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Digitalisation of vessel traffic Master’s Guides

Fintraffic Vessel Traffic Services has started the digitalisation of the Master’s Guides for Finnish vessel traffic services. The aim is, together with our partner Siili Solutions, to provide vessels arriving in the ports of Finland and shipping companies with an entirely new digital service that offers all vessel traffic instructions in one place in the next few years. 

The first digital Master’s Guide pilot projects will be launched at the end of next year. The actual introduction of the new digital service will be made incrementally in 2024, when vessels will gain access to the service. 

“We are developing an overall solution that is as flexible as possible and meets the growing need for information of increasingly digital vessel traffic. The new service allows for more real-time exchange of information, which is based on the safety and fluency of vessel traffic. The service makes it possible to efficiently exchange dynamic information, for example about the current conditions and warnings for seafarers, and improves awareness of VTS areas’ traffic rules, such as passing and areas where overtaking is prohibited,” says Senior Specialist Mika Nyrhilä from Fintraffic Vessel Traffic Services.

In the future, the new service will provide information about port services and, consequently, offer whole new kind of information to a wider group of users from the initial phases of planning the vessel’s route to departure from the next port. 

Close collaboration with stakeholders

Fintraffic Vessel Traffic Services welcomes all stakeholders to take part in the development work.

“The development is all about planning a user-friendly, intuitive and comprehensive service together with the users and stakeholders. We will be working side by side with the end users for the next few months to ensure that customer needs and experience and a shared vision are emphasised in the planning and introduction of the service,” says Development Manager Esa Kallio from Fintraffic Vessel Traffic Services.  

Digital Master’s Guides are part of Fintraffic Vessel Traffic Services’ strategy, according to which new futuristic commoditised services are being built for the needs of vessel traffic with safety as a priority.  The Master’s Guides are being developed as a joint project as part of the NEMO project portfolio, in which a new vessel traffic notification service is being developed.

“This project has been fascinating. We have observed and interviewed the officers of different types of vessels. The NEMO development and excellent collaboration with stakeholders and vessels provides everyone with synergy extending to the levels of architecture and systems. It is wonderful to advance this project—90% of exports pass through Finland and the availability of internet connections at sea is different to what it is on land,” says Siili Solutions’ Lead Service Designer Eliisa Sarkkinen, who is in charge of the Master’s Guide project.

The core of Fintraffic Vessel Traffic Services’ strategy is the provision of navigation services for vessel traffic so that vessel traffic can take place safely and undisturbed on our sea routes. Our vessel traffic centres are operational 24/7 to ensure the safety of vessels on all coastal areas of Finland. The core of the development of Fintraffic Vessel Traffic Services is the technological collaboration that allows for the safety and fluency of vessel traffic. Development is heavily focused on traffic control and management, which are the key services, in addition to which we are developing new service models for information and snapshot services.

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