WatchStander: Η piracy it was once considered an anachronistic phenomenon, but it's been a few years since it came back into the news, largely due to pirate activity in Somali waters – and off the African coast in general.
Καθώς το συγκεκριμένο ζήτημα φαίνεται να έχει καθιερωθεί πλέον ως δεδομένα το οποίο πρέπει να λαμβάνεται υπόψιν από τις ναυτιλιακές εταιρείες, έρευνες είναι σε εξέλιξη με σκοπό την προστασία των πλοίων από τις επιθέσεις σύγχρονων πειρατών, που χρησιμοποιούν μικρά ταχύπλοα σκάφη για να προσεγγίζουν τους στόχους τους. Σε αυτό το πλαίσιο εντάσσεται και το σύστημα WatchStander, το οποίο uses ραντάρ τοποθετημένα και στις two sides of the ship to spot small objects that appear to be moving to intercept.
As reported in a related New Scientist article, the system automatically activates an alarm and activates countermeasures if a threat is detected. WatchStander aims to solve the most basic problem of modern piracy: the early detection of pirates, whose vessels are difficult to detect by conventional systems (which are designed to locate large objects and filter waves).
If the system "sees" a vessel moving to intercept, it automatically targets the threat with a countermeasure, such as a very powerful strobe light, designed to confuse intruders.
In a test earlier this year, the WatchStander was placed on a liquefied natural gas carrier transiting the Strait of Hormuz, south of Iran. The system detected a flotilla of Iranian fishing boats long before anyone else did. “There were 12 Iranian small boats that passed in front of us. You couldn't see them at first. We were getting ready to test the system when the alarm suddenly went off. The crew told us they were smugglers, you see them all the time in the Straits," said David Rigsby, founder of companys.
naftemporiki.gr
