Month: June 2020

OCEAN TECHNOLOGIES GROUP ACQUIRES MARLINS AND ENTERS INTO STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH V.GROUP

Phil Page

V.GROUP, the leading global provider of ship management and marine support services, and Ocean Technologies Group, the leading provider of maritime learning and operational technologies, have entered a strategic partnership to offer best-in-class e-learning to V.Group personnel and customers.

Starting later this year, V.Group will leverage on Ocean Technologies Group’s digital platforms to provide innovative and industry leading integrated e-learning solutions to V.Group’s customers.  The new solutions will include bespoke V.Group content, cutting-edge technologies in micro-learning, adaptive and gamified learning and virtual reality training developed by Ocean Technologies Group.

As part of the landmark cooperative agreement, the Marlins Maritime English assessment product and Marlins global ‘Approved Test Centre’ scheme will be transferred to Ocean Technologies Group and become part of its growing list of offerings.

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MACN Announces Anti-Corruption E-Learning Initiative

Phil Page

MACN has announced the development of an e-learning training toolkit and platform on ethics and integrity, for ship owners, managers, agents, and maritime cadet schools. Funded by MACN and the TK Foundation, the training toolkit will target different specific user-groups of employees to make it fit for the learners, including captains and crew, employees supporting crew in operational roles, and senior management. The platform and training solutions will be delivered by Videotel and Seagull Maritime, now both part of Ocean Technologies Group.

Cecilia Müller Torbrand, MACNs Executive Director said: “The maritime industry is exposed to frequent demands for corruption including cash or in-kind benefits. Ultimately, it is the master who must manage the situation when government officials make demands for corrupt payments. This results in great stress and has a detrimental effect on the health and safety of the crew. Equipping the captain with tools and support functions to say no to demands is key to stopping bribery. It is also a valuable step in building a solid anti-corruption program. With our members insight and engagement, we are building a maritime specific course which will give Master and employees working in the maritime sector, valuable guidance to tackle corrupt demands.”

MACN’s current Integrity Training Toolkit was first developed in 2014 and has been successfully deployed by several MACN members. However, there is a demand from the membership to improve and further develop this training to include stakeholders such as port agents and maritime cadet schools.

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KVH Watch® Offers Remote Expert Intervention for Real-time Support at Sea Using High-speed Satellite Connectivity

Phil Page

Maritime innovator KVH’s VSAT-based IoT offerings are designed for deep sea use by equipment manufacturers and commercial vessels

MIDDLETOWN, RI – June 16, 2020 – KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq: KVHI), a global leader of maritime satellite connectivity, announced today that it is expanding its high-speed VSAT-based Internet of Things (IoT) services, which are designed for an era of increased digitalization throughout the maritime industry. With the new offerings, KVH will provide a suite of maritime IoT solutions for everything from remote monitoring to real-time intervention, powered by a high throughput satellite (HTS) network that delivers fast and reliable connectivity worldwide.

KVH Watch IoT Connectivity as a Service, introduced last year, provides maritime equipment manufacturers, multicard service providers, and shipyards with access to 24/7/365 secure data from onboard equipment. Featuring a dedicated cybersecure terminal, KVH Watch enables an independent, air-gapped data flow that does not use the vessel’s primary satellite communications system.

Adding to the KVH Watch solutions, KVH will offer Remote Expert Intervention, a satellite optimized video collaboration application designed to enable on-demand high-throughput remote support sessions between vessels at sea and experts on shore. The focus on remote collaboration enables maritime equipment manufacturers to use their most experienced experts on shore to give real-time guidance to onboard crew for troubleshooting, repair, and identification of replacement parts that are needed, thereby avoiding costly service calls, minimizing delays in port, and making support more effective.

“By using deep sea transit time, Remote Expert Intervention goes well beyond simply monitoring the performance of onboard equipment,” says Sven-Eric Brooks, KVH’s senior director for IoT business development. “It enables maritime equipment manufacturers to take action and provide real-time support via video, voice, and text, even when the equipment is on a vessel in the middle of the ocean.”

KVH Watch services also include Flow, which provides high-performance connectivity for IoT platforms, and Flow Intervention, which boosts data capacity to speeds as fast as 10/3 Mbps for bulk file transfers, very high-frequency data investigations, and application updates.
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Videotel Wins Host of Awards for its Training Programmes

Phil Page

Maritime e-learning provider Videotel has won a host of prestigious awards for its recent releases underlying the continued focus on quality since becoming part of Ocean Technologies Group.

Videotel have been frequent award winners in their 40 year history across their comprehensive portfolio of training materials designed to help seafarers with a diverse range of ship safety, environmental, security and   other operational training materials.

The recent award wins are:

2020 COMMUNICATOR AWARDS

 

Entry: Personal Safety on Board Ship, Part 1 – The Essentials

Category: Film / Video-Training (for Corporate use) for Film / Video / Television

Award: DISTINCTION

Producer: Amanda Gross

https://videotel.com/stcw-training-catalogue/products/1317-part-one-the-essentials

 

Personal Safety is one of Videotel’s most viewed series with almost 200,000 views in the last 12 months alone. This updated programme deals with seafarer personal safety and is aimed at crew and the shore-side personnel who liaise with them.

 

WorldFest Houston Film Festival

 

Entry: ASBESTOS AWARENESS

Category: Film & Video Productions – Training

Award: Gold Remi Award

Producer: Amanda Gross

https://videotel.com/stcw-training-catalogue/products/1330-asbestos-awareness

 

This moving training package uses genuine seafarer stories to describe the risks of asbestos, where it may be found on the ship, how it should be managed for the safety of everyone on board, and what to do if the material has been disturbed.

 

WorldMediaFestivals | Television & Corporate Media Awards.

 

Entry: MARPOL ANNEX VI – PREVENTION OF AIR POLLUTION FROM SHIPS (EDITION 3)

Category: Training: Learning Programmes

Award: Gold

Producer: Katerina Sfaellou

Script Writer/Director: Robin Jackson

 

https://bit.ly/2zFCi8k

 

Part of an updated series on this key area of environmental legislation that demonstrates a move to shorter more targeted video training.

 

Horizon Interactive Awards 2019

 

Entry: Shipboard Maintenance and Painting (Edition 2)

Category: Video – Instructional

Award: Gold

 

https://videotel.com/stcw-training-catalogue/products/1367-shipboard-maintenance-and-painting-edition-2

 

This training package is intended for all ship’s personnel tasked with, or are responsible for seafarers who paint steel decks and surfaces.

All these e-learning titles are available as video and Computer Based Training (CBT) formats.

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Tero Marine Enhances Its e-Procurement Solution With A New Purchasing App

Phil Page

Leading fleet management software provider Tero Marine extends its e-procurement solution to mobile devices to optimize the supply chain for people on the move.

 “The new app improves the e-procurement work-flow as decision makers can approve purchase orders on the move, ensuring that supply chains are not hindered by POs stacking up in the pipeline awaiting authorization,” said Rune Lyngaas, Tero Marine’s CEO.

“The app strengthens Tero Marine’s TM Procurement solution, which is a fully integrated part of the fleet management software system TM Master V2,” he added.

In an industry where autonomy and automation is emerging, the timing of the launch of this app is perfect. The new app is available from 1st June.

Tero Marine is part of the Ocean Technologies Group, which is a global learning and operational technology company dedicated to accelerating the potential of innovative companies that serve the maritime industry in the 21st Century.

The Group also includes maritime e-learning training providers Seagull, Videotel and Maritime Training Services plus document and HSEQ solutions provider COEX.