The Imso News

Captain David J.F. Bruce, Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and Senior Deputy Commissioner of Maritime Affairs, RMI Maritime Administrator passed away on Friday, 29 September 2023. He was a loving husband to Alison for 53 years, father to Gwendoline, and grandfather to Alison and Alexander. Captain Bruce had a storied career and connection with the sea, first going to work at sea in 1957 after his studies at Melville College in Edinburgh…

Lars Thrane A/S is pleased to announce the release of Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) functionality for the MED/Wheelmark approved LT-3100S GMDSS System.The LT-3100S GMDSS System is an Iridium GMDSS satellite communications product developed and certified to comply with the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Chapter IV Radiocommunication Requirements. Iridium was recognized and adopted as GMDSS Service Provider - the International Maritime Safety Organization (IMSO) issued Letter of Compliance December 19…

Satellite communications provider Iridium Communications Inc. announced Tuesday that its Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) service officially went live on Friday, December 11, ending a monopoly held by rival Inmarsat and enhancing the integrity of global safety communications for seafarers globally.GMDSS is an internationally regulated service, governed by the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention. It provides life-saving assistance to seafarers in distress and has required equipment on board more than 60…

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has published its remote meetings calendar for the rest of 2020 after its initial agenda of IMO Council and Committees sessions was scrapped due to the coronavirus pandemic.The first scheduled meeting is set to be a simultaneous, remote extraordinary sessions of all Committees (expected to be held 16-18 September), to address procedural matters. This follows decisions of the IMO Council's thirty second extraordinary session (summary here C.ES 32)…

Iridium Communication signed on to provide Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) service.On December 19, 2019 a Letter of Compliance was signed by the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), stating it has positively verified the operational and technical requirements as requested by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for Iridium to provide Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) service. Iridium’s GMDSS service is bringing many capabilities to the maritime industry…

Iridium Communications announced the first seven companies it has authorized to provide its Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) services, planned for commercial introduction in the first half of 2020. The seven companies, Arion Communications, AST, Marlink, Marsat, NSSLGlobal, Satcom Global and Speedcast will be the first in the industry to provide truly global satellite GMDSS service to mariners, and the first to offer a new choice in satellite network and equipment.

Iridium Communications and partner Lars Thrane, has unveiled the Lars Thrane (LT) 3100S terminal designed to operate on the Iridium network for Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) vessel carriage requirements, with service targeted to launch in January 2020. This is the first terminal designed to provide truly global GMDSS services and is the first to be offered after the International Maritime Organization’s decision to recognize Iridium as just the second-ever satellite provider for this critical service.

A Historic Public Services Agreement has been signed as Iridium Continues Readying GMDSS Services for Launch. International Mobile Satellite Organization and Iridium continue progress towards Iridium’s January 2020 GMDSS Debut.Iridium Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: IRDM) announced today the signing of their Public Services Agreement (PSA) with the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), which details the conditions for IMSO to act as regulator and maintain oversight…

The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) announces the appointment of Captain Dwain E. Hutchinson as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Captain Hutchinson succeeds Commodore Davy F. Rolle, who stepped down as Director last year.Captain Hutchinson is a proud Bahamian from Nassau, New Providence island, where he completed his tertiary education before commencing his maritime studies in Scotland at Glasgow College of Nautical Studies. Qualified with a UK Master Mariner (Unlimited) STCW Certificate of Competency…

The Plurinational State of Bolivia has become the 104th country to join the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO), the inter-governmental body that oversees the provision of certain satellite-based maritime distress communication services. The IMSO Convention was adopted by International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 1976 to establish and oversee satellite communications for shipping. Ms. Giovanna Lenny Vidal, Charge d'Affaires, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and IMSO Director General Capt. Moin Ahmed to deposit the instrument of accession to the Convention. The Convention on the International Maritime Satellite Organization was adopted by IMO in 1976 to establish and oversee satellite communications for shipping.

Inmarsat (ISAT.L) has made available five Fleet One units to a pilot initiative that aims to bring change to the way ships connecting island communities in the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu communicate. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) endorsed capacity-building pilot program is the result of cooperation between the International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) and the Government of Vanuatu under the leadership of the Ambassador of Vanuatu to the IMO. Waterborne…

The role of Inmarsat as sole provider of satellite technology performing to Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) standards is set for advancement, after an IMO Sub Committee decided to greenlight consideration of both FleetBroadband and Fleet One for formal approval. To date, Inmarsat is the only company which has received approval from the International Maritime Organization to provide the GMDSS data and messaging communications on which mariners rely in the last resort, currently via Inmarsat C and Fleet 77 services.

