Questão de Língua Inglesa

From Security to Efficiency: Modern Vessel Tracking

More so than many other fields of business, the
maritime industry is focused on cost, which in turn
gives the appearance of being conservative towards
technology. Certainly, we have technical ships
5 magnificently operating with equipment that wouldn’t
look out of place in a NASA lab, but generally, it can
take decades for a technology to become mainstream.
Unless it becomes mandated by the IMO (International
Maritime Organization). Vessel tracking is a partial
10 exception to the rule though, with many fleet owners
realizing its potential for more cost-effective operation
and personnel security.
Knowing the exact position of all vessels in a
fleet, in a software solution designed to fit with your
15 own logistical processes, can significantly improve
efficiency. If a ship arrives early or late, more often
than not there will be an associated cost. If this can
be identified during transit then the early or late arrival
can be negated or at least planned for. Likewise, if
20 by knowing the positions of your fleet of workboats
means that you can route the closest vessel to the
next job, then significant fuel cost savings can be
made. With modern tracking systems, the way data is
used is just as important as knowing where a vessel
25 is at all times. But there are countless ways to apply
the data to the benefit of efficiency for a single ship
or fleet. So providing easy and reliable access to
position reports is essential.

A new tracking unit

30 ___ RockFLEET is an advanced new tracking unit
for the professional maritime environment. During
its design phase, the team decided that in order for
the position data it provides to be of the most use,
as well as being available via Rock Seven’s own
35 fleet viewer ‘The Core,’ it must also be available in
any software system the user chooses. Using a
standards-based API (Application Programming
Interface), the customer can integrate tracking data
from RockFLEET into their own applications. Typically
40 this means that RockFLEET tracked assets can be
added to existing fleet management software, which
invariably is designed around an owner or operators
own logistics.
With precise vessel location data available,
45 the opportunities are unlimited and only down to the
creativity of the user. For instance, a current Rock
Seven customer uses location data to manage payroll
of personnel. Essentially, personnel get paid different
amounts depending on whether the ship is at sea, in
50 international waters, in port or transiting regions with
high piracy incidents.

RockFLEET, a unique device

The above user is a private security company
involved in anti-piracy operations. It actually gets
55 location data using RockSTAR, the handheld version
of RockFLEET, which is a new fixed unit that can be
fitted anywhere on board. Completely waterproof and
with no moving parts, it is a robust, ultra-compact
(13cm diameter/4cm high) device with multiple
60 mounting options. The physical design of RockFLEET
was in part driven by the security challenges faced by
vessels facing the issues of modern piracy.
The unit itself is designed to look anonymous;
as standard there’s no name on the outside. It works
65 from ship’s power, but it uniquely has a backup battery
inside. Which is important should a vessel be hijacked
and the main power cut.
Knowing the location of all friendly vessels in a
region is vital to organisations with a stake in ensuring
70 safe passage through known piracy hotspots. With an
operational vessel/fleet tracking system, ship owners
and fleet managers will know where their ships are at
all times. This information can be fed to authorities,
private anti-piracy companies and the naval forces
75 patrolling piracy hotspots to build a clear, near
real-time picture for domain awareness. The value of
this information should a vessel be hijacked is obvious:
knowing the last whereabouts of a vessel provides
responders with a starting point should a hijacked
80 vessel’s tracking system be disabled by pirates.
Today’s pirates know that many commercial
vessels are tracked, especially those would be targets
sailing in what are known to be hostile waters. So
disabling vessel tracking equipment on board is a
85 sensible action for said pirates after a hijacked ship’s
crew have been subdued and because most tracking
units are powered by the vessel, finding and cutting
the power supply isn’t hard. RockFLEET, however,
is the only device of its kind with an internal battery
90 backup, so it can continue to transmit position for up
to two weeks if external power is cut.
With facility to mount covertly, this makes it
especially suitable for vessels traversing piracy
hotspots.

Available at: .
Retrieved on: Jan, 7 th , 2015. Adapted.