Xanatos Consulting
AIS Project 2000 – 2001 ~ Cruise Ship I Project
AIS Project 2001 – 2002 ~ NON-SOLAS Project
AIS Environment Monitoring System at Delta Port
AIS Project 2002 - 2003 ~ AIS Charting Format Project
This project was conducted well in advance of the final standards being developed by IMO, IEC, ITU or IALA. It was an introduction to evaluate the possible uses of AIS to best benefit Mariners. It was intended to:
1. Install UAIS transponders and conduct ship–to ship observations.
2. Install a Base station at Discovery Mountain to conduct ship to shore to ship observations.
3. Install tidal current sensors at Seymour Narrows and broadcast information over AIS.
4. Install UAIS transponders on non –SOLAS vessels and observe performance.
From July 15th to September 18th, 2000 three cruise ships REGAL PRINCESS, SEA PRINCESS and VOLENDAM were equipped with Alpha II prototype transponders supplied by MDS. The transponders were connected to the ships ECDIS. (The CRYSTAL HARMONY intended to participate, but subsequently withdrew)
The ship-to-ship transmissions worked reasonably well after some initial problems. The AIS targets were detected at a maximum distance of 72nmiles and on average well above 24nmiles. These transmissions were in hilly terrain and not line of sight. ARPA was virtually ineffective at long distances.
As the UAIS frequencies assigned by IMO (88A & 88B) were not available, the transponders were set on alternative frequencies 83A & 83B.
COMOX MCTS broadcasts its VHF Voice transmissions from Discovery Mountain (which overlooks Seymour Narrows) using microwave links. There is no road access to the site and helicopter transport is restricted by weather conditions at ground level and at higher altitudes.
It was agreed that installing a Base station at Discovery Mountain without prior experience and knowledge was too challenging. It would be better to install a Base station at a more easily accessible location, such as Bowen Island. After learning the intricacies, it could be possible to replicate the installation at Discovery Mountain.
Seymour Narrows is the most dangerous location on the route to/from Alaska. The passage is only 2400 feet wide with currents at 13/14 knots. Consequently all marine traffic attempts to transmit the Narrows at or near slack water. It was intended to locate environmental sensors on the sea bed in the narrows to measure the current velocity at various distances from the shore. The information obtained would be stored in a data logger and broadcast over AIS.
Due to the strong currents in Seymour Narrows it was not feasible to install Doppler’s on the sea bed to measure current height and velocity. An alternative method was to install the Doppler’s sideways on the banks of the narrows and measure the velocity at differing distances from the shore. It was concluded that the technology currently available could not readily provide the necessary information. Additional research and development work was necessary which was beyond the scope of the project.
A UAIS transponder was installed on the BC Ferry Powell River Queen which cuts across Discovery passage from Campbell River and Quadra Island. This vessel does not have an ECDIS and was not able to see the other vessels on AIS.
The Powell River Queen was picked up by some of the vessels as she crossed Discovery passage. It was noted that transmissions were lost in the vicinity of Quadra Island, which might be caused by the strong magnetic anomaly that is present in this area. From 2315 to 0615 hours the vessel was out of service and powered down
The ECDIS logs were evaluated by students from the Pacific Marine Training Campus in North Vancouver to confirm the ranges. In addition, it was found that positions were lost in certain geographical locations. It was suspected that this was caused by a loss of GPS signal and further investigation was necessary.
Considerable work remains to be done to make the transponders function autonomously. Integration to an ECDIS would present considerable challenges to the suppliers. Bridge teams on Cruise ships were divided in opinion on integrating AIS/ARPA/ECDIS as they did not want to monitor several individual displays. Some were concerned that AIS would cause malfunctions to the primary ECDIS and ARPA, which would affect the Navigational ability of the vessel.In general, they unanimously agreed that AIS could be a significant tool to assist the Mariner, especially if small vessels were similarly equipped.
Equipping small vessels with transponders would greatly improve Safety for large vessels that transit these narrow and treacherous waters. The cost of transponders is well beyond the affordability of small vessel owners. If a Class B transponder can be produced at a reasonable price that can work with a Class A transponder the small vessel operator might be “induced” to install a transponder.
