“FleetBroadband Multi-voice is a unique integrated solution that maintains Inmarsat’s well-earned reputation for high-quality voice,” said Frank Coles, president, Inmarsat Maritime.

“It offers a far superior service to internet calling solutions, and is more cost-effective than accessing multiple voice calls on a standard VSAT.”

“This new capability increases the value of FleetBroadband, and ensures that the service is future-proofed for a vessel’s growing communications needs.”

Thrane & Thrane has already announced that the Multi-voice service will be available across its entire SAILOR FleetBroadband portfolio as standard, and is accessible on existing terminals with a software update.

SAILOR 500 FleetBroadband will offer the full nine simultaneous voice lines available through Multi-voice, while a SAILOR 250 FleetBroadband will offer up to six concurrent calls and a SAILOR 150 FleetBroadband up to four concurrent calls.

Once existing SAILOR users have the software update in place, all that is required is to configure their FleetBroadband terminal via the web-interface and attach the required number of handsets, or if desired connect an existing PBX.

Thrane is offering its own model of handset for use with the service, though third party equipment can also be used.

With the Thrane handsets a dedicated BGAN menu is available via the integrated screen, where value-added supplementary voice services, such as a phone book and call forwarding, can be operated from the handset itself.

“With multiple handsets integrated to a single terminal, facility for dedicated voice lines can be made anywhere on board, from the engine room or canteen on a merchant vessel and the public areas on a passenger vessel, to the saloon and staterooms aboard a luxury vessel,” said Casper Jensen, VP maritime business unit, Thrane & Thrane.

“Additionally, we have ensured that the SAILOR 3771 Alarm Panel FleetBroadband works alongside the Multi-voice service, ensuring that distress alarms can be sent, regardless of how many voice lines are being used.”

“Multi-voice will enable operators to offer even better crew and passenger welfare services, by increasing the number of telephone lines available on board. The design of SAILOR FleetBroadband allows Multi-voice functionality to be introduced without the need for engineers or hardware changes to the BDU, making it extremely straightforward to add extra voice lines.”

For FleetBroadband terminals other than the SAILOR range, Vocality has developed new PBX hardware that can be used alongside the terminal to access the additional telephone lines.

The extra phone lines will be charged by Inmarsat at the same per-minute tariff for both pre-paid and post-paid calls. The lines will also all support the free-of-charge ‘505’ FleetBroadband emergency calling capability that connects a vessel immediately to a Maritime Rescue Centre.

In keeping with the government’s love for giant acronyms, they created the ICODE MDA, that is, the International Collaborative Development for Enhanced Maritime Domain Awareness, which is one of 14 projects selected by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics to receive $1 million awards beginning this fall through the Coalition Warfare Program, which funds international collaborative research efforts.

The ICODE MDA project is a research alliance between ONR and Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center Pacific (SSC Pacific). ONR is partnering with scientists to build Web-based applications (widgets) for use by sailors and maritime operators to analyze data and other information to combat pirates, drug smugglers, arms traffickers, illegal fishermen and other nefarious groups.

“A lot of maritime threats occur in developing parts of the world,” said Dr. Augustus Vogel, associate director for Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa in ONR-Global’s Chile office. “Our goal is to develop partnerships with countries that have maritime threats to help solve those problems.”

ONR will tap researchers at the Technical University of Federico Santa Maria, one of Chile’s top engineering schools, to create Web-based tools in an open source environment. The work will focus on producing software to improve automation, small-target detection and intent detection.

Ultimately, the software will be compatible with multiple maritime network systems so that navies around the world can use the tools and share information for global operations.

“We’ll take those tools and integrate them into a widget framework that can be part of a coalition-accessible Web portal,” said John Stastny, an engineer in the advanced analysis systems branch at SSC Pacific, who is helping to lead the ICODE MDA project.

This announcement comes on the heels of a NOAA sponsored project Whale Alert, an iPhone app that tracks Right Whale movements along coastal waters which leads to the questions… will iPhones soon become required equipment on the bridge of all ships?

gCaptain knows there are tons of die-hard iPad users on ships, however up until now you have had really only two options to mount your iPad to the wheelhouse, either 1) drill into the bulkhead, or 2) perch it precariously on a console (the ECDIS display seems to be a favorite).

Well… we have found a better solution: PadGrip. Here’s what it does:

The Pad Grip™ is the tilting, swiveling iPad holder that mounts anywhere. By itself, its magnetic base will mount your iPad to any ferrous metal surface, including refrigerators, file cabinets and the inside of your personal submarine. Its hefty base also makes the Pad Grip a convenient iPad stand with a small footprint, so you have more space to get things done. The base magnet’s 60lb rating will securely hold your iPad in any orientation, even upside-down, and not let go until you decide to move the Pad Grip. The Pad Grip is even more versatile when used with our Gecko and Atlas platforms, which provide a metal gripping platform on other surfaces such as walls, glass, mirrors, countertops, under-cabinet surfaces and any other surfaces you may encounter during your day. The Pad Grip is the iPad mount that mounts where you choose. Where are you going to put yours?

While I have not tested the unit myself (yet) the picture above is from a machine shop but the PadGrip will stick to any “ferrous metal surface” including (most) ship bulkheads. Add the optional suction mount and you can post it directly to the bridge windows.

