Inmarsat takes up award for safety

Inmarsat E+ is the first radio beacon in the world to provide the mariner in distress with confirmation that his or her distress beacon alert has been received.

Experts agree that, in extreme conditions, the knowledge that the distress call has been received will increase the mariner's will to live, which is vital to his or her survival. "We are absolutely delighted to win this award," said Samer Halawi, regional director for Inmarsat Ltd. "Delighted for our team and for Inmarsat's EPIRB manufacturers. It underscores our ongoing commitment to fulfil our public services obligations."

Mr. Pravin Raghavan, general manager of Tile Marine, a leading name in Marine Services offered in the UAE & Middle East, explained that:" The EPIRB is a compulsory unit that all ships around the world should have on board. These are units that automatically broadcast the ship data and position that assists the Rescue Co-ordinating Centres to identify and locate the vessel in distres.

Most of the ships in the Middle East are still using EPIRBs that use LEO satellite systems on low frequencies, which causes delay in receiving urgent distress calls." He continues: "Inmarsat E+ brings a new and important dimension to EPIRB transmission. Along with being able to provide fast forwarding alarm signals without delay on Inmarsat's geo-satellites and on high frequencies, Inmarsat E+ enables ships to receive confirmation that its call has been received and help is on its way."

An E+ alert signal transmitted via Inmarsat satellite is received at the maritime rescue co-ordinating centre (MRCC), typically in less than a minute. The distress alert contains the beacon's position and date/time from its internal GPS, plus a unique system code as its identifier.

Immediately the signal arrives at the Inmarsat land earth station, it is rebroadcast back to the beacon at high power. A receiver inside the E+ beacon recognises its own unique system code and causes a lamp on the EPIRB to light, confirming to the mariner that the distress call has been received.

The rebroadcast is also received at participating MRCCs. These are equipped with highly sensitive satellite receivers and download the Inmarsat E+ rebroadcast, typically within five minutes of transmission. Decoded data includes position information accurate to within 300 metres.

Inmarsat E+ uses the same proven technology that supports all of Inmarsat's provision of Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) services, providing better than 99.9% availability in order to satisfy the requirements of the International Maritime Organisation.

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