ICS Win at the BEEA's 2011

ICS has won two awards at the British Engineering Excellence Awards 2011.

ICS has been awarded Grand Prix Winner “Best of the Best” and "Best Small Company of the Year”. Given the calibre of the competition and “top of their profession” judging panel, ICS are thrilled and truly value both of these BEEA awards. ICS's Managing Director, Kevin Page, said “I was genuinely surprised to have won today as prestigious industry awards frequently overlook small UK businesses. BEEA must be highly commended for adopting a judging structure that is “all inclusive. One of the benefits of small companies, for example, is that I was able to personally thank every member of staff for their part in these highly deserved awards”

ICS to upgrade UK Coastguard

ICS has once again been selected by the UK MCA to supply a new DSC system.

The new system supplied by ICS is to be used in all Coast Stations (MRCCs) covering UK and adjoining international waters. The ICS V4 Marine Communication System will be supplied via a prime contractor as part of larger project in upgrading one of the world’s largest and most efficient Coastguard systems run by the MCA.

System Upgrade for Embratel Brazil

ICS is to upgrade Embratel with the latest V4 RoIP & DSC marine communication system.

ICS awarded with a contract to upgrade the Brazilian national A3 DSC and Voice marine communication system will implement the new ICS V4 Marine Communication System. New system features will include fully IP networked solution using the ICS Radio over IP (RoIP) Audio Switch and Radio Telephony Control Units (RTCUs).

DSC System for China

ICS Electronics has supplied China with a V4 DSC GMDSS system in several locations.

The DSC marine communication systems have been deployed in various locations throughout China including Jiangsu, Shan Dong, Liao Ning, Tian Jin and He Bei.

DSC & Voice System for Lithuania Navy

ICS Electronics has successfully completed a project to provide the Lithuanian Navy with the V4 Marine Communication System.

The new DSC and Voice Communication system was implemented to cover both the A1, A2 sea areas.

NAVTEX Upgrade for BT Global Services

ICS Electronics has supplied BT Global Services with new NAVTEX Equipment for the MCA.

Supplied by ICS BT Global Services now has new NAVTEX transmitters and V4 NAVTEX Modems for their NAVTEX service to the UK Maritime Coastguard Agency for the transmission of NAVTEX from the three UK NAVTEX stations Niton, Cullercoats and Portpatrick in NAV Area I.

Caofeidian Port DSC Upgrade

ICS Supply Chuwa Bussan Co., Ltd with a V4 Marine Communication System VHF DSC for the Caofeidian Port.

Poland V4 VHF GMDSS System

ICS Supply Radmor S.A. Poland with a V4 VHF DSC Marine Communication System.

Tunisia V4 NAVTEX System

ICS to supply Erset-Belgium with a V4 Marine Communication System for NAVTEX service transmissions in Tunisia.

Zhengjiang, China DSC System Upgrade

ICS Supply Chuwa Bussan Co., Ltd with a V4 Marine Communication System VHF DSC for Zhengjiang.

Mozambique GMDSS A2 System

ICS Win contract to supply Zenitel with a V4 Marine Communication System for GMDSS in Mozambique.

Swedish Maritime Administration GMDSS project

ICS supply the Swedish Maritime Administration with a V4 Marine Communication System for A1/A2 GMDSS.

Tanzanian Ports Authority GMDSS project

ICS have been contraced by Kongsberg Norcontrol IT to supply, the GMDSS communication system.

The system to be supplied by ICS will be part of the Tanzanian Ports Authority VTS project. Included will be the V4 Maritime Communication System providing VHF and MF Digital Selective Calling and radiotelephone services at four locations providing essential A1/A2 GMDSS coverage on the East coast of Africa.

Kongsberg Norcontrol IT has been appointed to deliver and install three VTS workstations for operator access to data and control system functions, three GMDSS workstations and sites, three CCTV sites, one AIS base station, and one radar for installation at the Port of Dar es Salaam. www.kongsberg.com

Poseidon choose ICS for Nigeria

ICS Electronics has been chosen by Poseidon to supply their V4 Marine Communications System to the Nigerian GMDSS project.