Our friends at Panbo give us some insight into this product after a hands on review:

While the simple clip holds the pad tight, it’s fairly easy to snap one in or out. And that the tilt-and-turn ball mechanism has just the right amount of tension so you can position the pad with two hands but it doesn’t move around when you use it. Quite a substantial magnet holds the base to the fixed or suction-cup platforms shown — or to most any flat metal surface — and it may concern some boaters. I couldn’t detect any compass disturbance with the base about 20 inches from Gizmo’s steering compass, but definitely affects the iPad’s internal compass. Continue Reading…

Enjoy but use common sense! Sure you can remove the mount when you hear the old man coming up the stairs but maybe you should just use the mount in your cabin and leave it off the bridge entirely. Your call…

Related Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fortunately, many of the myths of man overboard (MOB) recovery, including hypothermia and drowning, have been debunked and new ISM and IMO safety procedures have reduced the occurrence of MOBs.

One truth will always remain…

If the man overboard is not found, he or she will not be recovered.

New devices exist to increase the chance of recovery.  First up AIS SARTS:

AIS SART

EasyRescue Portable AIS SART

I have long been a proponent of Personal Locator Beacons (PLB), the handheld sized versions of EPIRB’s, and I have even gone as far as saying “that one of these devices should be required inside every lifeboat and liferaft that goes to sea“.  I also believe, due to their diminutive size, these devices belong clipped onto the lifejackets of all persons who go on deck in rough weather.

But, as great as they are, EPIRBS are a global positioning system.

They are excellent at notifying the Coast Guard of your location, but are poor in helping nearby vessels track MOB victims. In the past, we have suggested throwing both the EPIRB (you do have more than one aboard, right!?) and SART overboard to help track a victim’s progress through the water, this way you have both global (EPIRB) and local (SART) tracking abilities.

Wouldn’t it be better if you could identify the exact location of a Man Overboard?

EasyRescue, a portable AIS SART that’s small enough to clip to your belt. The manufacturer, the german based company EasyAIS, tells us:

The Easy Rescue is a personal Automatic Identification System transmitting beacon. With a built in GPS it transmits an emergency AIS-SART sentence (MOB) which triggers an alarm on all AIS enabled chart plotters / PC’s within range, along with the Lat/Long of the victim. The GPS is a new generation fast acquiring type and the VHF AIS transmitter repeats the message and position several times per minute. This enables all vessels within range to assist with the rescue if they have an AIS receiver or transponder.

Apart for an AIS receiver or transceiver connected to a chart plotter / PC, nothing. The Easy Rescue maybe attached to a life jacket or kept on a lanyard. To operate just slide the safety cover off (releasing the coiled antenna) and press ON. A test button allows regular test of GPS function, battery state etc. Continue Reading…

Kannad Safelink R10 – AIS SART

Another company, Kannad Marine, has taken the concept a step further with the release of the new SafeLink R10 SRS (Survivor Recovery System), a small AIS SART which can be packed into inflatable lifejakcets. Clipping onto the inflation tube (or just secured to the front of a traditional PFD) the unit automatically activates when the vest is inflated.  The SafeLink R10 transmits target survivor information, including structured alert messages, GPS position information, and a unique serialised identity number back to the onboard plotter*. An inbuilt high precision GPS receiver provides accurate position information to assist in quick recovery of survivors.It will transmit continuously for a minimum of 24 hours and has a 7 year battery storage life.

It also features a flashing LED indicator light; to aid detection at night and a self test facility with battery use indication. Here’s a video demonstrating it’s use:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I tested the EasyRescue a few months ago and was given a hands-on demonstration of the Safelink R10 at a recent conference. Both units are small and appear to be well built. The EasyRescue appears to be the perfect unit for mounting aboard FastRescue boats to track SAR patterns in an emergency or included inside the emergency kits of liferafts and lifeboats. While the Safelink, due to its size, seems perfect for individual (especially inflatable!) lifejackets.

But what happens once these devices are activated?

AIS SARTS are built similar to EPIRBS but they work on a local level. EPIRBS collect your position via GPS and send that information to a Rescue Coordination Center which organizes a rescue but they do not notify nearby ships – the same ships that are your best chance for getting rescued in a MOB situation – of your immediate distress. AIS SARTS also collect your coordinates via GPS but they take this information and (like older RADAR activated SART) broadcast it to all nearby ships.

Upon activation, all nearby ships, and boats equipped with AIS receivers, will be notified with messages popping up on their AIS device and connected ECDIS systems, and will get a range and bearing to your exact location which is updated, in real time, as you drift away from your ship.

The Drawbacks

Like any emerging technology the new AIS SART units aren’t perfect (yet). The biggest problem is, because they are so new, many ECDIS systems don’t properly recognize the alert as a distress. Many other ECDIS systems sound the same alarm signal for MOB as they do for high bilge levels and other nuisance alarms. But systems are being developed to fix this problem. The following video explains the problem and one solution being offered by marine electronics manufacturer Digital Yacht:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Another drawback is that some industry insiders claim there are better systems for locating MOB victims. As one example the excellent marine electronics boating blog Panbo discusses the future of DSC (Digital Selective Calling) MOB beacons for activating a ship’s GMDSS system in the event of a MOB. In an article titled “AIS & DSC MoB devices, the standards revealed” Panbo editor Ben Ellison writes:

The DSC MoB spec, for instance, allows for a much fuller featured device than what we saw with the ORCAdsc MOB Alarm back in 2010. An upgraded ORCAdsc could automatically go from “closed loop” mode — that is, only alarming the vessel or fleet it’s associated with — to “open loop” mode after five minutes in the drink. Then it would transmit “a standard all ships DSC distress alert with nature of distress ‘man overboard’ and GPS position automatically inserted…to all DSC equipped ships and shore stations in range (normally about 2 nm).” I don’t know that such a device exists yet but they will additionally include a VHF Channel 70 receiver so that the crewperson overboard will know that his or her alarm has been acknowledged and (I think) that also means that device will stop sending off alarms at that point. Sounds smart, but so does the AIS spec.

