There are many knock on effects of the current global economic crisis however there is one that is often over looked, but none the less very real and always peaks during economic hardship, and that’s crime.

Regretfully rising crime is one certainty in this very uncertain world. The continuing recession means there are few graphs in the newspapers showing an upwards trend these days except for one - crime. The marine industry is not immune to crime and the high asset value, vulnerability and often ease with which not just parts from a boat are stolen but the whole boat can be spirited away by the unscrupulous, makes the marine leisure industry especially vulnerable.

Already in the UK in 2008 boat crime surged by 20% with some police forces reporting an unprecedented volume of boat theft. 2009 can only be worse and with their own internal financial pressures, insurance companies are certain to hike their premiums and also start to take a very dim view of those owners who do little or nothing to protect their valuable and prized boat.

Removing for safe keeping easily removable high value items when leaving the boat unattended, securely locking all lockers and boat access points and generally taking sensible security precautions should be ‘stock in trade’ for responsible owners wishing to be able to find their boat and its contents just where they left it, ready for them to jump on board and head out to sea when the summer sun next shines. That very mobility is of course the boat industry’s Achilles heal. Whether on a swinging mooring, pontoon or a RIB parked up on its trailer, the very ease with which boats can be moved without authority is exactly what makes them so attractive to the wrong people.

And often when they go, they go. Not just ‘around the corner’ but as is so often the case here in England, they end up being moved abroad to the continent where they assume a change in identity. A quick name change, maybe some other cosmetic changes and hey presto the boat is on the market with a nice profit for the thieves.

So it is good to hear that technology can come running to the rescue once again. This time from something actually developed for those giants of the seas – well to be strictly correct, what they carry in the form of containers seen piled high on deck. Knowing where your container is has become essential for logistics companies not only to track and secure high value consignments but also to be able meet ‘just in time’ deadlines imposed by their clients by knowing the true and exact location of each consignment.

Tracking devices typically used in the vehicle industry use the mobile phone networks to communicate their positions back to those who need to know. Mobile network service areas cover much of a country’s land mass but rarely extend more than a few miles offshore. The SubAura S100 from codeCreation overcomes this issue by using a robust and global satellite network to communicate positions back to land. Of course the unit already uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites to determine its position on earth but instead of using a mobile network for communicating its position, it uses satellites known as Low Earth Orbit satellites. And having been developed for use on containers, the SubAura S100 is far more robust than almost anything designed for use in vehicles.

Using a low earth satellite network means the SubAura needs less power than would be needed for high altitude geostationary satellite networks, with the end result that the SubAura S100 will operate on its own internal standard AA batteries for up to 3 or more years. That in turn means there are no wires to worry about routing around the boat and hardly any installation. And because of its commercial heritage it’s fully waterproof (IP68 rated), military standard casing means it can be placed almost anywhere, even on the coach house roof of a boat. Small and unobtrusive it will not attract any unwanted attention and will continue to broadcast its location securely to those who need to know regardless of where ever it is in the world (all that is except for sub Saharan Africa until late in 2009).

codeCreation, the software geniuses, have not just concentrated on the hardware. Of course they provide a really great looking and functional website with a login for each and every boat owner to be able to view at anytime just where their boat is. But because even the most dedicated boat owner will not sit 24/7 looking at the boats position on a computer screen, codeCreation’s techies have thoughtfully added really easy to use geofencing tools. That means you can draw an imaginary fence (circular or irregular) around your boat’s mooring for instance and then set an alert to be sent by email or SMS should that fence be broken as a result of the boat moving without authority. If a monitoring service is engaged as well then they can also receive notification by email.

Historical reporting of pre-selected date ranges means you can export and view your previous journeys in Google Earth – perfect for sharing with friends to show them where you’ve been.

The units are supplied pre-configured ready to mount onboard in a suitable location. Once logged into your account extra details can be added and then the current location viewed as well as any geofences and alarms set up in just three steps. It is so straightforward the whole system can be set up in just a few hours.

SubAura S100 units are available now and already attracting significant interest from around the world. As anyone in the security business will tell you, a good security regime is all about creating layers of security. Knowing where your valuable boat is and if it is being moved without authority is one more layer in the fight against marine crime that the SubAura delivers on effortlessly and cost effectively..

codeCreation is a technology solutions provider with an established set of solutions, including asset tracking, real time passenger information, Maritime Domain Awareness solutions for rivers, ports and harbours and onboard Mobile Broadband solutions using backhaul over GSM, CDMA, VSAT or 802.11 networks. Tracking solutions are available using GPRS, satellite, Wi-Fi, AIS or any combination of technologies. The company has a proven track record in building complex but robust technology solutions, including a real time passenger system for Transport for London and a billing and customer management system supporting one of the UK’s largest Wi-Fi networks.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 14 April 2009 )