There comes a more general warning for navigators
There was a Winter treat for people as far South as the Midlands of England, southern Denmark and North Germany this January, with a rare exhibition of the Aurora Borealis or “Northern Lights” over several clear nights. This spectacle was a portent of what will probably become quite common over the next two years, with the solar activity which causes this amazing sight reaching one of its regular peaks.
While nobody who sees this natural phenomenon can be unmoved by its beauty, we should also be alert to the fact that this peak in solar activity could well cause interruption to all manner of satellite transmissions. Twelve years ago, which was the last time this electromagnetic disturbance was at such a high level, our dependence upon the Global Positioning System and all sorts of equipment that depends on satellite tracking and timing was far less than it is today.
The vital signals from satellites, which we now depend upon so completely, are exceedingly low powered and are thus highly prone to interruption from the electro-magnetic disturbances that accompany solar flares. So there is a warning to navigators in particular to be alert to GPS and all the associated navigational equipment possibly being affected, with very little warning. And not only navigators, bearing in mind the amount of electronic equipment that depends upon timing devices driven by the friendly satellites that is to found throughout the ship, and also ashore.
For some years there have been warnings about the lack of resilience in so much of the equipment the modern world depends upon. Such alerts have encouraged rather less dependence and more checking and cross checking against alternative navigational position finding equipment. The lighthouse authorities in particular have been at the forefront with their messages urging navigators not to give up on traditional methods of navigation and, above all, to be alert to the reality of risks of satellite signal interruption, both from natural sources such as solar activity, or the equally worrying phenomenon of accidental or criminally inspired jamming.
The International Association of Lighthouse Authorities, which has been heavily involved in the development of e-navigation and its practice, has tried to ensure that ships are provided with a degree of resilience to any such problems. IALA members like the UK General Lighthouse Authorities have championed the development of eLoran as a separate, independent complement to GPS, with high power, low frequency and ground based transmissions and thus unaffected by any GPS signal problems.
A number of tests around the world have shown the alarming consequences of GPS jamming, which can be achieved by small but powerful equipment which criminals can access over the internet. Using one of these small jammers, tests have demonstrated that equipment within a 30 km radius has been affected, and aboard ship the degree of chaos is extraordinary with all position-finding, radars, communications (including mobile phones) engine-room control and monitoring equipment completely unreliable. It is said that criminals who specialise in the theft of expensive cars have used such jammers to disable the GPS trackers fitted as standard on such vehicles, and caused navigational equipment to fail a long way out at sea.
The Dutch authorities have published a number of warnings. And with the sun entering one of its periods of maximum activity, there comes a more general warning for navigators – indeed all seafarers – to be on their guard against over-reliance on equipment that may not be quite as trustworthy as it appears.
Source: BIMCO
