Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have developed and deployed India’s first indigenous vessel traffic management system for Ports.
The system has been developed completely by the National Technology Centre for Ports, Waterways and Coasts (NTCPWC), based on the requirements outlined by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoSPW), Government of India. This system will provide a major boost to the indigenisation of technology and expertise in the Indian Maritime sector and reduce dependency on imports. The system can easily be scaled up and enhanced to meet the ever-evolving requirements of the concerned stakeholders and incorporate global best practices.
This system has already been implemented at Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL), Kerala, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 2, 2025. Two other ports on the Western Coast are also in discussions with IIT Madras to deploy this system.
A Key advantage of the Indigenous Vessel Traffic Management is that the MoSPW and the Government of India have full and strategic control over source code, databases and aspects of the solution. With the technical know-how readily available to the Government, the country can create a pool of competent manpower equipped with state-of-the-art theoretical and practical knowledge.
Elaborating on the system, Prof K Murali, Head, NTCPWC, IIT Madras, said, “An Indigenous system eliminates the risk of a leak of strategically important data of movement of vessels. Further, it also enables fast tracking of innovations to provide the most appropriate solutions to various challenges and reduces other operational and financial risks associated with dealing with private vendors.”
The key technological advantages of the Vessel Traffic Management system, in comparison with imported systems, include
-Customised and OEM independent interfacing of radar and voice data
-Open source design
-Secure data and defence applications
The indigenous Vessel Traffic Management also removes the risk of lock-in with private vendors and reduces foreign exchange expenditure and dependency on private vendors/foreign solutions providers. This system is scalable to accommodate deployment in more ports with enhanced capabilities. It is also completely secure, with minimal deployment and maintenance costs.
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