Panama Canal: LoRaWAN® Deployment Helps Canal Operators Track Sulfur Dioxide Emissions by Each Ship

More than 13,000 vessels pass through the Panama Canal annually. In a continuing effort to keep this vital international waterway as pollution-free as possible and help shipping companies meet canal clean-air regulations, the Panama Canal Authority is leveraging LoRaWAN and the Internet of Things to measure exhaust emissions, such as sulfur dioxide, on each vessel traveling through the 80km-long canal. Eric Schummer, Senzary, and Carlos Briceno, Kerlink, discuss the recently deployed a customized LoRaWAN® network along the Panama Canal that will help the authority transition to Industry 4.0 and to determine whether ships comply with lower SO2 emission regulations. Those that comply will pay lower tariffs to use the canal, while those that exceed the limits will be fined.