dynamic positioning
Institute of Navigation and GNSS Research Applications Centre of Excellence (GRACE). Discussing GNSS dependency and radio threats,
frequency Claudio Palestini, a
technical support officer at the European GNSS Agency (GSA), drew attention to alleged intentional interference with GNSS including a highly controversial case in December 2011 when a US drone was hacked by Iran. Iranian engineers claim to have spoofed the drone’s GPS.
“GNSS vulnerabilities are becoming a general concern,” said Mr Palestini, “and it is important to understand what the threat level is nowadays and what we have to expect in the future.” He also noted that the GSA has started collecting and analysing available information on unexpected radio frequency (RF) interference and jamming events, in order to highlight trends and show how RF threats to GNSS are evolving.
Since 2008, the use of GNSS jammers has
been regularly mentioned by police forces and in newspapers, mostly due to the use of so-called personal privacy devices (PPDs) –
low-cost, low-power jammers used to block tracking devices and protect privacy. In the aeronautical domain, the most relevant event was the Newark airport case of 2010, when a GPS-based landing system was disturbed by PPDs used by drivers on nearby roads. In the maritime domain, a survey conducted by the Institut Français de Navigation in 2010 showed that although most problems with GPS remained due to operational conditions, a growing number were due to jamming interference. Ever-wider use of mobile phone technology also poses a potential threat to GNSS. The LightSquared saga in the US seems, for the time being, to have been dealt with, but there are likely to be other threats from the mobile spectrum in the future, particularly given that the US administration has pledged to provide “better broadband for all”. In the case of LightSquared, the Federal Communications Commission conditionally licensed the spectrum just below GPS L1 frequency to the company for use with a new form of mobile phone coverage in the US. The
ABS contract for C-MAR
C-MAR’s Asian office in Singapore has reached agreement with classification society ABS to train up to 108 personnel. Delegates from ABS will attend a bespoke ‘DP appreciation course’ that will enhance their understanding of what dynamic positioning is.
On completing the course, the trainees should be able to understand the principles of a DP system and basic operations on DP equipment; relate to DP control systems and various sub-systems; have an insight into IMO guidelines regarding operation of DP vessels, and how these apply to class rules developed by ABS; and understand procedures involved in carrying out a DP failure mode effects analysis, annual trials and DP audits. The initial agreement for DP appreciation training is expected to lead to further instruction of another batch of delegates from ABS in the second half of 2012.
C-MAR also recently announced that C-MAR do Brazil Ltda has signed a contract with Odebrecht Oil and Gas to supply subsea engineers on the rig Norbe VIII, which is
operating in Brazilian waters, and another unit, Odebrecht Tay, which recently relocated to Brazil.
C-MAR was previously contracted by Converteam to train Odebrecht’s DP teams in Korea, and will continue to train their personnel at its DP training facility in Rio. The Odebrecht units can drill in water depths of up to 3,000m and form a key part of the company’s extensive operations in Brazil.
Another contract has commenced with Ocean Rig, under which C-MAR has supplied subsea engineers and assistant subsea engineers to one of their rigs offshore Brazil. Ocean Rig owns and operates two drilling rigs and four drillships. All are DP3 and designed for ultra-deepwaters and harsh environments. C-MAR’s DP training in Rio, which is equipped with GE Power Conversion (Converteam) DP3 training equipment, was developed specifically to help operators cope with the demand created by the new generation of DP3 vessels being launched by companies operating in the region.
GNSS industry reacted by lodging objections and setting up a realistic test campaign, which showed that military
survey, receivers all avionics and suffered degradation
when subjected to LightSquared’s signals. LightSquared conducted its own tests, as did various US government agencies. Millions of dollars were spent on discovering if co-existence was possible. Lack of enough spectrum has been cited as a block on progress with broadband networks. The FCC was accused of “fast tracking” a decision without proper consultation and it is said that politics dominated the engineering and testing. The engineering problem became focussed on how to make compatible the huge installed base of GNSS receivers. The problem is that the available spectrum is at a premium and, as another speaker at the event highlighted, 1.5 billion mobile phone customers “are a big lobby.”
“The US has pledged another 500MHz for wireless communications and data. It is the same around the rest of the world. Allocated bands eventually turn up in other countries. LightSquared isn’t gone yet. Expect some sort of fight,” said one speaker at the seminar. “The lesson from the LightSquared saga is that ‘competent’ agencies have little appreciation or regard for protecting GNSS from interference.” Mr Toor focussed on another threat to
GNSS that has been in the headlines recently, that is, the effects of the solar cycle. As he explained, signals from GNSS satellites travel through the earth’s atmosphere and can be affected by the ionosphere. Signals experience propagation delays. The ionosphere is the ionised uppermost part of the atmosphere, and its ionisation depends primarily on the sun and its activity.
Solar activity rises and falls over 11-year cycles, and an increase in solar activity results in a thicker, denser ionosphere. During solar maximum, the sun generates a large number of energetic eruptions such as solar flares or coronal mass ejections (CMEs). When this happens, fluxes of high-energy particles are released. This leads to disturbances in the solar wind interacting with the Earth’s magnetosphere, causing geomagnetic storms. An increase in ionospheric activity can introduce large errors/biases into standard
Subsea 7 considers spinning off Veripos Subsea 7, which owns Veripos, has
announced that it is considering a potential future spin-off and listing shares in the company.
of common The potential spin-off and listing of the 50 I Offshore Support Journal I June 2012
company’s common shares is subject to market and other conditions, including the approval by, and registration of the common shares with, the Oslo Børs. An issue of shares in Veripos will
be subject to approval by the Subsea 7’s shareholders at its annual general meeting on 22 June. The listing process is expected to be completed during the third quarter of 2012.
www.osjonline.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200