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Antwerp Port Authority is to make the use of AIS (Automatic Identification System) compulsory for barges throughout the port area effective from 1 March 2011. The system will aim to make the departments responsible for barge safety and traffic control operate more efficiently.

Barges equipped with an AIS device periodically transmit information including static data such as the name and dimensions of the vessel as well as variable data such as position, course, draught, cargo and destination. These messages can be received and read by other waterway users, and will be used by the Port Authority's departments to control barge traffic more efficiently and safely, as is already done with AIS for seagoing ships.

The introduction of AIS will first and foremost aim to benefit nautical safety within the port, as well as having particular advantages for traffic control. The information obtained will also be very useful for making even more efficient use of facilities, including berth management and lock operation.

The compulsory use of AIS will also benefit the Barge Traffic System and lead to improved freight handling. In the longer term the data can be used to measure emissions by barges, while it will also be possible for a barge coordination centre to proactively manage and monitor the flow of barge traffic.

"Antwerp Port Authority has taken this decision in the conviction that the introduction of inland AIS will create a win-win situation for all parties involved. It is therefore only logical for use of the system to be made compulsory for all barges, throughout the port area," the Port Authority said in a statement.

The measure also forms part of the Barge Transport Master Plan aimed at positioning barge transport more effectively within the overall flow of traffic, both structurally and commercially.