Maritime Awareness in the News

2009

April

April 9

(SOMALIA) FBI HOSTAGE NEGOTIATORS HELPING NAVY WITH SHIP CAPTAIN'S RESCUE: U.S. DESTROYER AT SCENE OF SOMALI PIRATE ATTACK IN INDIAN OCEAN

By Stephanie McCrummen? and Karen DeYoung? , Washington Post

An American warship early Thursday reached the scene of a Somali pirate attack on a U.S.-operated container ship, according to U.S. officials, who said the pirates fled with the captain while the unarmed American crew regained control of its ship.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/09/AR2009040901304_pf.html

(US) COAST GUARD, TSA EXPEDITE TWIC ACTIVATION

By R.G. Edmonson, The Journal of Commerce Online

TSA said that it had opened activation centers in Long Beach, Houston, Baton Rouge, La., and Perth Amboy, N.J., to manage the surge of activation requests in those ports. TWIC compliance becomes mandatory at the ports of Los Angeles-Long Beach and Houston on April 14. They are the last ports in the U.S. to begin enforcement.

http://www.joc.com/node/410673

April 7

(US) "10+2" filings late 70% of time

Eric Kulisch, American Shipper,

U.S. importers and their agents are required to electronically file detailed data about cargo shipments 24 hours prior to vessel loading in a foreign port, but less than one-third of the documents submitted so far meet the deadline, according to the official in charge of the government security program.

http://www.americanshipper.com/NewWeb/standard-news-page.asp?sectalias=shippers-newswire&catalias=logistics&storyid=127932&storyalias=10+2-filings-late-70-of-time

April 3

(US) STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES CALL FOR NATIONAL INFORMATION SHARING NETWORK

By Jill Aitoro, NextGov? ,

The Homeland Security Department must do more to coordinate and fund a national data sharing network that allows states to communicate and exchange information collected on terrorist and crime activities, officials from state and local law enforcement and intelligence agencies told the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk Assessment on Wednesday.

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090401_3756.php

April 2

(US) Wennergren: Evolving tech is breaking down silos

By Doug Beizer, Federal Computer Week

Maritime Domain Awareness Data Sharing ... doesn't replace systems. We wanted to know what's on commercial vessels coming into our harbors, which is actually an information-sharing problem... So we had information and we formed a community of interest. We described the data and made it visible. And the next thing you know the system is there.

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/04/02/dave-wennergren-speaks.aspx

(US) CONGRESS' MOOD SHIFTS ON SCAN-ALL MANDATE

By Eric Kulisch, American Shipper

Consensus appears to be slowly building in Congress that the law requiring X-ray scans in oversees ports of all imported maritime containers by 2012 is neither practical nor effective, and should be modified.

http://www.americanshipper.com/cpc/CPC_story.asp?news=127545

(US) IG: MORE INTELL INTEGRATION NEEDED

By Ben Bain, Federal Computer Week

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence needs to further integrate the information technology systems of the country's intelligence agencies to overcome impediments to information sharing, according to ODNI's inspector general.

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/04/02/web-ig-intelligence-community-integration.aspx

April 1

(US) REPORT FAULTS U.S. SPY AGENCIES

By Mark Mazzetti, New York Times

WASHINGTON - A withering internal report made public on Wednesday criticized the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for bureaucratic bloat, financial mismanagement and a failure to end the turf battles among America's spy agencies that led to disastrous intelligence failures in recent years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/us/politics/02intel.html?_r=1&ref=us

March

(US) 10+2+FLEXIBILITY

By Eric Kulisch, American Shipper, March

The "10+2" ruling that went into effect Jan. 26 has importers scrambling to figure out the best way to comply with requirements for collecting and transmitting shipment data to the government 24 hours prior to vessel loading.

http://www.americanshipper.com/newweb/PDF/10_+_2_+_flexibility.pdf

March 31

(CHINA) UN OPENS TWO NEW INDIAN OCEAN SEARCH, RESCUE CENTERS

By Mu Xuequan, ChinaView?

