MIDDLETOWN, R.I. and LONDON, Feb. 04, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VideotelTM, the leading global provider of e-Learning maritime training solutions and a company of KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq:KVHI), has joined forces with online maritime training business Safebridge GmbH, which specializes in ECDIS training, to provide shipping companies with the unique ability to certify their seafarers on ECDIS type-specific training while serving onboard. More than 30 ECDIS type-specific training courses will be available, which is the most comprehensive offering in the industry.
Companies using the award-winning Videotel On Demand (VOD) system will have access to this leading-edge certification route. The agreement will enable a trainee onboard to select and log onto the VOD system and access the relevant Safebridge courses. After completing online theory segments, the trainee would then proceed to practical training using the onboard ECDIS before taking their test using Safebridge’s validation systems.
The list of type-specific ECDIS training courses covered in this agreement includes the full ECDIS type-specific training portfolio of Safebridge, as well as further training courses for more ECDIS equipment currently in development. Maritime regulations requiring ECDIS compliance on all ship types are in a rollout phase that began in 2012 and will continue until 2018.
“Training crew on ECDIS type-specific models has been a real headache for shipping companies and ship managers over the past years. The large number of different ECDIS models and the fact that crew generally have to complete their training ashore means that the shipping industry has faced a costly logistical burden in getting crew the knowledge they legally require,” says Nigel Cleave, Videotel’s chief executive officer. “We are delighted to further extend our long working relationship with Safebridge in this area, to introduce logical and cost-effective training solutions to our customers.”
Videotel’s training solutions are in use on more than 12,000 vessels worldwide, and include 950 new and updated titles to meet current seafarer training needs. The Videotel programs are available in a range of formats, including 500+ e-Learning courses, more than twice the number of CBTs offered by competitors. Videotel has been a leader in developing training material since 1973 when the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO), the forerunner to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), wanted to improve the quality of training materials available to seafarers and called on the company’s services. Videotel has recorded more than 11 million training events in recent years, and its training programs have been recognized with nearly 100 awards.
Today, Videotel’s focus on maritime training materials is a vital aspect of the overall integrated maritime solution offered by KVH, which is addressing the big data needs of the maritime industry in a unique way. KVH’s solution includes the mini-VSAT Broadbandsm satellite network, which provides broadband connectivity to thousands of vessels worldwide; the TracPhone® V-IP line of advanced satellite communications antenna systems; and the IP-MobileCastTM content delivery service, which utilizes multicasting technology to deliver entertainment and operations content without using vessels’ monthly airtime data allotments. Videotel’s Basic Training Package of 20 essential maritime training programs is already available via the IP-MobileCast content delivery service, and additional Videotel training programs will be added.
Note to Editors: For information about Videotel’s extensive range of training programs, please visit the Videotel website, www.videotel.com. For information about the entire array of KVH’s maritime solutions, please visit the mini-VSAT Broadband website, www.minivsat.com/one. High-resolution images of KVH products are available at the KVH Press Room Image Library, www.kvh.com/press-room/image-library.
About KVH Industries, Inc.
KVH Industries, Inc. is a leading provider of in-motion satellite TV and communications systems, having designed, manufactured, and sold more than 200,000 mobile satellite antennas for applications on vessels, vehicles, and aircraft. KVH is also a leading news, music, and entertainment content provider to many industries including maritime, retail, and leisure. Videotel, a KVH company, is the market-leading provider of training films, computer-based training, 3D animation and e-Learning courses. KVH is based in Middletown, RI, with research, development, and manufacturing operations in Middletown, RI, and Tinley Park, IL, USA. The company’s global presence includes offices in Belgium, Brazil, Cyprus, Denmark, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
About Safebridge
Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, Safebridge is an innovative e-Learning company formed in 2009 to develop online bridge equipment simulation training solutions for the maritime industry. The company evolved from the European Commission’s Lifelong Learning Initiative under the Leonardo da Vinci Program, which ran a project on this subject. Safebridge’s staff includes professional mariners with years of experience at sea. For more information, visit www.safebridge.net.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. For example, forward-looking statements include statements regarding the timing and occurrence of new product and service rollout plans; the functionality, characteristics, quality and performance of KVH products and services; anticipated innovation and product development; and customer preferences, requirements and expectations. The actual results could differ materially from the statements made in this press release. Factors that might cause these differences include, but are not limited to: potential unanticipated technical or legal impediments that could delay or impede new product and service rollout plans; unanticipated declines or changes in customer demand, due to economic, seasonal, and other factors; and potential reduced sales to companies in or dependent upon the oil industry as a result of declining oil prices. These and other risk factors are discussed in more detail in KVH’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. KVH does not assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect new information and developments, except as required by law.
KVH, Videotel, TracPhone, and IP-MobileCast are trademarks of KVH Industries, Inc. mini-VSAT Broadband is a service mark of KVH Industries, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.