Improved Safety and Information Management

VTS VOC 5060 (Click to Enlarge)

The primary purpose of a VTS is to provide a clear, concise, real-time picture of vessel traffic movements. As the LA/LB harbor complex is the busiest in the nation, safety cannot be over emphasized. This upgraded system assists the Marine Exchange to enhance safety of life and property, protection of the environment and efficiency of vessel traffic. The new equipment and systems also allow the Marine Exchange-VTS to distribute information among interested parties, provide search and rescue assistance to the U.S. Coast Guard and record VTS-related data for administrative purposes, analysis of incidents and planning.

The $800,000 investment (including upgrades to both pilot stations, the Marine Exchange and the U.S. Coast Guard’s MSO) was not made from taxpayers’ funds. The financing came from the Marine Exchange budget and contributions from the ports and pilot organizations.

Capt. Manny Aschemeyer, executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California, described the benefits of this new equipment: “We are in the information and safe shipping business, dedicated to facilitating commerce in a safe way,” Aschemeyer said. “This new system brings the latest in electronic vessel tracking and collision avoidance technology to the fingertips of the VTS watch personnel, who assist the ships in safe transit, while providing vital maritime information for distribution to the entire port community.

VTS VOC 5060 (Click to Enlarge)

“We like to consider ourselves an extension of a ship’s bridge management team, providing them with another set of eyes and ears ashore,” he added. “And the ship captains like the fact we facilitate their transit. They do not have to guess who that other ship is or what they’re doing. They can call the Marine Exchange for those details.”

The Marine Exchange had been using a UNIX® based system designed by NorControl in the late ‘80s. A decision was made last year to “go digital” with a new VTS system. The key difference in moving from the older NorControl VOC 5000 UNIX-based system to their new Windows NT®-based VTS VOC5060 system was converting from analog hardware to digital software.

“We stayed with NorControl,” Aschemeyer added, “because they are the world’s leading manufacturer of VTS equipment and systems and a company that provides the highest-quality, consistently reliable product." Jim Morgan, manager of pilot services for the Port of Los Angeles adds, "The new NorControl tracking system installed in San Pedro Bay allows us to effectively see out around the corner from Point Fermin in order to cue the vessels properly and to expedite vessels going into the deep reaches of the harbor. It will enable us to fulfill our mission to provide 'seamless' VTS for our customers."

“We all invested in this world-class equipment with no surcharge applied to our customers because it is simply the right thing to do to enhance maritime commerce, marine safety, and the protection of our precious environment,” Morgan added. “As vessel traffic increases, it becomes more evident how complex managing all that cargo and vessel traffic truly is.”

Additional Benefits

The multiple benefits of this upgrade go beyond purely maritime and marine interests. The public and surrounding communities enjoy increased safety throughout the local coastal area. The economic value of safe commerce translates into a billion dollars passing through the LA/LB harbor everyday. And tankers the size of Exxon Valdez enter the harbor daily. So, the surrounding communities have both an economic and environmental stake in the safety of these waterways.

A variety of harbor area operations also benefit from the improved efficiency gained through use of the VOC 5060 system. “The vessel listings each day help us in dispatching harbor patrol, wharfingers, and other port employees, allowing us to perform more efficiently with the detailed information we need,” commented Richard Steinke, executive director of the Port of Long Beach. “Whenever we decide to construct a facility, the Marine Exchange and pilots provide the expertise and advice about what hazards there may be, which is extremely helpful as we plan our progress at the port.”

Jacobsen Pilot Service is one of the benefactors in this communications network. “We endorse and applaud the Marine Exchange for continuing to successfully use new technology in Vessel Traffic Management, while keeping costs very reasonable,” Capt. Tom Jacobsen, president of JPS, commented. “The new NorControl VOC 5060 system is cutting edge technology, which is networked from the Marine Exchange-VTS to Long Beach Pilot Station, the L.A. Pilot Station and the U.S. Coast Guard. By networking this type of system, we can better exchange information to enhance safety and efficiency.

Cindy Carlisle (Click to Enlarge)

“Also the Marine Exchange is successfully utilizing AIS transponder technology to identify local vessels,” Jacobsen added. “This information is then broadcast on the NorControl VTS system for all users to share. The benefits of these systems in our daily pilot operations have been tremendous for enhancing safety, customer service, information exchange, and efficiency.”

