Modernisation of GMDSS Equipment - by IMO

Shipping safety communications need modernising to incorporate the latest technology and improve services that seafarers rely on in an emergency. Therefore, it is good to see IMO is making progress on the modernisation programme of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety system, which was developed 30 years ago. This was one of the many subjects discussed at last week’s meeting of the Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue, or NCSR for short. The sub-committee reviewed plans to update key elements of safety and emergency alert and response. It discussed updating the GMDSS offering from Inmarsat to officially include FleetBroadband terminals and Inmarsat’s fourth generation of satellites, as Inmarsat intends to begin taking its third generation satellites out of service from 2020. NCSR also discussed adding Iridium’s global satellite network to GMDSS. Iridium has been testing its existing and Next generation of low Earth orbit satelli...

From the moment the Ballast Water Management Convention was adopted in 2004, shipowners have been well aware that at some point they would need to fit a ballast treatment system to new and existing vessels unless the ship in question was to be scrapped before the implementation date. Some others would have been aware of the possibility that an exemption might be possible under the Same Risk Area rules but will have been frustrated to see little official action in this regard. Because of the different regulatory regimes, owners that trade to the US will already have been obliged to fit ballast treatment systems but the number of such ships represents only around 10% of the world fleet. Even taking into account the unexpected extension allowed by the IMO in 2017, it is now time for their owners to consider choosing a system and take account of the many factors that will influence the final choice. With such a wide choice of systems and technologies there is almost certa...

Shipping and other maritime industries will benefit from the faster broadband communications that SES’s latest satellite will bring after it is launched in March. SES-12 is billed as the most powerful communications satellite in the world yet to be in orbit. It will be using electric power of up to 19 kW to operate high throughput Ku-band spot beams over Asia. Airbus Defence and Space, which built this satellite, was tested its radio frequency capabilities when  Marine Electronics & Communications  visited its assembly plant in Toulouse, in France. You will be able to read more of the details in this year’s Complete Guide to VSAT, but in summary, SES-12 will provide higher bandwidth to ships, offshore vessels and cruise ships in Asia once it is commissioned. Barring any accidents during a March launch this should be in the second, or more likely, third quarter. Ku-band spot beams will be aimed over the Indian Ocean and seas around south east Asia. There wil...

The latest meeting of IMO’s Sub-Committee on Navigation, Communications and Search and Rescue (NCSR) concludes this week, focusing on core areas relating to safety at sea including GMDSS, e-Navigation and vessel tracking. Among the meeting agenda items was a review of progress in IMO’s ongoing work to modernise the Global Maritime Distress and Safety system (GMDSS). The GMDSS was adopted in 1988 to provide an infrastructure to ensure that distress alerts can be sent from anywhere on the world’s oceans. The modernisation plan aims to update those provisions in line with subsequent advances in technology, including an allowance for the incorporation of new satellite communication services. E-navigation issues on the agenda included a focus on promoting harmonisation and standardisation across the industry to drive the effective implementation of IMO’s strategy, which aims to harness the benefits of integrated high-tech navigation solutions. Draft Guidelines on standardised m...

How to calculate Drain Current and GMDSS battery life during GMDSS SRC Under normal circumstances, it is but natural for the ship staff to get confused with the drain current of GMDSS equipment during survey. This often leads to complicated situation where  a proper explanation becomes crucial to convince the Class surveyor especially if the battery is more than two years old. As per IMO, the GMDSS battery (reserve source) should be replaced once in 3 years irrespective of the condition of the battery after three years. The battery has to be subjected to a capacity load test (similar to your daily routine and weekly routine) once in a month. This is basically done by connecting 6 x 100W DC bulb in series connected to the GMDSS battery. Let us look into a  situation as follows: 1. the above load is connected and 0900 hrs (lt) - Specific gravity and the voltage is recorded at this time. 2. At an interval of 30 minutes, the specific gravity and the voltage...

Do you struggle to sort out navtex warnings ?  If yes, you are not alone Navtex is as important equipment as any other equipment on the wheel house. But sometimes we tend to give Navtex a step motherly treatment by keeping it last in priority list. One reason for that is we are never sure how to handle Navtex. If we know how it works and how best we can handle Navtex on board, handling Navtex messages will be as easy as eating a pie of cake. 1. What is the source of Navtex messages Navtex station receives these messages from navtex coordinator who in turn receives these messages from various sources. These sources include Meteorological office, Hyrdrographic office or   rescue coordination centers   (RCC). What is the difference between service area and range of the Navtex station ? A navtex station have a pre-defined area for which it is responsible for sending information. This is called service area of navtex stat...

LOAD TEST OR CAPACITY TEST OF A GMDSS BATTERY (24VDC) Over the years of experience as a radio surveyor, it has been observed that the most common mistake that the ship staff does is the maintenance of the GMDSS battery (reserve source). This emergency source is often misunderstood for compliance. In a nutshell let us have a look into what is this emergency source is all about: As per SOLAS regulations it is mandatory for all vessels built after 1995 to have on board an emergency generator. Older ships might have an emergency generator or a battery bank as emergency source. When we speak of sources of energy it is as below:  Main source of energy - Main Generator. emergency source - This supplies power to emergency lights and other applications on board and it is  not the one supplying power to GMDSS equipment. The reserve source of energy is normally a 24V DC - lead acid battery which primarily caters to the communication equipment needs only. The AH c...