MTCAS
Maritime Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System
Motivation
As part of the MTCAS project, a technical system for collision avoidance in shipping is being developed - inspired by the tried-and-tested TCAS system used in aviation. This system informs pilots of approaching flying objects within defined temporal and spatial limits and generates corresponding warnings. The idea: in future, a similar system should also alert navigators at sea to potential dangers at an early stage.
Objectives and Approaches
MTCAS utilises all available information - including current positions, planned routes, knowledge databases and historical tracking data - to predict potential collisions more precisely and earlier. The aim is to generate well-founded suggestions for avoiding collisions. The system supports navigators on board and ashore as a decision-making aid, but does not automatically intervene in the steering of a ship. MTCAS helps to plan safe and efficient evasive manoeuvres.
The system consists of two central technical components: Collision detection and collision resolution. It is one of the most intensively tested systems in the eMIR test environment and makes a decisive contribution to gaining practical experience and research results.
Project MTCAS - Maritime Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System
- Project duration: 01.01.2016 – 31.12.2018
- Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy