IBP1367__19

USE OF AIS TECHNOLOGY ON MARITIME

SIGNALLING OF SPM BUOYS AND
OFFSHORE STRUCTURES
Pedro Paulo Becker 1 ,Rafael Barragan Loy 2,
Ronaldo Luiz dos Santos 3

Copyright 2019, Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute - IBP

This Technical Paper was prepared for presentation at the Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition 2019, held
between 03 and 05 of September, in Rio de Janeiro. This Technical Paper was selected for presentation by the
Technical Committee of the event according to the information contained in the final paper submitted by the
author(s). The organizers are not supposed to translate or correct the submitted papers. The material as it is
presented, does not necessarily represent Brazilian Petroleum, Gas and Biofuels Institute’ opinion, or that of its
Members or Representatives. Authors consent to the publication of this Technical Paper in the Rio Pipeline
Conference and Exhibition 2019.

Abstract

The Marine Terminals of São Francisco do Sul-SC and Osório-RS operated by Petrobras-
TRANSPETRO, are the main supplier of crude oil to the two most important refineries of Brazil
south region, ALBERTO PASQUALINE –REFAP (RS state) , and PRESIDENTE GETÚLIO
VARGAS-REPAR (PR state). They receive petroleum from ships through monobuoys
connected by submarine pipelines to the Terminal, where it is stored.
Under demand, crude oil is pumped through land pipelines directly to the refineries.
The objective of this work is to describe the use of AIS - Automatic Identification System
technology on maritime signaling of the mooring area where are located the three single point
mooring buoys at Brazil's oceanic south region. A brief description of AIS network is done, its
message structure, and aspects related to AIS AtoN implemented as specified by ITU and ruled
by IMO and IALA standards. Safety improvements are expected, specially related to collision
risk of large ships against buoy structure and floating hoses. Beyond this, ship logistics and
navigation planning facilities arise with AIS and its message spam transmission capability at
VHF mobile band. AIS AtoN still appears with low use at Brazilian coast marine scenario, and
actual AIS regulatory aspects of Brazilian maritime authority - Marinha do Brasil - (NORMAN)
and communications agency – ANATEL - are presented, as so the perception of possible
improvements on these rules that will bring more agility to the application of the new
technology on offshore oil and gas industry.

Keywords: Petroleum. Maritime Logistics. Electronic Nautical Signaling.

1. Introduction

Petrobras Transporte SA – TRANSPETRO is the logistics arm of PETROBRAS.

TRANSPETRO realizes transfer and storage of oil products through pipelines and tanker ships
among terminals and port facilities along the Brazil’s coast and to South America countries,
besides oceanic routes to the seven continents, transporting crude oil and derivatives by its
almost 70 tankers fleet. At this scenery inserts SPM-buoy transfer operation (denominated
monobuoy along this text). Monobuoy is a floating structure, anchored on marine soil, utilized
______________________________
1
Electronic Engineer - Petrobras Transporte SA
2
Mechanical Engineer– Petrobras Transporte SA
3
Operational Technical Coordinator– Petrobras Transporte SA
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for crude oil and hydrocarbon derivatives transfer to or from tanker ships to terminals of coastal
areas, or offshore production platforms. At Brazilian South region, São Francisco do Sul –
TEFRAN terminal , at Santa Catarina state, and Osório – TEDUT terminal , both have the main
function for Petrobras to supply raw material crude oil to refineries Presidente Getúlio Vargas-
REPAR, localized at Araucária, Parana state, and Alberto Pasqualine- REFAP at Canoas, Rio
Grande do Sul state. Oil transfer to REPAR refinery is realized by SPM buoy MN-0701, located
as mooring system at 8 km offshore from coast line at São Francisco do Sul city. Tramandaí,
RS Almirante Soares Dutra – TEDUT terminal , operates two SPM buoys 5km offshore from
coast line , of the same kind of TEFRAN , MN0601 e MN0602. Tankerships from different
production areas or countries are moored and connected to monobuoy through floating hoses,
being crude oil or derivatives transferred to terminals tank storage park by a submarine pipeline
.These operations lasts from 20 a 30 hours for a full ship discharge and are subjected to ocean
and whether condition variations, impacting also ship schedule compromises and overtime.
TEFRAN SPM buoy is anchored offshore near Babitonga bay entrance, where actually
there are two ports (São Francisco do Sul e Itapoá), route of 200 to 300 cargo ships each month,
and these vessels stands waiting port schedule at offshore mooring area outside the bay at a
distance near three nautical miles from monobuoy. This fact brings enormous collision risk
aspect to be treated, considering the size of the vessels involved and the huge robustness of
monobuoy anchor system. Monobuoy visual maritime signaling , identification at paper charts
are resources yet existing and of prime importance for the safety of monobuoy and related ship
operations and collision risk avoidance involving other ships in route to or from the near ports
described above. Monobuoy electronic nautical signaling and maritime traffic monitoring
realized through AIS technology means a great advance in navigation and environment safety,
specially considering the large tanker ships on operation for Petrobras system at São Francisco
do Sul and Almirante Soares Dutra terminals. Another aspect that reinforces the need of AIS
active target at south region Transpetro monobuoys is the implantation by TRANSPETRO of
SAEN- Sistema de Acompanhamento de Estadia de Navios, a ship schedule and overtime
management tool, that generates O&M displays based in AIS network signaling captured
by AIS receiver on the region of ship operation and navigation.

