Don’t be fooled by the beautiful, blue, calm waters you see when you go to the beach; the ocean is actually a dangerous place. Not because of the sharks and jellyfish; there are plenty of even more dangerous creatures trolling the seas, such as terrorists, pirates, spies, and more. At risk are harbors, ports, oil refineries, security installations, and even water desalination plants. While many of these sites operate security systems aimed at preventing unauthorized intrusion above-water, very few possess underwater surveillance systems. And Israel, with its long coastline, is no stranger to maritime terrorism. There have been more than 80 attempts to attack Israel from the sea, the worst example occurring in 1978, when terrorists killed 37 Israelis and injured more than 70 on the Coastal Road.

DSIT of Givat Shmuel provides one of the most comprehensive systems available for protecting sensitive installations from the sea. Building on its technical and operational experience in sonar and underwater acoustic systems for naval applications, DSIT has developed an innovative, cost-effective Diver Detection Sonar (DDS) system called AquaShield, designed to protect critical coastal and offshore sites against unauthorized intrusion of divers, swimmers, SDVs (Swimmer Delivery Vehicles) and Mini Submarines.

According to the company, DSIT’s sonar technology has the longest range of any system on the market, making it perfect for long distance detection and classification. When a breach is detected, an alert is reported, alerting security personnel and setting off systems to neutralize the threat. But just as important as detection is the ability to ascertain which breaches are real and which aren’t –ensuring that the alert is activated only if a real threat, like a diver, as opposed to a fish, is reported. To avoid that, the DSIT system utilized powerful algorithms that ensure accurate reporting.

DSIT (now a subsidiary of a large U.S. energy company, but with all development work done in Israel) has performed dozens of installations all over the world, and last week the company received its largest order, with a contract valued at $12.3 million with an undisclosed Asian energy firm – the largest contract ever for an underwater security system in the oil and gas industry, the comapany says.

Benny Sela, DSIT’s CEO, said that “DSIT’s diver detection sonar systems are continuously protecting ports, naval bases, energy installations, ships, and VIP compounds around the world. However, DSIT is constantly improving its systems and developing new solutions to provide our customers with a complete package from detection and classification to response to the threat. We take considerable pride in the satisfaction and trust of our current customers. We believe this is one of the primary reasons for the increase of inquiries and requests for quotes for our underwater protection systems.”