Technical Session 5 – Maximising the potential of AIS– part 1

Technical Session 5 – Maximising the potential of AIS– part 1

Chair:    Mr Win van der Heijden (The Netherlands)

Implementation of AIS into River Information Services for Inland Navigation, Mr Stefan Bober and Mr Wilfried Rink, German Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration

Presented by Mr Stefan Bober
AIS (Automatic Identification System) has become an important component for the exchange of navigation related information between ships and between ships and shore.  To serve the specific requirements of inland navigation, AIS has been further developed to Inland AIS within the scope of vessel tracking and tracing systems for inland navigation.  The implementation of Inland AIS into RIS (River Information Services) supports services such as onboard navigation, vessel traffic management, fairway information service, calamity abatement or transport management.
An Inland AIS project in Germany dealing with passing arrangements in narrow fairways on the river Weser will be described to show the benefits of Inland AIS for inland navigation in different applications.
The presentation covered onboard applications like enhancement of the tactical traffic image and assistance in passing arrangements in narrow fairways as well as the shore based services like VTS, electronic ship reporting or lock management.  Examples of the usefulness of inland AIS on  ECDIS were shown, particularly with tight bends having strong currents.  Consequences and perspectives for further developments will be addressed and discussed.
The key points of the presentation were:
1    River Information Services.
108    Inland Navigation.
109    Vessel Tracking and Tracing in Inland Navigation.
110    Inland AIS and ECDIS.
111    Traffic Regulation.

Achievement of AIS AtoN in Turkey, Mr M Celalettin Uysal, Directorate General of Coastal Safety - Turkey

Presented by Mr M Celalettin Uysal.
In addition to the existing 85 remotely controlled AtoN in Turkish straits, a new project based on AIS-AtoN is aiming to extend the coverage to whole Turkish waters.  This is a pilot application for 185 AtoN spreading from Western Black Sea to Aegean Sea Regions, targets to collect information on AtoN and vessel traffic.  Beyond remote-controlling, the Directorate General of Coastal Safety is planning to use this information for both improving the system itself and using the benefits of AIS.
In addition to remote monitoring and control, the system can send local AIS messages to individual ship or all vessels by benefiting from multi directional communication through Aids to Navigation device and it can expand the functions of a conventional AtoN.
By using the system,
a    Information from AtoN and all other local AIS messages broadcast will be transferred to the Remote Monitoring Centre (RMC).
b    Messages produced in RMC and automated AIS-AtoN messages can be broadcasted to AIS receiver units within the range.
c    The dynamic data and information flow from local sensors which connected to AIS AtoN can be broadcasted in AIS message format and will be shared with RMC.
d    Two way data transmission for the remote control of the AtoN, AIS-AtoN and its connected units will we enabled.
e    RMC software will collect, process and evaluate the information for system management purposes.
The key points of the presentation were:
1    Introduction of Turkish National Aids to Navigation Authority.
112    National Solutions for Remote Control of Aids to Navigation and AIS AtoN service.
113    General Instruction of AIS Aton Network for Turkey and Basic Remote Control Functions.
114    General Technical Specification of AIS Aton for Turkey.
115    Extra gain with the Project of AIS AtoN Network for Turkey and its advanced features.

The application of OSNT-AIS monitoring reception of AIS offshore station system, Mr Jie Fang, Ms Jial Cheni and Mr Chen Guowei, Shanghai Maritime Administration

Presented by Mr Lu Yongqiang (China MSA).
The presentation introduced monitoring reception of AIS offshore station system and its application of being used to test utilization and coverage of received signal link of base station.  The theory of this system is that: large amounts of data which were received by AIS offshore station were displayed in the electronic charts to show the coverage and effectiveness of signal reception in the specific route by using mass calculation, and different colours were used to display different layers corresponding to the signal utilization, moreover time being showed was stratified by day, month, quarter respectively.
Several traditional methods to monitor coverage of AIS offshore stations and test the coverage and effectiveness of AIS were discussed. In order to monitor the coverage of AIS offshore stations accurately and evaluate the utilization of AIS signals in certain area or section of the channel, an OSNT-AIS monitoring reception of AIS offshore station system has been developed. This software, which can be used to calculate and display the coverage of AIS base station, has proved to be quite stable.
The key points of the presentation were:
1    AIS.
116    Utilisation and coverage.

AIS Binary Messages – Developments in the Baltic and progress in IMO, Captain Markus Porthin, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Mr Rolf Zetterberg, Swedish Maritime Administration, and Mrs Sanna Sonninen, Finnish Transport Safety Agency

