Oriental
Glory, a 3,000dwt oil tanker was en-route to Tanjung Manis in the
South China Sea when its course was averted by a group of 30 pirates
in six small crafts who then proceeded to board the vessel, rob
the crew of their personal effects and siphon 2,500 tons of bunker
fuel. This marks the seventh incident this year of fuel siphoning
in Asia, a serious concern for authorities as this is a highly involved
process that if performed by untrained individuals using the wrong
equipment, can result in environmental disasters, fire or even an
explosion. While all crewmembers onboard were unharmed, the increased
incidents in this very busy and important shipping route has reinforced
that while piracy has been contained in some areas, it is still
very much alive in others.
Every year ports and merchant ships are preferred targets for pirates
because of their economic importance and vulnerability both at sea
and docked due to the difficulty in securing vast, open waters and
coastlines. While some strides have been made in legislation for
the protection of ports and waterways, unfortunately, they remain
largely exposed to these dangerous threats. Traditional security
measures like radars are not effective in combatting against piracy
as they are unable to detect the smaller, wooden boats that are
commonly used. A solution that is rugged and able to stand up in
the corrosive and unforgiving environment of the sea that can detect
RHIBs, swimmers, and wooden boats would be the most viable tool
for anti-piracy counter-measures.
HGH Infrared Systems’ Spynel panoramic infrared thermal imaging
system is uniquely apt for both port surveillance and self-protection
of ships against anti-piracy. The Spynel sensors are the only thermal
cameras on the market that can provide a wide 360° field of
view with very high resolution and up to 15 km detection range for
RHIBs. The proprietary built-in software, Cyclope, automatically
performs detection and tracking of an unlimited number of threats
while advanced algorithms with built-in sea-specific image processing
allows for a low false alarm rate and effective differentiation
between distant small boats, waves, and maritime wildlife. With
an autonomous gyro-stabilized platform, the Spynel cameras can successfully
and reliably operate at sea state level 5/6-rough to very rough
seas.
The Spynel systems have been deployed since 2007 and have provided
persistent, superior maritime surveillance for a critical shipping
port in the Gulf of Guinea, West Africa as well as on French Navy
frigates deployed in the Gulf of Aden. With a simple to use interface,
Spynel can also be integrated with AIS and radar systems in place.
As a stand-alone, low maintenance and cost-effective option or as
an added layer of protection to established security equipment,
the Spynel systems are an ideal strategic solution to ensure heightened
security in the maritime environment, protecting assets and people.
