Weather and Current Through AIS
AXYS Technologies' Port Sentinel weather monitoring solution has been installed at Squamish Terminals in Squamish, Canada. This weather data is then transmitted via Automatic Identification System (AIS) radio telemetry to transiting vessels in the area. The next phase of the monitoring project involves installing a submerged ocean current profiler alongside the Squamish Terminal pier.
The Port Sentinel has been in operation for just over a month and is successfully capturing continuous weather conditions at the terminal, including wind, air temperature, relative humidity and barometric pressure data. The ocean currents data would be combined with the meteorological weather information and included in the transmitted AIS message to further enhance knowledge of the current conditions at Squamish Terminal.
Vessels can now make more informed decisions about berthing at the Squamish Terminal. Prior to this installation, transiting vessels had to make berthing decisions based on partial or incorrect weather information.
AXYS Marine Systems Manager Don Bryan commented, "A large portion of our business now comes from international markets, so the opportunity to apply our environmental monitoring technology here in BC is exciting for us. With the Port Sentinel solution installed, Squamish Terminals now has the ability to provide its customer base with objective and up to the minute weather conditions at the terminal. This should ultimately translate into decreased berthing costs for vessels accessing the terminal. We are pleased to be involved with this local, made-in-BC project."
Financial details were not provided.
Squamish Terminals is a deep-water, break-bulk terminal located at the north end of Howe Sound - 32 nautical miles north of the Port of Vancouver. With an intermodal transportation infrastructure (including access to rail, ocean and truck), 2 berths, 3 warehouses, specialised handling equipment and an experienced team, Squamish Terminals efficiently handles cargo bound for North America and around the world.
