Helm CONNECT Blog

“The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress” – Charles Kettering In today’s dynamic and competitive world, change has become a crucial component of business. It can be in the form of change in business goals, change in organizational...

Are you going to the International Workboat Show? The Helm team will be there! Come visit us at Booth 2051. This year we’re excited to be showing our newest product, Helm CONNECT Personnel, which helps companies quickly and easily plan crew schedules, and manage...

“In organizational transformation, if you’re not focusing on culture you’re leaving tremendous potential on the table.” Gregg Cochlan, President and Managing Director of The Pacific Institute Canada, was the keynote speaker for this year’s Helm CONNECT's Helm...

It's that time again! It's time for another major release, with major improvements and new features for you and your operations. Here are some things you'll find in our winter release: Meet the new and improved Requisitions module Since we released Helm CONNECT in...

A huge Thank You to everyone who attended Helm Conference 2018! With more than 100 attendees from all over the world—including companies representing harbor docking, inland barging, passenger vessels, and fishing—it was definitely our biggest conference ever. Our goal...

Industry leader uses experience and easy-to-use software to make Subchapter M compliance possible for tug and barge operators throughout the US. Daphne, AL - In less than two years since helping tug and barge operator Ivy Marine become one of the first companies to...

As of July 20th, 2018, all tugboat and towboats in the US above 26 feet must comply with the new Subchapter M regulation. There are two options to becoming compliant with Subchapter M. The first is the Coast Guard option and the second involves writing a Towing Safety...

Ateet Patel, Portfolio CFO of Volaris Group, and Ron deBruyne, CEO of Helm Operations Leading developer of marine software looks to accelerate growth with new backing from global technology firm Victoria, BC - Leading marine operations software company Helm Operations...

Leading marine software platform achieves record growth in just 24 months  Victoria, BC - Leading marine software company, Helm Operations, announced today that it now has more than 3000 vessels subscribing to Helm CONNECT, its industry-leading maintenance,...

It’s been a busy summer here at Helm. We are ramping up for the fall, football season, the school year, and the return of Helm Conference! On top of all that, we’re also rolling out another release of Helm CONNECT, chock full of new features and improvements to make...

When it comes to choosing a support vendor, workboat companies have a lot of considerations to make. However, with help from John Truitt, President of Kalleo Technologies, an IT consulting and support services firm, this does not have to be a painful process. Truitt...

  Houma, Louisiana-based towing operator becomes first company to roll out new Helm Operations software for crew management. Houma, LA - Leading marine software company Helm Operations announced today that Houma, LA-based Dupre Marine Transportation is the first...

When creating a new piece of software, we love to engage our customers in the development process, starting with the feature request.  Building software from the ground up can be risky business: tremendous effort and expense goes in to designing, creating, and...

URAG is a leading German towage provider that was established in Bremen, Germany in 1890. Today, they operate a diversified fleet of 17 tugs in Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, and Hamburg. Before 2012, URAG used a software that was specially developed to fit their needs...

US industry heavyweights team up to integrate marine operations and AIS platforms, allowing better data-based decision-making in vessel operations. Victoria, BC - Marine operations software developer Helm Operations announced today that it has launched a new...

Summer's finally here in Helm Country! That doesn't just mean hotter weather, it also means we've got another batch of cool new features and improvements to Helm CONNECT ready for you. In every update, we build great features based on your requests, and this update is...

Are you looking to transform your crews workboat safety practices in your organization? With the growing number of rules and regulations businesses must comply with in the workboat industry, developing a safety culture has become an essential part of operations. Ron...

Happy Subchapter M Day! Our partners Tug and Barge Solutions have put together five subchapter m regulations within Sub M you should know now that the regulation is officially in effect. Here's what they had to say: Today Federal Regulation 46 CFR Subchapter M goes in...

We’re just weeks away from Subchapter M coming into effect. Starting July 20th, all tugboats and towboats in the US above 26 feet, must comply with the regulation. As enforcement approaches, many operators are focused on receiving their first Certificates of...

Since we launched Helm CONNECT two years ago, things have taken off at lightning speed. In the US, almost 40% of the fleet of the American Waterways Operators (AWO) now use Helm CONNECT, and more than 126 customers with some 3000 vessels use our software around the...

Since 1967, Korevaar Marine Group has been a family owned and operated business running out of the Port of Melbourne in Australia. Their focus is on hiring out commercial vessels for a variety of marine related projects involving construction, entertainment, film,...

U.S. Marine Transportation and Logistics Services Provider Streamlines Fleet Management with Innovative Software Platform SEATTLE, Wash., June 27, 2018 - Foss Maritime has announced that they have kicked off a company-wide project to centralize fleet management and...