This project led to the following recommendations:
▪ Investigate the reasons for loss of data in specific geographic areas.
▪ Install AIS Base station at Bowen Island to gain experience and link to VTS over microwave.
▪ Install an environmental monitoring system at Delta Port and evaluate the benefits to the Mariner before attempting to install at Seymour Narrows.
▪ Investigate the prototype of a Class B transponder for small vessels. As an alternative, use a cheaper transponder such as a MCC transponder and integrate the position reports through a terrestrial gateway.
IMO has mandated the carriage of AIS transponders on SOLAS vessels commencing July 2004. In coastal waters marine traffic includes not only SOLAS, but also non-SOLAS vessels. All vessels are interested in safety. A large vessels safety might be compromised by the actions or inactions of a small vessel. Particularly in poor visibility and inclement weather the large vessels Radar may not detect the presence of a small vessel until it is too late.
Trials conducted on vessels equipped with AIS have shown that AIS provides real time and early identification of a target irrespective of size. It stands to reason therefore that small vessels should also be equipped with AIS transponders.
The cost of AIS transponders is significant to a large vessel and is beyond the ability of small vessels to be mandated to carry the transponders. It stands to reason that the cost has to be reduced substantially to make it affordable by eliminating some of the features of a Class A transponder. In addition, if a small vessel operator can obtain some justifiable benefit (financial or otherwise) he might be ‘induced’ to equip the vessel with an AIS transponder without being mandated to do so.
This project is a means of identifying some of these potential benefits to a small vessel owner by meeting with a representative group of companies and individuals who would provide information on the possible benefits of AIS in their operation.
A Project team was set up to include Fishers, Tug and Tow, Pilots, River Pilots, Port Authorities, Private boat owners and small tour boat operators. Individual meetings were conducted with each category of participant and the results are summarized below.
The fishing Industry is highly regulated and the opportunity to catch fish is severally diminished. There are very few incidents of fishing vessel involvement in collisions. As such, it would not be required to enhance Safety.
There is a potential to use AIS to save cost to the fishers by eliminating the need to carry a fish catch inspector on board at a significant cost. The information could be obtained by building appropriate sensing equipment and the information could be transmitted in message format to the authorities ashore. This information would be in real time, electronically filed and readily available.
A less expensive Class B transponder that was compliant with the regulations and compatible with Class A transponders would be of benefit. Coastal tugs are all too familiar with local waters and do not see the benefit of an additional Aid to Navigation. If it was not mandated they would not consider installing.
The ECS would have some value to the Tug skippers especially on longer passages. The towing industry would be more interested in a low cost communication system with their tugs and a means of Asset management. Some dumb barges are often left unattended in remote locations and are sometimes blown away by high winds. An AIS transponder would be useful in relocating the run away barge.
Small recreational boaters could appreciate the value of AIS in collision avoidance, but the high cost would not justify the expense. They are currently not mandated to carry such transponders, and hopefully a cheaper version such as a Class B transponder would be available in the future. At that time they might reconsider.
The Fraser River Port Authority has embraced AIS technology as they see that the large vessels will be transiting to their port with AIS equipment. They would like to be in a position to monitor the River traffic over AIS similar to a VTS. In addition, as the river changes dramatically with silt deposits, they would like to experiment with virtual buoys to mark the channels and warn of dredging activities.
It was clear that most or all would be opposed to a mandatory carriage requirement. If mandated they would delay installation to the very end and that would be minimal to requirements.
They would be appreciative if the technology was better understood and the potential to reap some benefits were identified.
It was recommended that:
1. The WMCC should secure funding for the expeditious development of a Class B transponder at an affordable price.
2. As more and more vessels are equipped they will see the benefits of the technology for their own application.
3. The display software may need to be modified to meet the requirements of the users.
AIS Environmental Monitoring System at Delta Port
Environmental information is of vital information to Pilots, Ferry Captains in the berthing of large ships. Presently this information has to be gleaned from weather information broadcast over radio and tide and current information from Hydrographic predictions.
