Satellites, SAR and security

摘要

The interaction of ship-to-shore communications, vessel-tracking capabilities and security needs has become the subject of much debate in recent years thanks to the introduction of long-range identification and tracking (LRIT). That system is now a fact of life, yet debates over vessel security and safety could be reignited by the emergence of satellite-based AIS. It is able to provide some of the global-tracking functionality offered by LRIT, but lacks LRIT's protected access - with obvious implications for safety and security.