September 26, 2008 : Company announcement
Canal pilots rely on VERS software
Exact information about ship traffic in the Kiel Canal via the Internet
On the occasion of its 100th anniversary, the Verein der Kanalsteurer (Channel Pilots Union), the organization responsible for the safe passage of ships through the Kiel Canal, is presenting a technical innovation. Thanks to the VERS software, all canal pilots can dis-play important information at any time, including current position, key data, and the exact arrival times of ships.
Kiel – On September 26, 2008, the Verein der Kanalsteurer e. V. celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding at the Maritim Hotel Kiel, presenting some important technical progress: In order to receive more detailed information for the control of processes needed in the Kiel Canal, the Verein der Kanalsteurer e. V. is using the Software Vessel Event & Reporting System (VERS) by the Kiel IT company Consist, since 2006. In addition, Consist has also integrated VERS data such as the exact arrival time of ships at different locations into an Internet-capable user interface. This allows the canal pilots and network pilots of NOK (Kiel Canal) II to zoom in on the web to an individual lock chamber or switch point on the Kiel Canal, and display detailed information about the ships entered in the system. This allows both forward-looking, accurate planning, and also retrospective reporting of historical data for official reporting purposes. "In view of the continual increase in shipping traffic on the canal, this is a real simplification of our workflow," explains Ralf Schöttler, president of the Verein der Kanalsteurer e. V.
VERS uses AIS data
Seagoing vessels of over 300 BRZ (gross space units) are equipped with AIS (Automatic Identification System) units since 2005, which continually transmit identification and navigation data via short-wave band radio. These AIS signals make it possible for traffic control to detect the positions of ships precisely and to the minute, in order to ensure and continually improve the safety and smoothness of shipping traffic. VERS uses the AIS data from the Kiel Canal. It displays ship data and movements, and processes them further. Ships can thus be registered by socalled event lines long before reaching the canal, and their ETA at locks in Kiel and other destinations within the canal can be calculated reliably. At each destination, all pilots can display the ETA lists of ships for whose safe canal passage they are responsible.
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Press Contact
Consist
Software Solutions GmbH
Isabel Vollmann
Falklandstrasse 1-3
24159 Kiel, Germany
Phone:
+49 (0)431 / 3993-525
Fax:
+49 (0)431 / 3993-999
vollmann@consist.de
