A New AtoN Network Supports Increased Traffic at Tanjung Manis Port

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Background

Tanjung Manis Port is located 30km from the mouth of the Rajang River in Sarawak, East Malaysia. Tanjung Manis is a delta area comprising the estuaries of three major rivers including the Batang Rejang, the longest river in Malaysia.

Tanjung Manis has good connectivity by roads and waterways to the central region of Sarawak, which is located strategically south of the booming North Asian markets. Since 1990 the government has invested about RM3.14 billion to put in place key infrastructure and facilities in Tanjung Manis, including the port. This is in line with the push to make it a major industrial port city.

The port is expecting a significant increase in marine traffic in coming years. Malaysia is a progressive country with consistent economic development and political and social stability, Malaysia is also the leader in the world’s halal industry. Tanjung Manis has been earmarked as a major halal hub for the region.

The Challenge

The enhancement of the Aids to Navigation network was essential to support the increased marine traffic and the safe passage of major shipping vessels that were regular users of the channel.

The challenge the team had was safely marking the shipping channel from the ocean to the port of Tanjung Manis. The port operates 24 hours a day with a fast ship turnaround so it was important to focus on enhancing the safety of both day and night marine navigation.

“With the support of the Sealite Team we were able to successfully design and install the Tanjung Manis buoy project. The team at Tanjung Manis were delighted with the outcome and the high quality of the Sealite equipment provided.”

Desmond Pui,
Project Manager,
Sara-Chem

The Solution

Working together with our local partner Sara-Chem we provided the following solution for Tanjung Manis Port:

1.  Trident SL-B3000 (x 1)
Safewater Lighted Buoy with GPS Sync, AIS Type 3 transponder and Racon.

2.  Atlantic SL-B3000 (x 5)
Port Hand Lighted Buoy with GPS Sync and AIS Type 3 transponder.

3.  Atlantic SL-B3000 (x 5)
Starboard Hand Lighted Buoy with GPS Sync and AIS Type 3 transponder.

4.  Atlantic SL-B2600 (x 5)
Port Hand Light Buoy with GPS Sync and AIS Type 3 transponder.

5.  Atlantic SL-B2600 (x 5)
Starboard Hand Light Buoy with GPS Sync and AIS Type 3 transponder.

6.  Range Lights (x 6)
with AIS Type 3 with Solar Power Solutions to assist in marking safe passage during turns in the river.

7.  Marine Lanterns (x 21)
with AIS Type 3.

Working together with our local partner Sara-Chem we provided a solution of 21 Sealite lighted buoys and 6 range lanterns for the Tanjung Manis Channel and Port.

10 Atlantic SL-B3000 and 10 Atlantic SL-B2600 navigational buoys were supplied with SL-C510 lanterns and aluminium topmarks. The SL-C510 lanterns that the buoys were equipped with are GPS synchronised so that the lanterns can flash in unison. This helps ensure that these group of markers are easily picked up by vessels.

The marine lanterns also have an integrated Type 3 AIS transponder. This ensures that all IMO Class A and B vessels navigating the channel are able to pick up these buoys via the VDL and it will be displayed on the ECDIS on the respective vessels. The integrated AIS also transmits lantern status information over the VDL and this information can be received by the AIS base station that is located on shore.

A Trident SL-B3000 Safe Water Buoy was also supplied with the SL-155 marine lantern. The lantern provides a night range of 10 NM. This buoy is also equipped with a Racon.

Sealite range lights were installed to provide additional guidance at the bends in the river. These lights mark out the safe bearing line (at the deepest point) so vessels can reach the Tanjung Manis Port safely.

Outcome

The new network of AtoN’s has supported greater safety and efficiency for the vessels and crews using the Tanjung Manis channel. The new AtoNs are highly visible during the day and at night, supporting safe navigation from the ocean to the port. AIS reports direct from the AtoN’s ensure that the team can establish AtoN availability, and quickly identify any outages.

In the past, vessels were required to wait at anchorage during the night as the channel to the port was not lighted. With the addition of the new AtoNs, the channel is now open to night navigation and the port is open both day and night. Round the clock operation has attracted more vessels to use the port for quick turnaround and reduced operational cost for ship owners.

The Sealite and Sara-Chem teams provided a fast response, were extremely knowledgeable and developed an innovative and flexible solution for Tanjung Manis Port. The overall feedback has been extremely positive