Prevention of Grounding at Mongla Port with Virtual AIS

Author: Md. Arif Mahmud, Dewan Mazharul Islam
DOI: doi.org/10.70279/bmj-v4-i1-1006
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About 90% of worldwide cargo transportation is performed by merchant ships. The trading is successfully completed only when the cargo is safely loaded, transported and safely delivered to the buyer. After loading vessels may navigate through channels, canals, rivers, bays, seas and oceans and carry the cargo to the destination. The navigation is done by ship’s officers with the help of maps, charts and various navigation equipment available onboard. Ship’s navigation is also helped from outside sources like the GPS satellites, communication satellites, lighthouses, light vessels, navigational buoys. By default, all systems must work perfectly otherwise ships may face trouble while underway. The Automatic Identification System (AIS) used by ships and ports for identification of ships. This can also be installed on light vessels and navigational buoys for identification with AIS equipment, RADAR (Radio Aid for Detection and Ranging) or ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System). Virtual AIS is a relatively new technology where no navigational buoys are placed on site but they can be detected by ships and this system will help the ships to navigate safely. Mongla Port is the second seaport of Bangladesh. It is situated in the Southern part of Khulna division and it is about 48 km south of Khulna city. Presently it has become a very busy port due to huge import of cement clinker, slag, gypsum, various fertilizers, coal, bulk edible oil, food grains, stone chips, heavy machinery and bulk LPG. Container and car carrier vessels also visit this port regularly. The introduction of Virtual AIS will help all the vessels to navigate safely throughout Pussur river, the risk of grounding will be minimized and hence there will not be any danger of oil pollution from grounded vessels and the ecological system of the Sundarbans will be preserved.