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By installing a waterside barrier, the waterborne guard teams who respond become a second line of defense, similar to the equivalent landside security operation. STATE OF THE MARKET The waterside security barrier market is fragmented and in- cludesmultiple Þ rms offering solutions with wide variations on product features, capabilities, and service requirements. This industry segment also lacks uniform comprehensive performance standards to assist consumers with product com- parisons.Successful implementation of waterside security barrier systems is heavily dependent upon a number of case-speci Þ c factors associated with each individual project, including: the proÞ le of anticipated security threats; site-speci Þ c maritime conditions (e.g. tides, swells, sea state, harbor con Þ guration, etc.) and other security-speciÞ c goals and objectives. ?Best- Fit? recommendations for barriers should take into account the relative importance assigned to each of the chosen speci- Þ cations. Many of the leading barrier suppliers claim to offer turnkey or near-turnkey solutions, meaning that they offer to custom- ize their products to client speci Þ c needs so they are ready for immediate use. Since several waterside security barrier sup- pliers appear to have similar offerings, it is important for buy- ers to shop for an overall barrier ?solution,? not just a product. Ultimately, a solution should be tied to rigorous performance metrics and a pre-determined Concept of Operations. WATERSIDE SECURITY PERFORMANCE METRICS Some of the most common criticisms currently found in the waterside security barrier market include: ? Instability in rough seas and high currents ?Reliability problems while operating in a marine environ- ment? Inadequate stopping power ? DifÞ culty covering a large geographic area ? High maintenance costs A waterside security barrier purchasing decision should in- cludeat least three key considerations that take into account all of the challenges listed above: A) Operational Employment & Maintenance, B) Stopping Capacity/Stopping Power, and C) Total Lifecycle Cost. A closer examination of these three key considerations illustrates how complicated the planning process for barrier employment can actually be. OPERATIONAL EMPLOYMENT & MAINTENANCE The variety of hardware and installation choices that exist withinthe barrier market also come coupled with an equally diverse set of operational cost and maintenance consider- ations. For example, challenges that have been identi Þ ed with inß atable barriers include the fact that some boats can actually jump this type of barrier, safety concerns associated with ad- justing the ß oats, and performance issues related to de ß ation. Barrier solutions using nets can have inferior stopping power due to post-impact penetration, may be vulnerable to multiple boat attacks, and can have issues with inherent instability in rough seas or strong currents. The material that is used to fabricate the barrier solution is an important consideration for operations and maintenance. Some solutions have connectors, Þ ttings and other compo- nents that may be subject to metal fatigue, corrosion, and re- quire signiÞ cant preventative and corrective maintenance. Concept of Operations and related operational conditions, such as sea state, current, seasonal weather anomalies, and other geographic features and conditions must be carefully considered as part of a barrier purchasing decision. It can be helpful to also factor in some additional fundamen- tals when planning a barrier purchase. These include: Has the barrier been tested by an independent and reliable authority? Is the system currently being used by similarly situated and reputable reference source? And Þ nally, are the performance speciÞ cations and related warranty claims adequate to account for the expected operational and environmental conditions at the designated site? STOPPING CAPACITY / STOPPING POWER Stopping capacity refers to the foot-pounds of energy that abarrier can capture, and stop. This metric does not consider the time and distance that may also be required to stop the object in question. In other words, a barrier such as some of the net systems that are available on the market, may actu- ally allow a threat object to travel a signi Þ cant distance, post- penetration, before the object is actually stopped. This may be a concern if the barrier must be deployed in close proximity to the asset being protected. Stopping power refers to the same foot-pounds of energy required to capture and stop and object, but also takes into account time and distance. For this reason, it may be a more relevant measure of overall barrier performance. It?s also im- portant to consider stopping power as it relates to an attempted breach by multiple threat objects. If a barrier is only capable of capturing and stopping a single object, but the stopping power is diminished for any additional objects (such as a swarm attack) it may not be a suitable solution. TOTAL LIFECYCLE COST Barrier purchasing decisions will normally include some combinationof hardware, installation services, and a mainte- nance package. The effective life of a marine barrier, and any associated warranty, will tend to vary from vendor to vendor depending upon the materials that are used, the environmental conditions expected at the installation site, and the business policies of the contractor. 0 D U L W L P H 7 U D L Q L Q J 50 | Maritime Professional |1Q 2012
