Inmarsat, IT Partners Bring IP-based Broadband to Fisheries Market

Real-time fisheries management and governance to ensure robust quota compliance and safeguard sustainable fishing.

Inmarsat, along with its partners Addvalue Innovation Pte Ltd (Addvalue) and Network Innovations, have launched a type-approved IP-based terminal and Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) for fishing vessels operating in United States (U.S.) waters. The Addvalue iFleetONE communications terminal and proprietary VMS have been type-approved in four of the five U.S. Fisheries Management regions, as required by the U.S. National Maritime Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of Law Enforcement (OLE). Type approval in the fifth region has been applied for.

Inmarsat’s Eric Griffin, VP for Offshore & Fishing, said: “This high-speed broadband terminal and VMS combination will transform regulatory compliance, fisheries governance in U.S. waters to sustain fish numbers and protect vital ocean habitats. Meanwhile, commercial fishermen will now have access to voice and data services, enhancing crew welfare and providing reliable communications between fishing crews and their families and friends ashore.”

An estimated 4,000 legally licensed commercial fishing vessels are permitted to fish in U.S. Fisheries Management regions. They are required to report their GPS positions via a type-approved secure satellite link. iFleetONE VMS is the first and only mobile satellite terminal to provide secure VMS services for NMFS with full-featured voice and IP-based communications capabilities.

The iFleetONE VMS promises to enable stakeholders in the VMS ecosystem, including NMFS Law Enforcement, fisheries management officials and other end users to have a suitable platform to develop many new and innovative applications that have been limited previously by the lack of availability and affordability of legacy technologies.

The iFleetONE proposition enters the substantial U.S. fisheries market with a terminal and broadband system incorporating IP connectivity based on the guaranteed performance available via Inmarsat L-band services. Satellite communications systems specialist Network Innovations will provide a range of airtime plans and packages to support the service, both for data and voice communications.