Behind the fun was the serious message of Transas' impressive progress in world markets over the decade since the international dimension of commercial operations was established in Southampton.

Turnover has grown from from $1m in 1993 to an anticipated $50m this year and the Group now employs some 600 people in technology and distribution operations worldwide. The most recent of these is a Middle East office opened in Dubai last month in conjunction with Elcome International.

Company focus is in the fields of onboard navigation and control systems, maritime training simulators, shore-based solutions such as VTS and AIS, and, most recently, ship and fleet management systems incorporating marine communications.

Transas has amassed a portfolio of some 8,000 TX-97 electronic charts and has recently won its largest ever ECDIS order from Danish shippers A P Moller. Transas will supply 160 Maersk vessels with dual Navi-Sailor 2400 ECDIS, complete with radar overlay, the full world folio of electronic charts and a subscription to the chart correction service. Transas has also been contracted to supply weather forecast software for each ship, an office ECDIS system for the A.P. Moller head office and six simulator training systems.

MJ Information No: 16912