Sabotage by divers may have disastrous consequences. In California, the Port of Long Beach (PoLB) has chosen the C-Scope underwater surveillance system from Kongsberg to compile the full above and underwater picture.
PoLB is one of the most important gateways for trade between the US and Asia, and last year the port handled more than 6.2 million containers. All movements at the port are closely monitored from the operations room in the Security Center, both above and now below the sea surface.
Underwater surveillance
A number of sonars are located at strategic locations in the vast port area, and a complete underwater picture is compiled and presented to the security personnel in the Security Center. All underwater objects are detected, tracked and classified by the C-Scope system. If the object is classified as a diver a warning is presented for the security personnel who can observe the diver on the screen in real time. If the diver enters one of the alarm zones defined in the port, the system triggers an alarm and the security personnel immediately initiates the required actions.
PoLB, being a ‘green port’, has a rich marine life, and this really puts the Kongsberg system to the test. Advanced processing of the sonar signals is required in order to distinguish divers and diver delivery vehicles from seals, sharks or dolphins. At the same time, the PoLB aims to make sure that the marine life is not harmed by the sonar signals in the water. The C-Scope system will lower the source level of the sonars when mammals are classified to be in the area.
C-Scope underwater surveillance system
Kongsberg was the first company in the world to provide an integrated system for underwater surveillance. The C-Scope underwater surveillance system is made up of active and passive sonars. Powerful computers are performing advanced signal processing, track management and classification analysis.
Kongsberg is world class when it comes to sonar signal processing. The advanced sonar technology for detection, tracking and classification of small underwater targets objects in shallow water is one of Kongsberg’s major strengths, based on decades of in-service experience with naval sonar systems.
The general system comprises different types of sonars, both active and passive, sonar processing software and software for sensor fusion, track management and classification. Countermeasures are an integral part of the system, giving the operator full control from detection to reaction.
C-Scope command and control unit
- Multi sensor integration
- User interface
Active sonars
- DDS9000, 85-95kHz
- LASAR 40, 30-45kHz
- LASAR 5, 3-8kHz
Passive sonar
- PASAR – passive awareness sonar, 10-2,500Hz
Conductivity, temperature and depth – vertical profiler
- Automatic CTD measurements for sonar performance analysis
Countermeasure
- C-Guard, air gun
- C’Inspector, underwater vehicle