Cargo
Security International Magazine,
December 2004
Are the world’s ports and harbors safer
today than they were pre 9/11? Are they more secure, and make
better use of technology to prevent terrorist acts? Or could
it be that the talk of the need for better security is just that;
talk.
I have met with many representatives of ports and facilities
each expressing grave concerns over a real lack of attention
paid to securing water-based facilities.
Every time I see a powerful speech on television about how homeland
security has improved, I am keenly aware of my own experiences
at security trade shows speaking with potential clients and with
industry insiders. There seems to be a lack of clear direction
or focus to secure commercial facilities, fuel offloading facilities,
power plants, dams and bridges. The current state of security
begs the question, is the current security effort just smoke
and mirrors designed to calm a panicking society?
There exists a serious threat and yet little real effort has
been taken to face it, there is much talk and planning, but are
there real standards in place? Is there productive interaction
between regulators and industry? Where are the funds to protect
against threats to water facilities? Facility operators are well
aware of the dangers they face, but lack the funds and tools
to counter the imminent threats to act.
Most facility operators don’t even know what the impact
of a boat strike could be on their facility, or what they should
do after an incident.
Facilities need assistance now. They need clear guidance on the
threats they face, not speeches about how the security situation
is improving. Many facilities with little or no budget, install
what they can, and they end up purchasing camera systems and
intrusion detection systems. They feel that they are better protected,
but have they really done all they could to ultimately protect
their facility from a boat filled with explosives?
Cameras and detection systems have a very viable place in the
overall security concept, but they do not physically prevent
a boat strike. Facility owners should not only have to settle
for mild security measures, they should know the threats they
face, and be able to deal with them effectively and with appropriate
measures.
A very scary, and realistic phrase that many physical security
providers hear: “we know we have a serious problem, we
need a physical barrier, but we don’t have the funds for
it.”
The reason so many ports, harbors, and military facilities are
at risk today is because these facilities lack adequate physical
barriers to prevent and deter intrusion. For example, the bombing
of the USS Cole in Yemen back in October 2000 by a small zodiac
craft, tragically illustrated the pressing need to provide protection
to military vessels and bases. Sadly, today many facilities have
not taken the simple and necessary steps to truly address the
vulnerabilities that continue to be present. When the US Navy
released its findings in the investigation of the Cole attack,
they concluded that the ship’s commanding officer “did
not have the specific intelligence, focused training, appropriate
equipment or on-scene security support to effectively prevent
or deter such a determined, preplanned assault on his ship."
So
what measures can be taken to prevent such attacks? Better use
of the technology currently available, and better preplanning
in the event such incidents should happen again. Elemental Innovation’s
(EI) answer to the potential threat against ports, bridges, power
plants and sensitive facilities is its suite of HALO™ Security
Wave Attenuators.
The HALO Security Small Boat Barrier (SBB) is an economical portable
barrier/line of demarcation that protects against incursion from
divers and boats up to 20 feet in length. The Medium
Boat Barrier (MBB) is capable of deterring 60-foot vessels while the Large
Boat Barrier (LBB) creates a solid security zone against vessels
up to 100 feet in length.
Each structure is comprised of a series of vertically oriented,
linear low density; non-toxic polyethylene panels that are secured
by vertically oriented rods and horizontally oriented rubber
and steel cabling to form rows. The rods allow the unit to recoil
under extreme wave conditions and then transfer the force to
the energy absorbing cables which dramatically reduces the stresses
upon the unit itself. Multiple anchor points secured with Honeywell
Spectra® composite rope and combined with helical anchors
keep HALO floating structures in place in any soil conditions.
To enhance the personnel safety & security that can be provided,
a HALO unit can be configured with a Security Gate system, which
submerges and rises remotely by utilizing buoyancy to allow boats
to enter harbors, naval yards, etc. This extra security measure
ensures that boats are not left vulnerable in the open water
while waiting for a workboat to tow open the secured area. The
Security gate is also outfitted with special Honeywell netting
which provides coverage all the way down to the sea floor to
prevent divers from slipping into secure zones undetected. This
netting collapses when the gate is lowered to allow safe passage
through the opening. Another benefit to this unique technology
is that it can be customized with a variety of sensors, nets,
signage, lights, flares and entanglement devices which enhances
its capability to prevent incursion.
Designed to facilitate Homeland Security initiatives within the
US and around the world, the HALO Security three dimensional
boat barriers can survive a much higher velocity than a rigid
barrier because the design creates a progressive impact to stop
a speeding vessel over a short period of time.
By transferring the kinetic energy from a moving boat, the HALO
Security barriers use a plowing action to stop a vessel. The
barrier, and not the boat, is allowed to deform quickly which
keeps reaction forces relatively low. When the boat strikes the
face of the barrier at high speed, the boat plows into the water
behind the row of the barrier. The resulting kinetic energy is
transferred to the water behind the row which plumes up and out.
The stopping forces on the barrier are very low due to the longer
stroke; when impacted it yields several feet and then recoils
back. Massive concrete walls, which are sometimes used to stop
incursion instantaneously, are not cost effective, environmentally
friendly or rapidly deployable. The HALO Security Wave Attenuators
provide superior protection when compared to conventional technologies,
and do so within environmental guidelines. HALO Security is not
a fixed/static structure so it can be easily moved if necessary
or desired.
Beyond the protection from incursion, the secondary benefit achieved
with the installation of HALO Security is derived from the wave
attenuation properties. It reduces wave heights by as much as
80% while removing 92% of the waves natural energy. This slows
the progress of the waves and dissipating their energy through
the multiple rows of the attenuator. As the waves pass through
the apertures, their velocity is increased and force the jets
of water to co-mingle between the rows and work against one another
to dissipate the energy through the rows. This provides calmer
waters behind the structure and it ensures a less choppy work
environment which increases the safety factor.
The potential market for HALO Security is vast because of its
versatile, modular and cost effective design. Because each client’s
needs are different, the design for the security barriers is
tailored to the specific site requirements so this custom product
can be used by any entity which is seeking a sentinel against
intrusion. Military groups, municipalities, private water based
facilities, oil drilling companies, federal agencies and governments
are only a few examples of groups who would benefit from the
HALO Security Wave Attenuator.
About Justin Bishop
Justin Bishop
|
Justin
Bishop, the inventor of HALO, serves as President and CEO
of Elemental Innovation, a New Jersey (USA) based engineering
firm dedicated to the design and implementation of environmentally
friendly products. His first generation wave attenuator,
the
WhisprWave® has been deployed successfully for 6 years
in many locations in the US including a security installation
at the Naval Amphibious Base in Norfolk, Virginia. Justin
has been designing products for the marine environment for
15 years
and prior to working on HALO, developed and patented numerous
products including ocean wave energy converters. EI has been
rewriting the rules for wave height reduction/protection
and is a trusted solution provider for beach erosion mitigation,
wave and wake reduction, and security zone protection.
Contact
Elemental Innovation, Inc.
Tel: +1.973.218.9880
Fax: +1.973.218.9881
Website: www.elementalinnovation.com