What do I carry?
While these units are available internationally, US mariners will have to wait on the approval of the FCC and, even overseas, Regulators and manufacturers are still studying AIS SART technology but I believe these tests, including a large field study being conducted by Kannad and a large pacific seafood company, will make it clear that every professional mariner should owe a personal AIS SART device. But until the units are available in the US and familiar to local Search and Rescue organizations the following is what I carry when sailing gCaptain’s test boat, a 43′ sailing yacht, in the waters of the Pacific:

• Waterproof Handheld VHF – I maintain that the best chance for recovery is talking  - in person on channel 16 – to your rescuers directly which is why I keep a handheld VHF strapped to my lifejacket in bad weather.
• PLB – The handheld version of an EPIRB, my PLB is the lifelink to the Coast Guard when no other ships are in the area. Built to higher specifications and containing a GPS receiver my PLB won’t let me talk directly yo rescuers but it will out-survive and outreach the VHF. (confused yet? Here’s a video gCaptain produced showing the difference between a PLB and EPIRB).
• Harness – The best way to avoid a MOB is to stay aboard the boat and since the S/V gCaptain is relatively small I stay safe by strapping myself to the vessel in bad weather.

What is the future?

While some believe that DSC based SARTS are the answer, I’ve seen too many false alarms broadcast over the system in recent years. I like the AIS SARTS a lot but I think the ultimate solution will be a hybrid of the existing systems and I believe that AIS will soon replace the 121.5 homing signal still present in most 406 epirbs.

But what I like most is a simple waterproof radio so I can talk to nearby ships from the water. So the perfect system for me would be a bluetooth handheld VHF with integrated AIS that I can clip to my lifevest. Here are the features I’d have in my ideal unit I would like to clip to my lifejacket:

• I’d like the unit to serve as a microphone to a base VHF (I have the RS-82 system abroad the gCaptain test boat) when in bluetooth range. When out of bluetooth range (like if I fell overboard) an alarm sounds on the base unit.
• Water Activated, I’d like the following to go off when the unit is immersed
•      -Strobe light
•      -AIS tracking
• Integrated GPS EPIRB
• Two batteries
•      -One for the emergency functions & one for the rest

I know I’m reaching for the moon here but I think your best chance of survival in poor conditions (especially if you are the captain of your own boat) is being able to actually talk with the surrounding boats.

Surrounding boats (especially commercial ones) are likely to ignore a DSC alert but will NOT ignore someone asking for help on Channel 16.

What is your ideal personal locating system?

image provided courtesy of Cospas-Sarsat

Back on February 1^st 2009, though boat owners and ship riders didn’t hear it, there were celebrations all over the rescue world as the COSPAS-SARSAT system stopped processing and reporting 121.5 distress signals.  The hours of lost sleep spent chasing after ghost 121.5 EPIRB signals that were actually some other transmitter (like a radio tower or an ATM machine…seriously) is beyond measure. While I appreciated racking up flight hours on the government’s dime; the Coast Guard, along with SAR organizations the world over, have turned a lot of fuel into noise searching for….well…nothing.  Only one out of fifty 121.5 alerts have been genuine distress situations.  An end to all that warrants at least a little celebration.  But even as the date came and went and the chatter about the switch increased – the first problem with the 406 EPIRBs is already showing itself: news release after news release touts the 406 as the “digital” beacon; more powerful, no-waiting, and accurate to just a few yards.  The problem is that none of that is completely true – not mostly – and only sort-of.  And since recreational boaters and professional mariners are making purchasing decisions about the things, and they are lifesaving devices, I wanted to clear a few things up about the “able-to-leap-buildings-in-a-single bound” 406.

MISNOMER

Most Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons do not actually “Indicate” their “Position.”  Without an onboard GPS – your EPIRB, any EPIRB, simply transmits a signal that contains the exact same data regardless of where in the world you happen to be. While the position of a non-GPS enabled 406 is calculated with greater accuracy than the old 121.5 beacons – it is done in exactly the same way – by relaying the analog (that’s right – I said it) 406 signal back down to earth for calculation – just like the 121.5s did.

It’s About the Birds

To understand the real benefits of the 406, you really have to understand the satellites they talk to.  The COSPAS-SARSAT system is made up two very different types of spacecraft:  geosynchronous and low earth orbiting.  Geosynchronous (synched up with the geography below them) stay fixed above the equator at specific longitudes – looking straight down at the earth below them from around 22,000 miles high – giving them a very wide look at the earth.  Low earth orbiting satellites (LEOSAR) travel around the planet at different rates, and because they fly much lower than their geo-synched brothers (between 500 and 550 miles above the earth), they see a much smaller picture of the surface.  If all that seems like too much information – the important points are that one kind of satellite orbits the earth, and the other kind stays fixed in space above it.

