Long Beach radar system to monitor small craft
The Port of Long Beach will install a $1.4 million radar system in its harbor to track on-water movements of all vessels — especially smaller watercraft — with the information to be fed into the port's new Security Command and Control Center.
The port said the new system would expand upon existing radar facilities in the harbor, which are effective at monitoring larger vessels, but not necessarily the small vessels that are capable of delivering vessel-borne improvised explosive devices.
The system is to be in place in November and will be built by Anaheim, Calif.-based SSR Engineering. The port said the U.S. Coast Guard also uses SSR, so data will be integrated between the new system and the two existing systems.
A federal Department of Homeland Security grant will provide $1.04 million for the project, with the port providing $347,600.