Israeli navy gets Guardian Gate

Halo Maritime Defense Systems (HMDS) has installed a fully automated marine gate at an Israeli naval base, the company announced on 26 May.

The HMDS Guardian Gate spans the full length of the opening to the base from breakwater-to-breakwater, and can be retracted with a single button to allow vessels to pass.

The barrier has been under development for two years with help from the Ocean Engineering Program at the University of New Hampshire and the US Navy. According to the company, it has a 15-year design life and has been validated in independent, fully instrumented crash testing by the US navy.

The HMDS Guardian Gate can be installed at ports, harbours, nuclear power plants, oil and gas assets and other sensitive waterside infrastructure to prevent the access of unauthorised persons and vessels into protected areas.

Brendan Gray, president, HMDS, said: 'Normally, the waterside opening to a base like this would be secured with surveillance cameras and possibly patrol boats but never before with a proven, automated 24/7 protective gate.

'The marine gate provides ease of access while offering unparalleled security and at significantly less life-cycle cost than the alternatives with a return on investment of less than 2 years.'

Tom Ridge, advisor to HMDS, said: 'I am proud to be working with a firm that has developed what I believe to be the definitive answer to addressing the threats posed by small boats to strategic and sensitive waterside assets around the globe – military, commercial and even residential.'