One big advantage to the 406 is its ability – with its higher power – to reach out (22,000 miles into space) and be heard by the GEOSAR satellites.  You know, the ones way up there above the equator that don’t move and see HUGE pieces of the earth. Positioned around the globe so they can see everything between the 70^th parallels – these high fliers are the real engine to the 406 machine.  Just as soon as these guys hear that 406 MHz pulse (a half-second long every 50 seconds), encoded with that “digital” information, it immediately retransmits it back down to earth – including the beacon number and your exact latitude and longitude provided by the on-board GPS.  The signal also includes your course and speed giving rescuers very accurate – real-time data – to get straight to you.

Without an On-Board GPS – Everything Changes

Without GPS data in the pulse, the GEOSAR Satellites – and all that extra power spent sending them a signal – do nothing.  Though they hear the signal, you could be anywhere in their massive window on the world so they have no idea where the beacon is coming from.  Your super-digital, high-powered 406 just digressed and the LEOSAR’s do all the work.  The position of the beacon is determined by Doppler shift.  As the satellite passes over the beacon (and just as with 121.5s, you may have to wait for it) and hears the 406 MHz signal, it retransmits the signal back to earth to one of forty-five Local User Terminal (LUTs) around the earth.  Some very serious math is then applied to determine where exactly the beacon is (or was) as the satellite passed overhead.  Though much more accurate than the 121.5 signals, and immune to old LEOSAR blind spots, these positions can still be off by as much as 3 miles and may be up to 40 minutes old; older if the satellite picked up the 406 outside the view of a LUT (see map).  And while this is way better than the 121.5 accuracy (up to 12 miles off) and timeliness, you should consider the benefits of the on board GPS 406 over the other varieties before making a decision.

What 150 Bucks More Gets You:

I’m not talking about brands; I’m talking about types. So the price difference may be more or less.  But given that we are talking about an “emergency” beacon – usually used from the water (meaning your boat is gone) let’s just call the price difference “peanuts”: The difference between a 406 with an on board GPS and one without is best expressed this way. You can let the rescuers know where you are – accurate to within yards and including drift data – every 50 seconds; or you can let the rescuers know where you might have been – accurate to within a few miles – a while ago with a non-GPS 406.  Sure, you’ll meet the requirements with the less expensive model, but I promise you won’t miss the extra money sitting (hopefully) in your life raft.

Some readers will notice I haven’t even mentioned the third kind of 406 – the GPS-linked variety that uses data from your vessel’s on-board navigation device.  It’s a great idea so long as you’re staying with your vessel, and you’re under power, and the batteries last.  How likely is that in an emergency that requires an EPIRB?  If you have to abandon ship, or the ship abandons you, the on board navigation system isn’t coming with you….and neither is accurate GPS data.

Bottom Line:

The advantages of global coverage and registration data available with 406 EPIRBS are phenomenal– but consider the following when deciding which type of 406 to purchase:

• 406 EPRIBS are four times more accurate than the 121.5 EPIRBS were.
• 406 EPIRBS with on board GPS are two-hundred times more accurate.

So all 406’s are not created equal (not even close) – and if you want the fullest digital advantage available and really want to help rescue crews get more sleep, make sure yours has a GPS.

For more information on the COSPAS-SARSAT System, approved devices, proper beacon registration, and more information about digital and analog signal processing than any one person should know – visit www.cospas-sarsat.org

disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the Department of Homeland Security or the U.S. Coast Guard.

Note: This article was first published in February of 2009

 The technologies are grouped under four main headings:

• Ship design
• Propulsion
• Machinery
• Operation & Maintenance

Combining these areas and treating them together as an integrated solution can result in truly efficient ship operations.

The following are design concepts and their associated contribution to a more efficient ship design.

A larger ship will in most cases offer greater transport efficiency  – “Efficiency of Scale” effect.  A larger ship can transport more cargo at the  same speed with less power per cargo unit.  Limitations may be met in port handling.

Regression analysis of recently built ships show that a 10% larger ship will give about 4-5% higher transport efficiency. 

Minimising the use of ballast (and other unnecessary weight) results in lighter displacement and thus lower resistance. The resistance is more or less directly proportional to the displacement of the vessel. However there must be enough ballast to immerse the propeller in the water, and provide sufficient stability (safety) and acceptable sea keeping behaviour (slamming).

Removing 3000 tons of permanent ballast from a PCTC and increasing the beam by 0.25 metres to achieve the same stability will reduce the propulsion power demand by 8.5%.

The use of lightweight structures can reduce the ship weight. In structures that do not contribute to ship global strength, the use of aluminium or some other lightweight material may be an attractive solution.

The weight of the steel structure can also be reduced. In a conventional ship, the steel weight can be lowered by 5-20%, depending on the amount of high tensile steel already in use.

A 20% reduction in steel weight will give a reduction of ~9% in propulsion power  requirements. However, a 5% saving is more realistic, since high tensile steel has already been used to some extent in many cases.

Finding the optimum length and hull fullness ratio (Cb) has a big impact on ship resistance.

A high L/B ratio means that the ship will have smooth lines and low wave making resistance. On the other hand, increasing the length means a larger wetted surface area, which can have a negative effect on total resistance.

A too high block coefficient (Cb) makes the hull lines too blunt and leads to increased resistance.

Adding 10-15% extra length to a typical product tanker can reduce the power demand by more than 10%.

