{mprestriction ids="1,2"}The agreement is the first partnership between the two North American software companies. Helm CONNECT is currently used by more than 40 per cent of the American Waterways Operators fleet, the national trade association for the US tugboat, towboat and barge industry, while New Orleans-based ShipTracks provides real-time vessel position information to 7 of the top 10 inland towing companies in the US, as well other oil companies and commercial shipping operators.

“With Helm CONNECT, we’ve grown from nothing to nearly 3,000 assets using our software in just two years since entering the market,” said Helm Operations CEO, Ron deBruyne.

“We’ve done that by bringing cutting-edge technology and approaches to the market. Moving forward, our goal is to work with other leading maritime technology companies to further the pace of innovation and provide better tools for our customers. Our work with ShipTracks is a great example of that approach.”

Helm CONNECT users will have access to ShipTracks functionality like vessel location and route history integrated into Helm’s web-based platform, features that were previously available only to ShipTracks subscribers.

The first version of the integrated system will be available to all Helm CONNECT customers after the software’s summer update, slated for release in early August. The company says it is also looking to expand the capabilities of this new integrated ShipTracks data infrastructure to add further functionality in the future, such as geo-fencing and operational alarms.{/mprestriction}