UNITED NATIONS, March 30 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) has opened two new search and rescue sub-centers in Tanzania and the Seychelles to conduct life-saving missions off the east coast of Africa, UN officials said here on Monday. The inauguration last week of the two sub-centers, located on the Indian Ocean in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Victoria, the Seychelles, marked a key step in a plan to provide effective and comprehensive emergency coverage off the coast of Africa, the officials said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-03/31/content_11102982.htm

March 27

(US) NOAA HEAD JANE LUBCHENCO ON OCEAN POLICY

Talk of the Nation, National Public Radio

What is on the horizon for the U.S. role in ocean management? Jane Lubchenco, newly-confirmed administrator of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), discusses her top priorities for ocean policy - from forming a National Climate Service to ending over fishing.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102428947

March 22

(UK) FISH AND MICROCHIPS: ROBOT CARP SNIFFS OUT POLLUTION

The Sunday Times

No, it's not a Titan Terror Fish - the undersea enemy of Captain Troy Tempest in the vintage sci-fi puppet show, Stingray. This mechanical carp has a more benign purpose: to swim through coastal and inland waters and monitor pollution.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article5949977.ece

March 13

(SOMALIA) NAVIES COMBAT SOMALI PIRATES WITH CHOPPERS, INTERNET CHAT ROOM

By Gregory Viscusi, Bloomberg,

When nine Somali pirates attacked a German-operated cargo freighter in the Gulf of Aden last week, they were in for a high-tech surprise. An international force of three vessels and two helicopters responded, using sophisticated communications methods that included GPS navigation and even an Internet chat room. Less than three hours later, the buccaneers were in the brig.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=a8bdjpdrFY_4&refer=home

March 9

(US) FUSION CENTERS: GIVING COPS TOO MUCH INFORMATION?

By Hilary Hylton, Time

At the time, it seemed one of the unanimous lessons of the tragedy of Sept. 11 - law enforcement agencies at all levels of government have to do a better job of sharing information with each other in order to prevent terror plots. ... But now critics claim fusion centers are making it all too easy for government to collect and share data from numerous public databases.

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1883101,00.html

March 7

(PAKISTAN) PAKISTAN NAVY WARNS GULF STATES OF 'TERRORISTS USING CONTAINERS'

Palwatan Urdu

KARACHI -- Pakistan Navy (PN) has warned the peace-loving Arabian Sea and Gulf littorals of a "terror attack using containers", as the 3rd International Maritime Conference (IMC2009) began here at Bahria University on Friday. The three-day IMC2009, the broad theme of which focuses on "Traditional and Non-Traditional Threats, Force Postures and Extra Regional Interests: Implications for Arabian Sea and the Gulf Littorals", was organized by National Centre for Maritime Policy Research (NCMPR).

http://www.pakwatan.com/latest_news1.php?id=10184

March 6

(US) AGING SATELLITES THREATEN CLIMATE RESEARCH FUTURE

Jon Hamilton, National Public Radio

The U.S. satellites that monitor climate change are aging, and replacements are years away, thanks to more than a decade of budget cuts and squabbling about which federal agency should run the climate satellite program.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101336630

(US) UNLOCKING MYSTERY OF THE DEEP: LOOE KEY REEF GETTING A ROAD MAP

By Cammy Clark, Miami Herald

LOOE KEY -- Equipped with floating GPS units, side scan sonar and waterproof paper, college students dove 25 feet down into an underwater classroom with a pioneering assignment: create a three-dimensional, interactive map of a reef. When completed, the map will show both the contour and biological life on Looe Key reef, considered one of the most beautiful dive sites in the world.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida-keys/story/935322.html

March 5

(US) D.C. TECH CHIEF TAPPED FOR WHITE HOUSE SLOT

By Kim Hart, Washington Post,

President Obama today announced that Vivek Kundra, chief technology officer for the District, will be the federal chief information officer. ... Kundra, 34, is expected to oversee how government agencies purchase and use information technology and will be in charge of all federal technology spending. He also will be responsible for making sure agencies' networks and systems work together and share information while maintaining security and privacy standards.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/05/AR2009030501060.html

March 3

(US) CBP TESTING TRADE DATA PROGRAMS

By Alice Lipowicz, Federal Computer Week,

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency (CBP) is testing its collection and sharing of trade data in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) with pilot projects in four port locations through June.

http://fcw.com/articles/2009/03/03/cbp-to-begin-trade-data-demonstration.aspx

(FINLAND) INTERNATIONAL SEA SURVEILLANCE CO-OPERATION

Försvarsmakten

New possible threats and the highly increasing volume of maritime traffic in Baltic Sea and its approaches increases the risks for collisions, oil disasters and insecurity. The need for multinational interagency maritime co-operation is evident. The result of co-operation is a shared maritime situational awareness of the Baltic Sea and approaches that help us improve maritime security, for example regarding emergencies at sea, border control, crime prevention and environmental protection.

http://www.newsdesk.se/pressroom/forsvarsmakten/pressrelease/view/international-sea-surveillance-co-operation-276602