The Interceptor is a metal plate that is fitted vertically to the transom of a ship, covering most of the breadth of the transom. This plate bends the flow over the aft-body of the ship downwards, creating a similar lift effect as a conventional trim wedge due to the high pressure area behind the propellers. The interceptor has proved to be more effective than a conventional trim wedge in some cases, but so far it has been used only in cruise vessels and RoRos. An interceptor is cheaper to retrofit  than a trim wedge.

1-5% lower propulsion power demand. Corresponding improvement of up to 4% in total energy demand for a typical ferry.

A ducktail is basically a lengthening of the aft ship. It is usually 3-6 meter long. The basic idea is to lengthen the effective waterline and make the wetted transom smaller. This has a positive effect on the resistance of the ship. In some cases the best results are achieved when a ducktail is used together with an interceptor.

4-10% lower propulsion power demand. Corresponding improvement of 3-7% in total energy consumption for a typical ferry.

The shaft lines should be streamlined. Brackets should have a streamlined shape. Otherwise this increases the resistance and disturbs the flow to the propeller.

Up to 3% difference in power demand between poor and good design. A corresponding improvement of up to 2% in total energy consumption for a typical ferry.

The skeg should be designed so that it directs the flow evenly to the propeller disk. At lower speeds it is usually beneficial to have more volume on the lower part of the skeg and as little as possible above the propeller shaftline. At the aft end of the skeg the flow should be attached to the skeg, but with as low flow speeds as possible.

1.5%-2% lower propulsion power demand with good design. A corresponding improvement of up to 2% in total energy consumption for a container vessel.

The water flow disturbance from openings to bow thruster tunnels and sea chests can be high. It is therefore beneficial to install a scallop behind each opening. Alternatively a grid that is perpendicular to the local flow direction can be installed. The location of the opening is also important.

Designing all openings properly and locating them correctly can give up to 5% lower power demand than with poor designs. For a container vessel, the corresponding improvement in total energy consumption is almost 5%.

Compressed air is pumped into a recess in the bottom of the ship’s hull. The air builds up a “carpet” that reduces the frictional resistance between the water and the hull surface. This reduces the propulsion power demand. The challenge is to ensure that the air stays below the hull and does not escape. Some pumping power is needed.

Saving in fuel consumption:

• Tanker: ~15 % 
• Container: ~7.5 % 
• PCTC: ~8.5 % 
• Ferry: ~3.5%

Part 2 of this series focuses on ship propulsion technology.  

A graphical representation of NEPTUNE Canada's subsea architecture, image courtesy NEPTUNE Canada

By Captain Patrick Donovan, R/V Thomas G. Thompson, University of Washington  

As mariners we encounter them all the time… a yellow buoy, a white ship, the daily routine of transmitting weather observations.  They are references to scientific research taking place in our world, a world habitually focused on trade, commerce, profit, and loss. Sometimes unnoticed, the commercialized aspect of life on the sea comes in contact with the academic pursuit of knowledge.

Often these references arrive in the form of a Notice to Mariners.  An update to a chart, a submerged mooring, plotted somewhere along our track line. A concern? Maybe.  But then you see the depth, 2600 meters. Your deeply laden vessel only draws 12m. No problem.

But what is this mooring, and why would someone put it there? What is so interesting at that depth that someone would travel out into the middle of nowhere, a place that in normal seagoing life is often part of a route but never a destination, and install a subsea mooring in 2600 meters of water?

The answer is almost infinite. Ocean waves, swell, temperature, sea life, chemical makeup of the water column, salinity, gravity, motion, oxygen, nitrates, sediment, etc. You name it, and there is an instrument for it, or at least one in development. The ocean environment is still so vastly unknown, there are new and unexplainable things happening on a daily basis. We know more about the moon than we know about our own ocean, and in turn have a shared responsibility to find out more.

Though it can be one of the most tranquil, docile, and beautiful environments, the ocean can in a matter of minutes turn into one of the harshest, most unforgiving places on earth. Our ability to understand and predict weather patterns on the surface has led to increased safety for mariners by 100 fold, but understanding the weather is only part of the problem.  We don’t have, and never will have the ability to control it. And thus lies the greatest challenge in attempting to study a particular region. Access.

The ROV ROPOS is lowered into the sea with scientific instruments in its detachable tool basket. Photo courtesy NEPTUNE Canada

The only available access to the ocean is by ship, and the types of vessels needed are few and far between. Oceanographic research vessels must be seagoing vessels capable of handling large parties of scientific personnel, and hosting a variety of equipment, including remotely operated vehicles (ROV’s) and manned submersibles. They are expensive to operate, and offer little profit for commercial operators.

Scientists spend years writing grants, fighting for ship time, mobilizing a small army’s worth of equipment to remote outcroppings of ports to meet an available ship, transit out to the site of interest, only to be thwarted by impersonal and unbiased nasty weather.

A group of researchers from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, have found a solution to this issue by building a remote underwater ocean observatory.

Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) consists of two-subsea cable networks- called Venus (inshore) and Neptune (offshore). Located off the coast of Vancouver Island, these networks entail groups of instruments linked together by fiber optic cables.  The network uses the power of the Internet to bring real time observations from underwater instruments right into the offices and classrooms of researchers around the world, regardless of the weather.

