General News

ABS has signed a new agreement with the Greek Shipping Ministry expanding its authority to perform statutory certifications on their behalf. This expanded agreement includes survey and certification services for passenger vessels,…

Austal Ships of Australia today announced a contract to build an 85 metre ropax ferry for Greek operator Hellas Flying Dolphins (HFD). The catamaran is the fifth fast ferry HFD has ordered…

Evolution rather than revolution in the communications sector.T here are a number of trends appearing that are having an effect on the communications sector, says Ghani Behloul, maritime marketing director for France…

Inmarsat?s emphasis on new services and technologiesChris Insall, product manager for Inmarsat?s maritime division says that the analogue mobile satcoms system, Inmarsat A, is a very old system, but owners do not…

Despite the considerable benefits of electronic chart display and information systems, take up by the industry has been unhurriedThere can be no question about the advantages that an electronic chart display and…

Integrated bridge systems help reduce the stress on the officer of the watch, along with the possible human error responsible for many accidents.Safe navigation is the universal objective of all those engaged…

Less than two years after the project?s launch and six months after the setting up of the Galileo joint undertaking (GJU), the European Commision (EC) reports that the development phase, which extends…

The dynamic positioning (DP) market is diverse and systems are being fitted to a wider range of vessels from small survey vessels to large cruise ships.DP automatically controls a ship?s heading and…

Apart from recording less data items and a reduced final recording medium, there are few major differences between "simplified" Voyage Data Recorders and "full" Voyage Data Recorders (VDRs). Simplified VDRs, however, are…

The requirements for all existing ships to carry a VDR will be endorsed by the next IMO meeting in May 2004. Existing ships will be allowed to have a floating capsule (albeit…