While VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) is an exciting upcoming solution to the overloading of the AIS, this advancement is still several years away. The maritime industry and application service providers are looking for solutions to AIS data gaps that can be implemented now and industry experts are re-examining the way data is transmitted in high traffic zones (HTZs) to address these challenges.

The Indonesian Ministry of Transportation is introducing a new regulation from August 20, 2019 that requires all Indonesian and foreign-flagged ships sailing in Indonesian waters to install and activate Automatic Identification System (AIS).

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) reports that it has completed an assessment and feasibility study on a new navigation support system in conjunction with Japan’s National Maritime Research Institute (NMRI) and the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT), using an NMRI-owned ship handling risk simulator.

Marine software company Helm Operations has launched a new partnership with AIS data services provider ShipTracks, which will see the firms integrate their platforms to allow users of the Helm CONNECT package of fleet management applications to access vessel location and route data provided by ShipTracks.

Radio Holland Netherlands has agreed a deal to supply a full package of navigation and communications equipment from Furuno to six vessels being built at Royal Bodewes in Hoogezand, the Netherlands.

Radio Holland reports that it has agreed a deal to supply navigation and communication systems packages to six newbuild vessels being built for Dutch shipping company Wijnne Barends, based in Delfzijl.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has agreed a deal with Rolls-Royce to collaborate in the testing of intelligent awareness systems for ships, starting with installation on board the 165m passenger ferry Sunflower, operated by MOL-Group Ferry Sunflower Limited on a 222-nautical mile route between Kobe and Oita via the Akashi Kaikyo, Bisan Seto and Kurushima Straits.

Jotun has begun using DNV GL’s Veracity platform to combine external and proprietary data sources in optimising the delivery of its maritime coatings at port, using an Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) dataset to ensure it has the right amount of product in the right place.

Pole Star reports that it has entered into a technology sharing partnership with Globavista Limited, the owner of the BigOceanData (BOD) AIS-based vessel tracking portal, to cooperate on a new Maritime Domain Awareness / Advanced AIS Analytics technology initiative.

SRT Marine Systems has announced its intention to build and launch its own maritime monitoring satellite constellation, to be called OCEAN-SCAN, which will provide global vessel detection and tracking.