Autoridad del Canal de Panamá, Panamá
2023
Latitude 9.080000 Longitude -79.680000
The Situation:
The Panama Canal is a man-made series of waterways and locks that spans 82 kilometres and connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It divides North and South America and is a vitally important trade route for shipping.
The Government of Panama gave responsibility for the operation and management of the canal to the Panama Canal Authority (or ACP) in 1999.
In 2022, the ACP announced the Advisory to Shipping No. A-32-2022. This Advisory stated ‘Effective January 1, 2024, all vessels with a beam of 109 feet (33.22 meters) or more transiting the Panama Canal will be required to have a fixed (non-portable) piloting unit with Real Time Kinematics (RTK).’
With twenty years in the industry designing and manufacturing precision navigation systems for marine pilots, Navicom Dynamics was well-placed to develop a solution for the ACP. We jumped at the opportunity to develop a unit that would meet the ACP’s requirements and contribute to the safe and effective pilotage of Neo-Panamax vessels through the Panama Canal.
The Requirement:
The ACP required any pilotage units put on their approved equipment list to meet rigorous testing requirements. To be approved, Navicom Dynamics had to design a system that met the following criteria:
- A non-portable unit that can be installed on the bridge of the vessel with external antennas
- Be GNSS enabled with centimetre precision, measuring speed, COG, HDG, and ROT
- All data must be real-time and shared via Wi-Fi
- Must be compatible with the applications used by Panama Canal personnel
- Must receive GNSS corrections via UHF or Wi-Fi from the Panama Canal base stations
- Capable of operating autonomously for a minimum 5 of hours without relying on a ship’s power
- Dead reckoning on heading using a high precision IMU
In addition, we wanted to develop a unit that could be installed easily, to mitigate any challenges our customers might face when implementing a solution that was manufactured on the other side of the world.
The Solution:
By the end of 2022, we had a CanalPilot prototype ready, and initial testing began in January 2023. Despite the ACP’s extensive testing process, 4 months later, in June 2023, the CanalPilot passed all required testing and was listed on the ACP's approved equipment list. Navicom Dynamics became only the second company in the world to achieve this.
The CanalPilot is a state-of-the-art, completely independent mGNSS-enabled dual antenna system. It has 4G-LTE connectivity and can be integrated with a cloud connection for long-range communications and shared environments.
The CanalPilot is designed for easy installation, which can be carried out by a vessel's crew or a locally chosen installation team. To ensure optimal performance, we also provide guidance on antenna placement, offering suggestions tailored to each vessel’s unique setup.
With close to 300 units sold, we’ve received very positive feedback from the ACP regarding both the ease of installation and the low number of issues encountered.
Implementation:
The implementation of CanalPilot on Neo-Panamax vessels transiting the Panama Canal will give an added layer of security to the marine pilots responsible for safe transits. With the improvements in situational awareness offered by CanalPilot, ship owners and operators can feel reassured that any risks to their transit are minimised and that they are meeting the ACP’s mandatory safety regulations.
Quote:
“The CanalPilot fixed PPU system is exactly the type of bespoke work we undertake for customers on a regular basis. Our incredible R&D team were able to exceed the ACP’s expectations while also making the system versatile enough to be an excellent option for other vessels requiring purpose-built navigation options.”
- Craig Vega, Sales and Marketing Director at Navicom Dynamics