Tag: GPS

As mentioned in the previous article of our Bridge Procedure series, since ECDIS is a complex system, it is critical to clarify what should be done in cases of an emergency situations. Intermittent signal and GNSS failure while using the ECDIS is one of them.

Multiple cases of significant GPS interference have been reported by vessels and aircraft operating in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea since 18 March 2018. These reports have been concentrated in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt and the Suez Canal, and south of the Republic of Cyprus, the USCG informed.

The US Navigation Center posted informed that the Global Positioning Systems Directorate will propose a change to the Navstar GPS Control Segment to User Support Community Interfaces, Interface Control Documents that will remove Section One from the GPS Operational Advisory.

Although these incidents have not been confirmed, their nature is reported to be GPS interference. Namely, five vessels and one aircraft operating between Cyprus and Port Said, Egypt have reported GPS disruptions/interference over extended periods, resulting in either inaccurate positions or no position.

The US Office of Navigation Systems informed that the US Coast Guard will stop broadcasts from its remaining 38 Differential GPS sites over the next three years, completing system reductions that began in 2016. The reduction of the remaining Coast Guard DGPS broadcast sites will begin in 2018, and will end with the last broadcast of GPS corrections over medium frequency in 2020.

The USCG informed that the US Air Force released a memorandum to inform the GPS community of an update to the GPS ground control software that may impact some user equipment. The software update will be installed again, until March 1, 2018, in order to give time for manufacturers to bring GPS receivers into compliance with the Interface Specification.

IOActive, Inc. released a new advisory documenting critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities affecting Stratos Global's AmosConnect communication shipboard platform, which is used by thousands of ships globally. Responding to this claim, Inmarsat, mother company of Stratos Global, confirmed that AC8 is no longer in service,  noting that its central server no longer accepts connections from AmosConnect 8 email clients, therefore the software is not applicable.

Ship groundings and collisions still occur with depressing regularity, and are often attributed to errors in navigation. In the UK P&I Club's latest LookOut, Risk Assessor David Nichol, highlights some of the contributory factors and suggests steps to ensure navigational safety.

As explained, there have been a significant number of collisions where subsequent investigations have found that at some stage before impact, one or both parties were using VHF radio in an attempt to avoid collision. The use of VHF radio in these circumstances is not always helpful and may even prove to be dangerous.

As October is national cyber security awareness month, the US Coast Guard informed that, in partnership with industry associations, class societies, and other Flag States, worked through IMO to develop Guidelines on Maritime Cyber Risk Management, and a subsequent Resolution Maritime Cyber Risk Management in SMS.