(ROTTERDAM, Netherlands) — Steven Kransse, RH Marine’s senior certification consultant, has been appointed convenor of the International Electro Technical Commission’s Working Group tasked with the challenge of drafting the first international bridge alert management (BAM) standards for navigation equipment.
Kransse is a trained mariner, and as well as being senior certification consultant he is also consultant compliance officer for the application of the Marine Equipment Directive. He will chair the BAM Working Group 16 for three years.
“I am privileged to play a role in creating these new standards, which will allow mariners to do a better job, which is the main focus of the IMO’s BAM Performance Standard. And as a former seafarer I hope I can add value by sharing my insight into the practical issues on board a ship. The BAM standards will bring ‘peace and quiet’ to the bridge — alerts will only attract attention in proportion to their level of importance. There will also be a harmonization of alerts between equipment brands, making it easier for the operators,” he said.
Given the deadline, whereby the new standards’ draft has to be ready by the end of October 2017, Kransse aims to push on. “My job is to ensure that the international test standard for BAM is in place on time. This is quite a challenge given that the test standard proved to be far more complex than originally anticipated.” Ultimately, the standard is scheduled for publication in the fourth quarter 2018.
He adds that even though these standards apply to bridge equipment at the moment, he fully expects them to be extended to other areas such as engine room automation.
Kransse has been with RH Marine since 2000, where he also held the positions of product manager ECDIS and assistant product manager UniMACS Digital Bridge Systems.