The V4 Maritime Communication System will be providing VHF Digital Selective Calling and radiotelephone services at four locations with NAVTEX broadcasting systems co-located at two of the sites.

Poseidon, the prime contractor, has forged a sound reputation in Nigeria having recently supplied maritime training and simulation systems to The National Maritime Authority. http://www.poseidon.no

As part of the pre-contract system design process ICS have been liaising with Radio Holland Norway renewing their historic ties with the Radio Holland Group. http://www.radioholland.no

U.S. Coast Guard Commissions Rescue 21

The U.S. Coast Guard has accepted and activated Rescue21 a new command, control and communications system.

Rescue 21 is to be produced by General Dynamics C4 Systems and will integrated into the U.S. Coast Guards's existing search and rescue mission.

Rescue 21, which includes integrated Digital Selective Calling components from ICS Electronics, is currently installed in regions along the Eastern seaboard. Once fully implemented, it will be the Coast Guard’s primary command and control system along the 95,000 miles of coastline for which it is responsible.

V4 Test Systems released

ICS Electronics Limited have announced the release of two test systems.

The V4 test Systems are to be aimed at test houses, manufacturers and regulatory bodies involved in type testing, product development and verification of maritime radio products.

The V4 NAVTEX Test System facilitates semi-automated testing of NAVTEX receivers to IEC, ETSI and ITU standards. More...

The V4 Marine Radio Analyser provides facilities for testing MF, HF and VHF marine DSC transceivers. AIS transponders may also be verified for correct responses to DSC channel management and ITU-R M.825 compatibility. More...

V4 NAVTEX Systems proving popular

ICS Electronics Limited is pleased to announce the recently introduced V4 NAVTEX System is proving popular with five systems shipped to date.

The TCP/IP based V4 NAVTEX System, part of the V4 Marine Communication System, offers broadcasters unparalleled ease-of-use in the generation, scheduling and control of NAVTEX messaging. System options include direct entry of messages via email and automated monitoring and verification of transmissions using remote networked receivers. More...

V4 ‘Lite’ released at BPA Conference

The annual British Ports Authority conference, held this year at the Brighton, proved to be the ideal forum for ICS to release their V4 Lite DSC Port Radio system.

The system is aimed at clients with small to medium size port operations who do not require the extensive facilities of the ICS V4 Marine Communication System (V4 MCS). More...

AIS Channel Management made easy

Administrations implementing AIS may require regular broadcasting using DSC.

Implementing an IMO Automatic Identification System (AIS) may require AIS Channel Management information to be regularly broadcast using Digital Selective calling on VHF Channel 70.

The V4 Scheduler client, part of the V4 Marine Communication System, makes implementation of this requirement straightforward, with configurable schedules and the capability to control multiple stations. More...

V4 NAVTEX - A New Addition

ICS Electronics Limited proudly announces the arrival of their V4 NAVTEX system to the V4 Marine Communication System family.

The V4 NAVTEX may be deployed as a standalone system or integrated with other component parts of the TCP/IP based V4 Marine Communication System including DSC, NBDP and radio telephony. The V4 NAVTEX system includes the V4 NAVTEX modem featuring integrated transmitter control capability and a V4 NAVTEX receiver for remote monitoring of the transmitting stations’ NAVTEX broadcasts. More...

V4 Marine Communication System introduced

ICS Electronics Limited have announced the introduction of the V4 Marine Communication System (V4 MCS).

The TCP/IP based V4 Marine Communication System offers unparalleled flexibility to existing clients and new customers who may be considering an upgrade of a system or establishing an entirely new network. The system offers GMDSS communications including DSC, NBDP, Radiotelephony and AIS Channel Management. The networked architecture allows integration with other services and future expansion of the system. The first system is due to be commissioned shortly. More...

ICS Electronics selected for Rescue 21

ICS Electronics has be selected by General Dynamics Systems for the new U.S. Coast Guard Rescue 21 System.

General Dynamics Decision Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE:GD), has chose ICS to supply the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) communications processing and Graphical User Interface solution as part of Rescue 21, the modernization of the United States Coast Guard's National Distress and Response System.

