INDIAN Shipping Minister GK Vasan said the country has developed a new vessel traffic management system (VTMS) to overcome problems of congestion and collision in ports.

    Digital Ship reported Mr Vasan made the statement in reply to a parliamentary question. The VTMS will include radar and automatic identification system technology, supplemented by meteorological and hydrological sensors and communication links that will provide an overview of Indian maritime traffic.

    The VTMS will apply to port channels at Mumbai, Kolkata, Cochin, New Mangalore and Mormugao. It will also monitor traffic in the Kutch region, which will include vessels bound for Kandla. The ports at Visakhaptnam, Tuticorin, Paradip and Ennore will install VTMS shortly, said Mr Vasan.

(resource:http://www.shippingonline.cn/news/newsList.asp?classname=News)