First approved track control system

Lloyd?s Register has issued a first Type Approval of its kind to a Kelvin Hughes ECDIS based Track Control System. The approval covers the integration of the company’s ECDIS and Autopilot products into a system meeting the new IEC 62065 track control performance standard. It covers all current Kelvin Hughes ECDIS products. The track control standard stipulates both the minimum track keeping performance through a series of manoeuvres in differing environmental conditions. It also defines the functionality required of the system in the event of a sensor or other failure, to maximise vessel safety. The approval process consisted of simulator trials, environmental and interfacing tests that were carried out at the company’s premises in Essex. Steve Tucker, head of systems for Kelvin Hughes says: “This approval will allow us to supply DNV Watch1 and Lloyd?s Nav1 compliant systems and satisfy shipyard requirements for vessels being built to specific classifications.”