Heiltsuk infuriated by Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s statement on diesel spill
http://coastalfirstnations.ca/news-release/october-26-2016-503pm
http://coastalfirstnations.ca/news-release/october-26-2016-503pm
They have had that technology for years now, GLG: NavTrek, Nobeltek, MaxSea, etc software (http://cms.nobeltec.com/CMS/Products/NavigationSoftware/ProductsSoftware.aspx) on your computer - tied to a GPS and an automatic helmsman (autopilot). You have to be in the wheelhouse - and awake, though - to ensure it all works as predicted wrt tracks and steering. Maybe even turn it on and set it up.We have the technology, in the automotive industry, to self drive across the country, so why can't there be lane departure warnings in the tug industry? Seems to me that the route of this tug is the same over and over and would not be difficult to know that it missed the turn. Alarm bells could have been ringing to alert the whole crew that something was wrong.
Had something similar for years, too: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_radar_plotting_aid above the water. Underneath - yep - depth alarms, too. It's the stopping distance (and sometimes the radius of turn for supertankers) that is the issue. Or, more precisely - momentum (mass x velocity) is the real difference.Thanks AA .. maybe it's time to embed some tech in the control systems. Not sure if tugs are "fly by wire" but if we were to take the tech from the automotive industry that does auto braking that could stop a tug from grounding itself in shallow water. The control system would see that it was about to hit bottom and take a corrective action such as reverse course (stop) and sound and alarm.