Case Study: RealTrac GNSS Positioning System on a Mining Vessel

Task

In offshore crushed stone mining operations, the main challenges were:

• The vessel operates in areas without stable communication networks.

• The crew had no reliable tools to determine the exact location of the ship during extraction.

• There was no system to record which grid areas had already been mined and how much work was completed.

This created a risk of re-mining the same zones and reduced overall efficiency.

Solution

RealTrac implemented a GNSS-based positioning system with local data processing:

• A RealTrac transport tag with GNSS support was installed on the vessel.

• A local RealTrac server was deployed onboard to collect and process positioning data without relying on external communication networks.

• Through the RealTrac interface, the crew could see:

  • The current position of the vessel on the map;

  • Extraction coordinates linked to grid areas;

  • A history of movements and already mined zones.

Results

• The crew gained real-time control over mining operations, avoiding re-processing of mined areas.

• Productivity increased due to optimized routes and precise grid tracking.

• The system operates completely autonomously and is independent of external infrastructure.

Benefits for the Client

• Cost reduction by eliminating repeated work in the same areas.

• Transparent production tracking with stored data available for analysis.

• Full autonomy of the system onboard without external networks.