Feature 4 | COMMUNICATIONS & NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT
Typically, the navigation bridge consists
of four or five MFDs, while further MFDs can be installed on the aſt bridge; for example, for navigation control, sensor and alert management or chart radar. Tis not only simplifies procedures through central access; above all, it offers additional redundancies and, together with integrated performance monitoring, highest availability of data and function, and thus operational safety. Depending on the respective navigation
system manufacturer, the workstations and applications can optionally integrate further functions or can be upgraded and extended at a later date, depending on changing operational needs. A good example is offering a DP system, as selected by the owner, as application on the MFDs, adding flexibility and capability at each workplace without the need for additional hardware.
• Standard HMI in software and hardware To keep operation as simple as possible, the MFD comes with the required harmonised symbology, man-machine interface and data integration.
GE brings DP back to basics Furthermore, for all
displays, a central switch-over of colours and central dimming is possible from any workplace on the bridge. However, a common operating philosophy is not necessarily limited to the bridge displays. Added value can be achieved when all
hardware units installed at the consoles, such as steering control devices, thruster controls, autopilots and positioning systems, use the same standardised buttons, surfaces and inscriptions as the operator panels for radar, ECDIS and conning –a useful feature for operators in challenging work environments.
• Intelligent use of redundancies An IBS uses a large number of sensors such as compasses, speed logs, GNSS receivers, echo sounders, radar receivers and AIS receivers. Te more important sensors are at least duplicated to create additional safety, in particular aboard offshore vessels. Of course, availability and safety are increased only if redundancies are used in an intelligent and efficient way. The new ‘Consistent Common
Reference System’ (CCRS), which has become mandatory for integration into all new INS, continuously observes data validity, consistency and accuracy of all sensor data and gives them a quality rating. Following this rating the CCRS
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GE Power Conversion has unveiled a new dynamic positioning (DP) system, which, according to the company’s marine leader Paul English, is intended to “give ship control back to the mariners”, through a combination of user-friendly features. The new HMI has stripped back the number of controls, to make it easier to use the system, with a relatively uncluttered interface. English adds: “As the sophistication and complexity of DP systems has evolved, it has led to the risk that DP operators may have become preoccupied with managing the computer rather than on the primary task of controlling the ship, its position, heading and course…we are turning the DP system back into a nautical instrument”. The system features a 26” tiltable touchscreen, to suit users of varying heights, which has been designed to be visible in multiple lighting conditions, without glare. A language selection also enables the operator to access system info in his or her native tongue. GE has added an energy-efficient mode to the solution, which, when the vessel is not alongside a structure and in relatively open waters, reduces the degree of positional accuracy required, an action that could reduce fuel costs by approximately 10%, the company claims.
can be displayed, seen and acknowledged, are the keystones for new, INS-compliant bridge solutions. This leads to obvious advantages: the number of arising alerts actually set off is reduced, and there are fewer blinking displays and fewer beeps to attend to, thereby reducing the stress that many operators experience when directing concentration to the essential alarms. The requirements from INS are
further extended by the central alarm panel (CAP) which is required, for example, for DNV-NAUT-OSV-classed vessels. In addition to navigational alerts such as collision avoidance or anti-grounding, the CAP also includes other bridge alerts, such as from the engine automation. Subsequently, safety on board and during offshore operations is further enhanced with the capability to attend and acknowledge alerts centrally from navigation (fore) and ship handling (aſt) workplaces.
• Marine service portfolios In addition, the INS can not only communicate with other onboard systems, but also utilise and integrate shore-based data services, such as online chart updating, including tidal and route planning databases, NAVTEX services as above, or weather forecast data for weather routing and weather observation during offshore operations. Service and spare part logistics also require continuous communication between ship and shore, and we see ship maintenance soſtware solutions covering not only engine room stores but also the bridge system.
The German navigation system
compiles a set of the best sensor data and makes this available throughout the system automatically or by manual choice. In this way redundant sensor
information can be used intelligently and the accuracy and operating safety of the entire bridge system can be correspondingly increased.
• Alert management Intelligent classification of alerts with respect to their relevance in the total system, and a central operator interface on which all alarms, warnings and cautions
manufacturer Raytheon Anschütz has recently announced that its Synapsis Intelligent Bridge Control system is the first - and so far only – INS which is type approved according to the new IMO performance standard. Beyond the purely functional features, Synapsis comes with a new architecture, typically based on multifunctional workstations that share information through a redundant bridge Ethernet network and serve the operator with central data access and control. Workstations connected to this network receive their data, tasks and configurations automatically while being continuously monitored for availability and data integrity. Having all information locally available increases availability of data and services and thus reliability in operation. SBI
Ship & Boat International May/June 2013
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