Security Barriers FAQ’s
What is a WhisprWave® boat barrier?
A WhisprWave® boat barrier is a floating security boom / fence that is capable of stopping or significantly delaying the progress of a small surface vessel with the intent to do harm to people or property.
The primary mission of a boat barrier is to provide a highly visible physical deterrent by day and by night, and offer an augmentable system capable of a significant degree of waterside physical protection for maritime critical infrastructure.
The most common small boat threat that a boat barrier is designed to stop is a Water Borne Improvised Explosive Device (WBIED), as outlined in the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) The 2008 Small Vessel Security Strategy.
Use of small vessels as Water Borne Improvised Explosive Device – small, explosive-laden vessels used as “boat bombs” against another vessel, maritime critical infrastructure, or key resources;
How is a WhisprWave® boat barrier included in the layered defense plan for maritime critical infrastructure?
Boat barriers cannot operate effectively in isolation but will become part of a layered protective security defensive system involving waterborne patrols, ship’s personnel and possibly local civilian authorities. DHS's most recent Small Vessel Security Implementation Plan highlights the critical nature of a layered defense for any security plan. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) produced a comprehensive briefing entitled "Port Security Waterfront Protection" that highlights the elements of the waterside layered defense and the role that boat barriers play in this environment.
The two diagrams below are from that presentation:
Source: NAVFAC - Port Security Waterside Protection Briefing
Source: NAVFAC - Port Security Waterside Protection Briefing
Can gates be incorporated into the WhisprWave® boat barrier system to ensure entrance and egress into the security zone demarcated by the barriers?
The boat barriers can be configured as a swinging gate with end point attachment slings to provide for an enclosed protected area, but with the possibility of opening the area immediately. By using a small craft of sufficient power (24 foot craft, twin outboards of 130 horsepower +) the SCIB™ can be swung on a pivot point to allow for large craft to pass. The resources needed to move the gate are dependent upon the size of the gate and the sea state, small craft above assumes a calm sea state and 250 ft gate. In this way a base or facility can be completely enclosed and protected, but ready for the quick movement of large vessels, if conditions require.
Can an oil boom be integrated into the WhisprWave® boat barriers?
The WhisprWave® boat barriers were designed with the intent of integrating a wide range of functionality and security system additions. An oil boom is one of the many optional systems that are available.
Below is a picture of the WhisprWave® Vessel Exclusion Barrier with integrated oil boom.
What are the major stakeholder issues that need to be addressed when permitting and installing a WhisprWave® boat barrier?
There is a need to develop a strategy to deal with the following issues key stakeholder issues:
1. visual/aesthetic pollution of the boat barrier
2. emergency access
3. minimize impact on civilian and/or commercial traffic
4. port / harbor access
What are the various operational processes involved in deploying and maintaining a WhisprWave® rapidly deployed boat barrier?
1. Prepare the boat barrier system for deployment.
2. Deploy the rapidly deployed boat barrier.
3. Operate the gate, as needed.
4. Operate the augmented surveillance/protective systems such as: FLIR, SONAR, RADAR, CCTV.
5. Intrusion Detection, Swimmer Detection, Loud Hailers, etc.
6. Recover and re-stow the boat barrier.
7. Test the boat barrier and its related systems individually and as a whole.
8. Repair and maintain the boat barrier while deployed, as needed.
9. Recover and re-stow the boat barrier.Cleaning and post recovery maintenance checks.
What kind of maintenance do floating security barriers and floating wave attenuator systems require?
Maintaining a barrier to ensure its maximum effectiveness may make the life cycle cost of waterside barriers much higher than the initial cost of procurement and installation. Climatic and other environmental factors can lead to repetitive maintenance and/or maintenance problems.
Surface and subsurface barriers are subject to constant forces from wind, waves, currents and possibly ice and ice flows. They will also intercept and possibly become entangled in floating debris such as that resulting from upstream floods. Debris accumulations can add additional stress to barrier components.
Barriers usually consist of a line of individual floating elements connected by cables or other devices. These connections are subject to continuous movement, possibly resulting in fatigue damage and failure of the connections. Metal components of a barrier system are subject to corrosion. The detection technologies that comprise the waterside barrier system are also subject to the harshness of weather which can affect performance.
Source: DHS Dams Waterside Barriers Guide
All Floating Security Barriers and Floating Wave Attenuators mooring components, either in use or in storage, must be periodically inspected to determine their current material condition and their future maintenance requirements. The importance of these inspections cannot be overemphasized because the effectiveness of any maintenance program will always depend on how often and how well these checks and services are performed. Inspection plans, therefore, should take into consideration the critical elements of frequency of inspections and the thoroughness, completeness, and quality of work.
There are two types of maintenance:
- In-Service inspections are performed on installed barriers / wave attenuators and moorings
- Out-of-Service inspections are performed on components stored ashore.
There are four basic types of in-service inspections, as follows:
- Annual surface inspections.
- Underwater inspections.
- Riser Sub-Assembly inspections.
- Damage/failure inspections.
ANNUAL SURFACE INSPECTIONS. Shore activities that operate and maintain moorings must inspect the visible portion of each mooring buoy at least once each year. The purpose of this annual surface inspection is to ensure that the barriers or wave attenuators and its topside hardware are in satisfactory condition, and to verify that the barrier / wave attenuator has not been dragged from its proper location.
UNDERWATER INSPECTIONS. The purpose of mooring underwater inspections is to determine the general condition of barrier / wave attenuator and chain assemblies and to verify or update existing as-built drawings and maintenance records. It is recommended that each barrier / wave attenuator mooring will be inspected by divers every 1 to 2 years.
RISER SUB-ASSEMBLY INSPECTION. To avoid disturbing the anchors, a mooring should be lifted only when the riser chain require repair or replacement, or when the barrier or wave attenuator is being completely removed.
MOORING DAMAGE/FAILURE INSPECTIONS. Moorings can be damaged by collisions or dragged out of position by heavy winds or seas. They can also fail because of broken mooring components. An inspection of mooring damage, drag, or failure should be conducted as soon as possible after detection.
IN-SERVICE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR
In-service maintenance and repair will be limited to the following:
- Minor underwater repairs.
- Minor barrier / wave attenuator and riser assembly repairs.
- Replacement of damaged buoys and/or riser assemblies.
- Minor repairs to cathodic protection systems.
ASHORE INSPECTION AND REFURBISHMENT OF BUOYS
Ashore inspection and refurbishment of barrier / wave attenuator will include visual inspections, repairs, tests, and replacement of damaged components. The purpose of a preliminary inspection is to determine whether the barrier / wave attenuator is in a condition for a further, more detailed inspection and subsequent refurbishment or whether it should be disposed of at this stage.
How likely is a boat barrier to be effective against a hostile threat?
The effectiveness of a barrier system is dependent on the detection and interdiction capabilities inherent in it. The system is effective if a swimming or boating aggressor can be detected in sufficient time and at a sufficient distance to marshal the required security forces and allow them to act in a timely manner to avert the attack or minimize its impacts. The detection point or points must be at a sufficient distance from the standoff point to ensure that security forces can be alerted and mobilized.
The effectiveness of a barrier technology designed to stop a speeding boat is measured by its ability to stop a boat of a certain size at a certain speed. For example, the Bureau of Reclamation of the US Department of the Interior has developed contract language for certification of boat barriers (see reference 2).This standard requires that an 8,500-pound boat, traveling at 40 knots, be stopped within 10 meters of the original position of the barrier. Because vessel exclusion barriers are costly, the decision to install a vessel barrier should be based on a site-specific risk assessment.