Improving maritime security through surveillance monitoring and communication systems is on the agenda at an IMO seminar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (24-27 October). The event is supporting senior officials from ten east-Asian coastal states, with a wide range of responsibilities surrounding maritime surveillance monitoring and communications, coastal and port security to gain a deeper understanding of practical measures in these fields. Security challenges such as piracy and armed robbery, terrorist fighters, organized crime and mixed migration are being discussed, as well as the maritime communication and ship tracking and monitoring systems, such as AIS, LRIT, coastal radar, monitoring control and surveillance systems.

Fiji has acceded to six IMO treaties, including important conventions covering ballast water management and the control of harmful anti-fouling systems on ships. This brings the number of States party to the Ballast Water Management Convention to 49, with the aggregate remaining at 34.82 percent of the world's merchant fleet tonnage (based on global tonnage data as at end-February 2016). Jitoko Tikolevu, High Commissioner of Fiji to the United Kingdom, met IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim to deposit the instruments of accession.

On February 4, 2014, the IMSO Director General launched an Consultancy Program inviting appropriate experts to assist in the evaluation of mobile satellite communications systems for the GMDSS. The IMO Maritime Safety Committee, at its 94th session in November 2014, agreed that IMSO should undertake the technical and operational evaluation of the Iridium mobile satellite system to assess compliance with the relevant criteria for recognition as GMDSS satellite provider, noting that IMSO would convene a Group of Experts from the abovementioned Consultancy Program. IMSO has formalized an agreement with Iridium Satellite LLC to perform such technical and operational evaluation and the IMSO Director General has reported progress to the IMO Sub-Committee on Navigation…

Georgia has become the 100th Party to the Convention on the International Maritime Satellite Organization (IMSO C 1976) and accepted the 2008 amendments, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) said in a news statement. His Excellency Revaz Gachechiladze, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative of Georgia to IMO; and Captain Mamuka Akhaladze, Director of the Maritime Transport Agency, Georgia met with IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu to deposit the instrument of accession. They were joined by Director General, Capt.

The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), which met at the Organization's London headquarters for its 94th session, from November 17-21, 2014, approved draft SOLAS amendments to make mandatory the International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low- flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code); adopted other SOLAS amendments; continued its work on its action plan on passenger ship safety; and approved and adopted a number of items put forward by the subcommittees. The MSC also adopted the Polar Code and related amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) to make it mandatory.

ITU World Telecommunications and Information Society Day - WTISD 2014, was celebrated on 16th May 2014 at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva to mark the signing of the first International Telegraph Convention in 1865 and the creation of the ITU. Broadband for Sustainable Development was the theme of the high level meeting that took place on the occasion and which was attended by the IMSO Director General. industries, conduct long distance diagnosis and treatments in remote locations, and promote innovative educational applications around the world. All of these elements mentioned by the UN Secretary-General are relevant to communications at sea: monitoring transport systems…

The IMSO Director General, Captain Esteban Pacha-Vicente, today announced that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has acceded to the IMSO Convention, bringing the total membership to 98. Captain Pacha has formally welcomed the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to the membership of IMSO and expresses his satisfaction for the increased interest of nonmember States, which are considering or in the process of joining IMSO, in the activities of the Organization. Captain Pacha continues to promote the values of IMSO and to encourage both Member and non-member States to be actively involved in the activities of the Organization.

International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) visited by International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General. The purpose of the visit was to discuss matters of mutual interest, in particular in the field of the future of maritime communications and how new technologies would support the sustainability of the maritime sector. IMSO Director General, Captain Esteban Pacha-Vicente, said: “IMSO is honoured to receive Mr Sekimizu on his first visit to IMSO in his capacity as the IMO Secretary-General, although he has in the past attended many IMSO meetings.

At the recent IMO sub-committee meeting in London discussion focused especially on the work of revising and modernising the GMDSS system which stipulates regulations and standards for maritime distress and safety communication. The GMDSS system has been operative for about 20 years, and technological developments have indicated a need for revision. Consequently, a work plan for a revision and modernization of the GMDSS system was agreed upon, and this work is planned to be finalized in 2017. It was recognised important for maritime safety that a private satellite provider is technically and operationally robust, although it is complicated to make an assessment of an applicant…

London, 16 May 2011 (Ministry of Development). In an event organized at the headquarters of the Embassy of Spain in London, Captain Esteban Pacha presented the programme of his candidacy to the Ambassadors, Permanent Representatives and Directors of the Maritime Administrations of most IMO Council Member States. The event was attended by the Spanish Director General of Merchant Marine Ms Isabel Durantez. The current Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos ends his term at the…

An international fund is urgently needed in order to establish search and rescue (SAR) services along the African coastlines, including the setting up of up to five regional Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCCs) and 26 Maritime Rescue Sub-Centres (MRSCs), the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) has agreed. MSC Chairman Mr. Tom Allan (United Kingdom) said the Committee would recommend to the IMO Council, which meets in June, that an international SAR Fund is established as soon as possible to support the establishment and continued maintenance of the MRCCs and MRSCs in Africa. The aim is to ensure that the basic communications…