Notification Devices News

NTSB Issues Safety Alert on Personal Locator Devices for Mariners

A new safety alert issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) urges vessel owners and operators to provide each crewmember with a personal locator device. These devices improve a mariner’s chance of rescue during an emergency.During an emergency at sea, a mariner’s chance of survival decreases if search and rescue cannot quickly and accurately identify their location. Personal locator devices, such as personal locator beacons (PLB) or satellite emergency notification devices (SEND), can accurately pinpoint a person’s location.

Personal Locator Beacons Improve the Chance of Rescue at Sea

New Year’s Eve is a time of celebration and remembrance. Three years ago, on December 31, 2019, as the new year was being rung in across the lower 48 states, a tragedy was playing out in icy Alaskan waters. The fishing vessel Scandies Rose, with seven crew members aboard, encountered severe icing conditions and high winds and waves as it transited from Kodiak to fishing grounds in the Bering Sea. The crabber tried to make it to Sutwik Island to shelter from the storm; however…

Dangerous Business: Ecuadorian Fishing Fleet to Fit Tracker System

Leader in satellite messaging and emergency notification technologies, Globalstar, says that its Value Added Reseller, VehSmart, of Victorville, California, has been awarded the first regional pilot project of its kind for Ecuador, which will outfit the Ecuadorian artisanal fishing fleet with life-saving satellite tracking and emergency notification devices. The project will initially outfit 4,000 small fishing boats with Globalstar's leading satellite transmitter, the SmartOne. SmartOne devices will provide Ecuadorian fishermen and women with a means for help at sea when facing a life-threatening emergency including piracy. By linking to Ecuador's National Emergency Response System…