Srt Marine Systems Share Discussion Threads

[pinkfoot2] 05/11/2018 15:19

All good chat Lav but what we really need is something concrete from SRT-it’s now mid November and time is marching on.

A contract with cash paid on the nose will be most welcome.

[lavalmy] 05/11/2018 05:46

PECH, the EU's witty name for its fisheries committee, do get about. They were in Thailand in May. And get taken seriously:



'PM Phuc said that his country considers the EC’s “yellow card” warning an opportunity to stimulate the fisheries sector’s sustainable and responsible development.

A score of synchronous measures are being taken in Vietnam in a bid to deal with the warning in an effective and suitable manner. The country promulgated the Law on Fisheries on November 21, 2017, made sub-law documents, and realized a national action program on IUU fishing combat, and stepped up the dissemination of legal regulations to fishermen, Phuc told his guests.'

How much the parliament influences the commission is a dark area. Parliament did create the law about yellow cards, but ultimately it is the commission that takes the decisions. However, in Vietnam's case, the parliament as a whole has to approve the free trade deal, so PECH will be listened to more than ever.

I think the fisheries law takes effect from January. Another decision on the yellow card is due in January as well. I suppose that any contract with SRT will depend on the detailed planning being done, but it sounded from various snippits that Q4 2018 would be earlier than expected so maybe Q1 2019?

[jimpubes] 04/11/2018 22:10

There was an interesting article on hxxps://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/trump-tax-cuts-interest-rates-by-hans-werner-sinn-2018-09
The gist is that Trump is copying the massive fiscal stimulus that Reagan did in the 1980s.
One major effect at the time was increasing interest rates leading to increasing dollar valuations leading in turn to big problems for foreign governments that borrowed in dollars and now needed to pay back, as well as worldwide transactions based on US dollars.
A number of South American countries subsequently went bankrupt.
My concerns;
First this may cause a chilling effect on economies around the world, leading to delays or cancellations of contracts of the type that SRT rely on.
Secondly I seem to remember reading that Brexit should not affect SRT as their contracts are based on US dollars. If that is so then that might become a problem if dollar valuations increase.
What do other people here think?

[countryman5] 04/11/2018 17:42

Vietnam. 02/11/2018 ECONOMY- SOCIETY
A delegation from the European Parliament (EP)’s Committee on Fisheries led by EP spokesman Mato Gabriel held a working session with authorities from the central province of Binh Dinh on October 31 to discuss efforts to fight illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing as required by the European Commission.

[piedro] 01/11/2018 05:53

FWIW,

WARNIING 01-10-2018
Date: 30 Oct 2018

1. The ReCAAP ISC has received information from the Philippine Focal Point
(Philippine Coast Guard) that a group of approximately 10 ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group)
members armed with pistol, rifles and grenade launcher is planning to conduct
kidnapping activities at any opportune time in undisclosed areas in Sabah primarily
targeting businessmen or ship's crew of foreign vessels passing through the area.
They are using unmarked coloured blue and white motorbanca locally known as
jungkong.

2. Ship masters and crew are strongly urged to exercise extra vigilance when
transiting the waters off Eastern Sabah and Sulu-Celebes Seas.

3. Source: Philippine Coast Guard

ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC)

[kinbasket] 31/10/2018 19:05

IIRC from chatting at the AGM, the main issue with CLS is that the data goes back through a server in France. For many reasons Countries don't want that.

This comment is worth what you paid for it as I may have remembered that wrong.

[lavalmy] 31/10/2018 17:58

Indeed owenski, I did think of that. But the analytics for a VMS system for 5,000 boats would be pretty simple. Where are they, what speeds and course etc to make sure they are not fishing somewhere they shouldn't or doing so in a manner they shouldn't. I could probably work out the parameters with the client in short order and get a software engineer to write it.

So what good are RADAR and infrared cameras in a VMS application? What on earth does 3D visualization add? You could say that specifying the 3D stuff was meant to exclude any other potential bidders, but the RADAR and cameras in only 15 of their ports is hard to explain in a VMS context.

In other words, there are other contexts. As Simon said, you have to separate the technology from the application. It was a new phrase from him for us but it sounded as if he has been using a lot recently.

[owenski] 31/10/2018 17:44

It's possible the analytics in GeoVs may be better suited for their needs.

[lavalmy] 31/10/2018 17:19

Mulling over this whole Philippines business, I can only conclude that there must have been something pretty compelling about SRT's system versus the CLS system. CLS were the incumbent. The financing and budget was in place since 2015. A normal bureaucrat would have gone along the path of least resistance. And yet they didn't.

Why?

If it was a cost issue, it would not matter to the bureaucrat. It is not their money, had already been approved and wouldn't cut into other budgets. In fact, the total cost has increased.

Was it Mr Tucker's charming and persuasive ways?

There is the fact that the running costs would be lower given that less use is made of expensive satellite transmissions - though anyone can see that those are likely to fall significantly in the future.

I can only provisionally conclude that it is something else and the only thing I can think of is that it is cheaply scalable in terms of the number of boats having transponders.

Answers on a postcard.

[lazyj] 31/10/2018 11:07

TUESDAY, 30 OCTOBER, 2018 | 12:12 WIB
John Kerry on Maritime Sustainability at the OOC 2018
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former United States Secretary of State John Kerry applauded the steps taken by Indonesian Maritime and Fisheries Affairs Minister Susi Pudjiastuti on sustainable fishery practices and hopes that other neighbouring countries would follow suit.

Both Susi and John Kerry met in the bilateral meeting in between events at the Our Ocean Conference 2018 that was held at Bali’s Nusa Dua Convention Centre.

