“We believe that standardised information sharing is an important key to improve safety and efficiency in the shipping industry. STM makes sharing secure, interoperable and customer controlled,” says Torsten Büssow, Director, Wärtsilä Voyage. Wärtsilä Voyage won a contract to update the ECDIS (an Electronic Chart Display and Information System for nautical navigation) on-board 50 tankers.
More than 400 ships already have the capability to share routes through their ECDIS. With focus on increasing tanker safety, the STM BALT SAFE project is signing up 50 tankers that frequently sail in the Baltic Sea, with Wärtsilä winning the contract.
Cajsa Jersler Fransson, STM BALT SAFE Ship Testbed Manager, says “Wärtsilä Voyage has the know-how, the installed base and the dedication to a more connected future. With installations happening this year, we will be able to analyze data from the interaction between ships and between ships and shore.”
Steffen Fäldt, Managing Diretor of Wärtsilä Voyage Sweden says: “Being a technology leader, Wärtsilä Voyage truly appreciates working with innovative customers and projects that help the industry evolve”.
The STM BALT SAFE project is piloting new operational services based on the Sea Traffic Management concept STM. For example the Saab-based VTS in Estonia, the Navielektro-based VTS in Finland and the new VTS-system in Sweden will be able receive and send route plans to vessels, enabling services like route cross-check and risk situation alert.
Information is transferred via AIS between ships. Between ships and shore, the data is shared through the Maritime Digital Infrastructure previously contracted to the non-profit industry consortium Navelink.