Fishers, Tug Operators and Recreational boaters need this information for safe crossings. This information could act as an inducement to equip the vessel with a Class B transponder.
1. To obtain wind speed and direction, current speed and direction and water level information autonomously using suitable sensors.
2. To process this information into data using computer processors.
3. To convert this information into an appropriate AIS data message.
4. To broadcast this message using an AIS transponder.
5. To receive this message on a vessel equipped with an AIS transponder.
6. To display this information on an AIS display unit in a meaningful manner for the mariner.
A request for proposal invited AXYS Technologies Inc. of Sydney, British Columbia, Canada who presented their extensive experience in marine data acquisition systems (Canadian Data Buoy Network) and their proven ability to meet the requirements. The contract was awarded to AXYS Technologies.
Funding was sought and obtained from Western Economic Diversification, Canadian Coast Guard, Transport Canada, Western Marine Community Coalition and the Marine Industry.
To maintain uniformity, it was decided to use the data message formats developed by the Volpe Traffic Center for use on the St. Lawrence Seaway.
At that time the Volpe specification (Version 3B) did not include current message reports. AXYS technologies used the wind message template to develop a Current message report. This new message was forwarded to Volpe for their information.
Several site visits were taken in the vicinity of Delta port to find a suitable location. One potential site was a Tideland 2.85m buoy equipped with an AXYS payload of sensors. This option was declined due to increased costs and complexity. Another potential solution was to place an AXYS payload on existing pilings in Delta port. This option was declined, as the site did not have 120V power for the AIS transponder.
The Tsawwassen Ferry terminal and three locations in Westshore Terminals offered the best choice. Finally, the system was installed halfway along the coal belt causeway as it had shore power, and the site was clear of obstructions for wind and current sensors.
An AXYS AIS Port Sentinel system was developed which included an RM Young anemometer for wind speed and direction, a Nortek Aquadopp acoustic current meter equipped with a pressure sensor and an MDS AIMS-III transponder.
Previous applications involved a VHF link to transmit the information to a shore-based computer and distributed to terrestrial networks. In this application, the data was collected and passed directly to the AIS transponder for immediate direct broadcast.
For the purpose of these trials it was agreed that the default sample averaging duration is 10 minutes and the default report interval is 3 minutes.
On May 15, 2002 the prototype was deployed and tested for correct operation. On June 5, 2002 the system was revisited to install a new EPROM with a modified message format. And calibration coefficients were entered in the Watchman to correct wind direction and water level readings.
The data was received and added to the AIS display software.
The system has operated successfully since its deployment.
In late July 2002, it was discovered that certain other display systems were not capable of recognizing the AIS type 8 message (BBM – Binary Broadcast Message). At the time it was envisaged that BBM8 messages would be acknowledged by the operator. The continuous broadcast made operator acknowledgement impossible. The system was temporarily powered down to enable the software manufacturers time to provide a suitable upgrade.
The Volpe message structure has been upgraded to Version 4.0. As chart display manufacturers are incorporating this new version, it is recommended that the existing message format is suitably upgraded.
It is recommended that similar Monitoring systems be deployed at key points such as Seymour Narrows and Fraser River for the benefit of Mariners.
It must be remembered that the system can be expanded to include additional environmental information such as barometric pressure, ambient and sea temperatures, relative humidity, oil spill sensors, water quality sensors, etc at a small incremental cost.
In order to evaluate the usefulness of AIS, it was necessary to have a display system that was capable of showing the identifying features and precise locations of the targets equipped with transponders.
Some of the large vessels were equipped with ECDIS or other ECS that could be modified to incorporate the AIS features in their displays. As these ECDIS and ECS were an integral part of the ships Navigational equipment, there was a certain reluctance to incorporate untested and unproven AIS, which could effectively shut down their ECDIS with adverse consequences.
Further to which there was the question of cost to modify the existing ECDIS. The cost to produce a new ECDIS for the small vessel operator was prohibitive.