Figure 1: Typical oil transfer operation between moored tanker ship and SPM buoy

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2. AIS system and Equipment

The necessity of port management authority, at real time, know a ship position under
coastal and oceanic routes, always were essential for logistic organization of that installations,
as so for SOLAS premises and navigation safety strategies. Since early decades of last century,
the localization and identification of vessels traveling on oceanic routes were did in voice
communications using VHF e SSB transceivers. Radio voice equipment inform sea position
inferred by a navigator aboard by means of classical techniques based on traditional
instruments as magnetic compass, celestial star sights and sextant, besides light houses aids to
navigations and geographic accidents at visual reach, establishing data for manual drawing of
the navigation route over a nautical chart of paper. More recently, resources using electronic
equipment together radio propagation techniques, as radio goniometer, Loran C (phase
measurements of low frequency radio from coastal stations) and, still today, equipment as radar
and computers.
The development occurred last decade of the Global Navigation Satellite System, (and the
popular GPS), together the new techniques of digital communications, microelectronics and
SDR- Software Defined Radio (high speed digital control and signal processing applied to RF
functional circuits), it made possible the development of powerful navigation systems and
equipment, one of them, AIS. AIS system today is an obligatory part of modern navigation
equipment installed on all large oceanic ships ruled by IMO. Figure 2 shows ECDIS –
Electronic Chart and Data Information System, that is a AIS based multifunction O&M Display
installed at ship command bridge where resources as Radar and AIS are projected over a
nautical chart image making possible a wide range visibility at the region of interests for ship
handling and navigation purposes.

Figure 2- Modern command bridge panel with ECDIS and Radar sharing AIS data screen

3 What is AIS

AIS – Automatic Identification System is a network communication system by digital

