Press Releases

Today (4 March 2008) the Northern Lighthouse Board, which is the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man, welcomed guests and members of the European MARUSE Consortium (www.maruse.org) to its base in Oban to view a high tech demonstration aimed at developing an understanding of the maritime uses of Galileo for navigation.

The demonstration, which was coordinated by the Research and Radionavigation Directorate of the General Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom and Ireland, focused on Port and Harbour approaches and involved the temporary positioning of ground-based Galileo “pseudolite” devices at selected sites around Oban bay and its approaches. These pseudolites were used for navigation by the Northern Lighthouse Board vessel NLV PHAROS, which acted as the demonstration vessel.

The demonstration, which involved a vessel navigating through the use of Galileo-type signals for the first time, had a number of key objectives:-

To show how Galileo could provide a seamless and continuous performance in the transition from coastal navigation, through port approach and port navigation.

Through the use of Automatic Identification System (AIS), to place a “virtual” buoy to mark a hazard.

To view new aids to navigation being developed by the General Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom and Ireland, including the new emergency wreck marking buoy, virtual aids to navigation and Automatic Identification System (AIS).

All pseudolite transmission frequencies were carefully selected to ensure that there was no interference with GPS reception in Oban bay and a Notice to Mariners was issued to notify local shipping of the trial.
Summing up the success of the demonstration Roger Lockwood, Chief Executive of the Northern Lighthouse Board said “this has been a most successful day, not only in bringing together key people from around Europe but also principal users of our waters, including Port Authorities and the professional maritime bodies to hear about the advancements being made in marine navigation. The General Lighthouse Authorities work very closely and promote the use of different means of marine navigation; we also play a pivotal role in the development of new and advanced systems. It has been a pleasure to welcome everyone to our excellent base facility in Oban and for our ship NLV PHAROS to take an effective role in this demonstration of future technology.”

Notes to Editor
MARUSE
The MARUSE project is co-funded by the European GNSS Supervisory Authority through the 6th Framework Programme. More information on MARUSE can be found at www.maruse.org.

Research and Radionavigation Directorate of the General Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Research and Radionavigation Directorate is a function of The General Lighthouse Authorities (GLA's), which consist of Trinity House Lighthouse Service, The Northern Lighthouse Board and the Commissioners of Irish Lights. The Research and Radionavigation Directorate of the GLA's is aimed at providing technology and information to enhance the performance of the GLA's both with regard to management requirements and provision of Aids-to-Navigation. Achievement of these aims is assisted by international co-operation and exchange of information, for example participation in committees of the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) is seen as vitally important.

NLV PHAROS was built by Gdansk Stocznia Remontowa S.A. yard in Gdansk, Poland and was specifically designed and built for the unique work carried out by the Northern Lighthouse Board. The ship was officially named and launched in February 2006, by HRH The Princess Royal and the Board accepted the ship from the shipyard in March 2007.

The Northern Lighthouse Board operates under statute - the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 - and is the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man.
The Board currently operates: 212 Lighthouses, 160 Buoys, 37 Beacons, 4 Differential Global Positioning System Stations, 25 Racons and 1 eLoran

The other General Lighthouse Authorities are the Commissioners of Irish Lights (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) and Trinity House (England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar).

