Vesper Marine's Innovative Aids to Navigation Beacon Wins Prestigious IHS Safety at Sea Award
Share:
2012 'Equipment' Category Winner Electronically Marks Maritime Hazards
Auckland, New Zealand - Vesper Marine, a leading manufacturer of innovative marine safety products, announced today that its Virtual AIS Beacon won the 2012 IHS Safety at Sea Award. Receiving the top honor in the 'Equipment' category, the Vesper system was hailed for its ability to create, transmit and manage electronic Aids to Navigation (AtoN). The low cost, environmentally conscious and easily deployable Vesper Marine Virtual AIS Beacon electronically marks maritime hazards to enhance safety at sea and help protect coastal environments.
"The IHS award from Safety At Sea magazine is a fantastic endorsement of Vesper Marine's ability to offer innovative products to our customers using AIS technologies," said Mike Ogle, general manager of sales & marketing, Vesper Marine. "Our Virtual AIS Beacon offers a new way to enhance safety at sea, for vessels, terminals and port authorities while also offering private companies an easy way to mark critical marine based assets."
The Virtual AIS Beacon is based on the standardized marine Automatic Identification System (AIS) and complies with the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) recommendations. The Virtual AIS Beacon system allows multiple virtual marker signals to be transmitted and displayed as navigational hazards on a vessel's chartplotter, AIS display or other receivers when in range of the transmitting equipment. A vessel's onboard equipment will proactively alert the crew to potential collisions with the marked navigational hazards, giving them advanced warning to change course. The system is capable of transmitting electronic marks for visible and invisible hazards such as bridges, piers and reefs, as well as moving hazards such as sandbars.
The Virtual AIS Beacon is simple to deploy and easy to maintain, offering a low cost system, especially when it is not suitable or appropriate to deploy a physical marker. A green solution, the markers have no environmental impact and do not require a physical location to be mounted or powered.
The Safety at Sea Awards recognize and reward excellence in maritime safety. On presenting the Award to Vesper Marine, Executive Editor of Safety at Sea magazine, Paul Gunton said: "The Virtual AIS Beacon is able to mark hazards at sea remotely and its main users will be such organizations as port authorities, oil and gas companies, marinas, offshore wind farms - in fact any organization that needs to make shipping hazards visible on ships' chartplotters and AIS displays at short notice."
This year, Vesper Marine Virtual AIS Beacon also received Professional Mariner Magazine's Samuel Plimsoll Award for Innovation. In addition, the product was recognized at the New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards 2012, receiving a Special Commendation in the 'State Government of Victoria, Australia Innovative Hi-Tech Hardware Product' category.
For more information on Vesper Marine's award-winning products, its complete line of AIS solutions, or to learn more about Vesper Marine, please visit www.vespermarine.com.
About Vesper Marine:
Based in Auckland, New Zealand, privately held Vesper Marine is a global provider of marine safety products. Committed to rigorous R&D and innovation, the company designs and manufacturers affordable practical electronic solutions that enhance boating safety and save lives in potentially dangerous marine situations. www.vespermarine.com
Mike Ogle
Vesper Marine
+64 9 950 4848
mike.ogle@vespermarine.com
