create a straight route and implement navigation at the shortest distance, only by setting the ship's current positio...

RightShip, a major global ESG-focused digital maritime platform, announces its collaboration with LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group), a global financial markets infrastructure and data provider, to augment the risk management framework for governance risks in the maritime industry. The partnership will integrate LSEG’s World-Check into RightShip’s digital maritime platform and vetting workflows. This will allow end-users, including charterers, financial institutions, traders, port a...

After winning a 3-year contract for more than 80 vessels to VSAT, Iridium, and VoIP in 2021, Castor Marine’s connectivity contract has been renewed by Jan De Nul Group and includes a roll-out of Starlink to most Jan De Nul Group vessels. The experts in marine construction, civil engineering, and environmental projects have expressed their continued satisfaction with and need for solid vessel connectivity on a global scale.   Hybrid LEO GEO service With the addition of Starlink...

Ocean Infinity, a world renowned company in robotic and uncrewed vessel technology, has announced its attendance and key speaker slot at the Oceanology International 2024 event, which is taking place at London’s ExCel, from 12 - 14 March, 2024. The biennial event brings together key players in the ocean technology industry, providing a platform for businesses, academics, and government representatives to connect, share insights, and explore the latest innovations shaping the future of the...

At a time when rapid advancements in maritime connectivity and shipboard technology are leaving vessel networks increasingly vulnerable to attack, the International Association of Classification Societies’ (IACS) unified requirements (URs) E26 and E27 aim to minimise the frequency and impact of cyber incidents at sea.  Revised E26 and E27 Initially adopted in April 2022, the URs were withdrawn ahead of their planned implementation on 1 January 2024. However, revised versions of E26...

Developer of maritime battery systems EST-Floattech receives an investment of 4 million euros from the Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam and existing shareholders Rotterdam Port Fund, PDENH, Ponooc, and Yard Energy. This was announced by Chantal Zeegers, the Alderman for Climate, Building, and Housing in Rotterdam. The ‘Energietransitiefonds Rotterdam’ is the investment fund of the municipality of Rotterdam.  Lithium-ion battery systems EST-Floattech develops and produces...

METIS Cyberspace Technology is expanding its portfolio of Data Acquisition, Real-Time Performance Monitoring, and Intelligent Analytics solutions to include the needs of Service Operation Vessels (SOV). The move follows a collaborative project covering fleet performance optimisation with an offshore service provider for wind/oil & gas industries, ESVAGT. Service Operation Vessels (SOV) The SOV fulfills multiple roles - as a transport ship, accommodation vessel, warehouse, and workshop - p...

The Port of Rotterdam Authority will continue using clean fuel and energy for its vessels and emergency power facilities, such as radar stations. To this end, CEO and ad interim COO Boudewijn Siemons signed a new agreement with VARO Energy Group. In the Port Authority’s tender process for the cleanest usable energy carrier, VARO’s products came out best. Since 2018, the port of Rotterdam has been using VARO’s HVO100 (100% Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) for its fleet. This biofuel...

Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. will be exhibiting at the Miami International Boat Show, an annual boat show held in the city of Miami, Florida. The show is the world's largest boat and yacht show, featuring the latest boating products and showcasing over 1,000 boats on display. Furuno will be unveiling its new generation of NavNet MFDs, the TZtouchXL Series, which uses industry-first features for breathtaking performance. Unveiling the NavNet TZtouchXL Series Furuno has historically set the b...

International Marine Contractors, Leask Marine Ltd have taken ownership of their latest new vessel, MV ‘C-HORIZON’, a Neptune Marine built DP 1 EuroCarrier 2611. The vessel is 26 m long, 11 m wide and is a Tier III compliant vessel specifically designed for a diverse range of roles supporting the offshore marine renewable sector. Leask Marine acquires DP 1 EuroCarrier 2611 vessel Douglas Leask, Managing Director of Leask Marine Ltd said “We are particularly pleased to have p...

Canadian maritime operations platform provider, Helm Operations, has secured ISO 27001 certification and SOC 2 compliance, underscoring its dedication to maintaining the highest standards of data security, privacy, and operational excellence. The announcement comes as data security continues to grow as a critical focus of the maritime industry. ISO 27001:2022 ISO 27001:2022 is an internationally recognised standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS), developed to help organisa...

Babcock has been awarded a new five-year contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to continue providing in-service support for the Royal Navy’s Ships Protective Systems (SPS) equipment. The contract consists of degaussing, cathodic protection, and active shaft grounding to ships and submarines, restricting the rate of hull corrosion and reducing their magnetic signature to make them less susceptible to magnetic mines. Babcock attains in-service support contract Babcock’s conti...