(PAKISTAN) THE EVOLVING MARITIME SECURITY ENVIRONMENT & PAKISTAN NAVY

Muhammad Azam Khan, The Daily Mail

The feverish globalization and worldwide surge in exchange of goods within free market economy has caused a powerful mutual dependence between nation states. But with the vast sea expanse now plagued by myriad of transnational threats and challenges, the maritime domain security remains a prime global concern today. Unlike the earlier traditional threats, the worrisome concerns presently stern from the challenges thrown by non-state actors, narco trade, piracy, regional conflicts, failing states, natural disasters as well as illegal migration, each with capacity to send destructive ripple effects transcending far beyond the frontiers of a state. These become more nerve-racking since large tracts in the maritime domain are in a virtual state of 'sea blindness'.

Part 1: http://dailymailnews.com/200903/03/dmcolumnpage.html

Part 2: http://dailymailnews.com/200903/04/dmcolumnpage.html

February

Feb 19

(INDIA) TERRORISTS MAY SMUGGLE IN NUKES VIA LAX PORTS: NAVY

By Rajat Pandit, The Times of India

It's a Code Red alarm from naval headquarters. Taking the anti-terror alert several notches higher, the Navy warned terrorists can exploit lax container security at ports to smuggle in `dirty' nuclear bombs or other WMDs.

(SINGAPORE) INFORMATION-SHARING KEY TO TACKLING GLOBAL SECURITY ISSUES

By Sherlyn Quek, CyberPioneer?

As the saying goes, to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Noting "information is the basis upon which considered decisions are made and effective action is taken", Minister for Defense Teo Chee Hean emphasized the importance of cooperation between armed forces and intelligence professionals in the sharing of information, knowledge and expertise. This was said during his keynote address on 18 Feb at the opening ceremony of the second Asia-Pacific Intelligence Chiefs Conference (APICC) at Sheraton Towers. The theme of the event, which ends on 20 Feb, is Sharing Expertise in Managing Transnational Security Issues.

Feb 18

(NIGERIA) NIGERIA MILITARY REPEL ATTACK ON EXXON MOBILE COMPOUND

Reuters

Nigerian security forces repelled an attack by gunmen in speedboats on an Exxon Mobile housing compound in the Niger Delta state of Akwa Ibom, security sources said on Wednesday.

(EQUATORIAL GUINEA) DELTA MILITANTS MAY BE BEHIND GUINEA ATTACK-NIGERIA

By Felix Onuah, Reuters

Gunmen in motor boats attacked Equatorial Guinea's presidential palace, Tuesday before being repelled by the armed forces. Equatorial Guinea's government said it believed the attackers had come from Nigeria's restive Niger Delta.

Feb 16

(SINGAPORE) CLOSE ASIAN COOPERATION KEEPS ATTACKS DOWN

By Jermyn Chow & Carolyn Quek, The Straits Times

As the ship is about to come under attack, the captain alerts the owners, who in turn put in a call to the nearest 24-hour piracy watch centre bordering the Strait of Malacca. At the other end of the line, information on the ship's position, course and a description of the attackers is recorded in a computer database shared by 14 Asian governments.

Feb 15

(SOMALIA) US USES UNMANNED DRONES TO HUNT SOMALI PIRATES

By Andrew Njuguna, AP

American warships off the lawless Somali coast are using unmanned drones to hunt pirates threatening one of the world's most important shipping lanes. ... The drones take still photos and videos which are instantly relayed to the American ships. The Americans can then send this material to other nations in the international anti-piracy coalition with ships near the suspicious vessel. Countries as diverse as India, France, China and Russia have sent ships to help patrol the Gulf of Aden.

Feb 12

(US) DISASTER OF 100 PERCENT MARITIME CARGO SCANNING NOT LOST ON NAPOLITANO

By Jena Baker McNeill? , The Heritage Foundation

Prior to her confirmation hearing, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano released answers to a pre-confirmation questionnaire where she pinpointed the problems with scanning 100 percent of cargo entering the U.S. Napolitano indicated she might use her authority to extend the deadline for implementation. But given the serious flaws in this mandate, the secretary should instead pressure Congress to find a workable alternative.

Feb 11

(US) PORT OPENS COMMAND, COMMUNICATIONS CENTER

By Harry Saltzgaver, Long Beach Gazettes

A $21 million security Command and Control Center officially opened Monday at the Port of Long Beach. The center, begun in 2007, houses the port's security division, including Harbor Patrol. But the more important role, officials said, is the inclusion of offices for the many local and federal law enforcement agencies and maritime organizations involved in security at the port. The center is the hub for communication and coordination among the agencies.