protocol using maritime mobile VHF band, for navigation information exchange among vessels
and shore stations. Today there are many kinds of AIS devices, referred as stations, fixe or
mobiles. These stations operate by themselves on autonomous manner, without existing master
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stations or servers at land for network control. Mobiles stations are installed at vessels , and the
fixed are installed at land stations, or at fixed structures at sea, as buoys, platforms , offshore
rigs , light houses, aids to navigation. There are also AIS autonomous portable modules applied
to search and rescue aircrafts (SART). AIS system has capability to determine from GNSS, the
geo-terrestrial coordinates position of objects where it is installed, and GNSS receiver is a
fundamental constructive function block of all AIS active devices (transmitters and
transceivers). The reason to this fact is because, besides the needs of GNSS coordinates for
position purposes, GNSS UTC is the master clock of all internal electronic digital device and
AIS network multiplex synchronization. AIS system mean function is to exchange information
in form of spam messages between mobile (vessel) or fixed (Land or AtoN) stations in an
automatic way, as ship IMO registration , actual position, course, gross tons , route, arrival
destiny, etc., through a multipoint network operating at VHF mobile band. AIS mean usefulness
are:
- Information Exchange among ships in the mobile maritime VHF band, improving vessel
traffic safety, specially near ports and congested coastal regions;
- Information exchange between vessels and control coast stations (VTS), established at ports
and pilots centers;
- Information exchange related to navigation safety between vessels and coast stations;
- Automatic reporting in areas of mandatory and voluntary reporting;
- Actual development of AIS brought also the use of devices applied to buoys and aids to
navigation - AtoN (Aids to Navigation) structures, and search and rescue applications (AIS
SART).
AIS device are required by IMO on all commercial vessels above 300 gross tonnage
(SOLAS Cap. V); some port administrations imposes rules about AIS use of more general
embracement. The AIS transceiver is designed from SDR – Software Defined Radio -
techniques concepts, also applied to modern cell telephony , and, like so, uses TDMA
multiplexing techniques to connect network nodes or stations. There are variations like
SOTDMA, RATDMA, FATDMA e CSTDMA, depending the kind of stations, mobile or fixed,
and the type of messages. Differently of cell telephony , based in ERBs and fixed switching
centers, AIS system owns the capacity of self-organization of user access to multiplexing
matrix over all VHF coverage area, a basic characteristics of TDMA –SOTDMA (Self-
Organized Time Division Multiple Access) multiplexing protocol. The transmission bit rate is
9600 bit/s. Ref (1) presents AIS network electrical and communications concepts and patterns.
AIS system mean function is to exchange information in form of spam messages
between mobile (vessel) or fixed (Land or AtoN) stations in an automatic way, as ship IMO
registration , actual position, course, gross tons , route, arrival destiny, etc., through a
multipoint network operating at VHF mobile band. AIS mean usefulness are:
- Information Exchange among ships in the mobile maritime VHF band, improving vessel
traffic safety, specially near ports and congested coastal regions;
- Information exchange between vessels and control coast stations (VTS), established at ports
and pilots centers;
-Information exchange related to navigation safety between vessels and coast stations;
- Automatic reporting in areas of mandatory and voluntary reporting;
- Actual development of AIS brought also the use of devices applied to buoys and aids to
navigation - AtoN (Aids to Navigation) structures, and search and rescue applications (AIS
SART).
AIS information received data is plotted on a computer display in most modern
equipment, like figure as follows:

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Figure 3- Typical personnel computer screen used as AIS display

4. AIS Transceivers and Receivers

The ITU – International Telecommunications Union establish technical patterns of radio

