Enhanced data for route planning
S-104 and S-111 will provide additional data on tidal and surface currents. Giving a mariner or fleet superintendent access to more precise and accurate water level information will allow them to make more data-driven decisions that take into account shallow waters or changes in tides. As a result of the real-time data transfer, mariners will be able to see where changes in tides might affect their ETA and they can take action to avoid this.
For example, if a tidal current changes and the vessel’s speed is accelerated or decelerated, its ETA will change. S-57 data does not support real-time data integration or high-resolution updates. This means that while it can provide general information about tidal currents, it does not offer the dynamic, precise, and forecasted tidal current data that modern mariners require for optimising routes and ETAs.
With S-100 enabled products, the navigator will have access to this data in real time, allowing them to make a decision that improves the chance of the vessel adhering to its intended ETA, whether that’s speeding up, slowing down, or rerouting. For ports, this enhanced data means that if the vessel will not make its ETA, the port knows ahead of time and can make adjustments to berthing schedules to avoid empty berths or idling ships.
The integration of real-time data sets, such as water levels (S-104) and surface currents (S-111) will enable the vessel operator to closely monitor and respond to changing environmental conditions.
Improved UKC management
One of the benefits of S-100 is the greater depth of safety contours that it will bring to ENCs. S-129, the product specification for under keel clearance, will provide this more granular reading between the keel and the seabed, while S-104 will provide real-time information on water level and tide information.
The greater granularity of UKC data will enable the ECDIS to delineate between all of those safe and unsafe points in the water, helping vessel operators to plan more accurate arrival times to port. This greater clarity on UKC will expand the operational window for ships visiting ports, unloading and/or loading and exiting the port. This more efficient turnaround time will reduce ships’ idle time outside of ports, thus reducing fuel burn, emissions, and other unnecessary costs. Precise UKC readings not only facilitate a higher number of vessels to be turned around in a shorter space of time, but critically, they also allow more cargo to be loaded onto a ship, improving the efficiency and financial outcome of the voyage.
One of the major advantages of improving safety contour data is the impact it will have on larger vessels’ accessibility in ports. A vessel with a larger TEU will need highly accurate UKC measurements because of its deeper draft as there are more risks at play. Ports with shallow waters may not be able to accommodate such vessels.
However, thanks to the greater insight on dynamic water environments that S-100 products will supply, there will be the opportunity for vessels with larger TEUs to access ports that they were unable to previously.
To learn more about the benefits discussed in this article, download our thought leadership report ‘New Waters’, created in partnership with the UK Hydrographic Office. Based on the findings of a comprehensive maritime research project, this report explores the five key steps to supporting the successful adoption of the International Hydrographic Organization’s (IHO) S-100 data framework.
