Article

New Digital Information Service for Vessel Traffic in the Arctic


published on 15 September 2020 94 -

Text and photos by The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA)

The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) has established a new digital information service to increase safety for vessel traffic in Arctic areas.

ArcticInfo is a free of charge service that provides important information on Arctic waters and decision support for safer navigation.

The service provides information specifically for vessels that operate in Arctic waters, such as fishing vessels, cruise traffic and research and expedition vessels.
In ArcticInfo mariners get access to AIS data showing the position, speed and course of all vessels in Arctic waters. ArcticInfo retrieves AIS data from different authorities, including Norway's AIS basestations at Svalbard. The image shows Norway's AIS basestation at Prins Karls Forland in Svalbard, established in 2019. Photo: Foto: Anne Grethe Nilsen/Norwegian Coastal Administration..
In ArcticInfo mariners get access to AIS data showing the position, speed and course of all vessels in Arctic waters. ArcticInfo retrieves AIS data from different authorities, including Norway's AIS basestations at Svalbard. The image shows Norway's AIS basestation at Prins Karls Forland in Svalbard, established in 2019. Photo: Foto: Anne Grethe Nilsen/Norwegian Coastal Administration..
In ArcticInfo mariners get access to AIS data showing the position, speed and course of all vessels in Arctic waters. ArcticInfo retrieves AIS data from different authorities, including Norway's AIS basestations at Svalbard. The image shows Norway's AIS basestation at Prins Karls Forland in Svalbard, established in 2019. Photo: Foto: Anne Grethe Nilsen/Norwegian Coastal Administration..
In ArcticInfo mariners get access to AIS data showing the position, speed and course of all vessels in Arctic waters. ArcticInfo retrieves AIS data from different authorities, including Norway's AIS basestations at Svalbard. The image shows Norway's AIS basestation at Prins Karls Forland in Svalbard, established in 2019. Photo: Foto: Anne Grethe Nilsen/Norwegian Coastal Administration..
By using the service, vessels get access to relevant information about Arctic areas and sea areas off the coast of Norway, Iceland, the Russian Federation, Canada and Greenland, including the Barents Sea and the North Sea. The service includes ice maps, including ice concentrations and drift ice, weather forecasts, notification service to Greenland authorities, and AIS data that gives an overview of other vessels in nearby areas, making it a valuable tool in emergency-situations.

ArcticInfo is a free of charge service accessible to everyone at BarentsWatch, https://www.barentswatch.no/arcticinfo/. With extended access, you can get AIS information for the entire Arctic area. By linking your vessel to your individual user account, you can easily locate your vessel in the map.  If you are sailing in Greenland waters, you can also send voyage plans to Greenland authorities through the ArcticInfo service. You can submit an application for extended access online, which is processed manually in normally 1 or 2 days.

Improved planning, safety and emergency preparedness

Low temperatures and extreme weather conditions, periodically low daylight, limited communication facilities and infrastructure, poor charts and vast distances with limited resources are some of the challenges for shipping in Arctic waters.

 “Increasing ship traffic in a region with many limitations and challenges places greater demands on planning, safety and emergency preparedness. Our aim is to provide important shipping-related information digitally in one service, giving mariners a better overview of Arctic waters, and thereby providing decision-making support for safer navigation,” says Head of the NCA Centre for Pilotage and Vessel Traffic Services, Jon Leon Ervik.

 

Vessels with limited communication capabilities can also download the service and use it offline. The web service is stored in your browser, so when you are offline the map will continue to work where you have previously clicked while you were online.

The NCA wants to reduce the risk of incidents and accidents that can have consequences for people and the environment in Arctic areas. This service aims to provide user-friendly digital information for maritime operators both on and offshore.

Will be further developed

“The service will be further developed to include more information services and data on Arctic waters,” says Ervik. “We want to develop a functionality that allows mariners to enter observations on weather, ice conditions, pollution and wildlife that can be shared with other users of the service.”

The Norwegian Coastal Administration uses BarentsWatch to develop the service. The service gathers, develops and shares information about Norwegian coastal and marine areas. The goal is to facilitate information sharing between governmental agencies, industry and the public.

«By smoothly developing digital services, BarentsWatch addresses the needs of our users. User needs form the basis of the systems and solutions we have developed and will continue to develop together with different partners. This is also the key philosophy behind ArcticInfo,” says CEO Geir Schulstad in BarentsWatch.

