SSG No 4 - Shipgaz

A normal day on the AIS-server.
call a ship that was expected to pass Skagen,
but did not respond on the VHF radio.
One of the crew members on the
Skawlink service boats says:
“I remember that we were trying to call a
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certain reefer vessel for three days after the
original ETA at Skagen without any luck.
Instead I tried the AIS service, which was
new at the time, and found the reefer vessel
safely moored at St Petersburg! Far away
IT & COMMUNICATIONS
from Skagen and more than 48 hours away
from VHF coverage”.
The service at Skagen, provided by the
Wrist Group, has also lost a bit of side
business with the AIS system. In the days
before AIS, the service boat was often
hired to check if a certain ship passed Skagen
at the right time in connection with a
time charter. So if a bulk carrier gave
notice of passing Skagen at 12 am and did
not pass until the following day at 9 am, it
had to be checked manually by the service
boat and its crew. This was done often, if
the time charter suspected a fiddle with
the time.
Several providers
The AIS service is provided by Farvandsvæsenet
in Denmark, but there are
also private providers of the service. Lloyds
Fairplay, the huge media group in the UK,
also offer an AIS service on subscription
for anyone that pays the fee. The National
authorities’ service like Farvandsvæsenet is
a closed circle with only invited users. The
same goes for similar services in most other
countries.
bent mikkelsen
www.sesonboard.com
SCANDINAVIAN SHIPPING GAZETTE • FEBRUARY 23, 2007 37