aspects ,digital protocol and AIS messages, transmitting at VHF spectrum band , from
156MHz to 174MHz. AIS service uses two 25 KHz band channels, and equipment are able to
operate two simultaneous channels inside VHF band. AIS communication package frame has
1 (one) minute of time duration ,and is fractioned by 2250 time slots for each two 25khz band
, totalizing 4500 user channels at VHF coverage area region. This timing division, determining
a one-minute frame, is received from the master clock of GNSS, and distributed to another
base-stations of the AIS network. As a more general classification, is usual to consider the
following main types of AIS transceivers:
Class A – Designed for use on large commercial ships, cargo and transoceanic passenger ships.
Class A AIS transmits 12.5 watts RF and must have O&M display- (normally over ECDIS
screen);
Class B- similar class A transceivers, are smaller , with more simple easy operational resources
, and are designed to commercial and leisure market, fishing, supply tugs, sport boats and
smaller vessels. Transmits 2W of RF power and timing and message size more compact.
Unnecessary to have integrated display – supplied with USB or NMEA interface for computer
or notebook connection;
AIS Base station: This kind of AIS equipment design is proper for marine traffic management
centers (VTS) appliance, to monitoring AIS of region of embracement. This equipment have
complexity grade and variable technical resources, depending the traffic to be treated and
specific functions of region AIS network management, for instance, virtual AIS target
transmission;
Aids to Navigation (AtoN) – These are AIS transceivers to be installed on light houses, port
entrance signalling structures, geographic accidents, wrecked vessels in coastal areas.
AIS transceiver send position coordinates, and specific messages informing position, AtoN
dimensions, and environmental data: winds, rain, wave height. AtoN lights timing, and
electrical energy AtoN status is a part of the message. This device are proper to signaling all
offshore fixed structures, as platforms, rigs, anchored oil survey and production ships, dive
support vessels, and, as our case SPM buoys, and their protection operation area. These devices
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brings design premises (energy consumption, e.g.) proper to be installed at places without man
attendance, sometimes at a distant oceanic region subjected to high seas. ITU and IALA
establish pattern of AIS AtoN class and its AIS message structure. More recently, new AIS
technology products make possible remote emission of simultaneous virtual and synthetic
symbols, making possible temporary AIS signaling of dedicated oil and gas maintenance
vessels to stablish a guidance and protected zone for works on submarine structures, as pipelines
or well manifolds. The basic general AIS AtoN type stablished by ITU/IALA are as follows:
AIS AtoN type I : This is a kind of a compact station with only transmission capability , and
its message programing must be realized by maritime authority of the region , and device
uploaded before installation. Needs base station management in its VHF coverage area.
AIS AtoN type II: Similar type I, it has receiver installed, for message programing from the
base station of VTS center of region.
AIS AtoN type III : Type III AtoN station is more complex, being active two receiving process
for full AIS protocol function. Comparing to type I and II, besides other differences, are the
capacity of autonomous operation like a mobile AIS (isn’t necessary a coast base station for
management ) and random access to multiplexing AIS matrix (RATDMA).
The configurations of each type of AIS AtoN brings different design features, e.g., for
VTS management center application. AIS base station may be only a receiver, plotting on a
radar display or electronic nautical chart all AIS targets (transmitters) actives in the region. In
this case, all functional blocks related to GNSS are inactive or not installed in the equipment.
Its only necessary a VHF antenna for AIS reception.
All AIS equipment with active transmitters, there is at its message structure a 9 (nine)
digits code designed MMSI-Maritime Mobile Service Identity, the ID code of each AIS vessel
or station. In Brazil, each MMSI must be provided by ANATEL, according to ITU
recommendations. MMSI code number exists before AIS for maritime mobile communications.
It is analogue to a telephone number applied to maritime communications to vessels equipped
with selective calling radio equipment. MMSI number has 9 (nine) digits, and part of this code
comprising three digits are named MID – Maritime Identification digits, it identifies the country
that belongs the vessel, or the coast station where is installed the AIS equipment. Brazil MID
is 710. MMSI code of a vessel is expressed from left to right, by the MID, followed by six (6)
digits for identifying each vessel individually. For AIS coast station, MMSI has two initial zeros
followed by the MID, and by four additional digits. AIS AtoN , as buoys and lighthouses, the
two initial MMSI digits is 99, followed by MID and more four identification digits,
individually associated to the object at the chart. In our case, AIS AtoN installed at Brazil’s
South region monobuoys, we have MMSI with 99710XXXX format.

