By
Michele Witthaus |
Norwegian electronic navigation specialist MARIS has signed an OEM agreement with Chinese marine electronics technology company Beijing Highlander Digital Record Technology Co.
MARIS will provide worldwide technical support to a joint project to offer electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS) and radar systems. Although MARIS will initially supply both software and hardware for the ECDIS part of the agreement, Highlander plans to develop its own hardware manufacturing in the near future and MARIS will continue to supply software. For Radars, MARIS will initially supply complete systems and will assist in securing the relevant type approvals.
“We have already delivered more than 100 ECDIS systems as part of our collaboration to date, but the formalised agreement represents a commitment to long term cooperation from both sides,” said Steinar Gundersen, MARIS deputy chief executive (corporate). “Combining MARIS expertise with a powerful manufacturing partner that matches our aspirations to deliver our proven technology to the industry is very timely, given the volume production that will be required to meet the approaching mandatory ECDIS regime.”
The deal is the first stage in the two companies’ collaboration on value-added solutions for the shipping industry that is planned to include integrated bridge systems and track control systems.