Innovative SatComms for Inclusive and Sustainable Fishing (Inmarsat) (IPP funded)

http://www.inmarsat.com

Overview

Environmentally unsustainable fishing, including illegal and unreported fishing, harms the entire value chain, as well as introducing safety and security challenges. This solution uses fishing Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), whereby equipment that is installed on fishing vessels provides information about the vessels’ position and activity.

Solution benefits

  • Provision of communications for vessel captains and fishermen at sea to families and for emergencies.
  • Enables new operational protocols for policing and fisheries management.
  • Improve the policing of illegal fishing and conservation areas via a geo fencing capability.

Key technical features

  • This project uses fishing satellite VMS, whereby equipment that is installed on fishing vessels provides information about the vessels’ position and activity.
  • Inmarsat L-band satellites provide highly reliable global coverage of vessels at sea.
  • The Inmarsat-4 constellation offers two connectivity services IsatData Pro and Fleet One.
  • IsatData Pro (IDP) is an Internet of Things (IoT) messaging system capable of delivering location tracking and basic two-way communications such as text messaging, emergency alerts, and form submission (e.g. electronic catch reports) for a very low-cost.
  • Fleet One enables a richer application environment for productivity tools, including voice capabilities and standardised safety services.

Case studies

Implemented in Indonesia with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), supported by IPP. Working with the Indonesian Ministry of Fisheries and commercial fishing boat owners, the programme is running two pilots. The first is a pilot of 200 vessels under 30 gross tonnes that has demonstrated the benefits of on board SatComms systems saving 20 lives in the first year of operation. It has also improved the ability for fisher folk to communicate with their families as well as changing the manner in which the vessels operate when at sea.

The second pilot is of vessels over 30 gross tonnes using a feature rich FleetOne device, with aims to improve reporting and prove to be a useful tool for reducing Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Organisation overview

As the pioneer and world leader in mobile satellite communications, Inmarsat has been powering global connectivity for nearly four decades. We provide governments, commercial enterprises and humanitarian organisations with mission-critical voice and high-speed data communications on land, at sea and in the air.