Shock Mitigation Directory

Review of METS Amsterdam & WorkBoat New Orleans

If you had to summarise each show you would say that WorkBoat lives up to its name, this is a 100% professional event that focuses on the work boat, towing, harbour, energy and government sectors. There are boats in the halls but they are mainly RIBs and planing craft for the government, patrol and rescue sector up to about 12 metre (40 feet). There is a lot of heavy metal, big engines, towing gear and industrial equipment. Most US professional maritime organisations have a presence including the US Navy and the US Coast Guard. This event is close to the Gulf coast where the offshore energy sector supports a major industry of shipyards, offshore supply vessels and crew services. There are international exhibitors and visitors.

METS again lives up to it name – it is an equipment show and no boats are allowed except for small inflatable tenders up to 3.5 metre (10 feet). METS bills itself as the world's largest trade exhibition of equipment, materials and systems for the international marine leisure industry. If you have an interest in the luxury boat sector then SYP, the Super Yacht Pavilion, is a platform for the worldwide super yacht Industry and a 'show within a show' at METS. The Dutch are experts in the shipyard and offshore sector but heavy engineering is not on display at METS. Many OEM components are relevant to the professional RIB and high speed craft sector from seating to composite boat building materials. There is a wide mix of international exhibitors and visitors.

Both shows support the huge growth in electronics for RIBs and high speed craft. In the past decade we have seen virtually all the electronics from a ship’s bridge miniaturised and waterproofed for use on the consoles of fast open boats. Up to about ten years ago a coxswain on an 8 metre (26 feet) RIB would have been pleased to supplement laminated charts with a GPS showing Lat / Long, a depth sounder and a VHF. At METS and WorkBoat you rarely see a paper chart, the number displays are on AIS systems showing other vessels positions, VHF is now often noise cancelling and wireless. The future is arriving fast as GPS charting, AIS information and broadband communications can be condensed onto a smart phone. Plug the device into a flat screen monitor and for coastal operations you have a viable back up system in your pocket!

The latest generation of multi-tasking navigation aids on display at METS and WorkBoat are cross over products that often have leisure industry pricing and pro sector applications. Units combine chart plotting, depth, radar, AIS, fuel economy and engine management. If you have enough screen space both shows offered daytime cameras for blind spots and underwater lights for search and patrol missions. If you need more viewing space there were plenty of marine grade flat screens to choose from and day time viewing seems to be improving with hi-visibility displays from most manufacturers.

Rugged marine grade PCs are becoming affordable with video as an option. Night vision is on every pro sector organisations specification sheet for new craft. There are still clear market leaders but the next generation of affordable forward looking infra red units were at both shows. The latest versions of electronics are ‘plug and play’ compatible that enables multiple work stations to run as integrated bridge solutions with dual redundancy back up – that is progress!

Personal safety equipment is a major theme at both events. Man over board (MOB) used to be covered as a drill involving a shout, an auto inflate lifejacket and turning the vessel to search for the casualty who may have only had a whistle to attract attention. At both shows there were various systems that instantly alert the crew to an MOB then automatically track the casualty. Locator systems use GPS, EPIRB and AIS. Many devices enable the person in the water to send out a signal.

It was hard to go on an engine stand in Amsterdam or New Orleans and miss the words emission or pollution. Europe has always been conscious of these issues and now not just California but the whole US is talking about emissions. With budget constraints the challenge seems to be how much can existing craft be retro-fitted and improved. Anti pollution products and methods were apparent. Anti fouling and chemical products for on the water cleaning now focus as much on how ‘green’ they are as how effective they are. Hydraulic and air filled boat lifts used to be for convenience and security now they remove the need for toxic anti-fouling. Plus clean hulls improve speed and fuel economy...back to environmental issues driving change.

Flying over the North Sea to the Netherlands it is obvious how much effort Europe has already put into wind farms and they are now moving from the coasts into deeper water. Panellists at the WorkBoat Professional Series conference session on offshore wind farms agreed that the commercial marine industry in the US is at the edge of a significant boom. Offshore wind energy production will clearly benefit the marine industry worldwide. Hundreds of new vessels will be needed to build and maintain new offshore wind farms in US waters. At least one major UK wind farm boat builder was at WorkBoat bringing expertise and launching a joint venture.

Training and simulation is growing at WorkBoat with significant developments from ship simulation starting to reach the RIB and high speed craft sector. First generation ‘boat’ simulator units have focused on lifeboat launch training. Health and safety and SOLAS are compliance issues so have the highest value. Back to the environment...if you link reduced emissions from reduced engine running time with improved crew safety there will be more onshore simulators and less training craft purchased for navigation exercises. The training for the leisure sector that is crossing over into the super yacht sector at METS is mainly PC based training for core skills including navigation and IRPCS - Rules Of The Road. Offshore PC and web based solutions can be taken a stage further and linked by satellite communications to 24/7 global first aid support at sea.

Overall both METS and WorkBoat had a feeling of cautious optimism – which after the past few years would seem like progress. The professional maritime sector has a lot of history and many operators are adapting to change slowly. Regulations are driving a lot of changes from EC directives to US legislation but in this economic climate many established organisations will only spend when they have to.

Mobile phone Apps and iPads are coming to the professional sector but the Facebook mantra of ‘Move Fast And Break Things’ still does not work at sea!

All images are copyright © Shock Mitigation Directory 2012 unless otherwise stated.

This does not exclude the owner's assertion of copyright over the material.