Northern Lighthouse Board

		Press Releases - back to Press 4th March 2008
	Vessel navigates through the use of Galileo-type signals for the first time – Trials take place in Oban, West Coast of Scotland Today (4 March 2008) the Northern Lighthouse Board, which is the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man, welcomed guests and members of the European MARUSE Consortium (www.maruse.org) to its base in Oban to view a high tech demonstration aimed at developing an understanding of the maritime uses of Galileo for navigation. The demonstration, which was coordinated by the Research and Radionavigation Directorate of the General Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom and Ireland, focused on Port and Harbour approaches and involved the temporary positioning of ground-based Galileo “pseudolite” devices at selected sites around Oban bay and its approaches. These pseudolites were used for navigation by the Northern Lighthouse Board vessel NLV PHAROS, which acted as the demonstration vessel. The demonstration, which involved a vessel navigating through the use of Galileo-type signals for the first time, had a number of key objectives:- To show how Galileo could provide a seamless and continuous performance in the transition from coastal navigation, through port approach and port navigation. To manoeuvre NLV PHAROS inside the bay, using the Galileo pseudolites, to deploy a new IALA Emergency Wreck Marking buoy at two locations. Through the use of Automatic Identification System (AIS), to place a “virtual” buoy to mark a hazard. To demonstrate the use of buoy-mounted AIS to indicate the presence of a hazard. To view new aids to navigation being developed by the General Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom and Ireland, including the new emergency wreck marking buoy, virtual aids to navigation and Automatic Identification System (AIS). All pseudolite transmission frequencies were carefully selected to ensure that there was no interference with GPS reception in Oban bay and a Notice to Mariners was issued to notify local shipping of the trial. Summing up the success of the demonstration Roger Lockwood, Chief Executive of the Northern Lighthouse Board said “this has been a most successful day, not only in bringing together key people from around Europe but also principal users of our waters, including Port Authorities and the professional maritime bodies to hear about the advancements being made in marine navigation. The General Lighthouse Authorities work very closely and promote the use of different means of marine navigation; we also play a pivotal role in the development of new and advanced systems. It has been a pleasure to welcome everyone to our excellent base facility in Oban and for our ship NLV PHAROS to take an effective role in this demonstration of future technology.” Notes to Editor MARUSE The MARUSE project is co-funded by the European GNSS Supervisory Authority through the 6th Framework Programme. More information on MARUSE can be found at www.maruse.org. Research and Radionavigation Directorate of the General Lighthouse Authorities of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Research and Radionavigation Directorate is a function of The General Lighthouse Authorities (GLA's), which consist of Trinity House Lighthouse Service, The Northern Lighthouse Board and the Commissioners of Irish Lights. The Research and Radionavigation Directorate of the GLA's is aimed at providing technology and information to enhance the performance of the GLA's both with regard to management requirements and provision of Aids-to-Navigation. Achievement of these aims is assisted by international co-operation and exchange of information, for example participation in committees of the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA) is seen as vitally important. NLV PHAROS was built by Gdansk Stocznia Remontowa S.A. yard in Gdansk, Poland and was specifically designed and built for the unique work carried out by the Northern Lighthouse Board. The ship was officially named and launched in February 2006, by HRH The Princess Royal and the Board accepted the ship from the shipyard in March 2007. The Northern Lighthouse Board operates under statute - the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 - and is the General Lighthouse Authority for Scotland and the Isle of Man. The Board currently operates: 212 Lighthouses, 160 Buoys, 37 Beacons, 4 Differential Global Positioning System Stations, 25 Racons and 1 eLoran The Northern Lighthouse Board is funded entirely from the General Lighthouse Fund, sourced by "Light Dues", a levy paid by shipping. The Board receives no direct funding from the Exchequer or taxpayer. The other General Lighthouse Authorities are the Commissioners of Irish Lights (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) and Trinity House (England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar). The Northern Lighthouse Board is certificated to ISO9001:2000 standard for the provision of navigational aid services to seafarers and other organisations around the coast of Scotland and Isle of Man. Certification covers the design and maintenance of navigational aids and systems, logistical support and associated technical services including consultancy. The Board is also certified to The International Safety Management Code, (ISM Code) in respect of our ships and marine management systems,OHSAS 18001 and BS ISO/IEC 27001:2005. For further information, please contact: Karen Charleson Northern Lighthouse Board Tel 0131 473 3100 Fax 0131 220 2093 Email: enquiries@nlb.org.uk www.nlb.org.uk

Vessel navigates through the use of Galileo-type signals for the first time – Trials take place in Oban, West Coast of Scotland

Northern Lighthouse Board

Vessel navigates through the use of Galileo-type signals for the first time –
Trials take place in Oban, West Coast of Scotland