Integrated Surveillance Solutions Increasingly Important for Crew Safety

Integrated surveillance solutions will play a major role in reducing risk to crew, vessels and cargo as safety continues to dominate the shipping industry agenda, particularly in relation to heightened interest in new Arctic routes, according to the surveillance solutions specialist Synectics.

The company said that it has witnessed increased interest from shipping operators looking to use surveillance technology as a ‘situational awareness’ mechanism, rather than just an isolated security tool.

“Last year we saw the concept of ‘Connected Ship’ emerge as a dominant trend, advocating a ‘joined up’ approach to ship technologies in order to improve safety standards and shipping efficiencies. It was a movement that put surveillance in the spotlight,” Dimitris Nikoleris, Business Development Manager for the Marine sector at Synectics, explains.

“Debates around Arctic route navigation combined with wider recognition of surveillance capabilities, has boosted interest further still, with technologies such as thermal cameras being used specifically for ice hazard monitoring to ensure safe passage through challenging environments.”

New options, such as the Arctic Ocean passage that has opened up north of Russia, potentially enable ships to travel from Asia to European destinations up to two weeks faster than traditional routes. However these new routes present dangers in terms of floating ice, storms, near zero visibility and sheer remoteness for emergency support.

The company is exhibiting at Nor-Shipping 2015 (Hall B01-15 at Norges Varemesse, Oslo) where it is  demonstrating key technologies from its COEX product suite.

Nikoleris continued: “Solutions such as Synergy 3, which we will be demonstrating at Nor-Shipping, enable data collation and analysis from multiple ship systems including surveillance cameras, radar, Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) and Automatic Identification System (AIS). Pulling visual, audio and numerical data into a single command and control environment gives operators full and real-time situational awareness.”

“In addition to facilitating security measures such as approaching vessel recognition and absolute positioning, this also provides valuable ‘on-ship’ awareness that could, in some cases, be life-saving,” he said. “For example, integrating systems in this way enables bridge crew to maintain constant visual and audio contact with deck crew. Should any incidents occur (from technical machinery issues to man-overboard) immediate response protocols can be actioned and the bridge can update crew in real-time of any potential hazards that may impact on vessel operations.”

Image: GES