THE PANAMA CANAL COMMISSION has selected EMS MARCON to refit the Dredge Mindi with a state of the art machinery controlled ABS/USCG approved automation system, the PMS 6100. The project called for designing a wall mount console to provide more space than what is found with the traditional deck mount console, This took everything off the deck & provided an additional 4 feet of passage in the EOS. The design also includes storage not found in the traditional EOS console designs.

THE RIVER WALK ACCIDENT with full radar and voice recorded to and from the M/V Bright Field was on the front page of the Times & Picyunne. It was also broadcast on CNN News. If you look closely at the photo the radar heading line of the vessel is visible. This is the Ohio River Co.'s Lockmaster who has an EMS Radar Target Voice recorder. The entire incident was recorded on VHS tape and confiscated by the USCG as evidence. Not bad recording for a piece of equipment that has been online continually for little more than 3 years.

As tugboats rushed to the aid of the crippled Bright Field freighter, river pilot Ted Davisson warned of danger as the giant ship lost power and veered left. The radio calls from 'Governor Nick' and 'Gretna' are from monitor river traffic. The Bright Field's radio designation is '70'. The images are from the Coast Guard radar.

0:00 The first radio call as the Bright Field passes under the Crescent City Connection

Davisson: 70 to Gov Nick. I just lost my engine. Alert everyone in the harbor to watch out.

Gov Nick: Gov Nick to everyone around Algiers Point ... the tour boats that just called me. Fella lost his engine. He's coming down on the bridge.

0:25 Davisson: Gov Nick. I'm going to hit those ... I'm gonna hit that damn cruise ship. Call 'em or do something.

0:30 Unknown (either a call to or from the tugboat Louisiana): Louisiana, southbound ship at the bridge.

0: 35 Davisson: Gov Nick, call 'em or do something I'm a'going right for 'em

0:40 Gretna: Come in, 70. Davisson: 70

0:45 Gretna: You got the Louisiana coming at you, right off your stern.

0:50 Davisson: OK warn ... warn, warn the gambling boat I'm coming right for 'em.

Gov Nick: Getting them on the phone now, cap.

0:55 Gov Nick: Gov Mick to Creole Queen. (the tour boat was upriver bound, rounding Algiers Point on the West Bank)

Creole Queen: I gotcha Mike.

Gov Nick: All alert everybody around there.

1:40 Davisson: Gov Nick this looks, bad ...

1:55 Davisson: Tell those people to get way! There's people on the dock! Tell 'em to get away!

2:25 Davisson: Tell those people to getaway.

2:10 Gov Nick: Flamingo? ... Ken you see that ship?

2:45 Unknown: Roger ... roger

3:15 Unknown: Chris you see this?

3:30 Davisson: Get over here quick.

4:00 Unknown: Come in Brian, He (Davisson) ain't talking to nobody right now, man. He's got a ... he ate the dock up.

4:05 Unknown: The hotel collapsed man he got ... the hotel that fell off. Ah, Jesus. They got a mess here.

4: 10 Davisson: Get some tugs over here now.

Elapsed Time

THE MARINE ARM OF EXXON has funded an R&D program to develop an expert Inland River Navigation System. EMS was selected for this project because of their extensive research and product development already ongoing with the USCG inland river buoy tender fleet and their creation of an audited map of the inland river system. The first of its' kind. This is an evolving development program which brings to bear cutting edge sensor, software, surveying, and display technologies never used before applied in the US Western Rivers Transportation Industry.

A base line specification of over 100 items was developed and a Prototype installed aboard the M/V Seariver Chicago. After 4 months of fault free operation the go-ahead has been given for a second fight of additional vessels. All vessel crews are trained underway which insures that the final solution meets all the needs of the personnel being asked to use the technology which will insure safer and more accurate one man navigation.

ARCO MARINE, OF LONG BEACH CALIFORNIA, has just completed a fleet purchase of the first 24 channel GPS Systems, The Navigator 24. This product was designed to provide the highest accuracy horizontal position and speed sensor in the marine industry. It makes a new benchmark by which all other GPS systems will be measured.

The need for greater accuracy that is provided by standard GPS when navigating shorelines outside the United States and in the U.S. when a given differential station is off the air, is solved using the Navigator 24.

ARCO wanted a standard position and speed input to their ARPA and ECDIS that would permit them to operate to their design specifications anywhere, not just when differential corrections were available.

The Navigator 24 met that requirement by providing 10 meters of horizontal position accuracy in the world without differential and 0. 1 knot speed accuracy; in differential 40 cm of position and 0.05 of a knot in speed. This compares with 100 meters using traditional GPS worldwide and 1 knot of speed over 5 knots.

These accuracies were unheard of in real-time worldwide navigation until now. The system was also provided to be compatible with the Automated Dependent Surveillance, "ADS" of the Valdez VTS system.

THE NEXT STEP: Using celestial position information for high accuracy heading with resolution to the 100th of a degree more accurate than a gyro with no moving parts.

THE AE IS A CLASS OF AMMUNITION SHIPS which are being turned over to MSC from the Navy. These vessels will undergo extensive upgrading. The MSC had two years before undergoing a technology search for a commercial off-the-shelf, proven method of marine gauging that is cutting edge, yet has a satisfied used base to insure no development or risk on their part. They chose EMS/IPH MARCON TLI Pressure System that uses the only sensor designed from the ground up to operate in ballast tanks.

It is 100% pure Titanium and is the size of your thumb and weighs 2 oz. One sensor can measure every liquid on the vessel with an accuracy of 1/4 of 1% of the tank contents.

It is provided with a complete tank software managing system that gives ullage in feet, inches and tenths, rates in GPH, times to fill or empty, contents in gallons, BBLS, tons with 2 alarm set points and temperature if desired. All this information from a single on-deck display.

All tank sensors can be removed without tank entry. The sensor is as big as a pack of Lifesavers and weighs 2 oz. It has open architecture using a standard 4-20ma output. The first vessel is the USS Mt. Baker.

THE NEXT STEP: A small lightweight low cost radar sensor with a millimeter accuracy and open architecture.

This technology brief is produced by Electronic Marine Systems, Inc. For further information about any of the EMS MARCON products featured in this issue:

Contact (732) 382-4344
Fax (732) 388-5111
E-mail info@emsmarcon.net
Web Site http://www.emsmarcon.com
All information is strictly copyrighted by Electronic Marine Systems, Inc.
© 1998 EMS Inc.

Electronic Marine Systems, Inc.
Advanced Products Group
800 Ferndale Place
Rahway, NJ 07065