PORT LUDLOW — Shine Micro will manufacture an automatic identification system for Coast Guard ships, under a contract awarded by the Coast Guard and Department of Homeland Security.
The exact figure has not been agreed upon, but the contract is the first increment of three, with the combined total of all three estimated at about $50 million, said Mark Johnson, president and founder.
The Port Ludlow-based Shine Micro has developed AIS technology and marine electronics.
Johnson said he expects to receive all three increments once his business, established in 1980, proves it can satisfy the needs of the Coast Guard.
Shine Micro will manufacture AIS receiver units for Coast Guard vessels that will allow personnel to identify nearby ships and get detailed information.
The technology allows the Coast Guard vessels to be cloaked from other ships unless the other ships have military authorization.
This is the first contract Shine Micro has received from the U.S. military, although most military ships are equipped with the technology.
‘Like a transponder’
The AIS system “is a little like the transponders that airplanes use,” said Johnson.
“But it doesn’t require any control center.”
All self-propelling vessels 65 feet or more in length are required to carry an AIS transponder, which transmits vessel identification.
Similar to radar, the technology gives real-time positions of ships to avoid collisions.
However, Johnson points out that the technology far exceeds radar’s capability because a nearby ship can be identified by name, type of ship, and other specific information.
“It’s like a super-radar reflection,” said Johnson.
“It’s a tremendous safety device and it draws very little power.”
See it in action
Shine Micro’s Web site, www.shinemicro.com, allows people to register for free and pick locations throughout the world to view the positions of ships equipped with the automatic identification systems.
The Web site offers a live feed to the current locations of the ships.
The display page shows marks for every significant ship within radio range.
By clicking on mark, a person can learn a ship’s name, course and speed, classification, call sign, registration number and other information.
