Wed 19 May 2010, 06:11 GMT

Fuel management project with GPS tracking


GPS tracking to work in tandem with fuel management system on offshore support vessels in West Africa.



Blue Sky Network, a leading global provider of Iridium-based GPS tracking and communication solutions, and Upland Consulting, a management and strategy services firm, have announced that they have won a project to implement FuelTrax Marine Fuel Management and GPS tracking on offshore support vessels in Nigeria.

A major petroleum company is now piloting these technologies on vessels in the African region and is said to be benefiting from the increased fuel efficiency, accountability and safety the system provides.

Developed by Nautical Control Solutions of Houston, Texas, FuelTrax specifically identifies operating inefficiencies on a vessel or across a fleet. Moving beyond simple fuel metering, FuelTrax gathers a broad range of fuel-related information and presents it to captains, operations, maintenance, and fleet management so that problem areas and inefficient activities are easily and quickly identified.

Blue Sky Network's D2000 GPS tracking and communications transceiver will work in coordination with FuelTrax to offer offshore marine assets a superior level of safety and security. Fuel consumption information from FuelTrax will be incorporated with Blue Sky's SkyRouter software service to let those onshore communicate with crew members, track vessel location and monitor fuel consumption - all from one convenient interface.

"Fuel loss has long been an issue for marine operators in Nigeria and other parts of the world. In combination with rapidly growing worldwide concern over energy consumption, the task of improving fuel efficiency takes on greater importance," said Jon Gilbert, CEO for Blue Sky Network. "Oil and gas producers who are deploying our unique combined fuel usage and location tracking solution will experience new and much improved levels of visibility and security."

"FuelTrax significantly enhances fuel accountability for marine fleet managers by providing operators with continuous visibility into fuel consumption, economy, engine performance, and fuel tank levels," said Anthony George, CEO of Nautical Control Systems. "Shorebase and on-board monitoring allows vessels to make needed adjustments that reduce fuel usage ultimately reducing costs - a huge benefit in today's uncertain economy."

About Blue Sky Network

Blue Sky Network is the leading provider of global logistics solutions for two-way linking and managing remote transportation assets via satellite. Using its interactive Web portal, SkyRouter, with detailed mapping, Blue Sky Network links enterprises and transportation assets (air, sea and land) anywhere on earth over the Iridium satellite network. The company's FAA-certified data and voice products enable users to customize features including safety and event reporting. For more information, please visit www.blueskynetwork.com.


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