Tag: AIS

Participation of 32 countries in the region A regional workshop on maritime safety and the LRIT satellite long distance monitoring system was held for five days with the participation of 32 countries in the region.Participants learned about the latest developments in technology relating to maritime safety, the automatic identification system (AIS), ship security, alarm system (SSAS) and Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) with an exchange of experiences on implementation of the provisions of Chapter X1-2 and the ISPS Code, the evolution of electronic navigation, among other topics.This workshop was inaugurated by the Administrator of the Panama Maritime Authority, Roberto Linares, accompanied by Sascha Pristron of the IMO, in Panama City on December 5.Source: The Bulletin Panama

rRquirements for testing the correct data exchange MSC 88 adopted amendments to SOLAS regulation V/18 regarding the annual testing of the automatic identification system (AIS) in 2010. As a result, a new regulation (SOLAS V/18.9) was introduced by MSC 308 (88) and adopted on 3 December 2010.SOLAS Chapter V regulation 18.9 "The automatic identification system (AIS) shall be subjected to an annual test. The test shall be conducted by an approved surveyor or an approved testing or servicing facility. The test shall verify the correct programming of the ship static information, correct data exchange with connected sensors as well as verifying the radio performance by radio frequency measurement and on-air test using, e.g., a Vessel Traffic Service (VTS). A copy of the test report shall be retained on board the ship."The date on which the annual testing of AIS enters into force is 1 July 2012, and the tests may be carried out in connection with the ship's annual safety radio (CRC) or safety equipment (CEC) survey.Approval of AIS service suppliers The new regulation implies special requirements for surveyors since testing the correct data exchange with connected sensors and on-air radio tests requires both special AIS test equipment and specific ...

AISSat-1 satellite receives and forwards AIS messages from ships With payload developed by Kongsberg Seatex AS, Norway's AISSat-1 satellite was launched successfully from India last week.It has already begun transmitting AIS messages from space to earth via Kongsberg Satellite Services' ground station at Svalbard.AISSat-1 is an experimental satellite, equipped with a Kongsberg Seatex payload that receives and forwards AIS messages from ships. Using the technology in a fully developed system will improve safety at sea for vessels in Norwegian waters. It will make it easier to identify and coordinate vessels in search and rescue operations as well as assist and monitor the transport of dangerous goods and cargo in the high north.AISSat-1 is equipped with technology developed and built in cooperation between the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, Kongsberg Seatex, the Norwegian Coastal Administration and the Norwegian Space Centre. It is financed by the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry. Kongsberg Satellite Services' ground station at Svalbard is used for communication.'The satellite is an example on how the long term focus on Norwegian expertise creates good, innovative high technology solutions, tailor made for Norwegian conditions', said Trond Giske, Minister of Trade and Industry.AISSat-1 was launched in an Indian PSLV rocket from ...

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

In addition to advantages, the use of ECDIS is accompanied by potential pitfalls Nobody could ever deny that electronics have provided a huge boon to the shipping industry and its safety. The comforting ability to employ satellites to provide accurate positions, regardless of weather conditions or the distance from land makes shipping more precise and far safer than it was, when a landfall after an ocean passage with no celestial observations was fraught with doubts about the accuracy of the dead reckoning.The arrival of the electronic chart display system (ECDIS) is but the latest stage in this progression, and those who have spent hours correcting their world folios by hand are grateful for the transition. At the same time, just as every technological advance has provided misunderstandings in addition to advantages, the use of ECDIS is accompanied by snares and potential pitfalls for the unwary (and untrained).Just as the "radar assisted" collisions demonstrated the importance of proper theoretical and practical training in the use of the new device, and every advance from ship to ship VHF communication to AIS has seen its share of accidents contributed to by improper use of the equipment, so a number of accidents have shown ...

Warning for negligence of first principles It is a sad fact that virtually every new advance in navigation has brought with it a number of accidents which have been contributed to by inappropriate use of the new equipment, usually because of the neglect of first principles.The term "radar assisted collision" became well-known in the early days of commercial radar and in more recent years, the facility of inter-ship VHF, automated radar plotting aids and sophisticated integrated navigation systems involving computers have all contributed to expensive mistakes, often because of either complacency or inadequate training in the new equipment, which have permitted bad habits to form! The emergence of the Automated Identification System is, without doubt, a great advance, but here too, there is some evidence that its availability to provide useful information on the "other ship" can, like other equipment, lead to complacency. It is also a fact that while it may be a mandatory fixture aboard larger vessels, there are many small leisure and fishing craft which are not so fitted. A fatal accident in the North Sea last year, recently the subject of a report by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch, provides a salutary warning on the ...

It will not become obligatory until 1 January 2012 Antwerp Port Authority has launched the pilot phase of the Inland Automatic Identification System (AIS) for barges throughout the port area.Use of Inland AIS by barges will not become obligatory until 1 January 2012. but in the meantime, the pilot phase will make it possible to prepare properly for the full-scale introduction and to fine-tune the system.AIS automatically transmits information concerning the name, position, speed and direction of travel of the barge. Introduction of the system will in the first place benefit safety within the port and permit efficient vessel traffic management.Beyond that the information made available will be of great benefit for making better use of port facilities, managing berths more efficiently, optimising lock operations, dealing more effectively with disasters etc. In the longer term it will be possible to monitor and direct traffic flows proactively from a barge coordination centre.Antwerp Port Authority has taken this decision in the conviction that the introduction of Inland AIS offers advantages for all parties involved. The system also forms part of the "Barge Master Plan," which aims to position barge transport better within the overall flow of freight, both commercially and in the ...