- Furuno said this information is critical in advising operators of the ship’s movement during challenging conditions such as berthing.
- Dual SC130 satellite compasses provide redundant heading and position, ensuring accurate heading from one end to the other.
- WSF runs ferries on 10 routes that serve 20 terminals around the Puget Sound and San Juan Islands of Washington State, USA.
Washington State Ferries (WSF) has upgraded its 1979-built ferry Issaquah with new bridge electronics to enhance navigation safety and berthing on routes in Puget Sound, reported by Riviera.
Vessel upgrade details
Furuno supplied four FAR3220 chart radar and satellite compasses for this vessel upgrade.
This is the first WSF vessel to be installed with all-NXT broadband, solid-state radar, with aerodynamic antennas paired with the biggest and brightest monitor available, the MU270W.
These widescreen monitors enable three-axis speed to be displayed directly on the radar display to aid ferry pilotage.
Three-axis speed displays, at one user-determined reference point, provide important information for three different points of reference: longitudinal speed (ahead-astern), transverse speed (port-starboard) at the stern and transverse speed (port-starboard).
Furuno said this information is critical in advising operators of the ship’s movement during challenging conditions such as berthing.
Advanced tools
There are two chart radars on the bow and two on the stern of this ferry, while the user interface includes advanced tools on an instant-access bar for rapid navigation-related tasks.
“Having easy-to-see rate-of-turn and three-axis speed at the conning position is a game changer,” said Washington State Ferries captain Joel Michelson.
“Three-axis speed gives me accurate fore-aft speed, and also transverse speed and stern speed,” he said.
“On other vessels, I have speed over ground, but I could be drifting and not actually know if I am making forward progress towards the landing.
With three-axis speed, I know exactly how the vessel is behaving, especially in heavy currents and strong wind.
I also like the larger displays, which are easy to see peripherally, but are also out of the path of view through the windows.”
Accurate heading
Dual SC130 satellite compasses provide redundant heading and position, ensuring accurate heading from one end to the other.
Issaquah is the first in the WSF fleet with completely redundant heading with automatic handover, ensuring continued data distribution if either antenna were to malfunction.
If one compass were to fail, the other would take over automatically. With dual SC130 satellite compasses, Issaquah has no need for a gyrocompass.
“One of the most important things I noted about Issaquah’s installation was the fully redundant heading inputs to the navigation suite,” said Capt Michelson.
“If a heading sensor antenna were to be lost at either end, the sensor from the opposite end seamlessly takes over, and all equipment continues to operate normally,” he added.
“In the past, loss of heading meant operating the radar in heads-up only mode and doing without AIS or ARPA [automatic radar plotting aid] until the heading sensor was fixed.
But on Issaquah, I will be momentarily alerted of the failure and still be able to navigate normally.”
Furuno supplied dual RD50 remote-data displays at each end of this ferry so officers can benefit from the fast heading, rate-of-turn and three-axis speed information.
These displays are fully adjustable due to custom mounts that keep them at a perfect viewing angle for the operator without blocking the view outside the window.
WSF runs ferries on 10 routes that serve 20 terminals around the Puget Sound and San Juan Islands of Washington State, USA.
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Source: Riviera
