1Spatial, provider of intelligent data quality and integration solutions, has delivered to Pole Star Space Applications Limited (UK) a real-time alert service extension to Pole Star’s counter-piracy ‘Ship Security and Reporting System’ (www.ssrs.org), originally developed by 1Spatial for Pole Star in 2009 and operational since the beginning of 2010. The current form of the ‘Ship Security Alert System’ (SSAS) regulation (SOLAS XI-1/6) requires ship security alerts to be routed only to the shipping company and the Flag.
However, one or both of these organisations may not have an effective 24/7 monitoring operation in place or have only manual escalation procedures to communicate the piracy attack to the relevant naval coordination centre (e.g. MSCHOA / UKMTO). As a result, a critical delay may be introduced before the relevant naval forces operating in the area are informed of a piracy attack (e.g. EUNAVFOR). Pole Star’s SSRS continuously and automatically monitors security alerts transmitted by subscribed ships. This uses the SSAS and compares the location with pre-defined Areas of Operations (e.g. Gulf of Aden / Horn of Africa). The system then routes the associated SSRS alert, enhanced over the original SSAS alert with other relevant details such as freeboard, speed and communication terminal details, to the relevant naval coordination centre in a digital format the related agencies involved can use. The system thus provides Naval forces with immediate location-information knowledge of a piracy attack and other relevant ship specific information.
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