Vroon turns again to Lilley & Gillie for PC Maritime Navmaster ECDIS systems

Lilley & Gillie, the long-established nautical chart supplier and navigational equipment manufacturer, has recently been awarded a contract by SELEX Communications, a Finmeccanica company, to provide PC Maritime Navmaster ECDIS systems for installation aboard three field support vessels now being built by Astilleros Zamakona in Bilbao, Spain, for Vroon Offshore Services Ltd (VOS).

The new contract is in addition to six Navmaster ECDIS systems that were ordered in 2006 for installation on a series of six new 1,500grt offshore support vessels originally ordered from Zamakona by Aberdeen-based Viking Offshore Services The first of these ships was delivered in December 2006 and the last is due to be handed over in March 2009.

In May 2007, Viking Offshore Services was acquired by Vroon BV, thus creating one of the largest offshore support fleets in Europe. The company now operates as Vroon Offshore Services Ltd.

VOS currently operates a total of 59 vessels from bases in Aberdeen, Scotland; Den Helder, The Netherlands; and Genoa in Italy, and has a total of 23 new build vessels on order. Its fleet includes conventional and multi-role emergency response and rescue vessels, platform supply, anchor handling, dive support and utility vessels, operating principally in the North Sea and the Mediterranean.

SELEX Communications is responsible for the entire bridge outfit on these nine VOS ships and it demands only the most rigorously tested and reliable equipment, used in the installation of communication systems to all levels of complexity. Therefore its choice of the Navmaster ECDIS system for the VOS vessels is seen by Lilley & Gillie as a very significant testimony to the high quality of this product.

Announcing the contract, Glenn Heathcote, Managing Director of Lilley & Gillie, stated:

"According to VOS, its deck officers are very happy with the performance and ease of use of the Navmaster ECDIS systems installed on the first Zamakona ships. This order for a further three sets is therefore an excellent testimonial as to the merits of Navmaster."

Navmaster's notable features include remote diagnostics, which reduces costs and simplifies support; voyage data recording & replay, which can provide vital evidence in the event of incident or damage; excellent route planning, which has been in use by an oil major since 1997; and companion training software to assist companies to provide cost-effective ECDIS training.

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Note to editors

A photograph to accompany this press release can be downloaded from http://www.dunelmpr.co.uk/charente-photogallery.htm The caption for the photograph reads:

"PC Maritime's ECDIS installed onboard newbuild offshore support vessel VOS Explorer, one of a series of nine Vroon Offshore vessels to be fitted with Navmaster ECDIS. "

About John Lilley & Gillie Limited

John Lilley and Gillie Limited is a long-established nautical chart supplier and navigational equipment manufacturer that became part of the Charente Group in 1999.

As an International Admiralty Chart Agent (IACA), Lilley & Gillie offers an outfit management service covering all British Admiralty and US charts, all nautical publications and ISM auditing documentation. It also provides a supply and updating service for Admiralty Raster Chart Services (ARCS) and Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC), ensuring that vessels always have on board the most up-to-date charts, publications and data for the areas in which they operate.

Lilley & Gillie is one of the few remaining magnetic compass manufacturers in Europe and provides a full repair and on-board adjusting service. Its considerable product range also includes nautical instruments and equipment including Walker Marine range of wind equipment, speed logs and autopilot systems and the Chernikeeff range of naval speed log equipment.

The company also distributes and where applicable provides service for a full range of marine products such as gyros, searchlights, navigation and signalling lights, navigation light switch panels, ships' bells, foghorns, fog gongs, day shapes, hydrometers, hygrometers, chart room instruments and lead lines.

About Vroon BV

The company was set up by the Vroon family over a century ago in the Port of Breskens, the Netherlands. Initially the company traded coal, fertilisers and agricultural products, but in 1952 its first dry cargo ship was built. Since then the company has expanded its shipping activities to many different markets. Today Vroon is a dynamic and ambitious international company, active in a number of specialised and commodity-type shipping segments such as reefer vessels, livestock carriers, offshore support vessels, dry cargo ships, container carriers, tankers and car carriers. The company operates and manages a diverse fleet of about 100 vessels and a large fleet-expansion and new-building programme will secure further growth for the years ahead.

About SELEX Communications

Founded by Guglielmo Marconi in 1900 as The Marconi International Marine Communications Co Ltd, SELEX Communications Ltd - Marine Division is a division of SELEX Communications Ltd, a Finmeccanica company. The largest marine electronics support company in the UK, it is the only organisation in the world that has been continuously involved in the provision, implementation, monitoring and support of ships' radio installations since the very inception of marine radio.