Two new wireless vessel network systems capable of dealing with enclosed metal spaces onboard ship are to be made available to the maritime market, from ZN Technologies and AmendTec respectively.
South Korean company ZN Technologies has been granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) by KR (Korean Register) for its metalVox wireless communication system, designed to address the challenge of communication blind zones on ships.
The system is designed to operate in vessel environments with enclosed areas or bulkheads, removing the problem of radio waves being unable to pass through metal.
For the AiP, Furuno Korea and Hyundai LNG Shipping identified and inspected various considerations and constraints in applying the system to ships, and KR verified its design stability and suitability in line with domestic and international regulations.
“The metalWave communication technology, which was successfully commercialised for the first time in the world, is a patented technology owned by our company, and has unique features such as helping to reduce shipyard costs and ship owners’ maintenance costs,” said Park Chul Gyun, CEO of ZN Technologies.
“After this AiP, we will further accelerate our efforts to provide groundbreaking wireless communication services to ships operating around the world.”
Netherlands-based AmendTec has also developed its own ShipMesh system, used to support the creation of a wireless infrastructure on a ship and allow for the visualisation of collected data on the bridge.
The company says that its in-house developed wireless technology allows signals to be propagated better in a steel environment than alternatives like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, requiring fewer modules to make data available in different locations.
The ShipMesh Transmitter is placed on sensors/data points, while a ShipMesh Gateway is installed on the bridge. The Gateway receives data from the Transmitters, displays it, and can send that data to shore if required.
If the Transmitter’s signal is weak at the sensor location, an additional transmitter can be placed between the sensor and the gateway to boost performance.
“In addition to its innovative technology, the system is easy to install,” said Lucah van Geloven, co-owner of AmendTec.
“User-friendliness is of great importance to us. ShipMesh can be installed independently by the ship’s crew; no installer is required.”