The project named 'Rescue 21', which forms part of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), will improve the Coast Guard's ability to detect mayday calls from boaters, pinpoint their location and co-ordinate rescue operations along 95,000 miles of U.S. coastline and interior waterways.

Marc Palmano, Director of ICS Electronics, stated "We are very pleased to be working with General Dynamics on this prestigious contract, and we are committed to help provide the Coast Guard with an effective Search and Rescue Communication system.

ICS, who supported General Dynamics throughout the pre-contract phases, were chosen for their proven products, detailed knowledge and experience of GMDSS matters and the ability to integrate their system into the overall solution. In addition to Digital Selective Calling the ICS system will provide Automatic Identification System (AIS) management and vessel locating facilities.

New UK NAVTEX/SafteyNet Messaging System

ICS Electronics Ltd. are very pleased to announce that they have just delivered a new MSI (Maritime Safety Information) messaging system to BT.

The new UK system has initially been installed at Stonehaven Radio near Aberdeen and is currently undergoing trials.

The system will fully automate all the UK NAVTEX message transmissions sent via the existing radio transmitters at Niton Radio, Cullercoats Radio and Portpatrick Radio. The same system will also generate INMARSAT C SafetyNET messages to be transmitted via British Telecom’s satellite earth station at Goonhilly in Cornwall, UK.

Early next year the responsibility for transmitting the UK MSI information will be transferred from BT to HM Coastguard, now part of the UK Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the system will then be transferred from Stonehaven to the Coastguard MRCC at Falmouth. BT will continue to provide transmitter facilities.

The system supplied is similar to NAVTEX systems already delivered by ICS to the Taiwan authorities and the Royal Netherlands Navy in the Dutch Antilles. It is based upon dual, main/standby computers working under Windows NT. The system is particularly easy for operators to use and message serial numbers are automatically generated. The transmission of routine NAVTEX at four hour intervals is fully automatic and requires no human intervention.

ICS have also supplied the GMDSS DSC infrastructure for HM Coastguard and are a major manufacturer of NAVTEX receivers. ICS NAVTEX receivers are in use by approximately 25% of the world’s ships and by many smaller vessels.

ICS Wins Brazil GMDSS

ICS Electronics are pleased to announce the signature of a contract with Embratel for the supply of coast radio station equipment to Brazil.

Embratel(the country’s principal long distance telephone company, which is 52% owned by MCI in the United States) has contracted ICS to bring Brazil into the new Global Maritime Distress and Safety System.

Installation of the system will be fully completed by October 1999, and the overall contract value is GBP1.34 million (USD2.1 million).

In order to implement the new system, Brazil’s main Operational Centre-RENEC at Guaratiba will be linked to radio station sites at Manaus, Recife and Rio de Janeiro, with operator terminals operating under Windows NT to be located at the Navy’s Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Rio de Janeiro. It is perhaps interesting to note that one of the coast radio station sites is 1,000 miles from the sea – on the river Amazon. Area A3 (HF) DSC and NBDP coverage will be provided from these three radio stations, which can all be controlled by one operator from a single user terminal.

Alan Clemmetsen, Managing Director of ICS, said, ‘It is pleasing to win a second major GMDSS coast radio station infrastructure project in South America. Three years ago, we installed some 60 GMDSS coast radio stations, covering the coast of Chile. This includes Cape Horn. However, what most probably clinched this contact was the visit that the Brazilians paid to the UK, where they saw the infrastructure system which we recently supplied for the UK coastguard. This comprises 22 Rescue Co-ordination Centres linked to 106 remote radio sites. This may well be the largest GMDSS infrastructure system currently operating in any part of the world.’

ICS Electronics are a fast growing manufacturer of GMDSS systems for ship-borne applications - from Navies (including the Royal Navy) down to the smallest yacht. An increasing proportion of the company’s business, however, comes from coast radio station activities, which has enabled the company’s turnover to more than double in the last year. The company is currently about to deliver a new message handling system for the UK’s Navtex and SafetyNet services and numerous other GMDSS infrastructure projects are under negotiation in various parts of the world.