SouthPAN supports safer, more resilient pilotage at Port of Auckland

A new case study shows how SouthPAN is helping Port of Auckland strengthen positioning resilience in one of New Zealand’s busiest and most complex harbour environments.

Port of Auckland pilots manage around 2,500 pilotage acts each year, guiding vessels from 40 metre superyachts to 300 metre container ships and cruise liners. Its pilots work in a challenging harbour environment where wind and tide run across commercial berths, manoeuvring space can be limited, and vessels may need to berth with limited under-keel clearance.  

In these conditions, accurate and reliable Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) positioning information, supports safe, confident decision-making.

Port of Auckland uses high-accuracy real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS with LINZ PositioNZ-RT as its preferred correction source for their Portable Pilot Units (PPU). SouthPAN adds value by providing an independent, satellite-delivered correction source that can support sub-metre positioning if internet-delivered PositioNZ-RT data is unavailable or disrupted.

Michael Appleyard, Head of Location Information at Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), says the Port of Auckland shows the practical public value SouthPAN can provide.

“SouthPAN is about helping New Zealanders make better use of trusted location information where accuracy and resilience matter. The Port of Auckland case study is a strong example of that practical value. It shows how SouthPAN can complement existing high-accuracy systems and support more resilient positioning for critical operations.”

SouthPAN is a free public service delivered in partnership by the New Zealand and Australian Governments. It provides satellite-based augmentation system, or SBAS, correction services for New Zealand and Australia. LINZ is working with Geoscience Australia on the development, deployment and operation of the service.  

For Port of Auckland, SouthPAN’s value is not that it replaces its RTK solution. Rather, it strengthens resilience by adding another correction pathway in a critical environment.

The port uses SouthPAN as part of a blended positioning model across its Channel Pilot and AD Navigation XR2 PPU fleet. These units are used on every pilotage, providing vessel-independent positioning and electronic chart display for pilots during operations.

“Our primary focus is vessel safety, protecting people, the environment and port infrastructure. SouthPAN supports that by adding resilience to our positioning approach,” says John Barker, Senior Pilot, Port of Auckland.

The case study provides a practical model for other ports and maritime operators considering how to reduce reliance on a single correction source. SouthPAN’s value depends on compatible equipment, suitable configuration, vendor support, signal availability and operational testing.

A future area of interest is SouthPAN’s Precise Point Positioning Via SouthPAN, or PVS, service, subject to PPU vendor support and operational validation. This service will be freely available and aims to deliver decimetre level accuracy and precision for users as the SouthPAN system matures overtime.

For more information, read the Port of Auckland case study.