The first employees kicked off work for the New Energy Taskforce (NET) this January at the Port of Rotterdam, to support companies in tackling grid congestion. The Taskforce is led by Roger Knubben, who brings more than 25 years of experience in transition and strategy, including in the energy sector. New Energy Taskforce New Energy Taskforce is an initiative of the Port of Rotterdam Authority in collaboration with grid operators The New Energy Taskforce is an initiative of the Port of Rotte...

Babcock has been awarded a contract for additional work on the South Korean Navy’s submarine programme. The seven-year contract, awarded by Hanwha Ocean, is to manufacture and install the weapons handling launch system (WHLS) on Boat 6 of the Jangbogo-III class boat. Babcock secures WHLS contract Key elements of the WHLS will be designed and produced in the United Kingdom (UK) Boat 6, namely ‘Jangbogo-III Batch-II Boat 3’, along with the rest of the class, will use their pr...

Accelleron has signed an agreement with HD Hyundai Marine Solution (HD HMS) that simplifies access to its digital turbocharger optimisation solutions for vessels built or serviced by the world’s biggest shipbuilder, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering. As part of the agreement, Accelleron’s Turbo Insights performance analytics platform will be integrated into HD HMS’s Integrated Smartship System (ISS), with further digital solutions also deliverable through ISS o...

Brunvoll’s strategy for production in Norway was established as early as the 1990s, with the forward-thinking Brunvoll family at the forefront. This has led to continuous and significant investments in enhancing the factories’ competitiveness and raising internal expertise to meet customers’ high demands and expectations.  Integrated value chain “We are convinced that having a fully integrated value chain where we have complete control from A to Z is the righ...

Bureau Veritas (BV), a world pioneer in testing, inspection, and certification, has granted Approval in Principle (AiP) to Greek company - ERMA FIRST for its BLUE CONNECT system, a high-voltage alternative maritime power solution that can be housed in a 40 ft container. ERMA FIRST’s system, which can be housed in a container or provided in a stand-alone configuration, enables most ships to connect with different shore power systems based on their required power. BLUE CONNECT can be plugge...

Major provider of secure maritime data communications software, GTMaritime, has reported a significant rise in fleet data usage, with a 35% increase in monthly throughput recorded between 1 November 2022 and 31 October 2023. Increase in data usage Jamie Jones, Operations Director, GTMaritime, said, “Over the last 12 months, we have seen the amount of data used by vessels increase from 7.8 terabits a month to more than 10.6 terabits. This is a massive increase in data usage, and while par...

Each year, Siemens presents the Inventors of the Year award to outstanding inventors in six categories: Newcomers, Open Innovation, Outstanding Invention, Lifetime Achievement, Design and User Experience and the recently added PhD Award. In addition to helping explain artificial intelligence (AI), the prize-winning inventions also make power grids more sustainable, railcar axles more stable and charging stations for electric vehicles more universal. The 2023 award will be presented today to twe...

The first three (3) ships in the series of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts under construction in Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for Indian Navy were launched at CSL’s Kochi Yard. After the ceremonial pooja, the first vessel was launched by Smt Anjali Bahl - the second vessel was launched by Smt Kangana Berry, and the third vessel by Smt Zarine Lord Singh. Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts The launching of the three (3) vessels was carried out in the presence o...

Berg Propulsion has been selected to provide state-of-the-art control and propulsion technology for what will be one of the largest hybrid tugs ever delivered, after owner - Buksér og Berging AS (BuBe) agreed specifications with Türkiye’s Uzmar Shipyard for its latest newbuild. The project will showcase Berg’s roles as an integrator of electric propulsion technology and a supplier of high performance propulsion equipment. Berg offers full electrical power and control pa...

STC South Africa (STC Group), in collaboration with VSTEP, is launching a maritime simulation training centre in Cape Town, South Africa, in the first quarter of 2024. VSTEP takes great pride in providing STC South Africa with their state-of-the-art simulator, NAUTIS, to assist in provision of cost-effective training solutions across the African continent. Background Story STC SA is proud to partner up with VSTEP to enable learning by simulation on a larger scale in South Africa STC SA is pr...

Tokyo-based ClassNK has granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to a Blue Visby Solution developed by Blue Visby Services Ltd. The company describes Blue Visby Solution as a multilateral platform for reducing shipping GHG emissions by 15% by eradicating the practice of ‘Sail Fast, then Wait (SFTW)’ by overcoming the obstacles of implementing ‘Just-in-Time’ berthing. Collaborative technological and contractual platform It consists of a collaborat...

Babcock has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hanwha Aerospace to offer enhanced capabilities across land, air and sea domains, by bringing together the companies’ combined skills through a collaborative range of products, services and integrated solutions. Under the agreement, which was signed during the President of Korea’s recent visit to the United Kingdom (UK), the companies will work together to pursue global business development opportunities, with an initial fo...