KMSS Wins 22-Ship Deal

Kongsberg Maritime Ship Systems (KMSS) has been contracted to provide its AutoChief Propulsion Control system for 22 ships currently in production in China and Korea. The orders, worth NOK 7.5m were all taken in November and are further evidence of the massive inroads that KMSS has made into the eastern marine markets throughout 2002. "Since we announced our new focussed direction at SMM this year, KMSS has become firmly established in both the Korean and Chinese shipbuilding markets," said Lars Gorvell-Dahl, President of KMSS. "The latest AutoChief orders mark an excellent period for KMSS and it's subsidiaries in the East," he added. The 22 ships will be fitted with AutoChief Propulsion Control, which is a modular system connected via serial communication lines making it ideal for a wide range of engine set-ups from various manufacturers. This flexible approach offers numerous configurations depending on the type of propulsion train each ship uses. The system consists of Five key units. The AutoChief 4 and 7 Remote Control System facilitates control of the propulsion plant from different areas on the ship such as bridge, bridge wing and engine control room. If this system is not being used, the Engine Telegraph System is able to relay orders from the bridge to control room or emergency control stand. The Engine Safety System is a complete protection system for diesel engines whilst the Digital Governor offers rugged, reliable and maintenance free governing of the engine's systems. The Order Printer unit takes care of the status of propulsion plants and the logging of system commands and response. The AutoChief complies with the latest IMO requirements and is accepted by local marine authorities, engine builders and classification societies. In addition, it recently received the Samsung Q Mark award making it a preferred product of Samsung Heavy Industries Co. LTD (SHI). KMSS has supplied over 1000 AutoChief Propulsion Systems in Korea alone, making it the most popular system of its kind in the world.