Advanced Tools for Waterway Pilotage

James V. Carroll, David A. Phinney

Abstract:	This article discusses advances made in the safety and efficiency of waterway pilotage made possible by the application of satellite navigation to navigation and vessel traffic management in the Panama Canal (References [1], [2]). The Panama Canal Commission (PCC), in cooperation with the US Department of Transportation’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), is developing a GPS-based Communications, Traffic Management and Navigation (CTAN) system. This system, expected to become operational this Fall, has been operating in the Canal for over two years. The Volpe Center has the primary responsibility for developing the hardware and software for the system while the Commission provides specifications and resources to support the effort. The Volpe Center also is responsible for CTAN system integration, and receives assistance from the PCC. In the near future, the Volpe Center will assist PCC in integrating CTAN into the Enhanced Vessel Traffic Management System. This paper presents information on the CTAN design from the pilot’s perspective.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 55th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1999) June 27 - 30, 1999 Royal Sonesta Hotel Cambridge, MA
Pages:	117 - 122
Cite this article:	Carroll, James V., Phinney, David A., "Advanced Tools for Waterway Pilotage," Proceedings of the 55th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1999), Cambridge, MA, June 1999, pp. 117-122.
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