and here some more...
As piracy and terrorist attacks have increased
over the years IMO has defined a set of
mandatory requirements in the SOLAS Resolution XI-2/6 to improve security
for ships.
The new SOLAS resolution 6 states that the Ship Security Alert System
shall provide ships with
two alarm buttons, which can be activated in case of a piracy or terrorist
attack.
The alarm is a covert signal, which will have no sound and no flashing
lights so that it is in
no way obvious to any intruders on board the ship.
The SOLAS Resolution XI-2/6 requires vessels
of +500 GT (Gross Tonnes) constructed
before 01 July 2004 to install a Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) and
no later than
the
first radio survey after 01 July 2004. Other Cargo ships of +500 GT
and mobile offshore
drilling units constructed before 01 July 2004 must be fitted no later
than the first
radio survey after 01 July 2006.
...and more news from
Inmarsat
Inmarsat
reconfirms commitment to supporting Ship Security Alert System (SSAS)
solutions
Inmarsat, the Total Communications Network, has reconfirmed its full
support
for the range of Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) solutions that use
its global network.
The company is working closely with a number of manufacturers and partners
to roll out
SSAS capabilities across all its relevant services: Inmarsat C, Inmarsat
mini-C and Inmarsat D+.
Representatives from Inmarsat will attend the COMSAR 8 meeting of the
International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on 16-20 February 2004 to
provide assistance in resolving the few remaining issues surrounding
SSAS.
This will help to ensure that seafarers have the widest possible choice
of Inmarsat-based solutions.
"There is no question that Inmarsat will play a key role in providing
SSAS solutions to the
maritime industry, just as we have with the Global Maritime Distress
and Safety System (GMDSS),"
said Brian Mullan, Head of Safety Services at Inmarsat. "We were
established to help ensure
the safety of lives at sea, and we see this as an important extension
of that public duty".
"We want users to have a choice in which Inmarsat system they deploy.
So whether it is the messaging capability of Inmarsat C, Inmarsat mini-C
or Inmarsat D+; or whether it is the CN 137 changes
to Inmarsat C and Inmarsat mini-C; users can be safe in the knowledge
that it runs across an
Inmarsat network that already provides better than 99.9% availability
for GMDSS".
source:
http://www.inmarsat.com/news_story.cfm?id=342
