VSTEP will deliver all simulator solutions for the facility, including a NAUTIS Full Mission Bridge Simulator and a Class C Engine Room Simulator. CMI also ordered full classroom setups for both NAUTIS Desktop Trainers and NAUTIS Engine Room Desktop Trainers.

The new simulation centre of Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) will serve as one of the most innovative hubs for maritime training and education in the Caribbean region, and will provide high quality training of maritime students and professionals alike in ship-handling, collision avoidance, Engine Room procedures and operations, as well as ECDIS, Radar/ARPA, AIS and other navigational aids.

After a thorough evaluation of the available maritime simulator solutions in the market, CMI selected VSTEP’s  NAUTIS maritime simulators because of their high-quality, cost-effectiveness and compliance to the latest IMO STCW regulations.  

The NAUTIS simulators for the CMI centre include a NAUTIS Full Mission Bridge simulator and Class C Engine Room simulator. Included in the order are NAUTIS classroom setups for Engine Room Training which include multiple Engine Room desktop stations, and an additional classroom of NAUTIS Part Task Desktop Trainers, maximizing training accessibility and effectiveness at the facility. The facility will also include additional VSTEP RescueSim virtual incident management simulators for realistic training of maritime incidents.

The investment amounts to $3.5 million.

The TCBuen marine terminal implement the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) operations at the end of 2011, concluding the complete installation in December 2012 to optimise and allow real-time traceability of all containers entering and leaving the terminal. The software also captures vehicle registration and weight.

The OCR system on the quay cranes, as well as at the gates, can recognize the alphanumeric container number and of the TT (Truck Internal) every time the crane performs a movement and checks with the internal T.O.S. system whether a container is scheduled and authorised for that operation.

The Match Maker system identifies the vehicles during loading or unloading of a container identified by the OCR, so that at all times the system checks all the loading cycles. It also controls the movements of trucks passing through the gate, ensuring maximum reliability in delivery and / or receipt of the container.

Finally, the DGPS (Differential GPS) confirms, via satellite, that movements of containers correspond with movements that have been assigned by T.O.S. to ensure greater security, absolute reliability and efficiency of inventory in the entire operation, thus minimising transit times of the terminal and operating costs.

Moreover, Grup TCB has launched a pilot project for the SURESTOW system, which verifies positions of all containers aboard the ship via satellite. This innovative system will be implemented this March

Deepak Chopra, CEO of OSI Systems, commented: “This win is a testament to the versatility of our Eagle high energy cargo systems, which are available in several configurations of fixed and mobile platforms. Customers value the ability to work with us to obtain inspection solutions that comprehensively address their overall needs.”

Eagle(R) Cargo and Vehicle Inspection Systems

Rapiscan’s line of Eagle(R) cargo and vehicle inspection systems are used by customs agencies, military organisations and homeland security worldwide providing outstanding image quality and threat detection, while maximising the operational effectiveness of customers. Eagle cargo and vehicle inspection systems use proprietary transmission X-ray technology that penetrates well beyond the surface of a container or vehicle to provide comprehensive detection of threats.

As the largest quay cranes in Britain, bigger than the London Eye and weighing 2,000 tonnes each, ISS arranged the complex operation of easing the heavy-lift vessel operated by Shanghai Zhenhua Shipping Co, the Zhen Hua 26, onto the berth ready to start the delicate process of discharging the leviathans. This included coordinating pilots, tug assistance and a berthing party to moor the vessel alongside.

With the cranes arriving after a two month voyage from Shanghai and London Gateway the first port of call within the European Union, ISS was responsible for declaring the vessel and her precious cargo to the central European reporting system for customs clearance, as well as the local UK inbound Customs reporting. ISS was also required to compile a report for the port health authorities certifying the ship’s sanitation condition and the crew’s medical status.

ISS was in constant liaison with the operations team at London Gateway keeping them fully advised on the vessel’s progress from China, as well as routine but crucial details such as confirming which side to berth the vessel and calculating tidal passages in unison with harbour masters and port authorities to ensure safe berthing.

Manufactured by ZPMC the new cranes are the first in the UK to be able to lift four containers at once to speed up the unloading of the world’s largest ships when DP World’s US$1.5 billion London Gateway opens in September this year as a new world-class deepsea container port.  

Other work included making sure the Master was fully prepared for visits from customs, immigration, port health and ensuring all locally required documentation was in place including charts and publications. ISS is also now responsible for co-ordinating the shifting operations of the vessel so each of the cranes can be discharged at high tide to the strengthened section of quay, as well as preparations for the vessel’s scheduled departure on Sunday 10th March after the three cranes have been discharged.

Says Harry Corkerry, ISS Port Manager: “We began work on this project in October last year and it took a great deal of planning and reconnaissance with ourselves and the berthing party at the terminal to ensure we were fully prepared and had eliminated any potential problems.

“We were very pleased that all our hard work paid off and look forward to completing the remainder of the project this week.”