The Dutch part of the North Sea is one of the most intensively used seas in the world. There are busy shipping routes to and from ports in addition to the international routes that run along our coast. With the arrival of wind farms in the North Sea in particular, the complexity is only increasing.
North Sea policy aims to permanently improve shipping traffic safety, even in the situation when offshore wind farms are built. Risks include collisions between ships, on the one hand, and collisions or drives of ships with wind farms or other fixed objects, on the other. A grip on vessel traffic safety is also of great value for the accessibility of North Sea ports and limiting environmental damage caused by collisions.
Maritime safety policy framework: In Safe Sailing Ahead
In the November 20, 2020 parliamentary letter from the Minister of I&W, the Minister informs the second chamber of the principles for a risk-based approach in the field of maritime safety.
A number of concrete actions are mentioned, which will be taken up in cooperation with ports, nautical managers and other relevant actors. Important elements here are risk assessments and proper risk management with a monitoring and evaluation mechanism. From the desire to proactively ensure maritime safety on a structural basis, an integral risk-driven approach to maritime safety is being worked on.
The maritime policy as outlined by the Minister of I&W is a direct driver for the joint approach of “Risk-driven Shipping Traffic Management North Sea”
The Digishape initiative “Risk-driven Shipping Traffic Management North Sea” aims to develop a tool for risk-driven shipping traffic management on the North Sea and port access channels. This instrument/tool will significantly improve the situational awareness of users by alerting them (automatically) to potential nautical risks.
The user may be the operator in a coast guard center or the traffic controller performing traffic control tasks in approach channels to the port of Rotterdam or the Westerschelde.
The development towards risk-based shipping traffic management will be based on the optimal use of all maritime data available on ships, which – in the foreseeable future – will be present on the Dutch part of the North Sea. We know not only their position, but also their cargo and their destination, as well as their accident and inspection history. Of the environment besides the traffic situation also the weather forecast and water quantity information is known.
Based on this data a risk calculation should be possible of:
- The probability of the occurrence of an accident or incident and
- The potential consequences of an accident or incident.
If a potential risk is identified then measures must be taken to prevent this potential risk or mitigate the effects.
Digishape is developing a Proof of Concept for risk-based shipping traffic management in the North Sea.
The scope of the project is:
- Investigate the operational feasibility of an instrument for risk-based Vessel Traffic Management based on available maritime data. The research is limited to the vicinity of wind farms in the southern part of the North Sea;
- The “Proof of Concept” of the project should give confidence to future users and to researchers that a professionally deployable tool/tool can be realized;
- The “Proof of Concept” should provide the basic specifications for realizing an operationally deployable tool.
A substantial number of Digishape partners are collaborating in the project.
Coast Guard, the Port of Rotterdam and Rijkswaterstaat (VWM) are the links in the project that set the operational requirements for risk-based traffic management. Marin is the maritime knowledge institute that will contribute scientific maritime safety knowledge and experience to this project. The Datalab and the Effshore ExpertiseCenter (OEC) of Rijkswaterstaat (CIV) will contribute their expertise as data suppliers and data analysts, and WVL will contribute international knowledge regarding shipping information systems and maritime information standards
Finally, TU Delft and Deltares will contribute to the research and in particular will be responsible for the development of an AIS toolbox.
