Oakland Installs Maritime Visibility Sensor to Enhance Navigational Safety

The Port of Oakland, in collaboration with local and federal agencies, recently hosted the placement of a maritime visibility sensor at the Ben E. Nutter Terminal (Berth 38), which is operated by Seaside Transportation Services, LLC and home to Evergreen Marine Corporation. The sensor is a continuously operating visibility data collection platform that helps mariners to make informed decisions in foggy or low-visibility situations, thus making the bay safer for marine traffic.

The visibility sensor is part of the Physical Oceanographic Real-Time System (PORTS®) administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service. PORTS® provides real-time water level, currents and meteorological data for navigation aid in twenty major ports and harbors across the country.

The integration of this sensor technology will PORTS® will improve navigation safety and facilitate decision-making for the U.S. Coast Guard, San Francisco Bar Pilots, tugboat operators, ferry operators and the sailing public on San Francisco Bay, especially during the winter and summer months when fog is more prevalent. 

The San Francisco Harbor Safety Committee has adopted "Temporary Safety Guidelines for Navigation in Reduced Visibility," which includes the Oakland Bar Channel Critical Maneuvering Area (CMA), less than 750 yards from the new sensor location. 

The visibility sensor uses forward-scattering technology to measure the amount of scattering of an infrared beam in a small volume of air between a transmitter and receiver, resulting in an extrapolated visibility at a set distance out to 5.4 nautical miles. This is accomplished by the transmitter making continuous infrared light pulses. The instrument only captures the visibility at that single height and location. Small-scale differences in the air mass, such as patchy fog or low-lying fog, are not captured.

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