Digi Ship Tracking System at Haitian Port Operation

The commercial sea port of Port au Prince, Haiti now boasts an advanced vessel tracking and communications system, designed to aid port management and international relief organizations. The identification and second-by-second position, course and speed of any ship within tens of kilometers of the port is presented to Haitian port operators and relayed to the US DOT / Volpe Center Maritime Safety and Security Information System (MSSIS) server. The MSSIS server delivers Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) from around the world and enables the Navy and the Haitian port authority to expertly manage vessel traffic.

The vessel tracking system was donated to the Haitian Port Authority by an industry team of network and communications product manufacturers and service providers. Digi International donated a Connect WAN 3G cellular router, ORBCOMM and T-Mobile USA provided free wireless services, and L-3 Aviation Recorders donated a PROTEC Automated Identification System (AIS) Transceiver. The Digi router links the L-3 AIS transceiver via high-speed T-Mobile cellular data to the MSSIS server.

“Our goal of establishing systems, technologies and procedures in the opening of the Port au Prince port is a critical task,” said Captain Andy Bjork, U.S. Navy. “The team helped us by providing the remote network equipment and installation support. Now the Haitian Port Authority can operate with higher effectiveness and efficiency, a tremendous benefit as the country rebuilds.”

“We are pleased to provide assistance in any way possible to aid the Haitian people, ”said Steve Mazur, director of government sales, Digi International. “The U.S. Navy faced a challenge in opening and managing the Port au Prince port, and we are happy to have made that process easier.”