Replaces Danish digital information service

ArcticInfo replaces ArcticWeb, a Danish digital information service for shipping traffic in waters off the coast of Greenland, which was taken over by the Norwegian Coastal Administration in 2018. Since then, the service has been further developed and extended to include the Barents Sea and North Sea.

To ensure that ArcticInfo meets user needs, the Norwegian Coastal Administration requests users to provide feedback (criticism, praise, questions and ideas). Feel free to use the "Give Feedback" feature on the ArcticInfo website.

Contact information

Head of the NCA Centre for Pilotage and Vessel Traffic Services, Jon Leon Ervik
Tel: +47 916 81 538, jon.leon.ervik@kystverket.no

Project Manager Eivind Rinde, BarentsWatch
Tel: +47 906 96 094, eivind.rinde@barentswatch.no

What's your opinion on this?
Login or register to write comments and join the discussion!
Read more...

Video World's First Tunnel for Cruise Ships in Norway

published on 23 December 2021

Norway is Building the World's First Tunnel for Cruise Ships! In this video, we go over the Construction of the Stad Ship Tunnel. For more megaproject & engineering content be sure to subscribe to Top Luxury. Thanks for watching this video: World's First Tunnel for Cruise Ships Check Out These Videos: Norway's Coastal Highway Megaproject https://youtu.be/p4Xq3-mVobM Most Insane Megaprojects Under Construction https://youtu.be/I6oS2sEd8R4 World's Biggest Energy Megaprojects https://youtu.be/...

1

Article Norway’s Seas Become Home for a Young Woman - Norway´s First Female Maritime Pilot

by Mauri Moore Shuler - published on 4 August 2022

She just finished school in Norway, and “a 19 year old rebel,” admits Captain Breivik about her younger self. She didn’t know what to do next, but Solgunn Hamme Breivik certainly never expected to make history.

2

Video Volvo Penta – Mighty Jobs – Piloting the Arctic seas of Norway

published on 11 March 2020

In this episode of Mighty Jobs we meet the piloting crew of Buksér og Berging in Tromsø, Norway. Their Volvo Penta-powered piloting boat covers around 42,000 nautical miles every year. That’s the equivalent of traveling around the world twice. The Volvo Penta IPS system makes it possible to pilot ships under all weather conditions.

0

Video Simulation of EVER GIVEN Accident in Suez Canal 2021 in 3D by FleetMon

published on 27 March 2021

On Mar 23, 2021, at around 0500 UTC, Ultra Large Container Vessel EVER GIVEN ran aground in the Suez Canal north of Suez. The incident caused a blockage of the Suez Canal, extensive vessel traffic jams, and disruptions in the maritime supply chain. Watch a 3D video simulation of the last 90 minutes of her journey before the accident happened. The video is based on AIS vessel position data received by FleetMon.
FleetMon is one of the world’s leading AIS vessel tracking providers offering...

1

Press Release Simulation by NAUTITEC, Reality by Emden Pilots

by Frank Diegel - published on 5 March 2021

With only 10 days of preparation time, NAUTITEC successfully executed a high-end simulation of the Odyssey`s river-passage on a scientific level and they are glad to have seen simulation become reality once again.

1

Article Panorama: Incredible location for a lighthouse (Iceland)

published on 7 October 2021

It's quite possibly the most isolated lighthouse in the world and is precariously perched on top of a rock pillar with the wild waves of the cold North Atlantic ocean raging below.

0

Article NAUTITEC (Germany) as new partner of Marine-Pilots.com

by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 8 October 2020

NAUTITEC as a maritime simulation and training centre offers various services for shipping companies, port authorities, captains and for pilots and tug crews.

2

Video Pilotage in Kenya: a really dangerous job

published on 8 March 2021

This video shows the reality of pilots in Kenya.

2

Video This requires a ton of skill!

published on 17 January 2023

0

Article Sandy Hook Pilot Timothy M. Murray lost his life while boarding a ship (08/05/2020)

by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 6 August 2020

On August 5, 2020 at approximately 10:30 pm, Sandy Hook Pilot Captain Timothy M. Murray was involved in an incident while boarding a tanker vessel inbound to the Port of New York & New Jersey. He sustained injuries after falling from a pilot ladder and was evacuated to a local hospital where his injuries proved to be fatal.

1