What refugee problem? Could the electronic registration and information systems on board this or another cruise ship like it be the answer? Royal Caribbean International's cruise ship 'Allure of the Seas' The world's largest cruise ship joins its sister ship'Oasis of the Seas', The ship, which is capable of carrying 6,318 guests, was built in Turku, Finland. |
Julian Bray writes: The nightly TV pictures are deeply disturbing and the news on several fronts depressing. Its not helped by the TV news images, Sky's Mark Stone being on the ground, in the thick of it (does he never sleep?) sending back waves upon waves of chilling well considered reports and TV packages from his backpack satellite link. On LBC, Ian Dale is just as probing, hopefully some of it is getting through to our well fed and, universally tanned bunch of politicians. The BBC also has well resourced teams at all the major pinch points, so there is no chance that any of our politicians are unaware of what is going on. But they still seem to have lost the keyboard button marked 'Compassion.'
So this is where we are: Its deadly [Grim] Reaper Drones targeting British Nationals who have 'gone rogue' in Syria, now being clinically hunted down by RAF pilots based in, and not leaving, the UK, directing pilotless aircraft with huge underslung missiles, each inscribed with the name of an individual (holding a British passport) deemed by the UK Government to be on an established 'kill list' of jihadis. They are not being targeted but 'nuked', local intelligence is now so good they know the exact co-ordinates for specific car trips, being taken by those on the 'kill list.' The last place a driver would look is ....upwards.
Or its wretched refugees and migrants fleeing war torn and bankrupt countries for a better (and much longer) life in Europe....
But before we get bogged down with that, let us deal with the IS situation. Fair enough if you threaten the UK, would be IS recruits, educated at our expense in the UK, might like to go through the history books of this island nation, say over the last five hundred years or so to see just what we really are capable of. We effectively invented terror, admittedly a long time ago.
Clearly Prime Ministers and others who pass this way will have to provide a legal 'self defence' justification to parliament for the actions so far, and the path we now seem to be following. But being realistic there are years before that is a really pressing problem, MP's will blow and huff but if its a case of self defence, some may say its an open and shut case. The task will get done.
The jihadis might also consider, it won't be too long before our new 'Eurofighter' ie Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II jet squadrons are thrown into attack mode, alongside the trusty Jaguars. And taking the conflict directly to IS, the new UK aircraft carriers, are not that far behind either.
Each 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier will provide the armed forces with a four-acre military operating base, which can travel up to 500 miles per day to be deployed anywhere around the world. Operating the Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II jets and a number of types of helicopter, the QE Class will be versatile enough to be used across the full spectrum of military activity from warfighting to providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief.
But back to the poor souls risking pirates (and according to NBC News Greek Coast Guard personnel; are cutting the fuel lines of up to 5 Refugee boats a day, forcing then to return to Turkey), suffocation on the high seas, in beat up rubber boats, or clapped out lethal prison hulks, locked below only to suffocate or land and become marooned on a Greek Island. Day on day thousands are landing and they just need a piece of paper from the Greek authorities in order to purchase a ferry ticket off the wretched island to Athens, but this is the HUGE problem.
The registration programme is taking ages. So why not adopt the ELECTRONIC PROVEN system used by cruise line companies, when they register and automatically photograph passengers at the start of their cruise and issue a sea pass? The blanks for the seapass are credit card size, the card printing and security encoding is also completed on the spot by the ships own processing system. Cruise ships also have resident photographers and digital picture processing. Plain 'credit' cards are a stock item so immediately available.
All cruise ships have the equipment already installed. Charter say four of the larger cruise ships normally taking 6,000 in comfort but capable of taking say double that with minimal disruption as sports and recreation areas can be turned into dormitory accommodation. They are already provisioned (cruise passengers eat, twice as much as landlubbers) so enough food is already being taken on board to normally feed 12,000!)
Instead of landing refugees in Athens, run them round to Hamburg and during the few days it will take to get there screen and register them using the ships data entry security system, carry out medical checks and use cruise ships own catering staff to feed them up, and give them the luxury of non stop hot showers and comfortable beds for a few nights?
It also stops the Dickensian sight of thousands of children walking through Europe, shaming each country with images that will last for generations, toddlers literally ready to drop. Whatever cost the cruise lines charge for the total hire of the ships has to be cheaper than the cost of the long term damage, pictures of dead children will create. Cruise companies who ply the Mediterranean routes, could also look forward to reduced port fees for the next few years from relieved countries perhaps?
The refugees armed with the adapted 'sea pass' photographic key card with magnetic stripes and embedded QR codes, can use that during the transit process with full personal details being flashed to recipient countries by internet. The ships TV system and the ships theatres can be used to brief and inform the passenger refugees of what is expected of them and what lies ahead. Consistent detailed Information and communication being the key, but overlooked in the political shambles so far.
Sop that's my suggestion but unless the politicians and endless Eurocrats can re invent it as their own idea its unlikely to be taken up, or will it... Social media? Its over to you...
JULIAN BRAY +44(0)1733 345581, Journalist, Broadcaster, Aviation Security & Airline Operations Expert, Travel / Maritime & Cruise Industry, EQUITY, NUJ, Broadcast COOBE ISDN ++44 (0)1733 345020 (DUAL CODEC) SKYPE: JULIAN.BRAY.UK e&oe Cell: 07944 217476 or iPhone 0743 530 3145 www.aviationcomment.com B.B.C.#104764 53 http://feeds.feedburner.com/BraysDuckhouseBlog
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