TugCam™ – Visual Operator Aid
TugCam™ is the Netarus visual operator aid for towboats and tugboats: it eliminates blind pushes by placing the operator's eyes anywhere on the vessel or barge.
Tugboats and towboats
TugCam™ eliminates blind pushes for towboat and tugboat operators by placing their eyes anywhere on the vessel or barge. The camera sits in a magnetically mounted case with batteries and a transmitter, and a wireless receiver in the wheelhouse feeds any standard video monitor. Professional Mariner reported how Norfolk Tug used TugCam to see ahead of three-story-tall U.S. Navy barges on the Elizabeth River.
Ports, harbor cranes and cargo holds
Loading and unloading at a port often runs on critical timing, and the crane operator usually has no direct line of sight to the load. A wireless HoistCam at the hook or in the hold removes that blind spot, helps increase safety and can significantly improve productivity.
In one HoistCam case study, a blind lift of cold-rolled steel from inside the hull of a cargo ship went from 9 hours to 4 hours once the rigger and operator could see the load, and the customer's internal safety rating rose above 90%. Results vary with conditions and experience.
Night and low light
Netarus custom platforms can include night vision cameras, and Netarus low-lux camera and DVR systems have been tested on the water at night.
Remote waters and fish pens
The Rapidly Deployable Video Surveillance (RDVS) platform has been used where cameras and recording are needed in very remote locations. It is suited to viewing fish pens, or jon boats where space is often cramped, remotely or locally.
Vessel installations
Netarus engineers custom wiring, panel and camera platforms on maritime vessels, and designs self-contained camera systems for tug and large vessel operators. Its staff includes personnel with TWIC credentials. See custom platforms.
