Digital Camera News

"Ship-Spotter" of the Day

Barry Parker, contributor to Maritime Reporter & Engineering News and MarineNews magazines, is – like many people around the world – sequestered and working from home. He is our designated “ship spotter” for the day.In the maritime business, most of us have been adept at working from home (or from remote locations). Still, with the precautions being taken to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus (Covid 19), remaining at home – in my case, on the North Shore of Long Island, has not been without its challenges.

NYK Wins Seafarers Safety Award

Japanese shipping giant Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK Line) has been recognized with the 2019 Seafarers Safety Initiative Grand Prize awarded by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) for the company’s seafarer safety activities.The award recognizes NYK’s initiatives to prevent human accidents and utilize engine data.

New OCR-Engine for Container Codes

The Danish software company ConPDS has developed a software for digital scanning of container codes. The ConPDS OCR-engine integrates with a company's software solutions, smartphone apps, and logistic systems by integrating just a few lines of code. ConPDS OCR engine is a plug-and-play software library that is designed to save hundreds of development hours. “There seems to be a huge market for Automated Container Code Recognition. The accuracy rate from generic OCR-engines is not high enough, and therefore many companies still use handwritten or semi-automatic solutions.

Digital Cameras Help Shipownwers Defend Claim

Press release - The  London P&I Club has recommended that ship owners and operators keep a good-quality digital camera on board their vessels as part of their attempts to collect and preserve evidence in the event of claims arising, particularly as a result of damage to fixed or floating objects. The club points out that experts need clear images to provide early remote assistance with incidents and the immediate actions required, and that insurers need evidence of the alleged damage and the losses suffered.

3D Laser Scanning for the Marine Industry

FARO 3D laser scanning allows the Chief Engineer or Project Manager to work in detail with 3D model shots of machinery spaces with increased accuracy and reduced costs. The time to install a Ballast Water Treatment (BWT) System or maybe an Exhaust Gas Scrubber is rapidly approaching. Or, perhaps, you are an inland vessel operator watching the subchapter M drama with great interest. In all of these cases, most vessels have limited space in which to install these items. That said…

North Sea Platform Gas Leak – Source Identified

The leaking hydrocarbons are believed to be coming in the well from a rock å which is above the producing reservoir of the Elgin field. The volume of this gas ingress is therefore difficult to estimate. Reports from Oil Spill Response (OSRL) surveillance flight indicate that the gas cloud is still stable and is heading away from Elgin facilities. Total confirms that the gas leak remains ongoing although the situation is currently stable. The precise cause of the gas leak is still being investigated and efforts continue to focus on bringing it under control.

New Year, New Vessel

Start the year off right with the newest addition to your fleet. Vessels come with lots of manuals and instructions as well as increasing amount of high-tech equipment. That said and even if it just involves a new digital camera or Blu-Ray Player, reading manuals is never exciting. Similarly, reviewing equipment documentation on a vessel is downright daunting, especially when you consider all of the other work it takes to get a vessel into service. That said; it is critical that the crew understand new equipment and are able to operate it.

Get Ahead of Disaster with Careful Preparation

In a year where globally we are seeing more natural disasters, including earthquakes in New Zealand and Chile, floods in Australia, and a tsunami in Japan, an important question for businesses relying on goods and services from suppliers in countries across the world arises:  how do we prepare ourselves and our businesses for the next potential catastrophe? The events of this year serve as a reminder that a business can face the unexpected at any time, whether it is a widespread disaster that affects thousands of people or a single local incident that makes normal operations impossible.