Furthermore, evidence presented by Gartner Group, one of the leading IT consultancy companies and several Government Agencies suggests that medium and small businesses are far behind the large businesses in identifying and taking action to remedy their Year 2000 compliance problems. The insidious nature of this problem is compounded by the fact that identical devices, performing well today, may act very differently in the year 2000. This potentially drastic difference in performance is caused simply because a slightly different chip is embedded within them. With this in mind, and in the interest of ensuring safety on our shared waterways, the Coast Guard will act as a clearing house for any lessons learned or problems identified associated with this issue. A major area of concern is the Y2K readiness of the external maritime community.
Modern ships carry multiple computerized systems, and a vast number of embedded chips.
There are fire alarm and sprinkler systems, engine management and alarm systems, radar and navigation systems, cargo handling and tank control systems, and communications networks. The ports they call at also have extensive computer-based infrastructure, including cargo terminal systems and equipment, and traffic management systems.