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AIS In June PetroCom announced an agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Vessel Traffic Service Houston/Galveston to provide the communications infrastructure for a new ship monitoring system in the GOM. The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is currently used in other U.S. ports. This system will be the first to collect information on all ocean-going ships passing within 150 miles of the U.S. coast in the Gulf. Ships traveling in U.S. waters now have to have an information- transmitting beacon onboard. USCG-owned receivers mounted on PetroCom cell sites on offshore platforms collect the data and it is relayed to PetroCom's New Orleans office via the company's C-band satellite network. From there the info travels via fiber optic cables to Coast Guard monitoring stations in Houston and New Orleans. PetroCom is also providing personnel training and testing, installation, communications relay service and maintenance of the USCG equipment. "We have designed and delivered a highly reliable system for the unique requirements of the Coast Guard," Wright said. "The system covers more than 30,000 square miles of the GOM and we are delight- ed to enter into a partnership that supports a vital national security function," Wright added. What's next for PetroCom? "We are finding many uses for our unique satellite-based system," Wright said. "For example, the Federal Aviation Administration is starting to use our network to improve com- munications between commercial airliners flying over the Gulf of Mexico and ground navigation stations. That use of our system has great potential. In addition, we go where our customers go. With the increased interest in deepwater GOM, our system is poised to expand to serve customers in these regions," Wright added. Circle 31 on Reader Service Card 22 • MarineNews • August, 2005 LARGEST RENTAL FLEET OF SPUD, DECK AND MATERIAL BARGES BARGES 60’ TO 400’ LENGTH •16 Fleeting locations inland rivers, Gulf, East and West Coast • Inland and Ocean towing services New Orleans (504) 780-8100 FAX (504) 780-8200 Norfolk (757) 545-0100 FAX (757) 545-8004 Houston (281) 452-5887 FAX (281) 452-9682 www.mcdonoughmarine.com MEMBER AMERICAN WATERWAYS OPERATOR McDonough Marine Service Circle 224 on Reader Service Card Circle 229 on Reader Service Card COMMUNICATIONS SeaWave to Provide Fleet Management for Maritrans SeaWave LLC has completed an agreement with Maritrans Inc., to outfit 15 vessel fleet with the SeaWave Integrator F55T solution featuring the Remote Management Suite. The Integrator F55T is a solution, designed to be flexible, easy- to-operate, that provides automatic least cost routing via Inmarsat satellite ISDN, MPDS, GSM, Iridium voice and fax. With Maritrans’ diverse fleet, a reliable and flexible voice and data communications system would allow them to perform tasks and remotely monitor each vessel from the home office, removing the responsibility from onboard per- sonnel. Maritrans expressed the need for a com- plete crew solution that utilized multiple com- munication mediums, including Inmarsat and GSM. SeaWave ‘s Remote Management Suite places vessel IT control back into the hands of profes- sionals on shore. Using SeaWave RMS, Mari- trans will be able to track each vessel from the home office, remotely maintain and repair vessel systems, launch applications and transfer files both to and from the vessels. Further reducing operational costs, SeaWave Billing has nearly eliminated onboard adminis- tration for Maritrans. The easy-to-read invoices and the onboard communications usage report clarify communications charges for each user. By removing the burden from Maritrans to track and charge individual and operational usage they have virtually eliminated communications administration both at sea and on shore. Circle 51 on Reader Service Card David Clark Debuts MIS for Commercial Applications David Clark Company introduces its Series 9500 Series Marine Intercom System (MIS) to provide clear communication in the high noise environments of commercial vessels including law enforcement/homeland security, fire/rescue boats as well as tug and tow boats, barges, and ferry boats. The rugged, water-resistant system will accommodate up to eight crew members, all of which have radio transmit capability. The Series 9500 consists of behind-the-head and over-the-head style headsets offering 23 dB noise attenuation, a master station that is com- patible with most mobile VHF, UHF and marine band radios, a belt station that allows Push-to- Talk (PTT) capability and “hands-free” intercom operation, as well as all necessary in-line cables. All components are designed and built to with- stand harsh marine environments while provid- ing dependable operation. “The Series 9500 is the culmination of over five years of R&D and over 30 years experience AUGUSTMN2005 3(17-24).qxd 8/1/2005 4:18 PM Page 22