Some of the instrument types of instruments available to date include:

• Conductivity-temperature-depth
• Current meters
• Hydrophones, sonars, echosounders
• Acoustic Doppler current profilers
• Bottom pressure sensors
• Chemical and gas sensors for measuring carbon dioxide, oxygen, methane, nitrates, etc.
• Seismometers, gravimeters and accelerometers
• High-resolution still-frame and video cameras with lights
• Microbe and plankton samplers and microbial incubators
• Turbidity sensors, transmissometers, sediment traps
• Benthic flow simulation chamber

The network offers early warning for potential disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunami’s. The hope is that with these instruments in place, the data will be available in the future to understand and predict such phenomena.

An inquisitive robot- Wally inspecting invaders to his home on the sea floor in 2100 m of water. Copyright 2011 CSSF ROPOS.COM

There is even a remotely operated crawler with HD video, lights, and all different types of sensors, that can be driven around from a shore-side control station in Germany. This miniature bulldozer – named Wally due to its resemblance to the Disney Pixar’s Wall-E, resides on the end of a 30m tether, and provides researchers with mobile access to his realm “wally land”.

The primary installation of the fiber optic main line was done by commercial cable ships, working under contract similar to that of a phone company. The auxiliary lines, instruments, and nodes have been installed by oceanographic research vessels, using an ROV to map out and survey cable routes, install instruments, and lay cable.

The Canadian Scientific Research Facility’s ROV-named ROPOS has done the bulk of the installation and maintenance. ROPOS has the ability to latch on to instrument platforms and fly them down to the sea floor to be plugged in to the network. It also has the ability to lay cable using an innovative system called ROCLS, or Remote Operated Cable Laying System. ROCLS is essentially spool of wire in a specialized geared frame designed to attach to the bottom of the ROV. The ROV can fly along with the cable reel and pay it out as they go, laying the cable along a pre-determined path on the sea floor.

The instruments are designed to be plug and play.  They use wet-mate connectors (which look like children’s toys made by Nerf) that can be plugged in by an ROV, allowing the instrument to be easily removed for maintenance/updating, and/or moved to other areas of the network.

The ability to change out and add additional instrumentation is a significant component of these systems. This is what will allow the networks to grow and evolve as interests and focuses change. The scientific process can be very dynamic, in that the course of the research will often change as more is discovered and understood about a particular subject.

Now in its second year of operation, ONC has gone through its share of trials and tribulations. Cable and instrument failures have beleaguered the network. The system requires annual maintenance, thus requiring ship time. Ultimately though, they have been successful. There has been a great deal of interest in further developing instrumentation and data collection, and the hope is that over time the network will become more interactive.

In the United States, the National Science Foundation is in the process of installing a similar network of instrumentation through its Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI). The objective is to create an expansive network following the NEPTUNE concept, over time encompassing the oceans of the western hemisphere.  There are multiple research institutions taking place in the implementation of OOI, each taking charge of a critical piece of the infrastructure. The networks will be high power and bandwidth, streaming real time observations, data, and live HD video. They will provide long-term access to an environment where up until recently, only a glimpse has been available.

Like anything else, these networks will evolve over time, with lessons learned and changes brought about by technology and innovation. The concept is sound, and the results proven. The research community has come a long way from the bathyscaphe and the Aqualung, and even the submersible. These tools, while still significant part of the foundation of oceanography, are dwarfed by the shear enormity of potential for the future of cabled observatories.

For more information on this project please watch the following TEDx presentation:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Or visit:

• www.neptunecanada.ca/
• www.ropos.com
• www.oceanobservatories.org/

10: GPS Enabled Buoys

Tired of reading notice to mariner corrections about buoys that drifted off location? Why not place satellite tracking devices on them? The consumer electronics world has a myriad of devices capable of tracking cars, planes and boats, so why can’t the USCG track buoys? The device could be simple, a toughened version of the SPOT Messenger, but the real magic would happen online. Data from each buoy could be aggregated and pushed out to a website online and, eventually, directly to ECDIS systems aboard ships. Real time updates would certainly make chart corrections simpler but it would also serve a critical function the next time a Tsunami hits our shore.

9: E-Loran

For  reasons from providing redundancy for GPS navigation to powering the next round of electronic devices, capable of positioning regardless of having a celestial view, eLoran has captured the excitement of gCaptain editors and forum members… that is until the USCG announced the termination of the Loran system. The way to a better future is clearly to invest in technology infrastructure not cut programs with great promise for improved efficiency and safety. But don’t give up hope, eLoran had great potential to improve maritime operations and safety , a fact that hasn’t changed. Let’s revisit this technology and move it from the dead files back to the front burner.

8: Rescue 21 Public Interface

When a ship sends a distress alert the USCG’s Rescue 21 computers start lighting up with activity. Location information is pulled from the distress vessel’s DSC and EPIRB, vessel registration documents are automatically cross-referenced and an operator fills in the blanks with specific details about the distress. All good information correlated and processed by system for the digital age.  What happens next is decidedly 20th centerury in its approach… A CG VHF operator gets on channel 16 and begins broadcasting laced with sparse details. If it’s a large ship, additional information might be broadcast to your GMDSS console, however this too is 20th century technology and the information sent is sparse. What we need is a public interface to Rescue 21 developed by the guys who built Facebook that sends you text alerts and buttons for “nearby distresses”…. slicking on the button would give you a screen full of data including photos of the vessel, crew compliment, MSDS info about its cargo, etc. Plus a big Google map that plots both the distressed ships and all nearby vessels capable of assisting in the SAR efforts.  Some of the information in the Rescue 21 system is confidential, but much of it is publicly available.  The USCG just needs the willingness to share.

