The SEATRANS Project 20 years later

Dan G. SkjoldalMSc Navigation Technology

Operation Manager

SEATRANS A.S The Seatrans Group is a fully integrated shipowning company with in-house chartering and operations, ship management and crewing. Seatrans operates 22 vessels of which 19 are fully owned. Seatrans has a shore staff of 130, and employs about 520 shipping personnel from Norway, Poland, Croatia and Romania.

ChemicalsTransportation of chemicals in the North Sea, Mediterranean and Trans Atlantic with mainly stainless steel parcel tankers.

ForestryTransportation of newsprint and paper reels in specialized sideport paper carriers.

OffshoreOffshore survey vessels for electromagnetic seismic (CSEM), Rov, drilling and survey operations.

 Liner servicesRoro/container liner service in the North Sea through Sea-Cargo (60% owned)

The Seatrans Project 1989-1990Objectives I:

- Provide ENCs for experimental use

- Acquire practical experience operating a model ENCDB

- Acquire practical experience on the performance and operational requirements of ECDIS

- Explore automatic broacasting of chart corrections using satellite

- Evaluate the effects on workload and operational safety using an ECDIS in confined waters and difficult weather conditions

The Seatrans Project 1989-1990

Objectives II:

- Analyze the combination of Navstar GPS and ECDIS

- Contribute to the development and use of approved navigational systems utilizing electronic navigational charts.

The Seatrans Project 1989-1990

Main participants:

• Norwegian Hydrographic Service

• Det Norske Veritas

• Norwegian Maritime Directorate

• Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute A.S (Marintek)

• Seatrans A.S and Norske Skog A.S

• Robertson Tritech A.S (Kongsberg Simrad)

The Seatrans Project 1989-1990M/V “Nornews Express”, now M/V “OHM Express”

Loa: 110m Beam:17,5m Draft: 5,8m Speed: 15kn Crew: 6

The Seatrans Project 1989-1990

The Seatrans Project 1989-1990

The Seatrans Project 1989-1990

Findings I:

• The navigator is given more time to look out the window

• If GPS in the future can support the same accuracy as in this project it is a satisfactory position system

• In confined waters they preferred manual control with auto pilot assistance

• For several charts the precision of the chart database was not adequate for the position system.

The Seatrans Project 1989-1990Findings II:

• Most useful functions:

- Route monitoring

- Route planning

- Sailing according to planned route

- See safe water on the chart

- Choose different details on the chart

- Choose the minimum display

M/V “Ohm Express” today, what has happend

• Converted to survey vessel.

• Equipped with MARIS ECDIS and MDS software with route planning, voyage planning and ENC/ARCS manager

• Paperless navigation, to be fully paperless bridge within 2009 (as far as possible)

The Seatrans Project 1989-1990

Today's situation:

• No problems with either accuracy or availability for normal transit

• System is liable, earlier freezing of picture or position is no longer a problem.

• Too much information on one screen

• Information overload

• Too many functions and menus

Future challenges:• Play station mode from younger officers

• Lack of system knowledge and training

• Lack of chart coverage and differential pos coverage in parts of Africa and Eastern continent

• Requirements from charterer that exceeds IMO req of ECDIS

• Too much information gathered on one screen

• Navigation on ENC systems, with non ENC approved charts.

ECDISECDIS. Are we on the right track ?