Electronic Communications News

March Coast Guard deadline represents milestone for AIS use in U.S. From increasing situational awareness and enhancing the safety and security of maritime transportation, to its use in accident investigation, search and rescue, Aids to Navigation and asset monitoring, the role of AIS (Automatic Identification System) as a flexible and developing technology continues to grow in significance. The month of March 2016 – has come and gone – and represents an important milestone which will increase the prevalence and general awareness of AIS.

Russian submarines and spy ships are aggressively operating near the vital undersea cables that carry almost all global internet communications, raising concerns in America, reports Reuters. The US intelligence officials feel that the Russians might be planning to attack those lines in times of tension or conflict, says the report. From the North Sea to Northeast Asia and even in waters closer to U.S. shores, there is increased Russian activity along the known routes of cables that carry the lifeblood of global electronic communications and commerce. The New York Times reported that US spies had noticed Russian submarines and spy ships acting suspiciously near cables in the North Sea, north-east Asia and off the American coast.

Congressman John Garamendi (D-Fairfield, CA), the Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, introduced the bipartisan National Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Resilience and Security Act of 2015, H.R. 1678. H.R. 1678 would require the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Commandant of the Coast Guard and the Secretary of Transportation, to establish and sustain a reliable, land…

Royal Navy Type 23 frigate 'HMS Somerset' returns to sea for the first time in 9 months following an extensive modernization. The Type 23 frigate has a new lease of life as one of the most advanced fighting ships in the fleet due following docking and upgrade in her home port, Devonport Naval Base,  in partnership with Babcock Marine. The warship’s fighting capability is now among the most advanced in the world, while the living arrangements and main machinery have been improved and overhauled.

Client Solution Architects LLC (CSA) wins contract to provide electronic & communications services to the US Navy & other government agencies. The contract is to provide electronic and communication services and solutions in support of mission capabilities for the US Navy, US Marine Corps, US Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, US Army, and other entities, activities and agencies as assigned or designated by the SPAWAR Systems Center (SSC) Atlantic. The scope of this contract covers the entire spectrum of non-inherently governmental services and solutions (equipment and services) associated with the full system lifecycle support including research…

Client Solution Architects LLC (CSA) announce the award of an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract, to provide electronic and communication services and solutions in support of mission capabilities for the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, Army, and other entities, activities and agencies as assigned or designated by the SPAWAR Systems Center (SSC) Atlantic. The scope of the overall PILLARS initiative covers the entire spectrum of non-inherently governmental services and solutions (equipment and services) associated with the full system lifecycle support including research, development, test, evaluation, production and fielding of systems.

Reality Mobile® announce that they have been awarded a subcontract with Oceus Networks to provide enterprise-class real-time mobile video collaboration solutions to the U.S. Navy. The company's flagship product, RealityVision®, was selected as part of a pilot for a new Navy portable maritime Command and Control (C2) system, making this the first operational deployment of 4G LTE for the U.S. Department of Defense. RealityVision allows for the sharing of live video, mission critical data and GPS tracking through commercially available hardware, smart phones, tablets, PCs, cameras,  and virtually any system (including cellular, tactical, Wi-Fi and satellite networks) currently being used for mobile communication, anywhere in the world.

Twenty seven ports were recognized today for exemplary projects and initiatives at the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) annual Awards Luncheon, held in conjunction with AAPA’s 2003 annual convention in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. Winners were announced in the association’s national Communications, Information Technology, Environmental Improvement and Facilities Engineering Competitions. Engraved plaques were bestowed at the ceremony upon the Port of Tacoma and the Port of Portland, winners in of this year’s Information Technology Awards; The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Port of Portland, the Virginia Port Authority and the Port of Tacoma, winners of the Environmental Improvement Awards; the Port of Vancouver, U.S.A.

The Liberian Registry has shown steady growth during 2001. registry recorded a net gain of 1.2 million gt. improves security. service offered to registry clients and underpin further growth. particularly in relation to corporate structures. new services in relation to ship registration and mortgage recording. reproduced electronically. locations. the location at which the index is physically kept, New York. world. the Electronic Transactions Law. reproductions and the security of signatures. electronic signatures. respect of a vessel which bareboat registers out of Liberia. index or in documents registered in respect of the mortgage may be made. given the status of a preferred mortgage. preferred mortgage is still in effect. construction. corporate structures. this in mind.

The SMM exhibition in Hamburg has once again proven that it is the cradle of marine technology and the grand-daddy of all marine exhibitions. On display in 12 separate halls were more than 1,300 exhibitors from more than 50 countries, launching new products and discussing business with an estimated 37,000 visitors. More telling that sheer numbers, in this case, is the feeling of the exhibition and the ubiquitous marine technology theme. The quality of attendee and exhibitor is always high, but this edition of the bi-annual exhibition seemed especially charged due to the many positives currently running throughout the full spectrum of the maritime market.

Ship agents are increasingly faced with attempts to obtain delivery of cargo using forged emails, according to the International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC). Writing in the latest edition of its annual publication, The Intermediary, ITIC indicated that fraud in shipping is endemic, cargoes are valuable, and it has never been easier to forge documents, electronic communications, bills of lading, and other documents. Carriers and their agents must be vigilant and take necessary steps to avoid becoming unnecessarily involved in costly claims for damages. ITIC notes that misrelease of valuable cargo is a major factor in claims by principals against their agents, and explains that carelessness in dealing with telex releases has contributed to these losses.

U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. on Wednesday said it expected to report sales of $18 billion by 2003, driven by growth in the defense electronics and information systems business. The company also expects "double digit" growth in earnings before pension income, or economic earnings, according to chairman and CEO Kent Kresa. Northrop, which recently closed its acquisition of shipbuilder Litton Industries, said defense electronics operations would account for 35 percent of sales by 2003. Ship systems operations should account for about 17 percent. Northrop's revenues were hurt last year by the wind down of the B2 bomber program but Kresa said he thought the operation had stabilized.

Electronic communication is not totally secure despite a seemingly bug-free transition into 2000, warns The International Transport Intermediaries Club (ITIC). E-mail systems may help in reducing communication costs but they can still lead to substantial losses at the touch of a button. The latest issue of ITIC's Claims Review reports the case of a charterer who had invited tenders for a long-term charter. A shipbroker sent his principal's bid via an industry message system to the charterers' mailbox in the U.S. using an address code for the charterer. Unfortunately, the American system interpreted the code as a mailing list and the bid was circulated to a number of other owners. The principal did not secure the bid, claiming it was undercut as a result of its inadvertent publication.

According to Greek legend, Zeus had the messenger god Mercury leave a mysterious box with Pandora. Mercury told Pandora to hold the box for safe-keeping, but under no circumstances was she to open it. Not long after Mercury departed, curiosity got the better of Pandora and she opened the box to examine its contents. Unfortunately, the box contained all the ills and misfortunes of the world. They promptly escaped and have been loose in the world since that time. The word 'panacea' is derived from the Greek terms "pan" (meaning all) and "akos" (meaning remedy). The question is which term applies to AIS? What is AIS? AIS is an electronic transceiver unit intended to be integrated with a ship's radar, gyrocompass, global positioning system (GPS), and other operational and navigational systems.