Nico Middle East says it's time to fit ECDIS and go paper-free

Dubai-based Nico Middle East Limited (NMEL) has decided to fit dual ECDIS systems on its entire fleet of vessels, which range from anchor-handling tug supply vessels (AHTSVs) and subsea construction barges to maintenance support vessels and crew boats. Having reviewed carefully the range of system providers, it has chosen the UK company PC Maritime as its partner in this project.

According to Nico Middle East's General Manager, Ron Clark, it no longer makes sense to ignore this technology, even on smaller vessels:

"ECDIS has been fitted to larger ocean going vessels for many years now and we have seen a proliferation of illegal copies on the smaller ships. Quite simply our officers do not have the time to dedicate to chart correction that is required for the traditional paper charts and consequently the job tends to be neglected.

"Our decision to put ECDIS on all the vessels in our fleet removes this tedious job from our crews and provides them with an up to date set of charts as well as a much safer navigational aid which takes inputs from the radars and AIS to provide a full picture to the navigator.

"Our new 'J' Class FiFi 1 AHTSVs are amongst the first offshore support vessels of their size, operating in the Arabian Gulf, to have a totally paperless class approved chart system."

Time was not only a key factor in the decision to fit dual ECDIS systems, it also played a part in the selection of PC Maritime as its partner, says Mr Clark:

"Our choice of PC Maritime as a partner was very much time-related. We first started talking to them about 18 months ago and not only did they commit a great deal of time and effort to securing the first order for their Navmaster system, they have been extremely supportive during the training and commissioning phases.

"The level of support and enthusiasm they showed for their product probably convinced us as much as the product itself, and we were pretty impressed with the product! Navmaster stands up well against the others in the market both in terms of quality and price but the service was way ahead of the other players. They even appointed an agent here in the UAE to support us before we placed our first order."

The initial order placed by Nico Middle East was for eight systems. Four are allocated to a series of J-class 5150bhp AHTSVs being built in China. The first installation, on Topaz Jumeirah, was completed in Singapore in December 2007 and the three other vessels in the series, Topaz Jebel Ali, Topaz Jaddaf and Topaz Jafiliya will all have been equipped by the end of 2008.

Three existing dynamic-positioning (DP2) vessels, the 1999-built cable layer Team Oman, the 2002-built subsea construction barge Team Siam and the 2002-built 7400bhp maintenance support vessel Team Muscat, are also being fitted with dual ECDIS systems, the installations on Team Oman and Team Muscat having been completed in February 2008.

The eighth vessel to be fitted with a Navmaster dual ECDIS will be Topaz Fujairah, a 30m catamaran crew boat that is due for delivery in October 2008.

According to David Edmonds, Managing Director of PC Maritime, the decision by NMEL to commit totally to ECDIS and to go paper-free is forward-thinking:

"It's very encouraging when you find an owner committed to the concept of ECDIS. NMEL recognises that by going paperless they are taking a big step towards improving safety. ECDIS greatly improves situational awareness and is an important anti-grounding aid, as well as eliminating a chart-correcting task that either takes up valuable officer time or is not done fully.

"Navigating officers increasingly expect to find ECDIS onboard; it shows commitment on the part of NMEL to give them the tools to do their job efficiently and safely. NMEL is also taking seriously the issue of ECDIS training, a commitment PC Maritime shares."

Operator Training

PC Maritime has provided initial training in the Gulf onboard NMEL vessels and has arranged for two NMEL superintendents to come to its headquarters in Plymouth for a three day 'Train the Trainer' ECDIS training course. The course covers all the elements needed to operate and maintain the system.

To assist companies with the requirement for ECDIS training, PC Maritime is developing some new services and will be introducing a Type Specific ECDIS training product by the end of 2008. In addition PC Maritime acted as consultant to Videotel on the content of its new ECDIS training product and has provided screen shots from Navmaster to demonstrate ECDIS features such as chart symbology, route-planning, alarms and warnings. Videotel's product is being launched in May 2008.

Nico Middle East Ltd

Nico Middle East is a wholly owned subsidiary of Topaz Energy and Marine Ltd, one of the leading marine and oil and gas companies in the Middle East with over 30 years' experience in the region. Operating throughout the Middle East, Caspian and S E Asia, Topaz employs over 4,000 employees.

Topaz is itself a wholly owned subsidiary of Renaissance Services SAOG, one of the largest publicly traded companies in the Gulf Cooperative Countries (GCC) with over 5,000 shareholders and a market capitalisation of over US$ 900 million.

With its operational headquarters in Dubai, Topaz operates three primary business units: Adyard covering oil & gas fabrication operations; Nico International, the afloat ship-repair operations; and Nico Middle East Ltd and BUE Marine; its shipowning operations.

Together, Nico Middle East Ltd and BUE Marine Ltd rank as one of the largest offshore fleet vessel owners and operators in the region with a geographical footprint in the GCC, S E Asia and the Caspian Sea. From anchor-handling vessels, work barges and PSVs to ice-breakers in the Caspian, its diverse fleet of over 80 vessels provides complete support to the offshore energy industry.

On 30 April, 2008, Topaz announced that it had acquired Doha Marine Services, boosting its fleet to 91 vessels, including 16 vessels under construction.

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Note to editors:

Photographs to accompany this release are available on the Dunelm Public Relations website at http://www.dunelmpr.co.uk/Charente-Photogallery.htm. The captions for the photographs read:

"Ron Clark, General Manager, Nico Middle East."

"Topaz Jumeirah, seen here in Singapore, was the first of four new J-class AHTSVs to be equipped with the Navmaster dual ECDIS system."

"The 2002-built Team Siam is a subsea construction barge, seen here off Songkhla in Thailand."

"The eighth vessel to be fitted with a Navmaster dual ECDIS system will be Topaz Fujairah, a 30m catamaran crew boat that is due for delivery in October 2008."

PC Maritime is a leading UK developer and supplier of software, electronic charts and associated hardware to marine markets worldwide. Its products include electronic navigation systems, navigation and engine room training simulators and electronic charts. Founded in 1987, PC Maritime is part of the Charente Group.

For more information on PC Maritime and its range of products, visit www.pcmaritime.co.uk.

For further information, please contact David Cheslin on tel: +44 20 7345 5233. Email: info@dunelmpr.co.uk