7: More Secret Weapons

In a recent interview with CG-721, the weapons development team that we’ve nicknamed Skunk Works of the Coast Guard, we learned of new non-lethal weapons being developed to get the attention of “unresponsive” vessels. We also learned of a new computer assisted super gun called the Gyro Stabilized Weapons System which is the ultimate in cool weapons technology. gCaptain has done many posts on weapons at sea and has learned that technology from magnetic robots to anti-pirate lasers is being developed commercially for use against pirates.  Why can’t the Coast Guard join the game?  If the US Military can justify billions of dollars to budget the real skunk works, why can’t it give just one billion to the USCG to play around with? What gCaptain wants is more secret projects, projects that are highly classified, projects that will help the CG fight pirates and save mariners lost at sea. Sometimes transparency isn’t a good thing. Sometimes, to promote progress, what’s really needed is military grade secrecy and a pile of warm cash, which is why we are willing to put this idea on hold until the federal budget is balanced.

6: Join The Anti-Pirate Game With A New Website

The situation in Somalia is only getting worse.  Recently, a ship, with a freshly disembarked security team, was taken hostage.   Besides SEAL teams, no one has the experience with non-compliant vessel boardings and interdictions like the Coast Guard and it’s time for them to step up their game.  First order of business is to test and verify all the new weapons and anti-boarding systems being sold by commercial vendors. Is an anti-pirate laser effective in warding off pirates? What about a 300-Gallons of mace? And what about the security teams? Have any of them received government training, or at least verification? This is why the USCG needs a new website titled anti-pirate.mil which, like Consumer Reports, tests these systems – along with security providers – and gives their stamp of approval. But approval is just the start, the website would also be filled with YouTube video of weapons being fired and pro/con lists of each device.

5. SAR UAV’s

gCaptain may sound like a broken record on this one, but that’s only because the idea is a true no-brainer and we are surprised by the CG’s lack of interest in the subject. News reports come out daily about the success of UAVs in Iraq, Afghanistan and, just yesterday, Libya.  UAV’s clearly work.

When a distress call is made from the high seas, helicopters and/or C-130′s are launched.  These are expensive and put their crews into harms way. What the CG needs is a fleet of relatively inexpensive UAVs to support search and rescue operations. Every distress call received by the USCG should be followed by the immediate launch of a UAV and, when the sinking vessel can’t be found, a dozen UAV’s should be launched – all equipped with thermal imaging cameras – to find survivors. At a cost of just over $100,000 for a fully capable FURY model this answer is cheap, easy and effective.

4. Internet Communication

Admiral Thad Allen was famous for his push into Social Media but his sucessor as Commandant of the Coast Guard, Admiral Robert Papp, has pulled back the reigns on participation in social media. Part of this has been to refocus on the core missions of the Coast Guard, but the push back also comes from top leadership advisers who question the usefulness of social media and blogs like gCaptain. What has become lost is the simple fact that the internet is a very useful tool for communication. The articles gCaptain writes, the YouTube videos, the Facebook shares, are all means of communicating ideas…. something every organization should utilize to their benefit.  Communicating via the internet can appear difficult and time consuming, but it’s proven to be highly effective.  The US Navy understands this, why not the Coast Guard?

3. Port Information iPhone App

Port information is critical to the success of a short voyage from sea-buoy to dock, but it continues to be limited.  This information is contained in a dated volume of publications updated with scissors and glue, weather information comes over facsimile and computerized voice recordings and no information is provided about your pilot until he stands next to you on the bridge. What we need is an iPhone app!  Open the app and you get a list of ships entering the port and just like the arrivals board at your local airport, you can instantly see which ships are on time, delayed or in a holding pattern. Weather streams into another page but it is augmented with local current and wind data. Each ship has a page with basic information as does the pilot assigned to each ship… and both contain contact information so they can call each other as the launch is still making it’s way out to the ship.  Finally, there might be a message board where ship captains, pilots and VTS could exchange information in real time.  Facebook has been doing this for years, why doesn’t the Coast Guard do the same thing for ships?

 2. Lifeboat Release Hook X-Prize

Lifeboat releasing hooks has been a hot topic in the industry for years. Countless fatalities have happened for the simple reason that the mechanisms that allow you to release a lifeboat from the davit wires are not failsafe in their design. IMO sub-committees have been formed to long at the problem and lifeboat manufacturers have been put under intense pressure to improve their systems yet no solutions have been found to be 100% safe. X-Prize is an organization that funds the impossible. From getting back to the moon, to developing new technology for fighting oil spills, the organization funds a prize for people invent the impossible. We need to fix the problem of lifeboat fatalities and nothing says you are serious like a million dollar prize. Sure $1 million is a lot of money for an organization which struggles to meet its budget but, with $10.34 billion allocated to the Coast Guard in the 2012 Presidential Budget, the figure seems small compaired to the number of lives it may save.

1. The idea we missed…

At gCaptain, we believe in the power of mariners communicating online to solve problems, both big and small. Our readers help each other every day by posting questions and answers on the forum. We have come up with 9 ideas for maritime technology the Coast Guard could implement today, but there are dozen more in the minds of our community.  What is the number one idea you would like the Coast Guard to pursue?

