News: Martek Marine launch new products

Innovative Rotherham company, Martek Marine is launching another product to the global market.

The Manvers company is the world leader in safety and environmental monitoring equipment for commercial ships and their new "Vigilant" funnel smoke monitoring system offers a valuable source of scientific evidence as ships strive to meet stringent rules regarding exhausting black smoke within sight of shore.

Martek hopes that the market will be driven by intensifying local legislation, in areas such as Hawaii and Alaska, as well as pressure from charterers for owners to adopt best environmental practice (and hence avoid involvement in legal disputes).

The system measures the density of smoke using opacity monitoring techniques based on a transmitter and receiver installed on either side of the ship's funnel. The transmitter sends a beam of light towards the receiver and the obscuration - the amount of light that reaches the receiver - is measured.

The thicker and darker the smoke, the less light received by the transmitter and the readings are sent via serial communications protocol and cabling to the Vigilant control system.

Readings can be stored by the system for defence in the event of accusations made by authorities that the ship was exhausting black smoke in contravention of local or international regulations.

Another Martek product is set to be officially launched at the Shipbuilding, Machinery and Maritime Technology International Fair (SMM) in Hamburg this week.

With more than 52,000 visitors from every continent and nearly 2,000 exhibitors from 60 nations, the SMM is the world's leading global maritime industry trade fair.

Martek is launching Navguard, a bridge navigation watch and alarm system (BNWAS).

A BNWAS is designed to monitor bridge activity and detect any operator disability that could lead to shipping accidents. The system monitors the awareness of the Officer of the Watch (OOW) and automatically alerts other staff if for any reason, the OOW becomes incapable of performing duties through an accident, sickness or even a security breach such as piracy or hijacking.

Paul Luen, chief executive at Martek Marine said: "The potential of Navgard to save lives at sea is enormous. History is littered with shipping disasters caused as a result of an interrupted watch being kept on a ship’s bridge.

"New international maritime legislation means that over 100,000 ships will be required to fit alarm systems of this type. We are one of the first companies in the world to come up with an affordable, easy-to-use system that meets the new criteria."

Martek Marine website

Images: Martek Marine