Navtor signs breakthrough e-navigation fleet agreement with DOF

E-navigation specialist Navtor has signed a landmark fleet agreement with DOF Management, the owner and operator of 78 advanced offshore service vessels. The deal will see Navtor’s innovative and user-friendly ENC service rolling out across DOF’s high-end CSVs, PSVs and AHTS vessels, which operate in all key oil and gas regions worldwide.

DOF is an established global leader in the offshore sector, with a 30-year track record of success in providing cutting-edge vessels to some of the biggest names in the energy industry. It employs over 4000 members of staff and, after building its business in the North Sea, now boasts offices across the world, including Brazil, West Africa and the Asia Pacific region.

– This agreement marks a union between two innovators in their respective fields, comments Navtor Business and Communications Manager Willy Zeiler.

– DOF has led the way in supplying vessels and personnel that redefine standards in the offshore sector, providing outstanding service quality through advanced technology. Navtor has exactly the same philosophy. Our innovative products deliver genuine benefits, and that’s why we are emerging as a dominant force in the demanding offshore segment.

Navtor’s ENC Service is currently used by shipowners that control over 70% of the Norwegian offshore fleet, despite the fact that these vessels don’t fall under the IMO’s ECDIS Mandate (legislating that certain ships must use ENCs as their primary means of navigation).

The user-friendly solution is distributed on the pre-loaded USB-based NavStick, allowing navigators to instantly download global charts and licences to the ECDIS, while an online synchronisation feature ensures that the latest updates are available on demand.

Time-consuming administration duties – such as checking for updates and ordering licences - are subsequently slashed, allowing navigators to focus on what’s really important in harsh offshore environments, navigating.

 Trialed on two vessels

Nils Olav Troland, Operations Manager at DOF, arranged for the service to be trialed on two vessels - the Skandi Vega (AHTS) and Skandi Feistein (PSV), both of which serve clients in the North Sea - during the summer of 2013. The benefits, he notes, were compelling:

– The simplicity and efficiency of Navtor’s ENC solution was clear. The installation, access to charts and updating is completely intuitive, and that saves time, which in turn translates to financial and efficiency benefits. In addition, reducing the administrative workload impacts positively upon safety and crew satisfaction. Two factors that are fundamentally important at DOF.

Troland adds that Navtor’s PAYS (Pay As You Sail) subscription model also delivered a huge competitive advantage:

– PAYS makes all charts freely available for planning purposes, only charging for the ENCs used for navigating during voyages. During the test period we saw the benefits of that, with our electronic chart costs on the two vessels falling by close to 50%. Now that could be because we were previously ordering too many charts, but with PAYS, where there’s no need to order and install new charts in advance, the management is so efficient that any ‘wastage’ is completely negated.

DOF will also be taking advantage of Navtor’s NavTracker tool. This fleet management ‘app’, optimised for use on iOS and Android mobile devices, as well as internet-enabled computers, allows onshore teams to track vessels, giving them a full overview of ship location, chart usage and management (including a comprehensive overview of ENC updates).

 Innovations and service enhancements

– We aim to give shipowners such as DOF complete control over all their navigation needs and requirements, states Zeiler. – Through constant innovation we can deliver constant service enhancements. That desire is maintaining our position at the forefront of the e-navigation industry.

Navtor’s ENC Service has already began rolling out across the DOF fleet, with further introductions continuing on an on-going basis as existing supplier agreements come to an end.

DOF is headquartered at Storebø, a small community south of Bergen, Norway. Other Norwegian offshore operators utilising Navtor’s ENC Service include Simon Møkster Shipping, Island Offshore, Troms Offshore, Havila Shipping, Siem Offshore, Remøy Shipping and OH Meling.