MILFORD HAVEN LEADS UK WITH NEW PILOT NAVIGATION SYSTEM

Milford Haven has become the first port in the UK to invest in a unique portable satellite-based system to help pilots guide ships along the waterway to their berths with pinpoint accuracy.

The £60,000 investment by Milford Haven Port Authority in the E-Sea Fix pilot navigation system illustrates the continual emphasis on safety which is at the heart of the operations of the sixth busiest port in the country.

E-Sea Fix is a self-contained, portable piloting and docking system which enables the pilot to plan and execute a safe passage in to port, and to berth the vessel with centimetric accuracy.

The portable technology, which weighs less than 5kg, includes a monitor unit with a radio transceiver, and allows information on local ship movements, wind speed and direction and tides to be fed into the system. The precise position of the vessel can be monitored during a swing and, crucially, during the docking phase, resulting in greater control over process and the potential to reduce the number of berthing incidents.

The system will be supplied by Yeovil-based Atlantas Marine Ltd, a specialist provider of equipment and services to the marine industries, and follows its successful trial in the Haven during 2003.

Atlantas Marine MD Charlie Foll said that E-Sea Fix was already used by many of the major ports around the world.

“Milford Haven is the first UK port to buy this truly unique aid to navigation,” he said. “The system enhances the piloting operation by increasing safety, and reducing stress. We are confident that other UK ports and terminals will use E-Sea Fix in the future to improve efficiency.”

Milford Haven Harbourmaster, Captain Mark Andrews, said “This is a significant step forward in enhancing safety at Milford Haven by providing pilots with information independent of the ship’s own systems.”