Radio Holland Canada wins bid to provide BC Ferries with VDR manufactured by Rutter Technologies
that matters most
Get the latest maritime news delivered to your inbox daily.
Radio Holland (Vancouver) recently won the competitive bid to provide BC Ferries with VDRs manufactured by Rutter Technologies. Many domestic operators worldwide are beginning to retrofit their fleets with VDR (Voyage Data Recorders).
BC Ferries is a year-round operation on the West Coast of Canada with 25 routes and 47 terminals, and also manages other remote routes through contracts with independent operators. With a fleet of 36 ships, BC Ferries is one of the largest and most complex domestic Ferry fleets in the world, transporting over 21.7 million people and 8.5 million vehicles in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006.
Following the successful installation by Radio Holland (Halifax) of Rutter VDRs on the Atlantic Fleet, which operates between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland on Canada’s East Coast, BC Ferries takes a progressive step forward in vessel operation safety by installation of VDR technology on the Western Canada ferries. The BC Ferries’ requirements for this project are more demanding than a standard retrofit S-VDR installation according to IMO standards. The objective of the BC Ferries is to include -- wherever practical -- many other inputs. These include rudder order and response -- engine order and response.
Five of the vessels in the fleet are double ended ferries that have two separate bridges -- one on each end of the ship. Radio Holland’s bid included two VDRs for each of the double-ended ferries. This decision was largely made to avoid the installation of long cable runs through many fireproof bulkheads. It also avoided various interfacing and changeover issues caused by two sets of device inputs. Radio Holland Vancouver is ready for this job with additional staff and resources to handle the demands of this project successfully. The current planning of the BC Ferries is to complete the entire project before November 2008.
Growth projections indicate that the need for ferry service in Western Canada will expand. With this in mind, BC Ferries has developed a 15-year ship and terminal replacement and upgrade program that will ensure their ability to meet increasing demand. Committed to the safety and security of its customers and personnel, BC Ferries has gone above and beyond what is required by maritime regulation with the decision to install VDR on their fleet.
• Company profile
Radio Holland Canada is a member in the International Radio Holland Group, the leading marine sales and service organization offering customized and turnkey solutions in the field of Satellite and Radio Communications, Automation, and Navigation Systems with the mission of providing innovative, efficient, and functional solutions. The Radio Holland Group also provides Consulting, Engineering, Installation Services, Shore Based Maintenance, Commercial Airtime and Training. The company has a network of more than 54 international offices along all important global shipping routes, ensuring worldwide, global coverage. Since May 2006, Radio Holland Group is part of Imtech N.V., one of the world’s largest technical service providers.