The Monalisa project, led by the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA), has attracted considerable international interest and the world’s largest cruise company, Carnival Corporation & plc, is now joining an extension of the project, SMA said in a statement.
The Swedish Maritime Administration will, in collaboration with Carnival Corporation & plc, extend the current test area from the Baltic Sea to include the Mediterranean Sea. A number of Europe based ships from various Carnival Corporation & plc brands are expected to participate in the initial pilot phase of Monalisa 2.0.
The Monalisa project aims at improving quality of maritime transport, safety at sea and exchange of maritime data. This is done through development, demonstration and dissemination of e-navigational services. Monalisa 2.0 is a direct result of the positive response that the Swedish Maritime Administration has received concerning the development of a new concept of dynamic and proactive route planning.
The European Commission has highlighted the importance of developing strong measures to create safer navigation routes and avoid future disasters by enhancing traffic control in congested waterways.
The Swedish Maritime Administration has now initiated an extension of the ongoing Monalisa project, called Monalisa 2.0, through a renewed application to the European Commission's TEN-T program. The project is a computerized tracking system that offers a continuous at-a-glance view of ship traffic in specific regions. It is designed to provide cruise and cargo operators with information that enables them to operate their business in the safest and most efficient manner possible.
“ Due to Sweden's geographical position we are dependent on a strong and efficient infrastructure to a greater extent than other countries. The Swedish Maritime Administration is very proud to lead a project aimed at making a concrete contribution to creating efficient maritime routes, enhancing maritime safety and to reducing the environmental impact. The project has attracted a considerable international interest, which also confirms that we are on the right track,” says Jonas Vedsmand, Marketing Director at the Swedish Maritime Administration.
“Carnival Corporation & plc is pleased to have been invited to participate in the second phase of what we see as a very interesting and impactful project. We look forward to working with the other partners in order to develop a comprehensive coherent European sea traffic control capability that will deliver benefits in a number of areas,” says Andrew Paul, Manager, EU Projects, at Carnival Corporation & plc.
