Proctor in Admiralty

What happened to Equasis?

Update to post below: Equasis is back on line.  According to the US Coast Guard, Equasis was having a dispute with its hosting company.  It appears to be resolved and most importantly, Equasis is back online.  I also learned that the popularity of the service is growing all of the time.  I will try to get some statistics on this to report back.

What happened to Equasis, the online database of more that 7500 vessels around the world?  That is the question on the mind of many and I note the comments posted to my orignal entry on Equasis back in May, 2005.  That post is here. 

So far, I haven't been able to find out.  As many of you know, the website is down and they are not answering the telephone in the Equasis head office in Paris - I have called numerous times. 

I am trying to get an update from the US Coast Guard, one of the sponsors of the Equasis project and I will update all of you as soon as I have more information.

For those interested Equasis was an acronym for the European Quality Shipping Information System - I didn't know that until today!

Until more information is available,  if anyone knows of an alternate source of that great data available previously available on Equasis.org, please post a comment here. 

Video Cameras at the Port of Oakland

More on the Port Security Front:

The Port of Oakland is using funds from a $2.4 mil. Federal grant to outfit its cranes with 60 video cameras to be monitored 24 hours per day as part of its security plan. 

See this article in the Alameda Times-Star for more details.

Public/Private Project on Port Security

As promised, I will start to post about port security measures and programs utilizing new and emerging technology to help help reduce the increasingly publicized venerable nature of our nation's ports.

First up is a Public/Private initiative called Operation Safe Commerce. A summary of the program is provided by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is also one of the participants:

Operation Safe Commerce (OSC), is a federally funded program that will conduct vulnerability assessments of sample supply chains and serve as a test-bed for new business processes and security technologies to increase the security of container shipments -- from the point of origin throughout the supply chain to the point of destination. The ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, New York/New Jersey and Tacoma/Seattle -- the nation's top three major load centers -- will work with private and public entities to identify supply chain vulnerabilities and develop improved methods and technologies to ensure the security of cargo entering and leaving the United States.

Those technologies and processes that prove successful and cost efficient under the OSC initiative will then be recommended for implementation throughout the maritime industry.

Although this program began in 2003, its goal of providing a testing ground for methods and technologies to improve security is only starting to be realized.  Hopefully, we will see some best practices and technology initiatives come out of this program.