News

The Farsæll Fishing Vessel (ex Helga) was originally constructed in Taiwan in 2009, and along with two sister Vessels was equipped with a full PSM tank gauging package for all of its thirteen ballast and fuel oil tanks. The original system we supplied included PSM’s TankView System with displays in two locations.

Fourteen years on from the original system fit, the PSM level transmitters are still fully functioning and giving reliable service, but the PC based display system needed overhauling since it was using a long obsolete version of the Windows operating system.

We were able to provide a drop-in replacement in the form of our current generation of tank gauging displays. This comprised a VPM display with an integral 7” touchscreen display that interfaced directly with the existing sensors and acquisition modules and provided all tank shape and S.G. correction to give a display of actual content. Additionally, a larger remote touchscreen display provides a comprehensive display in the wheelhouse.

Interconnection of the two displays is by a single ethernet connection and means cable changes were minimal, and as an entirely in-house developed platform (both hardware and software) there are no concerns going forward about obsolescence of the operating system.  The Vessel is now set to operate reliably for at least another decade.

My working life started with a 4 year apprenticeship program at a major Control and Instrumentation Company, which included college attendance and progression through all the departments learning different aspects of the business. I then started work at PSM in 1992, where I was initially responsible for the Sales and Marketing.

Alongside working at PSM, I took a 2 year HNC business course in the evenings, and now my role at PSM encompasses all aspects of the sales cycle, from initial enquiry through to product delivery. As a member of the PSM management team, I also have other responsibilities to the Managing Director.

During my 31 years at PSM I have seen some significant successes within the Military and Marine sector, both in the UK and internationally, and watched us grow to now having trading partners in over twenty countries. More recently I have also overseen some exciting new product developments with the APT Modbus sensor range and compatible multi-tank displays.

Away from PSM I love being a Grandad to my 2 year old grandson, and enjoy spending time with family and friends and watching my son play football. You can often find me in the kitchen making homemade bread and pizza, or going to the cinema, watching live music and taking long walks in the countryside.

SOLAS regulation II-1/22-1 states that passenger ships carrying 36 or more persons and constructed on or after 1 July 2010, must have an approved flood detection system, and sets out the functional requirements of the system. PSM’s Connect VPMS central monitoring system has been Type Approved by DNV to fully meet the needs of this directive.

In addition, our range of hydrostatic level transmitters and Bilge level detection switches are approved as suitable measuring instruments to detect ingress into watertight spaces.

The Connect system can be either supplied as a stand-alone solution dedicated to flood detection and reporting, or it may be included as part of the Connect tank contents gauging system, meaning a saving on duplication of hardware and costs.

The SOLAS regulation defines that either point level or continuous level detectors may be used and provides guidance on where and how many need to be installed. For point level detection our BLS9200 bilge level switch is used, and where continuous detection is needed our APT500 or APT1000 level transmitters are installed.

Signals from all flood detection sensors are routed to a central display which is tailored for each application to give a clear presentation of live status of all monitored points, with alarm conditions being clearly shown and an external audible alarm being activated in response to all alarms.

Typically, the alarm display will be located on the Navigation bridge, but the flexibility of the Connect system allows additional display screens to be added at as many locations as required. Each display screen can show discrete information, meaning that one may be dedicated for tank content gauging and another for flood detection.

As a safety critical function, the system must be continuously powered. To meet this, the Connect system incorporates an automatic changeover from primary to the ships back-up supply in the event of a power failure and will immediately alert system operators with a separate power failure alarm.

The regulation further defines that all detection sensors must be able to be locally tested by simulation. Our BLS9200 flood detection switch incorporates a manual test handle to facilitate this, and our hydrostatic sensors can be easily tested by application of a suitable pressure.

We hope you agree, that as a flexible, expandable, and readily incorporated into a wider tank gauging package, our Connect system provides a fully compliant and cost-effective solution for all Passenger vessel applications.

