MetOcean Wins USCG Contract to Supply SAR Buoy
MetOcean Telematics (MetOcean) won a five-year blanket purchase agreement (BPA) to supply the United States Coast Guard (USCG) with its search and rescue buoy, the Iridium Self Locating Datum Marker Buoy, also known as the iSLDMB.
The United States Coast Guard is a a core-user of the iSLDMB, and during an active SAR event, the MetOcean iSLDMB allows Coast Guards
to quickly travel to the event location via aircraft and then deploy the buoys by air in the region of interest, helping to significantly reduce overall search time.
Each buoy provides vital real-time data at the top 1 meter of the ocean surface, a critical measurement parameter when accurately detecting a person or asset lost at sea.
Each buoy is equipped with an Iridium satellite transceiver, GPS, lightflasher, air, and sea surface temperature sensor. The suite of sensors enables the buoy to provide data through the Iridium satellite network. The Iridium transceiver also allows SARoperators to communicate via satellite with the buoys during an active SAR event. Bi-directional over-the air commands can be sent by operators through MetOcean’s secure LiNC data management system, a critical ability if the buoy enters a region of particular interest or if a SAR event is prolonged and there is a need to conserve battery life to prolong buoy operating life.