Wärtsilä to Install Route Exchange on 50 Ships

Wärtsilä Voyage won a contract to update the ECDIS on-board 50 tankers. 

More than 400 ships already has the capability to share routes through their ECDIS. With focus on increasing tanker safety, the STM BALT SAFE project is signing up 50 tankers that frequently sail in the Baltic Sea, with Wärtsilä winning the contract. 

Cajsa Jersler Fransson, Ship Testbed Manager, says, “Wärtsilä Voyage has the know-how, the installed base and the dedication to a more connected future. With installations happening this year, we will be able to analyze data from the interaction between ships and between ships and shore.”

The STM BALT SAFE project further improves tanker safety in the Baltic Sea by enabling route exchange on more tankers and providing digital VTS-services to them.

The STM BALT SAFE project is piloting new operational services based on the Sea Traffic Management concept, STM. For example the Saab-based VTS in Estonia, the Navielektro-based VTS in Finland and the new VTS-system in Sweden will be able receive and send route plans to vessels, enabling services like route cross-check and risk situation alerts. Information is transferred via AIS between ships. Between ships and shore, the data is shared through the Maritime Digital Infrastructure previously contracted to the non-profit industry consortium Navelink.