MOMAF sets up 'AIS'

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (MOMAF) announced November 8 that it finished the first step of its Automatic Identification System (AIS), which allows them to automatically transmit and to receive vessel information such as vessel name, sailing speed and loaded cargoes.

MOMAF said that it has encouraged 11 domestic ports, including Pusan, to install AIS from last year as AIS transmitter/receivers are mandatory on passenger ferries and other large vessels according to the revised International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) December, 2000.

SOLAS prescribes that every passenger ferry, internationally sailing vessels over 300 tonnage and over 500 tonnage in-land vessels must install an AIS transmitter/receiver by July, 2008.

MOMAF established AIS operation systems and base relay stations in Pusan, Inchon and Ulsan where there are many inbound and outbound vessels. It also plans to complete setting up AIS systems in 11 main ports in Korea by 2004.

Lee-Eun, safety department manager at MOMAF, said that it would be helpful for search and rescue vessels to quickly identify any and all sea traffic.