Inshore Systems is playing a key part in the safe navigation of heavy cargo barges in the Caspian Sea. The barges will transit the new Cargo Transportation Route (CaTRo), an 80 kilometre channel that joins deep waters in the Caspian sea to the Cargo Offloading Facility for further expansion of the Tengiz ‘super giant’ oilfield site at Prorva in western Kazakhstan.
The route creates an important gateway to the expanding oilfield developments. Four cutter suction dredgers (CSDs) are in use, deposit islands beside the new channel as they go. Dredging operations have overcome the main challenges of remoteness, shallow waters and stark variations in conditions between the seasons.
Five sets of the latest HarbourPilot Triton Ruggedised (HPTR) portable piloting units by Navicom Dynamics were chosen by Avencom, lead contractor for the vessel traffic services. The HTPRs use Atlas SBAS correction services to achieve centimetre-level accuracy. Atlas avoids the need for traditional RTK base stations, which would have had to be removed each year for protection against the harsh Kazakh winters.
Inshore Systems are providing additional services including production of the local electronic navigation charts (ENCs) and paper charts for the CaTRo channel and approaches. The ENCs are displayed by Qastor software running on Panasonic CF-20 Toughbook displays. The five year support contract includes training, chart updates and technical support to help ensure the safe passage of vessels during the Tengiz development project.
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