VTMS will include Radar and AIS technology
The Indian Minister of Shipping has stated that the country has developed a new Vessel Traffic Management System (VTMS), to overcome the problems of congestion and collision in its ports and minimise accidents.
The Union Minister of Shipping, Shri G.K. Vasan, made the statement in a supplementary reply to a question in Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Parliament of India.
The VTMS will include Radar and Automatic Identification System (AIS) technology, supplemented by meteorological and hydrological sensors, and communication links that will be used to provide an overview of Indian maritime traffic.
The VTMS will apply to port channels at Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru, Kolkata, Cochin, New Mangalore and Mormugao.
VTMS will also monitor traffic in the Kutch region, which will include vessels bound for Kandla, while installation of VTMS technology is said to be “in progress” at Chennai Port.
Similarly, Visakhaptnam, Tuticorin, Paradip and Ennore will all install VTMS “shortly”, according to the Minister, and will use GPS, Radar and AIS to manage traffic in the interim.
Source: The Digital Ship
