Logan radar to warn of big ships in Boston harbor

John Bohn/Globe Staff

A boat sailed by as an airliner landed at a Logan runway last summer.

By Globe Staff

Officials at Boston's Logan International Airport plan to unveil a new radar system Wednesday that will detect large ships in Boston Harbor near one of the airport runways when visibility is poor.

The $1.3 million system will add to an infrared camera system that is already used to detect ships in the main channel of the Port of Boston when weather conditions obscure the view from the air traffic control tower, officials said.

"It's another level of safety," said airport spokesman Richard Walsh.

Walsh said the radar will be used at Runway 4R, where arriving planes fly over the harbor on their way to touching down. The radar is designed to detect ships that are 85 feet high or more. The airport is the first in the nation to have such a system, officials said in a statement.