RAIL

Securing and Tracking Train Cargo in Kenya

Rail freights trains have as many as 100 containers for storing cargo, so it is often used to transport tons of cargo over long distances, making it very cost effective for long-distance freight.

However, the long transport routes make it easy to lose cargo and make the workflow difficult to manage once the train stops in several areas for loading and unloading. Therefore, it is necessary to take certain protection and management measures for train containers.

Customer Needs
“To prevent cargo loss, we need to strictly manage the unlocking and locking authority, so that unauthorized personnel have no access to containers.”

“As a manager of a logistics company, we need to supervise the loading and unloading of cargo in real time. Only when the train arrives at a specific location, the warehouse manager is allowed to open the container. Visualization of the workflow is necessary for us in order to prevent any accidents in the cargo,” said a logistics company manager.

The Solution from Vanma
Vanma’s goal is to prevent unauthorized access to cargo. Management software can authorize Vanma keys to gain access to specific containers, and only assigned warehouse managers have permission to use the keys to open locks.

Temporary access can be granted. When a train arrives at a destination, warehouse managers can request temporary access. When the phone is connected to the key via Bluetooth and the logistics manager can see the geographic location of unlocking and locking.

Complete audit reports can be generated. The person in charge can see all the records of lock opening and closing for easy management. In case of accidents such as lost goods, The responsibility can be tracked effectively.

Why Choose Vanma Lock System?
“You know, actually the smart locks with power have more popularization. And we originally wanted to use an smart electronic lock to manage our process. But when we understand the Vanma lock system, we changed our minds. Vanma Lock System helps to reduce long-term costs. By using Vanma lock system, we save the long-term cost of electrical and manual wiring,” the manager stated. “We applied 1500 locks and 30 keys, and warehouse manager could access all the container with one key in permission without worry of unconvenience of power outage. And we can tracking the data like smart lock system, it also simplifies management process. Vanma provide all services we need. Thier technical department modified the software according to our needs for geolocation and guided the operation. Their timely and effective response made our project go very smoothly.”

AVIATION

10 June 2023: DFW Airport, Fort Worth, Texas

WNBA star Brittney Griner, recently freed from detainment in Russia, was harassed by a man described as a social media “provocateur” at a Dallas airport. Griner was at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport traveling with teammates on their way to a game. Griner was yelled at by the man who was remarking about “the Merchant of Death.” The confrontation got heated eventually leading to the man being tackled and law enforcement becoming involved. Griner subsequently called for more security for players and an announcement was eventually made that she would be traveling on private jets for the remainder of the season.

AVIATION

14 April 2023: Spy Balloon Update

Leaked documents show that U.S. intelligence agencies were aware of up to four additional Chinese spy balloons different to the one that was ultimately shot down off the coast of the U.S. in February. The capabilities of the one that flew over the continental United States during January and February, have been questioned. The balloon carried sensors and antennas according to a document allegedly leaked to a Discord chatroom by Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. Other balloons flew over a U.S. carrier strike group in a previously unreported incident, and one crashed in the South China Sea, a second top-secret document stated. The balloon that flew over the continental U.S. in January and February had sophisticated reconnaissance equipment including synthetic aperture radar. Spy plane photographs of the balloon showed a parabolic dish, sensors and solar panels capable of producing “humongous,” amounts of power. It was about 100 times the amount generated by balloons such as Google’s Loon, which provides internet service, and nearly twice that generated by some orbital SAR satellites, according to a specialist in remote sensing, Paul Byrne, who is an associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis, in a Washington Post report.

MARITIME

25 March 2023: Gulf of Guinea

Six members of a 16-person crew on a Liberia-flagged tanker were held hostage by pirates who boarded the ship in West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea last week, according to the Danish shipper that owns the vessel. Pirates reportedly boarded the Monjasa Reformer near Port Pointe-Noire, Congo, on March 25 and five days later, the French Navy that was patrolling the area, found the ship off the island of Sao Tomé and Principe north of where the pirates boarded. “The pirates had abandoned the vessel and brought some of the crew members with them,” a statement by company spokesman Thorstein Andreasen said. It did not say how they were taken. After the pirates boarded the vessel, the crew sought refuge in a safe area on the ship called a citadel which is the anti-piracy emergency protocol. In spite of this, the pirates somehow managed to take some of the crew hostage. Eventually the six were rescued from an undisclosed location in Nigeria.

AVIATION

18 April 2023: Across the U.S.

Southwest Airlines requested the FAA order a nationwide ground stop of all of the carrier’s flights on 18 April. The FAA lifted the ground stop at every airport except for Love Field in Dallas, Texas, after a few hours. The order wreaked havoc on Southwest’s scheduling, causing around 2,500 Southwest flights, 30 percent of the carrier’s schedule to be delayed, according to data from FlightAware. “Southwest has resumed operations after temporarily pausing flight activity this morning to work through data connection issues. We offer our heartfelt apologies to customers whose journey with us today might be delayed,” a statement release by the airline said.

AVIATION

20 April 2023: Orlando, Florida

A passenger upset over a baby’s extended period of crying let out an outburst of his own on a Southwest Airlines flight. The man threw a fit that forced police to meet the plane when it landed. After the baby had been crying for an extended period of time, the man demanded flight attendants do something about it and began yelling. A video posted to social media shot by a passenger on the plane, shows the flight attendant telling the adult male passenger, “Sir, you are yelling,” and saying, “It’s a baby,’ in response to the man demanding that the baby be made to be quiet. The flight was diverted to Orlando, Florida, but was originally set to go to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The man was met at the gate by airport police.

AVIATION

10 May 2023: Atlanta, Georgia

Kenny Wells, the person who caused chaos at the Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Intl. Airport in November of 2021, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on May 10. Wells was trying to catch a flight but had brought a gun to the airport. A screener searched his bag and video showed Wells reaching into the bag. At that moment, the gun accidentally went off. Wells said he panicked and made a run for it, leaving behind his boarding pass. Wells dumped the stolen gun in a garbage can off airport property. Wells pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

AVIATION

23 May 2023: Uruguay

Police in Uruguay discovered a drug ring that smuggled cocaine from South America to Europe hidden inside surfboards. Counter-narcotics police in Spain, Portugal and Italy, assisted and three Italian citizens were arrested. Officers were alerted to six surfboards by sniffer dogs in Uruguay. The boards were broken open and found to hold 50 kg (110 lb) of cocaine. One board was allowed by the police to continue to its intended destination to track down those receiving it. Officers said the boards were unusually heavy. When they passed through a scanner, the packages could be seen inside. A photo, shown here, which was released by Uruguay’s interior ministry, shows the cocaine from one of the boards after it had been cut open. Police said they believe the Italian smugglers entered Uruguay across the land border with Brazil.

AVIATION

14 May 2023: En route from Seattle to North Carolina

Francisco De Jesus said he was flying with his 13-year-old daughter from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina and while using the plane’s restroom, flight attendants gave his daughter wings, asked if she was OK, where she was going, and who she was going to meet. When the flight landed in Charlotte, De Jesus said that personnel, including the airport’s head of security, met them after they deplaned. “As we’re deplaning, we’re greeted by several individuals. One of them who introduced himself as the head of security for the Charlotte International Airport,” said De Jesus in a news report. De Jesus and his daughter were led through the terminal and law enforcement eventually explained to him that flight attendants alerted them to signs of human trafficking.

MARITIME

22 March 2023: San Francisco

Three barges broke loose during severe storms in California. One barge struck a San Francisco bridge during the severe weather event called a bomb cyclone. A bridge was damaged. The Third Street bridge was closed to traffic as authorities assessed the damage.