3. AIS Message Structure and symbols; long range AIS detection coverage by satellite

The data exchange using AIS is based on well-defined messages occupying between one (1)
and five (5) consecutive time slots and are listed in table 1. The majority of the messages are
concerned with the transfer of navigational information; however, some messages are
application specific or have system management functions; e.g., Message 27 has been
developed to respond to the use of satellite detection of AIS. Since the mid-2000s, dedicated
low earth orbit satellites have been able to pick up and decode the signals directly from the
vessels themselves and re-transmit the data back to receiving earth stations connected to the
internet. The coverage offered by Satellite-AIS providers is becoming progressively better and
data precision is already very good. However, orbit patterns and the need to receive and process
the data before it can be made available to service providers establish a significant delay
(sometime hours) between the time of collection of a position report and its availability through
AIS web services.
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Figure 4- AIS wide range coverage by satellite from AIS web service providers

AIS stations report at set rates (actualization of message info) as indicate in table 1.
Symbol pattern used on AIS display, and by other shipborne equipment based on electronic
chart, are defined at normative IEC 62288- “MARITIME NAVIGATION AND RADIO
COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT AND SYSTEMS…”.

Table 1- AIS Messages Description

Message Name Description

1 Position Report Scheduled Position Report

2 Position Report Assigned Scheduled Position Report
3 Position Report Class A Special Position Report under Req.
4 Base Station Report Position, UTC, Time Slot, Date of Base St.
5 Static and Voyage Related Data Class A Report of Static and Voyage Data
6 Binary Addressed Message Binary Data for Addressed Communication
7 Binary Acknowledgement Ackn. of Received Addressed Data
8 Binary Broadcast Message Binary Data for Broadcast Communication
9 Standard SAR Aircraft Position Position Report for Airborne Station Only
10 UTC Data Inquiry Request UTC and Data
11 UTC Data Report Current UTC and Data if Available
12 Addressed Safety Data Message Communication of Safety Data Message
13 Safety Data Ack. Message Ack. of Received Safety Message Data
14 Safety Rel. Broadcast Message Broadcast of Safety Related Data
15 Interrogation Broad. Request for Specific Message Type
16 Assigned Mode Command Base Station Authority Assignment Report
17 DGNSS Broadcast Message DGNSS Correction From Base Station
18 Class B Eq. Pos. Report Position Report of Class B Mobile AIS
19 Class B Extend. Eq. Pos. Report Position Report of Class B Ext. Mobile AIS
20 Datalink Management Message Reserved Slots for Base Station
21 Aids To Navigation Report Position and Status Report of AtoNs
22 Channel Management Channel Management by a Base Station
23 Group Assignment Command Specific Report of Base Station Authority
24 Static Data Report Additional Data Assigned to a MMSI
25 Single Slot Binary Message Short Unscheduled Bin. Data Transmission
26 Multiple Slot Binary Message Scheduled Binary Data Transmission
27 Long Range Broadcast AIS Message Scheduled Position Report–Satellite Detection

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5. Transpetro SPM-Buoys Signaling with AIS: AIS AtoN

The Transpetro SPM-buoys of São Francisco do Sul and Tramandaí, have a light emitting
equipment, with light color and rate expressed in the actual nautical charts number 1804 and
2010 of Brazil South region, approved by maritime Brazilian authority Marinha do Brasil. Same
as light houses, and consisting at official authority document “Lista de Faróis “, these
monobuoys are considered existing aids to navigation structures, registered by order numbers
NROD 3808.1 NRORD 3984 e NRORD 3988 , so AIS AtoN installation is for sure a technical
step advance on navigation safety improvement by AIS signaling of that structures in south
Atlantic Ocean region.
The three SPM buoys , (one at São Francisco do Sul, SC , and two at Tramandaí, SC) ,
are similar about technical characteristics, and the same model of AtoN module were selected
to be installed on the three buoys. The AtoN module can collect NMEA0183 sentences from
meteorological and hydrological sensors through a RS-232 port and then broadcasts the
information using the message 8 format

Figure 3- AIS AtoN module applied to AIS signaling of three Transpetro SPM buoys of south region

Actual installation step, during awaiting of ANATEL and Marinha do Brasil to issue the
operation licenses of AIS station, the modules are activated on land, to facilitate configuration
and aspects of antenna and power supply. It is possible using device mode of “surveyed
coordinates” (of the monobuoy) , without collecting real time position from internal GNSS
block. São Francisco Terminal has got yet a temporary operation license from Marinha do
Brasil, the module is turned-on , with the AtoN signal appearing at ISPS-code security receiver
display as show figure 5. Display at left shows more range of reachness , appearing the buoy
and 4 (four) synthetic AtoN configured to form an exclusion area , and ships moored and on-
course to São Francisco do Sul ports. At the right, a more closed display showing AIS
monobuoy symbols and four syntetic AtoNs creating a navigation restriction area.

