Ukraine: Ministry of Infrastructure Reinforces Control Over Navigation Safety

The tracking of ships in the Black and Azov Seas in the Ukraine’s area of responsibility will be carried out using a unified system for monitoring surface situation: an appropriate disposal of the Ministry of Infrastructure “On creation of a unified system for monitoring water surveillance using automated identification system in the Black and Azov Seas in the area of responsibility in Ukraine” (hereinafter – the system for monitoring AIS) was signed by the Vice-Prime-Minister of Infrastructure Boris Kolesnikov.

The main goal of the creation of such system is to ensure the most efficient operations of searching and rescue at sea, the regulation of maritime traffic, improving safety of navigation in the Ukraine’s area of responsibility by providing a complete and true map of the vessel traffic in the sea.

The monitoring system AIS is being created on the base of already existed networks of the base stations of the Automatic Identification System (AIS), located along the coasts of Ukraine. Information from the above mentioned stations as well as from the ship equipment will be delivered to the central server routing system for monitoring AIS where it will be properly treated and summarized. Therefore, companies within the industry which provides the safety of the navigation as well as the search and rescue at sea will have an opportunity to receive accurate information about the situation in the sea and take appropriate decisions.

In particular, the monitoring system will broadcast text navigation storm warnings. There will also be available navigation information about the actual location of floating aids of navigation equipment (ANE) to display them on the electronic mapping system. Information of all alterations within the ANE as well as local hydrological and meteorological data will also be available online.

The data of monitoring system AIS will also play an important role in the detection and investigation of emergencies, the identification of the vessels involved in the damage of ANE, etc.

Among other important functions of monitoring system AIS are the control over the compliance with rules of navigations in the Ukraine’s area of responsibility, implementations of the recommendations and limitations of vessels passage through specific areas. The traffic of ships with dangerous cargo on board will also be controlled by the monitoring system AIS.

Besides, there are plans to exchange information within AIS with other similar international networks.

Operation and technical support of the unified monitoring system AIS will be carried out by “Gosgidrografiya”, “Delta-Pilot” and “Marine search and rescue service”. In particular, “Gosgidrografiya” will provide the operation of the central server system, and “Delta-Pilot” and “Marine search and rescue service” – the continuous flow of data into the data center from their own base stations AIS.

In its turn, “Gosgidrografiya” will broadcast text of navigation, storm messages as well as information regarding the state of ANE. In order to optimize the navigation in water of Ukraine the agency will also carry out constant analysis of vessel traffic.

The unified monitoring system of the situation in the sea using automatic identification system in the Black and Azov Seas in the Ukraine’s area of responsibility is created in accordance with the Transport Strategy of Ukraine till 2020, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of October 20, 2010, as well as international Ukraine’s commitments.

Monitoring system AIS is a complex of hardware and software that are created for identification and tracking of vessels equipped with AIS in order to improve safety of navigation, providing search and rescue at sea and environmental protection at sea.

AIS is a complex of hardware and software designed for exchanging of navigation information.

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Source: MTUGovUA, May 18, 2012