To learn more about marine airbags and their use for moving and launching large ships, we reached out to Song Tao of Qingdao Evergreen Shipping Supplies Co.,Ltd. Let’s here what he has to say…

What were the first uses of air bags in the launching of ships?

The history of marine air bag ship launching dates back to 1981. Xiao Qinghe ship repair and building shipyard, located in Jinan city of Shangdong Province, launched a 60 DWT tank barge with air bag suspension on January 20, 1981. Seven air bags were deployed in that project. One was 2 meters in diameter and 6 meters long and used for elevating.  The remaining six air bags were 0.8 meters x 6 meters long and acted as the rollers. The first intention of that trial launch was to develop a prompt, less landform limited ship launching method for warfare purposes.

How has the technology advanced since then?

Over the past twenty years, the airbag ship launching system has made advancements in not only the air bag, but also the ship launching/landing technology. The first generation air bags used a rubber dipped canvas as a reinforcement layer to form the air chamber trunk. Two cone-shaped molds were then used to make the ends and everything was stuck together.

With today’s air bags, the whole-enlacing-technology used for manufacturing is done together.  Rubber dipped synthetic-tyre-cords are used as the reinforcement layers with the trunk and two cone-shaped ends made at the same time.  Everything is then-laced together, so the air bag doesn’t have any joints. Due to the development of rubber chemistry, the performance of the rubber employed in the latest air bags is highly enhanced and about 15 times that of the first generation bag with the same specifications.

The launching and landing technology has also developed. In the beginning, only small and flat bottom ships located on a fabricated slope could be launched with air bags. Now this technology is more flexible and less limited by the ship and landform. Now any type of ship with a DWT below 55,000 and in a place with enough launching space can be launched using air bags. The launching slope even can be sloped upward.  It has really developed into a cutting edge technology for launching ships, and especially useful for some marine emergencies.

They look very similar to Yokohama Fenders, how do they differ?

The main use of Yokohama fenders and Evergreen air bags are definitely different. It is well known that Yokohoma fenders offer an effective fender system providing a soft and stable berthing condition to ships. Evergreen air bags are widely used for ship launching, landing, heavy transport and air lifting. Due to the special use, structures of Evergreen air bags are optimized for safety and built for heavy duty use. The surface layers are enhanced for anti-abrasion and are pierce resistant. Even if they are somewhat wounded, Evergreen air bags can still work safely until repaired. The length of air bags are usually more than 10 meters and two cone-shaped ends make them look like huge sausages. Also, Evergreen air bags never use tires and shackles.

What are the advantageous to using this system over traditional ship launching techniques?

An air bag ship launching system does not need the traditional fabricated slipway so it saves time, investment, land, etc. Air bags need no extra maintenance and after use they can be cleaned and folded in the corner to wait for another mission. It is easy to find that air bags’ elasticity can give more protection to the launched ship. A remarkable character of air bags is that the working height can be changed to redirect the ship or object being launched by adjusting the inner air pressure. For this character it is peerless compared to traditional ship launching techniques.

So what are the other uses for this system?

Evergreen air bags are not only used for ships, floating docks and caisson launching but they are also cutting edge for ship landing, heavy transport, marine salvage, etc. It is a versatile tool for many marine applications.

What was the most challenging mission your system has assisted with?

The most challenging mission we ever participated in was the ancient ship named “Nanhai No.1” salvage project. The project was called the most complicated and expensive salvage project in China’s history. (photos of salvage project below)

It had been revised 6 times and been demonstrated 4 times during the preparing 4 years.  In June 2006, the top 22 experts were collected to demonstrate the latest project which finally got approved after two days of discussion.  It was finally decided to the best idea was to build a large caisson to contain the ship, then lift the caisson out of the water and onto land by air bags.

The Nanhai No.1 weighed 2,800 tons under water and when brought out of water, it weighed some 4,800 tons. The caisson was brought out of the water and placed on a submerged barge then carried to a temporary port. All we needed to do with air bags was land the caisson from the barge and move it to its final residence, a specially built museum named “crystal palace”. The tides and dropping off weights, along with the caisson moved to land, made the barge’s working height and direction change every time. We had to adjust the inner pressure of air bags placed under the caisson to redirect it to close the port or change the height of caisson bottom to reach a better condition for landing. On 12/25/2007 The first attempt to land the caisson was canceled because of a violent 4 meter wave when the caisson was near the port. During the next day’s floodtime, it took more than 3 hours to land the caisson on the temporary port successfully with 16 huge air bags. The remaining 365 meters from the temporary port to museum was comparatively easier for the air bags to carry the caisson. On 12/28/2007, we completed our goal when the caisson arrived at its new home, the “crystal palace”.

Any disadvantageous to using “Air Bags”?

Air bags ship launching technology can not be used for side-launch of big ships, so it is somewhat limited for ship launching. And it needs more calculation for the launching/landing process.

Is your company working on any new ideas for the future?

Yes. As was mentioned before, air bag ship launching technology can not currently be used for ship side-launch. We are working hard on the improvement of air bags and a design made for ship side-launch. We have two goals to achieve in the near future: one is to enable ship side-launch with air bags and the other is to launch DWT 100,000 ships using air bags.

How can we learn more about the product?

Our website, qingdaoyongtai.com, is a good place to start. We have plenty of marine air bag ship launching/salvage cases presented there that are of help.

Marine Air Bag – Ship Launching Photos

Video Of The Airbag-Assisted Ship Launch

Click here to view the embedded video.