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Figure 4- TEFRAN AIS display: At left, AIS targets at surroundings; at right, expanded, monobuoy area.

TEDUT has two monobuoys at close distance, and the proposed AIS AtoN signaling approach
Will consists of only one module signaling the two monobuoys, as each module can generate
one real and four sintetic AtoNs; on this case, real AtoN will be the more offshore monobuoy
MN602, with MN 601, more close to land, being signalized by a sintetic AtoN. The other three
sintetic AtoNs will form a triangle creating the necessary area of restricted navigation enclosing
all the region of the two monobuoys. Maritime authority still not emitted the license for AIS
operation at TEDUT, so a quick test have been done with uploaded surveyed coordinates to
AtoN module, what projected at ECDIS of a ship near the region the display showed on the
right of figure 5:

Figure 5- Proposed AToN signaling (left) and ECDIS display of a ship at TEDUT area during AIS tests

6. Brazilian Authority Legal Aspects.

AIS equipment is a VHF station transmitting on maritime mobile band; this fact submit
its nature to Brazilian communications agency ANATEL obligating an equipment
homologation process by the manufacturer. They must provide an international certificate
emitted by a recognized test laboratory, to homologation submission process. After this step,
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comes the VHF station licenses, where aspects like RF power output, antenna gain and station
geographic coordinates and local city address are registered. Another classification of AIS
equipment is the character of maritime signaling consisting at national nautical chart archives,
under management of maritime authority Marinha do Brasil. AIS cadaster aspects are
established at NORMAN 17/DHN, paragraph 0219, and must be submit on parallel of
ANATEL process. It will be a improvement of both licenses process, a dedicate actualization
of them, for a more quick and agile response of this authorities for AIS legalization request.

8. Conclusion

The characteristics of operations realized on SPM-buoys and tanker ships, dealing with huge
petroleum and derivative volumes through floating and submarine pipelines at open sea,
reinforces the mean focus of Petrobras System at aspects:
- The principle of human life preservation, safety for people and marine environment;
- The large tendency of maritime traffic growing at Brazilian coast and ports of south region;
- The vital and absolute control by Transpetro, of the involved risks on this operations, as to
maritime navigational safety as marine environment preserving, without measuring efforts to
impeding collision occurrences to monobuoy and related offshore systems by large dimensions
vessels in route at that region, with probably catastrophic consequences.
New technologies as AIS are, for sure an obligatory trend to be prospected by engineering team
of Petrobras System on the aim of continuous improvement principle applied to mandatory
safety compromises that inserts Petrobras in a honored place among great world energy
corporations. .

9. Bibliographic References

RECOMMENDATION ITU-R M.1371-3 –Technical characteristics for an automatic

identification system using time division multiple access in the VHF maritime mobile band.

RECOMMENDATION ITU-R M.585-7- Assignment and use of identities in the maritime

mobile service

IEC 62288 Ed 2- MARITIME NAVIGATION AND RADIOCOMMUNICATION

EQUIPMENT AND SYSTEMS-Presentation of navigation related information on shipborne
navigational displays-general requirements, methods of testing and required test results.

IALA Guideline 1082- an Overview of AIS

IALA Guideline 1098 –the Application of AIS AtoN on Buoys

IBP 1645_18 ( Rio Oil & Gas 2018 ) - SUPERVISION AND CONTROL OF TANKER
SHIP TO MONOBUOY TRANSFER OPERATIONS: MONOBUOY, SHIP COMMAND
BRIDGE AND TERMINAL CONTROL ROOM DATA COMMUNICATIONS BASED ON
900 MHZ DIGITAL RADIO

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