Touchscreen control and monitoring

The touch screen set up will watch over equipment and alarms, tank level measurement, as well as follow up the engines and electric parameters, plus controlling equipment like pumps, solenoid valves, internal and external lighting, searchlights and screen wipers as well as video cameras.

French maker Marinelec Technologies includes an alarms monitoring system too, which provides both a reset and acknowledgement function. Any alarm level adjustments are saved in the memory when the power is turned off. There is a printable data archive to tell which alarms were tripped or changed, and the displays can also be personalised.

Control, however, is not all ‘top down’. The safety functions are entered into the programmable logic control unit which can run alone. In case of failure manual switches are available.

The technology has been approved by the main classification societies and complies with the IMO A.686 (17) resolution regarding alarms and indicators.

For more than 30 years, Marinelec has designed and manufactured equipment for fire detection alarms and other safety equipment such as water ingress alarms and watertight doors. Offshore support ships have been equipped with Marinelec fire detection panels.

The company provides a range of other management equipment and control systems. One simple idea is a warning light column specially created to convey warning information in noisy and confusing environments such as the engine and crew quarters, where it has an important part to play in alerting those responsible for safety measures such as the launching of lifeboats.

The light column has several sections which light up or flash in response to differing alarms, as well as horns and sirens. A choice of international pictograms will not be misinterpreted.

It is easy to install, with either horizontal or vertical assembly, so that it can be hung across a ceiling or corridor or mounted against side panelling. The long life LED lights are visible from both sides and keep both energy cost and maintenance requirements low.