Our Ocean Conference initiator Kerry also acknowledged Indonesia’s attempts upon enforcing maritime security through numerous penalties for foreign fishing boats that operate illegally over Indonesian waters.

“We need to face up to the fact that we've got to treat the issue of the oceans, protection of the oceans, protection of the planet, with the same urgency that we treated arms control and nuclear weapons," he said at the Our Ocean Conference in Bali.

Furthermore, Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said that her ministry will continue to implement a sustainable fishery policy and claims to have rallied Southeast Asian neighbouring countries to work hand-in-hand.

“We also continue to campaign to unite many countries into a single sustainable community,” said Minister Susi Pudjiastuti.

[lavalmy] 30/10/2018 11:44

super

I think the translation is well faulty and that they are suggesting that others, possibly 'John Pagaduan through the former Leyte Vice-Gov. Sheffered Tan' might have been influenced by SRT. From all the processes they have had to go through, re-issuing the tender etc, it has all been more than above board - in fact NEDA insisted that the enlarged and differently funded project be put out to tender, even though the winner was already clear, making a mockery of the statement that 'Meanwhile, Sec. Piñol normally only has a tender bidder when there is a bidding process.'

Anyway letters to sundry high and mighty in the Philippines will no doubt be filed as appropriate and I don't expect any delays from this. As for the remaining hoops, Simon did say at the AGM (I think when we were chatting privately) that they had got to the Notice to Proceed stage, which is the final go ahead, when the French refused cough up. So they should have all the paperwork, references, bank guarantees etc ready to go. Given the much accelerated bidding period, I expect fingers to be out on this as well - the bidding documents do say that one full system is to be in operation this quarter.

[supernumerary] 30/10/2018 10:00

If it's a local, he's a brave man to accuse President Duterte of corruption. Unlikely, I would have thought, to achieve the desired outcome...

[lavalmy] 30/10/2018 08:46

ae

I suspect that it is not CLS, but maybe that local lad who had a garden shed transponder - I linked to it about this time last year from memory. His was being trialled with Oceana but then the BFAR stopped funding or some such. Oceana's press release about the law suit is here:



They want the BFAR to speed things up rather than slow it down, so it is unlikely to be them.

[alter ego] 30/10/2018 08:22

V interesting LaV. Ironic that specifying technical attributes that suit one bidder is considered biased but that specifying that the contract must be awarded to a French company is ok.

[countryman5] 30/10/2018 07:49

The Philippines is 8 hours ahead of the UK, so the bids have now been opened.

[lavalmy] 30/10/2018 06:12

Section 18 is succinct:

'Specifications for the procurement of Goods shall be based on relevant characteristics, functionality and/or performance requirements. Reference to brand names shall not be allowed except for items or parts that are compatible with the existing fleet or equipment of the same make and brand, and to maintain the performance, functionality and useful life of the equipment.
This Section shall also apply to the goods component of Infrastructure Projects and Consulting Services.'

Nowhere in the bidding documents is there any mention of a brand.

Someone disgruntled just stirring the pot, nothing to worry about.

[lavalmy] 30/10/2018 05:57

I can't for the life of me see how they can set the technical specifications for a system like this without it being specific to this or that system.

[lavalmy] 30/10/2018 05:49

Someone is complaining:



You might need to get it translated.

'MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte's office filed a bidding process with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) for a P2 billion Integrated Marine Environment Monitoring System designed specifically for a bidder.

Addressed by President Duterte, Agriculture Sec. Manny Piñol and Ombudsman Samuel Martires, as well as COA chief Michael Aguinaldo, have set the technical specifications of the Integrated Marine Environment Monitoring System in favor of the bidder of the SRT Marine System.

The project is set to provide protection to the natural resources of the country.

According to a bidder of the said project worth P2,097, 819, 200, it is a violation of Section 18 of the 2016 revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Procurement Act (RA 9184).

The management of the SRT Maritime System has a deep relationship with the Department of Agriculture and chairman of Technical Working Group (TWG) by John Pagaduan through the former Leyte Vice-Gov. Sheffered Tan.

"Based on the stated facts, if the procurement of the tailor-fitted project will push through, this will be disadvantageous to the government and only corrupt officials will benefit the said funds which come from the government taxes of the hardworking Filipino citizens," stated yet to the bidder's complaint.

Meanwhile, Sec. Piñol normally only has a tender bidder when there is a bidding process.'

Could be the French? Oceana? But what is very clear is what we have known for a long time, to wit that this is SRT's.

[countryman5] 29/10/2018 21:54

FT article' Mauritius runway project poised to boost India in China tussle'. India will extend a runway and build port facilities on the Mauritian archipelago of Agalega. The plan was to double the length of the runway and build a jetty as well as a transponder system to identify ships as friend or foe'

[lavalmy] 28/10/2018 12:04

Not so, C5. It was June 2017 when that kicked off. Though, of course, the interview may have been given before that.

[countryman5] 28/10/2018 11:58

Lav. Clearly the above article was written before Qatar fell out of favour.

[lavalmy] 28/10/2018 11:43

Bit like this, you mean?

[countryman5] 28/10/2018 11:36

The issue of friendly countries in the same area using a common platform for MDA systems is equally relevant for the M East as it is for the ASEAN countries. I am hoping that the Bahrain and Kuwait commitment to SRT platforms ensures that Saudi and UAE and Oman will all eventually commit to SRT. If Philo 2 goes to SRT, hopefully the other Philippine projects come to SRT, together with many large neighbours. I suspect the market is still some way away from recognising the inevitability of future contracts. The SRT team will have to grow considerably.