Mindanao-Indonesia ro-ro service halted for weak volume
The roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) service for the Davao-General Santos (Mindanao)-Bitung (Indonesia) route has been on hold for a few weeks now due to lower volumes of cargo.
Asian Marine Transport Corp. (AMTC), which operates the service, is now considering a vessel with a capacity of only 100 containers to replace the ship with a capacity of 500 twenty-foot equivalent units in use since its maiden voyage on the loop, Indonesian consul General Berlian Napitupulu said, as reported in Business World.
AMTC's MV Super Shuttle RoRo 12 is currently docked at the Davao-Sasa port.
The new weekly service is an endeavor under both the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) RoRo Project and the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
The service linking Mindanao in the Philippines and Sulawesi in Indonesia was launched on April 30 by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Indonesian
LONDON (Reuters) – The risk of cyber attacks targeting ships' satellite navigation is pushing nations to delve back through history and develop backup systems with roots in World War Two radio technology.
Ships use GPS (Global Positioning System) and other similar devices that rely on sending and receiving satellite signals, which many experts say are vulnerable to jamming by hackers.
About 90 percent of world trade is transported by sea and the stakes are high in increasingly crowded shipping lanes. Unlike aircraft, ships lack a backup navigation system and if their GPS ceases to function, they risk running aground or colliding with other vessels.
South Korea is developing an alternative system using an earth-based navigation technology known as eLoran, while the United States is planning to follow suit. Britain and Russia have also explored adopting versions of the technology, which works on radio signals.
The drive follows a series of disruptions to shipping navigation systems in recent months and years. It was not clear if they involved deliberate attacks; navigation specialists say solar weather effects can also lead to satellite signal loss.
Last year, South Korea said hundreds of fishing vessels had returned early to port after their GPS signals were jammed by hackers from North Korea, which denied responsibility.
In June this year, a ship in the Black Sea reported to the US Coast Guard Navigation Center that its GPS system had been disrupted and that over 20 ships in the same area had been simi- President Joko Widodo.
Napitupulu said the Indonesian government is doubling efforts coordinating with the business sector of both countries to expand links and boost trade. The Indonesian Consulate in Davao City recently concluded a threeday expo featuring Indonesia products and networking events for Indonesian and Filipino businesses. The consulate is also planning to bring Filipino businessmen to Bitung this August to explore partnership opportunities.
Napitupulu said the potential for the service is present, "but you have to have somebody to consolidate the cargo both sides, in Indonesia and Mindanao.
"We really hope that both sides promote direct trade and I know there are connections and existing relationships between our business circles… many of our interests are compatible," he added.
The Philippines' Department of Trade and Industry earlier said the route will provide greater access for local businessmen, especially micro, small and medium enterprises larly affected.
US Coast Guard officials also said interference with ships' GPS disrupted operations at a port for several hours in 2014 and at another terminal in 2015. It did not name the ports.
A cyber attack that hit AP MollerMaersk's IT systems in June 2017 and made global headlines did not involve navigation but underscored the threat hackers pose to the technology dependent and inter-connected shipping industry. It disrupted port operations across the world.
The eLoran push is being led by governments who see it as a means of protecting their national security. Significant investments would be needed to build a network of transmitter stations to give signal coverage, or to upgrade existing ones dating back decades when radio navigation was standard.
US engineer Brad Parkinson, known as the "father of GPS" and its (MSMEs), to engage in international trade, as well as stimulate other areas of development such as joint tourism, promotion establishment of direct air linkages, and increase in investment flows. The products to be made from Mindanao include food, beverages, garments and electronics.
The Davao-General Santos-Bitung route is a faster alternative to the Manila-Jakarta-Bitung route, which takes about three to five weeks of shipping time. Direct shipping through the new service takes only one day and a half of sailing (excluding port stay).
The new loop is also cheaper, affording savings of up to US$1,500 (R74,000) per TEU, given its rate of $700 (R34,713) per 20-foot dry container unit, compared with $2,200 (R209,098) per TEU on the Davao-General Santos-Manila-Manado via Jakarta route.
The maiden voyage commenced from Kudos Port in Sasa, Davao City, then stopped off at General Santos International Port before heading to the final port of destination in Bitung, Manado, Indonesia. -- www.portcalls.com chief developer, is among those who have supported the deployment of eLoran as a back-up.
"ELoran is only two-dimensional, regional, and not as accurate, but it offers a powerful signal at an entirely different frequency," Parkinson told Reuters. "It is a deterrent to deliberate jamming or spoofing (giving wrong positions), since such hostile activities can be rendered ineffective," said Parkinson, a retired US airforce colonel.
Cyber specialists say the problem with GPS and other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) is their weak signals, which are transmitted from 12,500 miles above the Earth and can be disrupted with cheap jamming devices that are widely available.
Developers of eLoran - the descendant of the loran (long-range navigation) system created during World War II – say it is difficult to jam as the average signal is an estimated 1.3 million times stronger than a GPS signal.