New Maritime Communication Links
- The Impact of "Transponders" on Ship Operation,
Manning and MET
Bernhard Berking
ISSUS
Fachhochschule Hamburg, Germany
Abstract
Maritime "Transponders" are coming up to revolutionize modern
ship operation. "Transponders" will play an extremely important role in Vessel
Traffic Service Systems, Ship Reporting Systems, collision avoidance between ships, SAR,
etc.. Shipborne "Transponders" will enable the automatic identification of
ships, the transfer of ships' data, improved tracking of all vessels,
"backing-up" the radar information, a reduction of verbal communication and
comprehensive monitoring and organization of maritime traffic. Shipborne
"Transponders" will increase the safety and efficiency of ships.
The state of the art including functional requirements of
"Transponders", practical experiences and results of field tests, modes of
operation (polling vs. broadcast), capacity and frequency limitations, standardization and
performance requirements etc. is reported. The necessary prerequisites for a world-wide
effective use of "Transponders" and the consequences are compiled. The possible
impact on ship operation and manning as well as on education and training (MET) of ship's
personell is analyzed.
Keywords
Transponder, Automatic
Identification System, DSC, STDMA, MET
