ESG develops system for monitoring North Sea and Baltic
"AIS - Deutsche Küste" will noticeably improve marine traffic security and fleet management.
Wilhelmshaven, 06 March 2008
ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik GmbH is to develop a wide-area system to identify ships for Germany´s Federal Water and Shipping Administration (WSV). The "Automatic Identification System" (AIS) for the German coast will facilitate control of maritime traffic and improve safety – and hence help protect human life and the marine environment. "AIS – Deutsche Küste" is part of the German system of maritime traffic technology.
AIS allows ships all over the world equipped with the appropriate on-board equipment to identify themselves and indicate their position, course, speed, destination, information on their cargo and other data. AIS helps to avoid collisions at sea and permits automatic sharing of information between ships and with the traffic stations along the coast. It complements conventional radar monitoring and forms an important component in safeguarding maritime traffic. In contrast to radar, AIS can both receive and transmit data. This means that the WSV will be able to identify ships and steer traffic far more precisely in future.
ESG is the prime contractor for the entire project. The company´s Wilhelmshaven facility is focused on services and solutions for the maritime sector. “AIS – German Coast is the second major Water and Shipping Administration project to be entrusted to ESG, which had already implemented the German gateway for the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM) for the communication of shipping data in 2005.
Over the next few years, ESG will develop and integrate all the necessary software and make the complete system operational – including training the operating personnel and drawing up documentation. In addition, a complete testing and reference system will be set up at the company´s Wilhelmshaven facilities to verify the functionality of the real AIS system.
A functioning German AIS system requires various hardware components, such as antennas, that must be installed in a total of 31 external stations along the entire German coastline. ESG is co-operating with several companies to procure and tool this hardware.
For further information please contact:
Tel: +49-(89) 9216-2850
Fax: +49-(89) 9216-162850
ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH
Livry-Gargan-Straße 6
D - 82256 Fürstenfeldbruck