For some, the image of a marine vessel navigating the vast Atlantic Ocean on a dark, foggy night in inclement weather and with no radar to safely maneuver around obstacles in its path is more blockbuster movie than reality. For mariners, the picture the words paint is the potential hazardous reality of working and playing on the high seas.

“Radar interference is a major safety problem for our vessels,” said Megan Lapp, the fisheries liaison for a Rhode Island-based seafood company who has spent…