Fishing

Satellite Communications
Safety at Sea - Insurance for Blue Water Fishing

The high seas can be an unpredictable and dangerous environment where reliable communications for assistance and information are indispensable. This has recently been brought back to our attention by the recent best selling account of the tragic events surrounding the loss of a blue water fishing vessel off the coast of Nova Scotia during the "mother of all storms", hurricane Grace (October 1991). It causes one to wonder if the Inmarsat "C" satellite communicator introduced that year, with its safety at sea features, had been available, would the tragic outcome been different.

Today, access to highly reliable, easy to use and economical satellite communications links with built in safety at sea and distress alerting capability are available for all size vessels, from cargo and passenger carriers and commercial fishing, to recreational sailing craft as small as 30 feet. Satellite systems (Satcoms) designed for the marine environment have seen significant advances since their



	“If someone is injured on board or there is a safety problem out at sea, uou can immediately alert the rescue services and take any necessary action a lot more quickly than using traditional radio communications,” Gilbert Duduyer The Fisher Bank

inception twenty years ago, providing voice, telex, fax and data services allowing the mariner to operate a commercial business office easily from sea.

One system, Inmarsat C, is especially suitable to fleet operators of fishing vessels under 100 feet in length. It was developed as a low cost satcom suitable for fitting on a vessel of any size, large or small. However, Its size and weight, slightly larger than a car radio with a small five pound omnidirectional antenna, made it especially suitable for fishing vessels that were too small for the standard large and expensive Inmarsat antenna installation. This system does not provide voice communications, but provides a means of sending text messages (fax/telex/e-mail), in a very short time. This system requires the user on the vessel to prepare the message/data on their end terminal (PC) and transmit it via the Inmarsat C system. The shore based operator would receive the message after a delay of a few minutes, and then respond by returning a message addressed to the Inmarsat C over the public switched network. Any person familiar with electronic mail systems, including Internet e-mail, will readily understand how Inmarsat C functions to deliver, view, print and/or store a message. Shore-based service providers offer Internet e-mail connection and regularly updated weather reports, medical information, and news. It also makes possible a range of services such as data reporting, position reporting, and polling. Vessel operators can program their C satcom to transmit regular data reports, including GPS coordinates, on the condition of their vessel and other operational information to shore-based fleet managers. Alternatively, shore-based managers and families of vessel operator can 'poll' or interrogate the vessel, automatically or manually, for receiving the same type of information. Coupled with its Enhanced Group Call (EGC) capabilities, vessels are able to automatically receive a category of messages known as SafetyNETTM and FleetNETTM. SafetyNETTM is a free broadcast service the same as NAVTEX directed to vessels in or approaching specific geographic regions such as the area around a storm warning, hazard to navigation, or a ship in distress. The vessel only receives these safety at sea messages for the area the vessel is operating in. FleetNETTM is a subscribed service for fleet owners to broadcast private messages to a group of its vessels. In addition, Inmarsat C's automatic distress calling feature, with fast and reliable alert calling to the Rescue Coordination Centers (RCC) in closest proximity to the vessel in distress, is unparalleled by any other marine communications system.

In December, Inmarsat announced the commissioning and activation of the 100,000th Inmarsat C of all classes (land mobile, aeronautical and marine) since the inception of this digital communication device in 1991. This "bench mark" satcom was one of 3,938 "Cs" installed on fishing vessels and was placed on the Rorqual IV, a 112 ton French fishing trawler based in L'Orient, Brittany. This vessel with its crew of six, specializes in fishing for Dublin Bay prawns in the North Sea. The boat, which is owned by Fisher Bank, makes between 20 and 25 fishing excursions per year, each trip lasting 14 days.

According to Gilbert Duduyer, of the Fisher Bank, the owners, the prime advantage of Inmarsat-C lies in safety communications:

”If someone is injured on board or there is a safety problem out at sea, uou can immediately alert the rescue services and take any necessary action a lot more quickly than using traditional radio communications," explained Mr. Duduyer.

"Inmarsat-C also gives Fisher Bank a commercial advantage. Using information transmitted via Inmarsat-C, Rorqual IV pre-sells their catch before arriving at port, choosing the landing site and customer offering the best prices. They also make real time decisions about which species to fish and which areas to work based on market reports received from their offices via Inmarsat".

According to Mr. Duduyer, "Inmarsat-C allows the boat to keep in contact with the fishing port and tell them how much they've caught.

This enables them to select the date when the boat should return to the port to sell the catch".

"It can therefore be used to find out what the Rorqual IV has caught and maybe alter the date of the sale according to trends in market prices."

"Furthermore, Inmarsat-C also offers considerable time savings in maintenance work on the trawler. A technical problem such as an equipment fault can be clearly specified to a head office by fax, so a solution, including spare parts, is ready as the boat approaches the port".

“So, in the event of a problem you can easily take preventative measures and, if necessary, order components to repair the boat while it's on its way. This saves time." explained Mr. Duduyer.

"And while traditional radio communications can be easily received by competing fishing boats, Inmarsat-C communications between the Rorqual IV and shore remain strictly confidential".

Inmarsat statistics show that the European fishing industry has adopted this technology to a greater extent than the rest of the world. Of the total Inmarsat Cs installed on fishing vessels, 70% are European, 10% North American (US & Canada), 9% South American, 6% Australian, and 5% the rest of the world.


	BACK