It was therefore decided to build a stand alone AIS display system with many of the features that are incorporated in a large ECDIS.
The Display Unit was to be designed around the functionality of an AIS transponder. As such, it would be capable of displaying all the features of AIS.
To be meaningful to the mariner, the AIS information was to be displayed on a fully functioning S57 Chart platform.
The design and layout of the Display Unit should suit the needs of serving Mariners on small vessels as well as large vessels.
The unit would be stand-alone and not interfere with existing Navigational equipment.
As the specifications and standards were not fully defined, the software was to be capable of future modifications.
The recommended retail price of the software was targeted at $2500
A Project team was assembled which included Marine Pilots, Fishing Masters, Tug Skippers, Captains from B.C. Ferries, Deep Sea Masters, Canadian Coast Guard, Transport Canada, Port Authorities and other interested persons.
The project team identified the features that would be useful to the Mariner in the normal operation of his vessel. These features were prioritized by importance and formed the basis of the specifications for the Display Unit.
Funding was sought and obtained from Western Economic Diversification, Canadian Coast Guard, Transport Canada, Western Marine Community Coalition and the Marine Industry.
Several meetings were held between the project team to refine the requirements of the Display and its capabilities.
In August 2002 a prototype version was produced for live testing on board several vessels including B.C. Ferries, Seaspan Tugs and private recreational vessels.
The prototype was further refined and in October 2002, the Beta version was delivered. This version was further tested on participating vessels with positive results.
The Own vessels Name, MMSI number, Call sign, Dimensions and other static information is displayed on a continuous basis on the computer screen in tabular form.
Dynamic information such as Latitude and Longitude, Course Made Good, Speed Made Good, rate of turn and heading is continuously displayed on the Electronic Chart in real time and in tabular form.
The Voyage information, such as Draught, type of cargo, destination, waypoints, ETA, number of persons aboard, is also displayed in tabular form.
Whilst Own Vessel information is of significant benefit to the Mariner, AIS displays all that information about all other vessels within range that are similarly equipped with AIS transponders. In addition, by placing the cursor on any of the other vessels, it computes and displays the CPA (Closest Point of Approach) and the Time to CPA continuously.
The AIS takes its time sequencing and position information from the GPS that is incorporated in the AIS transponder. The computer software processes this information and displays it in real time.
Unlike Radar, the GPS signals are not affected by topography, rain, sea clutter and present a true picture of the situation in real time on a vector chart.
To add further benefits to the Mariner, environmental information from the Delta Port AIS Environmental Monitoring System is displayed on a continuous basis. In addition the Tidal predictions for Delta port are included with the Environmental information. This information is valuable to Pilots and Ferry Captains in docking and undocking their vessels.
There are several other features of the Display Unit such as, split charts, background lights, etc. which are too numerous to include in this summary.
In order to manipulate the massive amount of information about the Chart, AIS features and Environmental information, in a systematic manner, the tool bars and Icons are specially designed to ease the learning period for the user. Most of the features look and feel similar to Windows.
The Display unit provides a sound base upon which to build other applications. These might include, Fish catch reporting or asset management applications for specific Users.
In so doing it would be possible to enhance the usefulness and provide a valuable tool to the Management personnel ashore.
The AIS Display Unit is built on an S57 chart platform. The availability of S57 is limited. To increase the opportunity for Mariners to utilize other chart formats that is available on a worldwide basis.
1. To build a solution for the display of AIS targets on a variety of world standard chart formats.
2. To display British Admiralty, ARCS, S57, BSB and VPF charts.
3. Include drivers for other AIS manufacturers.
4. Refine the look and feel of the AIS Display Unit and integrate new software.
5. Provide a User Manual.
The project is complete and is presently being displayed to potential users.
Conclusion:
The Pre - Implementation Program was useful in gaining substantial information on the proper use and difficulties of using AIS effectively. Many of these difficulties have been overcome and the lessons learned from the projects will make for a smoother transition to the Implementation stage.
The Canadian Coast Guard is currently in the process of installing Base Stations in several regions including the B.C. Coast.