Technological advances are both the bane and the antidote for yacht owners trying to shore up their private security. Data and privacy breaches are among the most common problems faced as the yachting and boating industry’s oldest enemy, the pirate, has also taken heed of the technological advancements, leading yacht owners to increasingly add security to their wish lists.
Privacy, Piracy and Prevention
Your privacy is everything when enjoying a yachting excursion. The media can be relentless in their efforts to peer into the private lives of even the business world.
Modern approaches to this infringement include the use of drones to locate and on occasion intrude on yacht owners and guests.
The solution, anti-drone protection. Detecting the use location of drones and their pilots for up to 20 kilometres, these systems can facilitate an electronic exclusion zone of up to a radius of 500 metres, in which signals are blocked. Some systems, such as the Sparrowhawk can be automated, detecting commercial drones, capturing and recovering them intact.
Modern Piracy & Prevention
Disregard the eyepatch and wooden leg of fiction; the modern-day pirate comes in much more sinister forms. Modern piracy has made use of advanced technology and requires technological solutions.
The more technology added to a yacht, the greater the risk of hacking. Connectivity is a two-way shipping channel, and where weaknesses are found, you will also find criminals looking to exploit them.
Hacking into a yacht’s computer system can go as far as the ability to control the vessel, if not, render it dead in the water. Anti-hacking measures are therefore essential to any advanced computer system. Much like your home computer or laptop, where anti-virus software prevents, alerts and deters hackers, yachting security systems require software, as well as hardware.
Hardware could consist of anything from security sensors, Underwater Sonar Detection, cloaking systems which disperse smoke in an emergency, safe rooms and escape pods and even remote surveillance such as robots or drones. LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device), an anti-piracy, non-lethal device can beam high-pitched sounds towards pirates, causing significant, although temporary pain to the attackers.
Ed Hill, Managing Director of security specialists, Intrepid Risk Management, said of the matter: “We can now install a complete security system that gives the owner the ability to monitor and control the security of the yacht in real time from a laptop, tablet or smartphone. Similarly, once on board the yacht, the owner can monitor his/her other assets such as property, staff/employees, family members, jets and cars. This is all executed flawlessly via 3G, 4G, GSM or satellite link, which simply wouldn’t have been possible 20 years ago.”
Navigation & Security
Safe passage is a vital element of yacht security. Advancements in navigation, tracking and global positioning have meant radical changes in the way we move around the world’s waters.
With Starlink providing round-the-globe internet access, connectivity is possible even in the farthest corners of the planet. Through a combination of GPS satellites, satellite internet connectivity and a modern navigation system, you can sail around and away from disruptive weather, access systems and IT support as well as ensuring your cybersecurity is up-to-date and working around the clock.
At Dubai International Boat Show you will find all the latest in technological innovations for security, safety and solving many, many other conundrums and dilemmas found with life on the sea. Hosted by myriad of exhibitors and industry speakers, our goal is to bring the world’s yachting community together, to share experiences and knowledge, for the benefit of all.
To find out more and book your place at the show, click here.
