Voice Distress Service Wins Award
The Inmarsat Voice Distress (Non-SOLAS) service was launched last year to enhance safety communication on commercial and leisure vessels. It utilises FleetBroadband to provide priority call access - interrupting all non-distress calls as soon as the red distress button is pushed. The emergency caller is then connected to an operator at one of three Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCCs) strategically located around the globe. The judges received a record-breaking number of entries for the annual awards, which celebrate the role that safety managers and manufacturers play in saving and protecting life at sea across the international maritime market.
Inmarsat Launches Voice Distress Service on Fleetbroadband
Inmarsat (LSE:ISAT) has announced the commercial availability of a new voice distress service on FleetBroadband. The free-to-use service ensures that, in the event of an emergency, all non-priority telephone calls underway on the vessel’s FleetBroadband are interrupted, connecting the caller directly to a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC). The new voice distress service requires a simple software and hardware add-on, which provides a ‘red button’ for one-touch easy use. The new service also utilises the enhanced capability of the FleetBroadband network, as it simultaneously sends an email to the MRCC and network controllers to alert them to a call, providing additional data such as vessel name, identification and position.