  Tug and Barge Solutions (TBS) offer a turn-key solution for Subchapter M inclusive of all TSMS manuals and procedures for fleet and annual vessel surveys. TBS partnered with Helm Operations in 2016 so they could provide services to their clients using Helm...

Wood Towing, LLC. has provided towing, barge fleeting, and shifting in the Lower Mississippi River and Gulf Intracoastal Waterways for over 60 years. They operate seven towboats, working for several of the largest barge lines in the nation. We recently visited their...

Hey everyone, I’m Rachel Aylard, Product Manager for Helm CONNECT Personnel, and I’m excited to introduce you to the latest release of Helm CONNECT!   Helm CONNECT version 1.9 is coming your way fast. As always, we're excited to share our latest release with you...

Helm CONNECT Personnel Product Manager, Rachel Aylard and Director of Sales, North America, Steve Robertson June 5, 2018- Victoria, BC - Leading marine software provider, Helm Operations, is making waves again this month with the launch of Helm CONNECT Personnel, a...

Brown Water Marine owns and operates 15 boats and 33 barges providing a wide variety of marine transportation services throughout the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana. With Subchapter M coming into effect, Zane Brown, Safety and Compliance Manager at Brown Water...

Remember the days before cell phones? When people planned their conversations, took time to prepare, and chose the right words to express themselves? By the time a conversation happened, its message was clear. Today, information moves fast. It's ever...

September 27-28, Victoria BC Back by popular demand, Helm Conference is the learning and development event of the year for Helm CONNECT users. You’ll meet and learn from industry experts and Helm CONNECT users from all over the world - all to make you and your company...

The Inland Marine Expo is almost here! Join us May 21st - 24th in St. Louis, Missouri at the Dome at America’s Center for one of the best inland and intracoastal events in the marine industry. We’ll be at booth 523. Come by and say hello, see what’s new in Helm...

“With our old system, I got 6 to 7 calls a day on how to use it. After implementing Helm, I’ve had maybe 10 calls total – and we implemented six months ago. It’s that much easier to use,”- Captain Scott Moorhead-ISM & Safety Coordinator-DPA Marine Towing of Tampa...

Upper River Services operates six towing vessels as well as two shipyards providing barge towing, fleeting, cleaning, and repair services along the Mississippi River in Minnesota. Before using Helm CONNECT Maintenance, Upper River Services had another system in place....

Industry leaders use Helm CONNECT to earn First Certificate of Inspection (COI) issued under new Coast Guard regulations for towing vessels   Tampa Bay -  Leading harbor towage operator Marine Towing of Tampa earned an industry first on April 20th, when its 86.7...

Congratulations, you've purchased Helm CONNECT!  You've gone through the data collection, super user training, end user training, and data entry.  You've put a lot of work into customizing the system so it works for your company.  You've been successful in your change...

The U.S. Coast Guard has issued its very first certificate of inspection (COI) under the Subchapter M requirements, which set new rules for the inspection, standards and safety policies of towing vessels. The COI issued to Marine Towing of Tampa's 90-foot tug Endeavor...

Blue and Gold Fleet operate a 20 + boat fleet in the San Francisco bay area operating ferries, bay cruises, and tourism boats. Six years ago, the company operated steadily with a fleet of 12 boats. Then it expanded into ferry services which added at least two boats a...

Blue Harvest Fisheries operates a fleet of 15 commercial fishing vessels in the US. They are committed to transforming commercial fishing into an industry that is defined by sustainability, governed by transparency, and bound to careful management of fishery...

Hey everyone! I'm Cooper Barry, Director of Product Development, and I’m excited to highlight some great features in our latest Helm CONNECT release - version 1.8!   Assign tasks to multiple assets One of our most requested features is the ability to assign a...

In September 2017, Mobile, Alabama-based Ivy Marine made headlines when it became one of the first operators in the US to receive a Towing Safety Management System (TSMS) certification as required under the US Coast Guard's (USCG) new Subchapter M (Sub M) regulations....

I wanted to take a moment to say a big ‘Thank You!’ to all our customers for your incredible support last year.  It’s been just over 18 months since we released Helm CONNECT 1.0, and we already have more than 100 companies and over 2,400 assets using our...

Hey, I'm Sarah Adams from the Product Marketing team. It’s that time again – get ready for another major update to Helm CONNECT! To give you more value, we combined our 1.6 and 1.7 releases into a single update. Here's your inside scoop on what’s coming. Helm CONNECT...

We’re excited to share the latest release of Helm CONNECT with you. The Helm team has been working hard since the last release to build features you’ve been asking for and we can’t wait for you to try them out! Here’s what to expect in this release  New and improved...