Mechanical Technology December 2015

⎪ Modern transport and vehicle solutions ⎪

Maritime data technologies showcased

Following the acquisition by Marine Data Solutions (MDSol) of Marine Radio Acoustic Devices (MRAD) earlier this year, Steve Nell and Eddy Elschot talk about their products showcased at African Ports Evolution and the exciting future of the African maritime industry.

M ar i ne Dat a So l u t i ons (MDSol) is a Cape Town- based company specialis- ing in world-leading mari- time surveillance technologies, services and solutions. Founded in 2004, the company has the largest installed base of marine domain awareness technolo- gies on the African continent, and was excited by the opportunity to showcase its technology capabilities at this year’s African Ports Evolution in Durban. Under the dynamic, entrepreneurial leadership of Steve Nell, MDSol has built up a strong customer base among South African and African maritime authorities and related industries. This ‘young-at-heart’ organisation has seen consistent growth since its inception, and a number of acquisitions have served to augment its customer offering and value proposition. “Our vision at MDSol is to provide an increasingly holistic solution to our customers, ensuring that our service offering meets the requirements of our customers in the long term. We have made it company practice to listen care- fully to our customers and find new ways of adding value,” says Nell. The company made its most recent acquisition in October 2015, acquiring a majority shareholding in Marine Radio Acoustic Devices (MRAD), a well-estab- lished provider of world-class on-board electronic equipment for the maritime and fisheries industries. Leveraging the key synergies between the two compa- nies, MDSol and MRAD have worked together on a number of projects over the past couple of years.

“This acquisition has been in the pipeline for more than two years, and is an exciting step forward for both companies,” says Eddy Elschot, general manager of MRAD. “We have estab- lished an extremely good relationship with MDSol and are looking forward to

Steve Nell, managing director of the MDSol group of companies with Eddy Elschot, general manager of MRAD.

combining our respective fields of exper- tise to bring our mutual customer base greater levels of service, technology and product support.” Nell adds: “As specialists in shore- based marine technologies, we are very pleased to be joining forces with such a well-established provider of on-board systems. It means that we will be able to offer a wider-ranging maritime technology solution to our mutual customers; and our shared approach to service and firm commitment to excellence forms a strong foundation for the future growth of both companies.” MDSol has a strong presence in the maritime sector, with over 65 installa- tions both in South Africa and along the African coastline. Its range of globally proven technology includes vessel traffic management and information systems, ports and coastal surveillance systems, automatic identification systems and navigation aids, amongst others. “MDSol is committed to building in- tegrated technology platforms to create an increasingly accurate picture of the marine domain. It is about gathering cus- tomer-specific and relevant intelligence, with the overarching vision of creating new levels of safety and efficiency in the

maritime sector. African Ports Evolution is an invaluable forum to share our vision with likeminded individuals and organisa- tions,” Nell says. “With the blue economy, or ‘ocean economy’ on everyone’s lips – spurred on by the government’s Operation Phakisa – the maritime industry is an exciting space in which to operate. Furthermore, creative use of technology can really assist in fast-tracking growth and devel- opment of the industry; and contributes to a growing economic sector – not only in South Africa – but around the entire continent,” he concludes. q

Formed in 2004, Marine Data Solutions (MDSol) is a holistic service provider specialising in marine domain awareness (MDA) solutions. The company is partially owned by Kongsberg Norcontrol IT, a global leaders in maritime sur- veillance solutions. MDSol Galactic , a subsidiary of MDSol, provides fire engineering, safety and security solutions, while MRAD , now part of the MDSol group of companies, provides a wide range of electronic equipment for the marine and fisher- ies industries. A proudly African company, MDSol is ISO 9001:2008 and holds a B-BBEE Level 1 certificate.

Mechanical Technology — December 2015

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