[2] As of December 31, 2004, the International Maritime Organization established a regulation requiring automatic identification system (AIS) transponders to be installed onboard seagoing vessels.

STM seeks to create an organized traffic management entity called Sea Traffic Coordination Center(STCC) that will act as a central hub maintaining a record of all vessels at sea using the AIS and/or radar, enabling the distribution of vessel routes between ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore.

The STCC together with the AIS and/or radar allows: STM seeks to create safe, efficient and environmentally friendly sea voyages.

This means that sea voyages must be in synchronization with port operations such that ship arrivals can be accurately predicted and prepared for.

In STM the ambition is to enable this level of operation coordination by improving situational awareness through information sharing.