Navigation Safety for Marine Traffic in the Malacca Strait using AIS Data

Abstract

The Malacca Strait experiences high-density vessel traffic, and therefore is a busy area with high potential for collisions. Analyses of marine traffic that reflect the real conditions of ship navigation are performed to enhance maritime traffic safety. An automatic identification system (AIS) allows for the accurate investigation of actual ship encounters, ship collisions, and sea traffic management systems. For this study, an AIS receiver installed at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) provided AIS data, which focused on a selected area in the Malacca Strait. The 1972 International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREG) guided the assessment of navigation safety based on real conditions using AIS and geographic identification systems (GIS). Based on estimates of the probability and consequence indices from a risk matrix, the time and encounter conditions determined the level of risk. This study also conducted safety measurements. The analysis indicated that ship safety would improve significantly if the vessels followed the guidelines established in this study