Kodit

Kodit and SeaTag win prestigious award in Washington USA

A sophisticated safety system developed in Wales that ensures all passengers on cruise liners can be swiftly and accurately accounted for during an emergency evacuation has received international recognition. 

The CT@G system - designed by Seatag Safety Systems of Anglesey and their technology partners Kodit Database from St Asaph - has won the Safety at Sea International Award for software or electronic systems. 

Judges commented that recent developments to the “CT@G CRUISE” system had improved its efficiency and the system had the potential to save lives and speed up evacuation procedures. 

Seatag Managing Director Captain Trevor Bailey said the recognition from industry experts was a superb endorsement that would boost their marketing efforts. 

The device, developed with funding from the Welsh Assembly Government and promoted in key markets with support from International Business Wales (IBW), has already created tremendous interest in the US – and been trialled in Alaska.  

In fact Seatag and Kodit will be participating in the Assembly Government’s largest ever trade mission to the USA (which leaves on June 20th) to follow up a number of successful leads made earlier this year.  

One of the most promising was a chance to show the capabilities of CT@G at a major exercise in Alaska in April when the system was used in a simulated evacuation of 1800 passengers and 700 crew from a large cruise ship to shore.  

The objective – which was accomplished - was to achieve 100% accountability for the passengers and crew during the onboard muster to boats in a faster time than using traditional methods. 

Sponsored by the US Coast Guard, the US Customs and Border protection and the Holland America Line cruise company, the demonstration also attracted representatives from the Canadian Coast Guard and the Singapore Government. 

Ieuan Wyn Jones, Minister for the Economy and Transport, said it was good to see a collaboration between two Welsh companies delivering real results. 

“The support of IBW also illustrates how the Assembly Government is proactively working with Welsh companies to provide the market intelligence, contacts and advice to enable them to trade internationally and reach new clients.”

Capt Bailey said they now looked forward to working closely with the United States Coast Guard and others to deliver a range of products to a worldwide portfolio of clients. 

“We have come a long way in a very short time with the design, development and marketing of CT@G and are extremely grateful to all departments of the Assembly Government for their support. 

“IBW has given us the opportunity to prove to the industry that our product does what we say it does – the demonstration in Alaska was a wonderful international opportunity for us. 

“The Award reinforces the value of the product and the opportunity to set the standard for the international cruise industry.” 

Capt Bailey, who served on ferries for ten years and now  works  as a safety consultant for the commercial shipping industry, said there was a real need to improve methods of accounting for passengers and crew, particularly in the event of an emergency. 

This was reinforced after the fire on the Star Princess cruise liner in 2006 when it took more than six hours to account for 2600 passengers and almost 1200 crew. 

It was this that prompted Capt Bailey to establish the technical agreement with Kodit to develop the CT@G software based on Kodit’s successful AccuCheck product.

CT@G systems use tracking capabilities such as radio frequency identification technology - a wireless scanning device – or barcodes to read electronic identification tags or ID cards carried  by crew and passengers.

Crew members use Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) fitted with appropriate readers to scan all personnel as they arrive at the Muster Station, providing positive identification.

The data is available on-screen at the Muster Stations and, as it is web based, the information can be accessed by cruise company personnel and at other central locations, giving a real-time passenger count.