France Telecom SSAS Available on Inmarsat-C, Mini-C

France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications upgraded its land earth station in Aussaguel, France to ensure that its Inmarsat-C and Mini-C services are SSAS-compatible. The SSAS heightens security on board ship in the event of attack enabling captain or crew to send out a ‘covert’ alert and rapidly obtain assistance. With piracy and attacks at sea becoming increasingly widespread, the IMO (International Maritime Organization) has designated that all ships exceeding 500 tonnes must equip the SSAS by July 1, 2004.

The SSAS is a one-way, ship-to-shore security system available with compatible Inmarsat-C and Mini-C terminals. It enables crew on board to trigger an alert without the attackers’ knowledge thanks to a minimum of two activation points placed in strategic positions on the ship. The alert, with both the ship’s identity and position, is then transmitted via satellite by e-mail, telex or SMS to the ship’s flag state authority. The authority in turn requests for the nearest coastal emergency services to come to the ship’s assistance.

With the SSAS-compatible, reliable Mini-C terminal by Thrane & Thrane (Capsat TT-3000SSA), the ship owner can programme the addresses of three shipping authorities of his choice. France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications charges no monthly fee for SSAS usage via this terminal. Alert messages are instead invoiced according to the format in which they are sent (e-mail, telex, SMS etc.) as with the standard Inmarsat-C service.