eLoran stations for UK coastline

The Department of Transport says the stations will provide alternative position, navigation and timing (PNT) information to ensure that ships equipped with eLoran receivers can navigate safely in the event of a GPS failure in one of the busiest shipping regions around the world.

“Demands on marine navigation continue to increase and awareness of the vulnerability of GPS is growing, yet electronic systems at sea have not evolved at a sufficient pace to meet these challenges,” said Martin Bransby, research and radio navigation manager at the GLAs.

The UK is the first in the world to deploy this technology for shipping companies operating both passenger and cargo services. A number of nations have expressed interest in the eLoran and other resilient PNT technologies, which are based on longwave radio signals and is independent and complementary to GPS.

South Korea is looking to establish an eLoran alliance with the UK while it pursues its own rollout of eLoran stations, due to be completed in 2015. Last year, South Korea was subject to a 16 day GPS jamming attack by North Korea.

The rollout, led by the General Lighthouse Authorities (GLAs) of the UK and Ireland, will replace the equipment in two prototype stations at Dover and Harwich. In addition, five new stations will be deployed in the Medway, Humber, Middlesbrough, Firth of Forth and Aberdeen.

The GLA says its hopes the maritime industry will respond proactively to the new stations by installing eLoran receivers on more vessels.

Full operational capability covering all major ports is expected by 2019.