Modernisation of GMDSS Equipment - by IMO

How to calculate Drain Current and GMDSS battery life during GMDSS SRC Under normal circumstances, it is but natural for the ship staff to get confused with the drain current of GMDSS equipment during survey. This often leads to complicated situation where  a proper explanation becomes crucial to convince the Class surveyor especially if the battery is more than two years old. As per IMO, the GMDSS battery (reserve source) should be replaced once in 3 years irrespective of the condition of the battery after three years. The battery has to be subjected to a capacity load test (similar to your daily routine and weekly routine) once in a month. This is basically done by connecting 6 x 100W DC bulb in series connected to the GMDSS battery. Let us look into a  situation as follows: 1. the above load is connected and 0900 hrs (lt) - Specific gravity and the voltage is recorded at this time. 2. At an interval of 30 minutes, the specific gravity and the voltage...

Do you struggle to sort out navtex warnings ?  If yes, you are not alone Navtex is as important equipment as any other equipment on the wheel house. But sometimes we tend to give Navtex a step motherly treatment by keeping it last in priority list. One reason for that is we are never sure how to handle Navtex. If we know how it works and how best we can handle Navtex on board, handling Navtex messages will be as easy as eating a pie of cake. 1. What is the source of Navtex messages Navtex station receives these messages from navtex coordinator who in turn receives these messages from various sources. These sources include Meteorological office, Hyrdrographic office or   rescue coordination centers   (RCC). What is the difference between service area and range of the Navtex station ? A navtex station have a pre-defined area for which it is responsible for sending information. This is called service area of navtex stat...

LOAD TEST OR CAPACITY TEST OF A GMDSS BATTERY (24VDC) Over the years of experience as a radio surveyor, it has been observed that the most common mistake that the ship staff does is the maintenance of the GMDSS battery (reserve source). This emergency source is often misunderstood for compliance. In a nutshell let us have a look into what is this emergency source is all about: As per SOLAS regulations it is mandatory for all vessels built after 1995 to have on board an emergency generator. Older ships might have an emergency generator or a battery bank as emergency source. When we speak of sources of energy it is as below:  Main source of energy - Main Generator. emergency source - This supplies power to emergency lights and other applications on board and it is  not the one supplying power to GMDSS equipment. The reserve source of energy is normally a 24V DC - lead acid battery which primarily caters to the communication equipment needs only. The AH c...

Safety Radio Survey (aka) SRT/SRC and or GMDSS Radio Survey In a series of articles that is about to follow in the topic GMDSS Radio Survey or commonly known as SRT or SRC, we intend  to highlight the importance of the GMDSS radio communication equipment on board the vessel and how to prepare the station for Survey. The author of this blog is a 2nd Class COP certificate holder from Government of India, Ministry of Communications and has sailed for over 20 years as Radio Officer and is also a very well know Radio Surveyor with all leading IACS societies in India, viz, Class NK, DNV GL, Lloyds, ABS, BV, IRS etc. Let us start with the basic requirements that has to be in place prior to the Class surveyor's visit to the vessel to carryout GMDSS Survey DOCUMENTATION:  the  following ITU documents  are mandatory to be present on board during the radio survey:- List of Coast Stations - by ITU - Latest edition List of Ship Stations - By ITU - Latest...

8.4)  Operational checks to be carried out by Radio Surveyors in Radar Equipment during Survey 8.4.1)  Surveyors should check the overall performance of the radar installation by careful observation of known echo responses in the vicinity of the ship. This is a subjective method and relies on the judgement of the surveyor with experienced appreciation of the quality of a radar picture which can be obtained in the area. 8.4.2)  The operation of Performance Monitors should also be checked and, where possible, the monitor responses should be compared with the calibration label or record. 8.4.3)  The alignment of the radar heading-marker with the ship's fore-and-aft line should be checked by comparing visual bearings, relative to the ship's head, of identified radar echoes with the bearings on the display between the echoes and the heading line. The visual bearings should, where practicable, be taken from positions which do not introduce parallax into the a...

TIPS FOR YOUR GYRO COMPASS CARE ✻  ➊ Watch out! Pay attention to the expire date of the annual overhaul to INCREASE THE ACCURACY OF EQUIPMENT. Main gyro compasses manufacturer specify on their handbooks maintenance period. ✻  ➋ Require only skilled engineer  ✻  ➌ Be sure to keep a clear and stable power voltage to your gyrocompass to increase Gyroshepere/ sensitive element eol and improve accuracy. Avoid accidental blackout.  ✻  ➍ Keep always an adequate ventilation. Main gyro compasses themselves generate a temperature of 50 degrees; as consequence the place, where gyro compasses are located, must be ventilated. The normal life span of a gyro sphere is around 20,000 hours or 3 years or as stipulated by the manufacturer. Refer SOLAS -  SOLAS V/19.2.5.1 – 19.2.5.3  for more information. 

Panasonic Avionics Corp has introduced a new generation of satellite communications for maritime, offshore oil and renewables, and passenger ship connectivity. The network includes high throughput satellites, ground stations and modem technology from Newtec that enables voice and video over IP applications. This provides bandwidth for passenger and crew communications, online applications, entertainment channels, video conferencing and streaming, social media and smartphone operations. Panasonic’s subsidiary ITC Global will leverage this network to offer this connectivity to shipping, cruise ships, offshore vessels and naval ships. Panasonic chief executive Hideo Nakano said the network is more than just providing bandwidth to vessels. “It represents a major evolution in our approach to partnering with customers to deliver the highest standards of service and to ensure that their passengers enjoy an unmatched connected experience,” he said in a statement. ITC Global chief ...

New bridge products from JRC subsidiary Alphatron, Praxis, Navico and Sperry Marine were unveiled during Q4 2017 Manufacturers are developing bridge systems with greater levels of integration that can be used for future e-navigation applications. This latest generation of bridge electronics has simpler network architecture and more flexibility with integrated workstations that can be used for more advanced navigation and alarm monitoring applications than has been possible before. For example, Japan Radio Co (JRC) subsidiary Alphatron Marine introduced an integrated bridge system for workboats and commercial ships in October 2017 that was designed to be simple to use. This latest version of its AlphaBridge is designed and integrated by Alphatron using JRC bridge equipment. Alphatron divisional manager Rogier van Roon told  Marine Electronics & Communications  in November 2017 that AlphaBridge’s design should enable optimised views from the wheelhouse and ful...