With 18 years of maritime industry experience, my career started working on deck on superyachts, before progressing to First Mate, amassing 25,000 miles at sea. I then developed my skills as a superyacht Broker and Manager, before joining one of the world’s leading superyacht supply companies, where I was a Sales and Procurement Director. My role encompassed leading the teams who looked after superyacht and commercial customers, selling 35,000 different products a year to customers across seventy-two countries.

This experience and understanding of customers’ needs will assist me greatly in my new role of Business Development Manager at Scanjet PSM, where I will be working with PSM’s existing agents and partners to support their efforts in providing shipbuilders and ship owners with the best tank gauging solutions for their vessels, from advanced sensors to our complete tank monitoring system ‘Connect’.

In addition, I will be helping expand PSM’s footprint into other countries by bringing new agents and partners on board. I am based in the UK but will be travelling around the World to meet customers and attend all the major Marine shows and exhibitions.

Outside of work I am at my happiest walking our dogs with my wife – we have three miniature dachshunds. I also enjoy playing golf and going to watch live sporting events.

My interest in Engineering started at an early age as I’ve been told I was always pulling things apart to see how they worked, and sometimes even managing to put them back together!

On leaving secondary education I took an Engineering and Electronics apprenticeship with a large Instrumentation company which provided me with qualifications, and a hands-on introduction to the industry, in particular within the Marine sector.

After undertaking various roles in Sales and Project Management, I joined PSM in 1989 and it has been home ever since.

Joining initially as a Sales Manager and then becoming Sales Director and co-owner in 1993, I have been fortunate to be part of the growing team for more than 30 years. From the early days where PSM was a small team of Engineers positioned as a specialist provider of Engineered solutions, pulling together instrumentation from various suppliers, to our current position of having a complete and comprehensive in-house, developed and manufactured range of instrumentation.

PSM has always been a truly international business and has taken me around the world with many unforgettable adventures along the way and brought strong partnerships and personal friendships forged over the years.

As we have grown, so has our focus on the marine sector, with the development of purpose designed instrumentation now in its third generation responding to the growing sophistication of the market and our customers’ needs. Some of the most rewarding moments have come from seeing a product develop from its initial concept to a fully approved reality, installed and in service.

Away from work, I enjoy spending time in the countryside, either walking or riding a motorcycle. Motorcycling is a passion of mine, I have been riding since I was a boy, competing in Enduro events for many years, and more recently touring with my wife at a more relaxed pace, visiting Europe as often as we can.

We have recently been working with the Hellenic Navy in Greece on the refit of their Ouranos vessel. The Ouranos is a small coastal tanker, built in 1977 at the Salamis shipyards, alongside its sister ship, the Hyperion, whose main task is to supply and replenish other vessels and naval bases of the Hellenic Navy with fuel and drinking water.

The refit of the 67.6m and 2,100 ton vessel consisted of our VPM+ central acquisition unit with its integral 7” touchscreen display, connected via an ethernet link to a remote larger touchscreen display configured to provide full tank data in both bargraph and tabular format. The VPM+ is particularly suited for larger vessels or systems where a more comprehensive display is required.

Our APT1000 submersible sensor was installed in each of the twelve oil cargo tanks and connected back to the VPM+ acquisition unit via RFM4 termination modules on a single RS485 data bus. This ensured that both liquid level and the temperature could be measured.

The VPM+ is fully pre-configured by us before despatch, meaning the Hellenic Navy simply needed to install the unit and power it up upon delivery, and this, plus the minimal cabling required, were key considerations in them selecting the PSM system for the refit.

We have recently launched our new Type approved by DNV ‘Connect’ Monitoring System suitable for all tank gauging applications and which is MED certified for use on passenger vessels for flood detection monitoring.