Presented by Captain Markus Porthin and Mr Rolf Zetterberg.
The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is a powerful tool for ship identification and tracking.  However, AIS could be exploited more efficiently to improve the preparedness of the authorities in case of an accident and the situational awareness onboard ships as well as reduce the workload on ship bridges by minimising the need for VHF communication and facilitating the fulfilment of reporting obligations.  In the Baltic AIS trial project (AISBALTIC), five new AIS Application-Specific Messages, also known as binary messages, were developed based on the operational needs of the authorities in the Baltic Sea countries.  The worldwide development work was coordinated by a Correspondence Group established in 2008 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).  As a result, the IMO Sub-Committee on Safety of Navigation prepared in 2009 a new draft SN Circular to guide the use of 15 new and two previously published AIS Application-Specific Messages.
The results of the AISBALTIC project, the CG and other related projects in e.g. USA and Japan reveal the potential of the AIS Application-Specific Messages. The communication enabled by the exploitation of AIS Application-Specific Messages ensures that the quality and quantity of available information both onboard and among authorities is significantly improved. As the information content of the developed new messages originates from the present deficiencies in information exchange, improved conditions will ensure improved level of maritime safety, better preparedness of authorities in case of an accident and truly contribute to the protection of the marine environment.
The key points of the presentation were:
1    The AIS can be exploited more efficiently by the use of AIS Application-Specific Messages (a.k.a. Binary Messages).
117    In the AISBALTIC project, a thorough survey was carried out in the Baltic Sea countries, resulting in five new Application-Specific Message proposals for international implementation.
118    The international development of new Application-Specific Messages has been coordinated by IMO through an inter-sessional correspondence group in 2008 – 2009.
119    IMO Sub-Committee on Safety of Navigation has submitted a draft SN Circular containing 15 new AIS Application-Specific Messages to the Maritime Safety Committee for approval in May 2010.
120    AIS Application-Specific Messages is one of the first concrete solutions to the implementation of IMO’s e-Navigation strategy.

New opportunities with AIS information from satellite - Experience from the Norwegian AIS satellite project, Captain Jon Leon Ervik, Norwegian Coastal Administration

Presented by Captain Jon Leon Ervik.
In 2009 Norway launched an AIS satellite that follows a polar orbit, passing over east Atlantic and Pacific Ocean.  The Norwegian AIS satellite in polar orbit gives good coverage and AIS information for huge areas in the Arctic and the Antarctic waters, the coast of New Zealand, Africa and Europe; the update rate is every 90 minutes.
The presentation outlined results so far and potential use of information gained.  Is AIS information from satellite a useful contribution to the e-Navigation concept?  Will AIS information be a useful contribution to safety, statistic, security and protection of the environment, including VTS in international waters?  Can AIS information from satellite be a supplement to LRIT?
AIS information combined with other information such as LRIT, radar and ship reporting systems can contribute to detect abnormal behaviour.  The presentation gave examples concerning this.
The key points of the presentation were:
1    The challenge.
121    User needs.
122    Combination of different sensors.
123    AIS information from satellite.
124    Opportunities.

Practical aspects of the use of AIS information, Raul Escalante, HIDROVIA SA - Argentina

Presented by Raul Escalante.
Hidrovia SA is a private firm that since 1995 has had a concession from the Ministry of Public Works of Argentina to realize the dredging and maintenance of Aids to Navigation in a stretch of approximately 1.000 km of the main waterway of Argentina from the Ocean just in front of Montevideo, (Uruguay) to Santa Fe (Argentina) situated some 800 km upstream.  Hidrovia SA was awarded, at the end of 2009, an extension of this contract to attend an additional stretch of the Parana River from Santa Fe to Corrientes that is located some 640 Km upstream.
Understanding that the implementation of AIS on ships and AtoN opened the possibility of using the information provided by passing ships for other purposes additionally to safety of navigation this paper presents advances in practical aspects of using AIS information.  This presentation is a follow up of the paper presented at the XVIth IALA Conference held in Shangai, China, ‘AIS as a management tool in a waterway’ May 2006.  It follows concepts expressed in IALA Guideline 1050 and other Guidelines in preparation.
The objectives of the presentation were:
a    to share knowledge on practical aspects of using AIS transponders on AtoN:
As a first step during 2005 Hidrovia SA installed 16 AIS transponders on River Plate buoys.  The second step comprises the installation of 84 additional AIS transponders on AtoN by the end of 2010.
Taking into consideration that, as the results of IALA 2008 Questionnaire indicates, not many countries in the world had at that time AIS transponders installed on AtoN Hidrovia SA considered that their practical experience could be helpful for other Services that intend to advance in this field
b    to present examples on using AIS information:
Collected AIS data transmitted by ships has been used to:
    analyze ship impacts on AtoN and other structures and the identification of vessels involved and probable causes of impact;
    study lateral distribution of ships navigating through a cross section in different positions of the waterway (straight channels, curves);
    study the behaviour of ships in the waterway depending on ship´s speed;
    determine efficiency of length and width of crossing areas in waterways;
    double check passing ships along the waterways for the purpose of collecting tolls.
The main conclusions presented were that for implementing AIS technology on AtoN it is very important to overcome operational problems and that the use of AIS transponders on AtoN as well as AIS data from ships greatly improves the knowledge required for the proper design of the waterway and other important purposes.
The key points of the presentation were:
1    AIS transponders on AtoN.
125    Use of AIS information.
126    Operational AIS problems.
127    AIS Training course.
128    Design of crossing areas.

Discussion – Technical Session 5 – Part 1 (papers 1 - 6)

In response to the question as to whether he is concerned about VDL loading and had any FATDMA planning been  carried out, Mr M Celalettin Uysal said that Turkey has not experienced any problem with VDL loading and that in answer to ther second question, yes some planning has been undertaken and that the matter is still under consideration.

Markus Porthin was asked what could be the best way to introduce command signals for ship manoeuvring into AIS, to which he replied that all that is needed is a link and a piece of software so that the commands are automatic.  In principle this should not be a problem.  Rolf Zetterberg added that if it is thought that the messages are useful then they could well be approved by IMO.

Asked whether there are any plans for Norway to distribute their AIS satellite data on a global basis, Jon Leon Ervik said that that Norway does not have a policy in Norway on this.  However, it is prepared to share data eventually, whilst, at the same time, respecting other nations privacy.
When asked how information will be provide to mariners in rivers, Rolf Zetterberg indicated that there will be mandatory equipment on board.