During the STM Validation Project Final Conference at the International Maritime Organization, IMO, in London November 13-14, the IMO Secretary General Kitack Lim expressed his support of STM: “STM goes hand in hand with IMO goals.” Newly appointed EU Coordinator for Motorways of the Sea, Professor Kurt Bodewig, and other EU officials said that STM is a pillar for the EU strategy and that the 20 million euro invested in the project is a good investment. At the conference representatives for nine industry actors also expressed their intention to take responsibility for the technical governance of the digital Maritime Service Infrastructure, developed within STM.
“Tallin VTS wanted to join Sea Traffic Management (STM) as soon as possible. The prerequisite for vessel ensuring traffic safety and providing vessel traffic services is to know vessels’ intentions and their exact sailing plans and this is what the STM route and data exchange services do.“ – Are Piel, Head of VTS department, Estonian Maritime Administration
"There is tension of being in the middle between two worlds, the ship and the port. But I actually like tension - great ideas and compromises come from it."
Carnival is the largest cruise company in the world. Safety is the highest priority for Carnival. In three Fleet Operation Centres (FOC) all ships are supported 24/7. Through satellite connections the ships send updates every few seconds, so the information is near real-time. A cloud-based platform, Neptune, has been created for the FOC and the ships. When you see how it operates, it is rather a whole ecosystem than a platform.