The new Connect system is based on our established VPM central monitors, with the addition of an enhanced central processing unit, capable of interfacing with all types of input signals. These can either be connected directly via RS485 communication to the PSM APT1000 intelligent level transmitters, or via interface cards which incorporate safety barriers for IS compliance and accept signals from a 4-20mA instrument.

All signal processing and data calculations are undertaken within the Connect central processing unit and multiple input ports ensure virtually limitless expandability. Tank tables, trim and heel correction, specific gravity, overpressure, temperature, and all other related parameters are considered to provide accurate real-time display tank status.

When Connect is combined with PSM Scanjet’s comprehensive instrumentation range for level detection and monitoring, we can deliver a complete solution for all applications.

We have already received several system orders for applications as diverse as fishing vessels, naval oil tankers and a land-based tank farm, demonstrating Connect’s design aim of being a versatile and scalable monitoring solution.

Information from Connect can be displayed in multiple formats, dependent on which is most suited to your application, such as tabular, bar graph, tank plan and hybrid views. Tanks may also be grouped with dedicated alarm pages showing warnings and status at all times.

Displays are interfaced to the central processing unit via an ethernet connection and display formatting is completely flexible depending on your specific application needs. In effect, the central processing unit acts as a web server and the displays as clients, and any display hardware which can run a web browser may be used. We offer a suitable range of displays, each with a small processing hub, to handle ethernet communications, without the need for a costly computer at each location.

We believe that our new Connect system is an exciting addition to our range and offers a complete tailored solution for a wide range of applications.

After studying Aeronautical Engineering, I started my career at PSM in 1995 as a Production Technician. I was then promoted to Quality Manager (2000), Production Manager (2004) and Operations Director (2019) after obtaining my CILT (UK) – IOM Level 5 Diploma in Operations Management, giving me 27 years’ experience in the manufacturing and marine industry. Recently, in May 2022, I took over the role of Managing Director.

Some of my career highlights include project managing the development and third-party certification of the APT1000 transmitter, the Versatile Process Monitor (VPM) and Connect, our new web-based server platform.

I am also passionate about developing employees through the company, apprenticeship schemes and supporting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) in local schools, encouraging future generations into the industry.

Outside of work, you will often find me fly fishing to relax. I am married with twin boys and an ideal weekend would be spent with my family, cooking one of my speciality Sunday roasts!

It has been a year of growth and change at PSM. In April 2022, John Bullivant retired as Managing Director after 9 years in the role, and James Spenceley, previously Operations Director, took over the position.

We also became part of Alfa Laval as our parent company, Scanjet Marine, was acquired in August.

Alongside these changes to our business, we have continued to develop, manufacture and supply new products and systems to both existing and new customers.

One of our key developments is ‘Connect’, a web-based server platform, capable of accepting and processing data for all instrument types and enabling easy distribution of information to multiple locations onboard a vessel and also for remote access from shore side for live data.

We have received DNV Type Approval of the Connect system for Tank Gauging, providing the monitoring of volume, temperature, pressures and high / low alarms, plus draught measurement. In addition, we have obtained Marine Equipment Directive approval by DNV of the Connect Flood Detection System, designed and approved for use onboard passenger vessels.

Despite world events creating ongoing disruption to the global supply chain, meaning component shortages and long lead times, we have made exceptional investments in securing key critical parts, to guarantee our ability to continue supply of our complete product range within our normal delivery times.

We have received significant orders for a new dedicated Trim and Heel monitoring and display solution, plus several notable orders for Naval Vessel refits and upgrades. In addition, we have received repeat orders for complete tank level solutions for several mega yachts.

With international travel reopening up after the pandemic, we attended two of the largest marine Industry exhibitions, NorShipping and SMM, under the umbrella of Scanjet Marine.

We were successfully audited by LRQA and Intertek against international standards for ISO9001:2015 quality management systems and BS EN ISO/IEC 80079-34 quality management systems for Intrinsically Safe product manufacture.

Locally, we continue to support schools through the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) programme helping raise the profile of Engineering as a profession.