Feb 9

(EU) NORDIC COUNTRIES TO POOL TROOPS AND INTELLIGENCE

By Valentina Pop, EU Observer

The Nordic countries - Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland - could pool military forces, maritime monitoring and satellite surveillance, a report commissioned by the five foreign ministers says.

January

Jan 16

NORTHROP GRUMMAN RECEIVES NATIONWIDE AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM CONTRACT FROM US COAST GUARD

Northrop Grumman Corp, Marketwatch

Northrop Grumman was awarded a contract potentially valued at $68 million to design, integrate, install and test the U.S. Coast Guard's Nationwide Automatic Identification System (Nationwide AIS) core data exchange capability.

Jan 8

ORBCOMM ANNOUNCES FIRST GLOBAL AIS DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT

ORBCOMM Inc, Business Wire

Lloyd's Register - Fairplay (LRF) is first global distributor of ORBCOMM's global satellite AIS data set. LRF already provides a global network of terrestrial based AIS receivers to validate the position of the world's merchant fleet.

NEW TOOL ENABLES POWERFUL DATA ANALYSIS

Physorg.com

A powerful computing tool that allows scientists to extract features and patterns from enormously large and complex sets of raw data has been developed by scientists at University of California, Davis, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The tool - a set of problem-solving calculations known as an algorithm - is compact enough to run on computers with as little as two gigabytes of memory.

Jan 3

(India) MARITIME SECURITY PLAN AIMS TO HARMONISE VARIOUS AGENCIES

By Rajat Pandit, The Times of India

India's new maritime security architecture includes both a coastal command (CC) and a maritime security advisory board (MSAB) to establish "effective functional linkages and mechanisms" across the entire maritime domain.

2008

December

Monthly Publications

ONE ON ONE WITH... DIRECTOR CARL PEED

Community Policing Dispatch

The Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) reflects on the past seven years at COPS, including partnerships with ISE, DHS, FBI and OGMSA.

Dec 31

SHIPPERS ADOPT SATELLITE SYSTEM TO TAME PIRACY

By Allan Odhiambo, Business Daily (Africa)

In a bid to boost security on various sea-routes, shippers have put on trial a new satellite-based technology system that would help monitor the movement of vessels round-the-clock. LRIT will be operational from this week following the appointment of the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), as coordinator, by the UN-backed International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Dec 29

IMPLEMENTATION OF LRIT SYSTEM

Maritime Reporter and Engineering News: The U.S. Coast Guard announced that operation of the International Maritime Organization mandated Long Range Identification and Tracking System begins Dec. 31, 2008.

Dec 28

BLUE WATER BLUEPRINT READY TO SECURE NATION'S COASTLINE

By Amitav Ranjan, Indian Express

India is creating a Maritime Security Advisor position supported by a Maritime Security Advisory Board.

SECRET 'SUBMARINES'

By Mark Potter, NBC News

Traffickers may be building as many as 80 self-propelled semi submersibles a year in remote factories protected by Colombia's insurgent guerillas. Terrorist groups could fill one with explosives and slide in next to a cruise ship, a U.S. warship or enter an American port.

Dec 26

DHS REPORT SURVEYS FUSION CENTER PRIVACY CONCERNS

By Julian Sanchez, Ars Technica

A critique of DHS's newly-released Privacy Impact Assessment for DHS State, Local and Regional Fusion Center Initiative claiming the report doesn't go far enough in assessing the risk to privacy posed by fusion centers.

Dec 23

USCG AWARDS $12 MILLION AIS DATA EXCHANGE CONTRACT

Marinelog

The U.S. Coast Guard awarded a $12 million contract to Northrop Grumman Space & Mission Systems Corp. to deliver the core Nationwide Automatic Identification System data exchange capability.

Dec 22

IMO COMMITTEE DELIBERATES WAYS TO CURB SOMALIA PIRACY

By O'Young, Taiwan News

The Marine Safety Committee (MSC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) deliberated a broad agenda at its 85th session in London, including regional cooperation to enhance maritime security and combat piracy, and two resolutions furthering implementation of the Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) system.

DHS PRIVACY OFFICE: FUSION CENTERS ENDANGER PRIVACY

By Alice Lipowicz, Federal Computer Week

Ambiguous lines of authority and oversight, the participation of military and private companies, and excessive secrecy make fusions centers a risk to privacy according to a new DHS report.

-- ChadHolmes - 23 Jan 2009