At the final conference of the Interreg BSR financed project, the audience were delighted with the results, especially with the pandemic effects in mind. Here are a few examples:
* Route sharing being installed and used in the VTS centres in Estonia and Finland, and cooperating with STM-compatible VTS centres in Norway and Russia to collect even more data.
* Establishing an operational maritime digital infrastructure with global reach.
* Developing a new data standard for reporting to mandatory ship reporting systems, getting it approved by the IMO Expert Group on Data Harmonization and having it being included in the IMO Data Reference Model.
The Sea Traffic Management (STM) concept is about interoperability based on standards and a common maritime digital infrastructure. It is not surprising to see STM partners being active in and even leading standardisation efforts.
How have route sharing capabilities been put to use in Estonia, Finland, Norway and Russia? Find out how VTS operators have used new functions and handled difficult traffic situations in the simulators. The project has also pushed standards forward in IEC and IMO and tested the new MRS-reporting standard in Norway and Finland. Learn from the results of the STM BALT SAFE project!
In the STM BALT SAFE project, it is the first time we get to see a full-scale route exchange ship-VTS. Mikko Klang from Fintraffic sees the opportunities route exchange brings to the VTS: “We are about to make a cultural change!” After three days of simulations all participants were inspired by the possibilities route exchange bring. The VTS operators in the simulations agree with the safety aspect that the project is aiming for. It seems similar to AIS, which was created for safety but became so much more. It is not until you work with the tool you discover all the possibilities.
Turning new functions based on route exchange between ship and shore into VTS know-how is assisted by new guidelines for "best practice". We call them STM VTS Standard Operational Procedures (SOP) which complement the existing VTS SOP in situations where the new STM-based information can be used.
The European Union and all its member countries submitted a paper on digital exchange of vessel route plans that can lead to increased safety, reduced administrative burden and more efficient operations, combined with reduced environmental impact. It is an important building block in IMOs Maritime Services to achieve massive fuel and emissions savings through just-in-time arrivals.
