New sea satellite system helps South Africans combat piracy

    JOHANNESBURG, March 8 (Xinhua) -- In order to combat piracy¹ and to improve maritime² safety, South African authorities（当局官方） have begun using a sophisticated（复杂的精细的） navigation satellite system, it was announced on Tuesday.
    Piracy, especially by Somalis, has been increasing along Africa east coast in recent years. The South African Press Association (SAPA) reported on Tuesday that Karl Otto, head of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) announced the surveillance tool at a conference in Durban.
    Called Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT), the system monitors and tracks vessels³ in waters south of the equator.
    Otto said the introduction of the LRIT followed concerns over the safety of seafarers, the safety standards of ships within South African waters.
    Otto said there were high levels of cargo⁴ at risk, such as fuels and oils.
    He said reasons for installing the system included the number of shipwrecks⁵ along the South African coast, and the threat of pollution of the marine⁶ environment by ships.
    "It also serves as a mechanism⁷ to prevent piracy."Otto said the satellite system has the capacity to identify and track vessels up to 1,000 nautical⁸ miles (1,850 km) from the South African coastline as well as South African-flagged vessels anywhere in the world.
    "This is a revolutionary development in the security of our seas," he said.
    SAMSA was determined⁹ to protect South Africa's seafarers, its coastline and the marine environment, Otto said.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）

1 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。

2 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

3 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

5 shipwrecks   

海难，船只失事( shipwreck的名词复数 )； 沉船

参考例句：

• Shipwrecks are apropos of nothing. 船只失事总是来得出人意料。
• There are many shipwrecks in these waters. 在这些海域多海难事件。

6 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

8 nautical   

adj.海上的，航海的，船员的

参考例句：

• A nautical mile is 1,852 meters.一海里等于1852米。
• It is 206 nautical miles from our present location.距离我们现在的位置有206海里。

9 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。