Great Lakes pilotage groups go live with Saab

Saab

(CORNWALL, Ontario) — The Canadian Great Lakes Pilotage Authority and the Great Lakes Pilotage Division of the United States Coast Guard have opened the 2017 shipping season using their upgraded Great Lakes Pilot Management System based on the latest version of Saab’s KleinPilot.

The new system went live on schedule with the season opening. It is being used by the two organizations and the U.S. Great Lakes pilotage associations to manage the rostering and dispatch of the more than 100 marine pilots on the Great Lakes and automatically generate billing in accordance with the applicable tariffs. 

The system is fully Web-based and includes a Web portal for agents to submit pilotage requests and monitor assignment status. All of the pilots are able to use the KleinMobile iOS app on their iPhone or iPad to receive assignments, record job information and submit time cards. Saab is hosting the shared system on behalf of the two organizations. 

“The Great Lakes Pilotge Authority (GLPA) had identified the importance to modernize its billing and dispatching system as to better meet its operational needs and its customer needs while optimizing its resources. The GLPA is very appreciative of the Saab team’s professionalism in the configuration and implementation support and we are very satisfied with the new solution. The future looks very promising," said Stephane Bissonnette, chief financial officer at GLPA. 

The Great Lakes Pilotage Authority is a Canadian federal crown corporation responsible for providing a safe and efficient pilotage service within the Great Lakes region for commercial vessels.  

The U.S. Coast Guard Great Lakes Pilotage Program is a specialized program that manages the processes and procedures for the United States registered pilots on the Great Lakes.    

Pilotage within the international waters of the Great Lakes is managed by the two organizations under a memorandum of arrangements between Canada and the United States.  

KleinPilot is a product of the Maritime Traffic Management product area of Saab. For more information, visit www.saab.com/maritime.

By Professional Mariner Staff