An important test-bed for IMO’s e-Navigation implementation strategy, the objective of the project is to develop and validate a concept for a next generation ship traffic management system (STMS) in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS).
Partly funded by the Research Council of Norway, through its marine and offshore (MAROFF) fund, the NOK23 mill SESAME Straits project is the first to be delivered under the international straits e-navigation alliance.
The Kongsberg Norcontrol IT-owned project will receive input and guidance from the straits e-navigation alliance advisory board (HLAB) who met in London on the 16th May, 2014. HLAB includes governmental members from Singapore, Norway, Malaysia and Indonesia and experts from maritime organisations, such as IMO, IHO, IALA, ICS, BIMCO, CIRM, IEC, and the Research Council of Norway. It is co-chaired by Norway and Singapore.
Kongsberg Norcontrol IT has already established a C-Scope VTS system for the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). This experience will benefit the company’s work on the new project, which will build upon the earlier IMO marine electronic highway demonstration project, the company said.
Siddi Wouters, CTO and project manager for SESAME Straits at Kongsberg Norcontrol IT, said: “The project will be a highly-important test-bed for IMO’s e-Navigation programme. It will provide contributions to its implementation and allow the project results to be demonstrated in a complete and realistic environment with key e-Navigation stakeholders participating.
“Inherent in the project goal is to develop a new digital communication infrastructure for exchanging information between ship and shore. The new infrastructure utilises emerging new possibilities, including the VHF digital exchange system over terrestrial and potentially over satellite links as well as the e-Navigation S-100 framework for data exchange. This will be a critical enabling factor for the whole e-Navigation concept.
“The project intends to revolutionise traditional VTS systems, which today only provide information, organisation and assistance services locally. The innovation of the proposed C-Scope system is to provide a co-operative platform that will be able to predict traffic for tactical as well strategic planning for several days in advance of arrival,” Wouters said.