25 October 2018 – Recognition of the pivotal role Fleet Safety is playing in modernising the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) gathers momentum, as Inmarsat’s new maritime safety service scoops its second prestigious industry Award in as many weeks.
Inmarsat’s new Fleet Safety service has been named Best Safety Service of the Year in the prestigious IHS Safety at Sea Awards 2018 by a judging panel of recognised authorities in ship ownership, insurance, crewing and training.
The Best Safety Service Award celebrates developments that demonstrate both innovation and effectiveness in enhancing the safety of vessels and seafarers. This year, the service accolade recognises the role Fleet Safety has played in enhancing safety at sea and its part in modernising the IMO’s Global Maritime Distress & Safety System (GMDSS).
Fleet Safety builds on Inmarsat’s maritime safety heritage, which has helped save the lives of countless seafarers over the last 40 years. 160,000 vessels worldwide already use the Inmarsat-C stand-alone safety service, which is provided at no charge by Inmarsat.
Accepting the accolade at a special Safety at Sea awards ceremony held at Le Méridien Piccadilly Hotel in London’s Mayfair, Inmarsat Senior Vice President Safety and Security Peter Broadhurst said: “This Award confirms that our industry is fully engaged with the step change in safety at sea that has been made available via Fleet Safety and in particular the two key service elements: SafetyNET II and RescueNET.”
SafetyNET II and RescueNET have already been used to save lives since their launch in 2017, including playing an instrumental role in the co-ordination of the rescue of a fishing vessel crew of six after they spent three days adrift 200 nautical miles off Tonga.
Continued Peter Broadhurst: “We are especially delighted that our contribution as a provider of services day in, day out has been rewarded, given that improving safety at sea was the mission that Inmarsat committed itself to at IMO on our foundation four decades ago and remains so today.”
Notes to editors
In May, the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) formally approved Inmarsat’s Fleet Safety solution as a new service to support the Global Maritime Distress & Safety System (GMDSS).
Ship owners and operators currently deploying FleetBroadband or Fleet One will be able to access GMDSS approved safety services, as well as a host of new innovative safety features only available via the Inmarsat Fleet Safety system, by the addition of a small Maritime Safety Terminal (MST). Inmarsat intends to create a new generation of stand-alone terminals that will both incorporate FleetBroadband and MST into a single device and deliver higher speeds, in excess of 1Mbps.
Fleet Safety is currently installed on a number of vessels transiting around the globe and in partnership with Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Riga, Inmarsat has already undertaken a number of Search and Rescue (SAR) exercises with plans to carry out a larger scale exercise utilising multi-country MRCCs using RescueNET and multiple vessels equipped with current GMDSS equipment and Fleet Safety.
The new service will be delivered over the existing Inmarsat-4 constellation and the new Inmarsat-6 satellites; the first of which is due for launch in 2020.
SafetyNET II and RescueNET enhance communications available to seafarers in distress and enable swifter action by the organisations planning and executing search and rescue operations. SafetyNET II is a new web-based version of SafetyNET, the international system for broadcasting and automatic reception of Maritime Safety Information (MSI) and SAR communications. RescueNET is a free, web-based service for MRCCS to enhance real-time coordination during SAR operations.
About Inmarsat
Inmarsat is the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services. Since 1979, Inmarsat has been providing reliable voice and high-speed data communications to governments, enterprises and other organisations, with a range of services that can be used on land, at sea or in the air. Inmarsat operates around the world, with a presence in the major ports and centres of commerce on every continent. Inmarsat is listed on the London Stock Exchange (ISAT.L).
The Inmarsat press release newsfeed and corporate updates are on @InmarsatGlobal.
For further information:
Jonathan Sinnatt
Director of Corporate Communications
Inmarsat Corporate
+44 (0)20 7728 1492
press@inmarsat.com
Mark Warner
Head of Marketing
Inmarsat Maritime
+44 (0)20 7728 1654
mark.warner@inmarsat.com
Debbi Bonner
Managing Director
JLA Media
+31 (0)20 470 0619
debbi.bonner@j-l-a.com
