Gibraltar Strait is among the most important waterways in the world. It has the second highest density of vessel traffic globally, just behind that of the Strait of Malacca. Each year, over 100 000 trade ships transit the Strait, over a third of which transport hazardous materials. Traffic is expected to grow through the Tangier centre over the coming years.
Recently, Cybernetica delivered and deployed a comprehensive Vessel Traffic Management System to the Moroccan responsible authority CSTM (Centre de Surveillance du Trafic Maritime) in Tangier. The aim of the project was to replace the existing system and to bring the Vessel Traffic Service at Gibraltar Strait to a new level.
This enables the competent authorities to continually assess the situation in the area in order to prevent accidents, react swiftly and adequately to any incident, support rescue operations, promote maritime safety and security and protect the marine environment in the Strait. The new installation will contribute to improving the maritime traffic efficiency and protection of the environment at the gateway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
The contract was signed in March 2021 following a public procurement. Such mission critical systems are built on trust and long-term cooperation, whereas the delivery is supported by a 3-year warranty followed by a 3-year maintenance contract. During the delivery, Cybernetica supported CSTM with maintaining the existing system, following a contract signed in September 2021.
The system was delivered as a turn-key solution with Cybernetica being the prime contractor and integrator. Besides involving Moroccan companies for the delivery of local content and services, Cybernetica established a branch office in Morocco, registered in Casablanca. This provided us the opportunity to engage with the Moroccan State on a multitude of levels and means, and to contribute more widely to the economy in the receiving country, becoming an economic player by ourselves. The name of the branch Office: Cybernteica maritime Technologies; number of registrations: 519249; bank account in Attjariwafa Bank.
The complete delivery consisted of:
- a radar system;
- AIS system;
- MF/HF, VHF and VHF aero radio systems;
- server infrastructure; new radio link system for data transmission;
- LAN and equipment;
- back-up power supply and refurbishment of the existing;
- monitoring system;
- operator station with furniture and consoles;
- antennas;
- software for VTS, radio, vessel database, monitoring, GIBREP mandatory reporting;
- services, including: installation of the new equipment and de-installation of the existing, training, transition support, civil works, new electrical system, cabling, refurbishment of existing towers and site infrastructure;
- legacy system integration, including: old radar for triple redundancy, SAR module, weather stations, RDF for radio positioning.
Considering the criticality of vessel traffic management in a complex environment as Gibraltar Strait, seamless and graceful transition from the old to new system was vital. The carry-over was conducted with zero downtime to the operator.