Port of Los Angeles Director of Administration Bill Stein spoke about the system’s added benefits. “The Marine Exchange helps the Port meet its mission of having an efficient port operation with the least negative impact for the community, ensuring the quality of life for residents living around the Port,” Stein stated. “We are extremely fortunate to be the beneficiaries of their efforts to utilize the latest technology to provide better and more timely information. In the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, they were able to coordinate and disseminate vital safety communications.”

As the Captain of the Port, U.S. Coast Guard Capt. John Holmes is aware of the critical function of the information provided by the Marine Exchange.

“By providing advanced notice of arrival, contacting agents, dispensing information to the maritime community, the MX-VTS does much of the work that the Coast Guard would have otherwise had to put on a great deal of manpower to do,” Holmes said. “It is essential to have such an advanced vessel traffic service in the Los Angeles/Long Beach port complex, the Coast Guard’s largest port and most active in the nation. We wouldn’t have the safe record we do without it. It would be like not having air traffic control at an airport, like LAX.

“In our port security mission, the Marine Exchange is going to be the integral organization in what we call “maritime domain awareness” because it knows what is going on in the port,” Holmes added. “As the principal conduit for identifying contacts and vectoring in resources, the Marine Exchange will be able to tell the Coast Guard what ships are operating off the coast, essentially expanding our borders for the Coast Guard to inspect and evaluate a vessel before it comes into port.”

About NorControl

NorControl IT (www.NORCONTROLIT.com), the Norway-based manufacturer of the VOC 5060 VTS system, has been in the business for 30 years. They are a leading supplier of safety and vessel traffic systems with more than 100 of their VTS systems in operation in ports and waterways around the world. Beginning as general radar surveillance system, the increased demand from users and the advances in technology have expanded the scope of the original concept. System designs have been enhanced to incorporate management information and increased functionality, making such systems operational necessities and creating the new term, “Vessel Traffic Management and Information Systems” (VTMIS).

The VTS Operator Workstation (VOC 5060) application installed at the Marine Exchange is the primary user interface in the VTMIS 5060 system. It gives the VTS operator access to all the information available in the system, together with the ability to control system functions. The result is an upgraded service that allows more timely and accurate information, including features such as logging and replay, remote display, communication links, electronic chart of coverage area, chart overlays, digitized radar video, target discrimination through radar target tracks, transponder target tracks, bearing lines from VHF/DF bearing lines, detailed vessel data via info link to a database, continuous target and buoy warnings, system warnings, status and controls for VTS, meteorological/hydrological, and AIS sensors.

VTS VOC 5060 (Click to Enlarge)

One of the significant features is the ability to split chart window screens to watch and monitor multiple contacts in real time. Through the use of Windows NT®, the VOC 5060 provides watch personnel the flexibility to configure the display to isolate many individual contacts in a close up field. Each window can display the whole chart or just a segment. The overlays are used to present various types of information in a chart. By dividing chart information into various overlays, it is possible to display information according to the controllers’ preferences. They can adjust their screen to any size. They can save the windows easily and have them reload when reopening their own individual file.

As an agent of the State of California, the Marine Exchange operates the VTS in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, the California Office of Spill Prevention and Response, and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Since 1994, the VTS has facilitated the safe passage of approximately 35,000 vessel transits annually in its Area of Responsibility, inclusive of all waters outside the federal breakwaters, San Pedro Channel, Santa Monica Bay, and Santa Catalina Island--extending 25 nautical miles from Point Fermin.

Continuing Enhancements

PortSource
The Marine Exchange continues to expand it's services with the ongoing development and design of our Marine Exchange/PortSource web portal. This one-stop shopping site will soon provide anyone involved in the transportation chain with real-time operating information via an unbiased protocol. PortSource premiered in December 2002, with additional features being added on a near-continuous basis.

MARIS
The Marine Exchange’s comprehensive vessel information computer database program, called “MARIS,” contains all the vital statistics for ships calling on San Pedro Bay. Hundreds of subscribers are provided with daily announcements of arrivals, departures and shifts, and berth locations for commercial vessels calling Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors. Specific reports include: Advance Arrival; Daily Arrival/Shift/Departure Logs; Active Vessels in Port; Sailing and Shifting Sheet; Monthly Composite, plus specialized ad hoc reports produced on demand. The reports are also available for ONLINE PURCHASE.