Panama Canal to start vessel tracking trial

Panama Canal to start vessel tracking trial    The Panama Canal Authority said it will begin tracking, on a trial basis, all ships that have identified their intention of transiting the Panama Canal, starting Aug. 18.
   Shipowners or operators who don't want their vessels tracked during the testing period should contact the canal authority via e-mail, mr@pancanal.com.
   Vessels will be tracked by polling onboard Inmarsat-C terminals through the firm Absolute Software Inc., based in Boston. According to present plans, tracking will begin on the day a ship is scheduled to sail from its last port toward the Panama Canal, or seven days before arrival, whichever is later. Tracking will stop when the vessel arrives at the canal.
   The canal authority said information from the tracking will remain confidential, and will only be used by the authority to update and validate a ship's estimated time of arrival. During the testing period, all communication costs generated by the tracking trial will be absorbed entirely by the Canal Authority.