The 130-metre long, 24-metre wide new offshore construction vessel Fugro Symphony has become the first ever to sail with Kongsberg Maritime’s K-Master aft bridge workstation onboard. Built at the Bergen Group BMV yard, Fugro Symphony was delivered to its owner on 3rd May 2011 and features an extensive automation and control package, developed by Kongsberg Maritime.
“Bergen Group BMV has chosen KONGSBERG to deliver integrated solutions, dynamic positioning (DP) systems and automation for many years based on price and technical content,” says Terje Sjumarken, Managing Director of Bergen Group BMV. “We wanted to get the most modern and best equipment for the ship. The K-Master will make life easier for the operator because everything is integrated into the chair,” says Sjumarken.
The K-Master aft bridge workstation consolidates the traditional five to six metre aft bridge console into a single or dual operator chair and uses touch-control technology to replace mechanical switches in bridge applications, except for in critical operations. K-Master positions the operator at the centre of a hub of information, giving him complete awareness of all situations at all times, therefore improving operational efficiency and safety.
In addition to the new K-Master system, Kongsberg Maritime also supplied all the control and monitoring systems for the Fugro Symphony, such as the automation for the ballast, alarm, thruster control, DP and Independent Joystick systems in addition to critical sensors including GPS, HIPAP High Precision acoustic system and the Seapath system.
“Bergen Group’s delivery to Fugro is the first of a number of K-Master projects we already have in the pipeline, with at least ten vessel deliveries including PSVs and AHTS vessels in the coming months. We couldn’t dream of a better start for such a unique system,” comments Bjørn Johan Trosthoel, Kongsberg Maritime.
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Source: Kongsberg, May 25, 2011; Image: Fugro