Marine Communications and Traffic services

Activities In The International Sphere

Meetings and Conferences:

IALA VTS Committee (International Association of Lighthouse Authorities - Vessel Traffic Services)

Meets twice each year to advance the application and commonality of practices within the VTS community worldwide, for the improvement of marine safety, protection of the environment, and realization of collateral economic benefits.

IALA VTS Symposium

An international symposium dealing with all aspects of VTS. It is convened every four years, and the location rotates through a number of host countries. MCTS participates both in delivering papers, and as part of the organizing committees.

JCG (Joint Coordinating Group)

Meets twice yearly, alternating between Seattle and Vancouver, to discuss matters of joint interest to the U.S. Coast Guard and the Canadian Coast Guard, as these relate to the Canada/USA Agreement for a Cooperative Vessel Traffic Management System for the Juan de Fuca Region.

GMDSS Conference (Plymouth, England)

To improve marine safety in response to the SOLAS Convention, with particular reference to the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and its national and international implementation.

COMSAR (Sub-committee on Radiocommunications and Search and Rescue)

The radiocommunications side of this sub-committee deals with the technical and operational aspects of ship radiocommunications systems, as well as the carriage requirements. At this time much of the work of COMSAR is devoted to the specifics of GMDSS.

RTCM (Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services)

A yearly meeting, constituted for the improvement of marine safety as it pertains to the better application of technology to marine safety and communications; and to achieve commonality of marine technical applications in North America.

International Marketing, Business and Government Initiatives:

Middle-East Peace Initiative:

MCTS has participated in this symposium for the past few years, where several Middle-Eastern countries were represented in Sydney, Nova Scotia. MCTS collaborated with the U.S. Coast Guard and presented several papers on the implementation of Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) systems.

Coast Guard Symposium in Korea:

MCTS collaborated with the Director of International Marketing, the Rescue, Safety and Environmental Response directorate of Coast Guard, and several marine-oriented Canadian industries in a VTS and Search-and-Rescue symposium in Inchon and Pusan, Korea. It is expected that more of these ventures will be supported in the future.

Potential VTS applications in cooperation with Canadian industry:

MCTS has undertaken several investigative trips with Canadian industries with a view to expanding the opportunities for studies, training, and VTS implementation projects in various countries. The first of these was the Hong Kong VTS project, completed in 1986. More will be reported as opportunities develop.

A series of safety and environmental studies over a 5 year period with Taiwan started in August 1998. The MCTS element "Marine Information Integration" includes such matters as electronic data interchange, ship reporting, VTS informatics, and integration of marine information systems. Work is being conducted as much as possible using seconded Regional MCTS personnel, as developmental experience.