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Dominican Republic Joins Global Maritime Info Sharing System

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS081021-10
Release Date: 10/21/2008 6:13:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Alan Gragg, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/ U.S. 4th Fleet Public Affairs

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (NNS) -- U.S. Navy and Dominican Republic officials met Oct. 17 to launch the Dominican Republic's involvement in the Maritime Safety and Security Information System (MSSIS).

Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO)/ U.S. 4th Fleet Rear Adm. Joseph D. Kernan joined Dominican Republic representatives in a ceremony to mark the begining of this cooperative endeavor with Dominican Republic.

"The sharing of Automatic Identification System (AIS) data is fundamental for mutual Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) among our regional partners," said Kernan, discussing the importance of the Dominican Republic joining MSSIS. "This is a critical first step in successfully achieving the ability for partners in the region to share information about maritime traffic, and it will dramatically improve the collective safety and security of our maritime environment."

MSSIS is an international system, developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in partnership with NATO and the U.S. Navy to provide a way for global partners to share AIS information. There are currently 52 nations participating in MSSIS, which collects and displays AIS data from multiple mobile and stationary platforms for real-time MDA to multiple users through a web-based, password-protected system.

"Due to the shear quantity of unclassified maritime data already available, Maritime Domain Awareness is beyond the capability of any one nation to collect or process," said Kernan. "Achieving collective Maritime Domain Awareness in the Western Hemisphere requires a global approach and regional teamwork. Through our collaborative efforts we can achieve a much better understanding of the maritime environment and more effectively enhance the safety and security of our waters."

NAVSO/4th Fleet is approaching Collaborative Maritime Domain Awareness in three phases; obtaining data, which requires multinational sharing; using existing and emerging technologies to collaboratively analyze the data; and establishing the Inter-American Naval Telecommunications Network (IANTN) aboard partner nation vessels, so ships can use a classified network to add Intel.

"MSSIS is also a cost-effective way for countries to improve their awareness at sea," said Cmdr. Dave Wirth, IANTN Director and NAVSO/4th Fleet Communications Department Head. "An AIS antenna and receiver costs less than $4,000 including the computer with Internet."

Collaborative Maritime Domain Awareness directly supports the U.S. Maritime Strategy by promoting collective maritime security and is also aligned with the U.S. State Department's Global Maritime Partnership Initiative.

As the Navy component commander for U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), NAVSO oversees maritime operations throughout Latin America, including exercises and deployments, counter illicit trafficking support, and theater security cooperation events.

U.S. 4th Fleet is the numbered fleet assigned to NAVSO exercising operational control of U.S. Navy units temporally operating in the SOUTHCOM area of focus, which encompasses the Caribbean, Central and South America, and surrounding waters.