ISRO to set up satellite terminals on fishing boats in 13 coastal states
1 view
Skip to first unread message
Sailor John
Jun 19, 2023, 10:30:24 PM6/19/23
to SeaSafetySouthAsia
*This whole exercise of establishing ground stations with satellite terminals is being touted as a two-way communication between fishermen and the shore but that is not the case. It's just a two-way communication between the transponder fitted on fishing boats and the ground station via satellite.
This transponder:
(1) is quite like an EPIRB used on merchant ships that will float free during a capsize and begin transmitting its position. Once all the men are in the water, this is the only way they can communicate their distress. Fair enough but a full capsize is not the only accident that happens out at sea. Men get seriously injured while handling deck and engine room machinery of deep sea boats and also fall seriously ill (cardiac arrests for eg), which require them to be air-lifted to the nearest hospital very quickly.
(2) also has the facility to display multilingual text messages sent from the ground station which means the station can send warnings in the form of text messages that fishermen will have to check regularly or may be alerted by a beep or some audio alert. If there are regular beeps then the chances are they will be ignored unless they have specific tones for each alert that the fishermen have to be made aware of.
As far as I know, there is no facility in the transponder where the fishermen can communicate with the ground station via text messaging. If there is, then contemporary fishermen will be able to use it like whatsapp and contact the ground station as long as they are in the boat and in distress. I have serious doubts if this facility ships with the most recent transponders bc the earlier ones did not have it.
So there we are back to square one, where ISRO is still continuing to establish everything BUT a two-way voice communication system between fishermen and ground stations or the coast.
This transponder:
(1) is quite like an EPIRB used on merchant ships that will float free during a capsize and begin transmitting its position. Once all the men are in the water, this is the only way they can communicate their distress. Fair enough but a full capsize is not the only accident that happens out at sea. Men get seriously injured while handling deck and engine room machinery of deep sea boats and also fall seriously ill (cardiac arrests for eg), which require them to be air-lifted to the nearest hospital very quickly.
(2) also has the facility to display multilingual text messages sent from the ground station which means the station can send warnings in the form of text messages that fishermen will have to check regularly or may be alerted by a beep or some audio alert. If there are regular beeps then the chances are they will be ignored unless they have specific tones for each alert that the fishermen have to be made aware of.
As far as I know, there is no facility in the transponder where the fishermen can communicate with the ground station via text messaging. If there is, then contemporary fishermen will be able to use it like whatsapp and contact the ground station as long as they are in the boat and in distress. I have serious doubts if this facility ships with the most recent transponders bc the earlier ones did not have it.
So there we are back to square one, where ISRO is still continuing to establish everything BUT a two-way voice communication system between fishermen and ground stations or the coast.
Wondering what happened to the 100 satellite phones that the TN govt distributed to clusters of deep sea boats. Never heard of them after the launch of the pilot.
Now, the press release:
ISRO to set up satellite terminals on fishing boats in 13 coastal states
To establish better communication with vessels in sea and monitor Indian waters more efficiently, NewSpace India Ltd, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), is setting up mobile satellite service (MSS) terminals on at least one lakh motorised and fishing boats across 13 coastal states, officials said.
NewSpace India has started selecting private vendors to supply, install and commission MSS terminals for establishing vessel communication and support system in marine fishing vessels for monitoring, control and surveillance, they said, requesting anonymity.
“The overall scope of work of the project includes establishment of a dedicated MSS satcom network for supporting emergency communication and tracking of maritime assets Xponders. This includes establishment of dedicated 9m/11m C-band ground station and hub baseband system, arranging for satellite bandwidth and guiding required service approvals and building satellite terminals for field deployment across nine coastal states and four union territories,” the company’s proposal document said.
The system will be powered by India’s own navigation satellite system, NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), which was launched by Isro last month.
The network will consist of dedicated ground stations and satellite terminals for field deployment to provide better security to fishermen in Indian waters and improve national security. These Xponders will be installed in coastal states, including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Maharashtra, Daman and Diu, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep and West Bengal.
Once the network is established, authorities will be able to form a two-way communication system with fishermen, access locations periodically, issue emergency weather alerts, issue alerts for international water border violations and also provide accurate navigation alerts, officials said.
“All Xponders will have in-built wifi and bluetooth transceivers to communicate. A multilingual app is also being developed to allow communication between the app and transponders,” an official said.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/newspace-india-ltd-to-install-satellite-terminals-on-1-lakh-fishing-boats-in-13-coastal-states-to-monitor-indian-waters-101687115022785.html
ISRO to set up satellite terminals on fishing boats in 13 coastal states
To establish better communication with vessels in sea and monitor Indian waters more efficiently, NewSpace India Ltd, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), is setting up mobile satellite service (MSS) terminals on at least one lakh motorised and fishing boats across 13 coastal states, officials said.
NewSpace India has started selecting private vendors to supply, install and commission MSS terminals for establishing vessel communication and support system in marine fishing vessels for monitoring, control and surveillance, they said, requesting anonymity.
“The overall scope of work of the project includes establishment of a dedicated MSS satcom network for supporting emergency communication and tracking of maritime assets Xponders. This includes establishment of dedicated 9m/11m C-band ground station and hub baseband system, arranging for satellite bandwidth and guiding required service approvals and building satellite terminals for field deployment across nine coastal states and four union territories,” the company’s proposal document said.
The system will be powered by India’s own navigation satellite system, NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), which was launched by Isro last month.
The network will consist of dedicated ground stations and satellite terminals for field deployment to provide better security to fishermen in Indian waters and improve national security. These Xponders will be installed in coastal states, including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Maharashtra, Daman and Diu, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep and West Bengal.
Once the network is established, authorities will be able to form a two-way communication system with fishermen, access locations periodically, issue emergency weather alerts, issue alerts for international water border violations and also provide accurate navigation alerts, officials said.
“All Xponders will have in-built wifi and bluetooth transceivers to communicate. A multilingual app is also being developed to allow communication between the app and transponders,” an official said.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/newspace-india-ltd-to-install-satellite-terminals-on-1-lakh-fishing-boats-in-13-coastal-states-to-monitor-indian-waters-101687115022785.html
Sailor John
Jun 21, 2023, 7:35:59 AM6/21/23
to SeaSafetySouthAsia
*Forgot to add that this transponder also allows continuous tracking of the boats like a vessel monitoring system or AIS.
Here's a news report from the UK of a botched attempt at installing a tracking system on fishing boats. Apparently the transponders were not transmitting the position of the boats to the ground station continuously and were also ineffective in some areas where geographical features were not favourable. This article alleges that proper sea trials were not conducted before implementing.
FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATION: LESSONS MUST BE LEARNED FROM IVMS FIASCO
8th June 2023
Repeated warnings were ignored, and fishermen’s concerns were not listened to
By Jerry Percy and Sarah Ready of the New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association
The lack of independent testing prior to the national roll-out of the iVMS programme is yet another example of the need for an independent regulator to regulate those who regulate the fishing industry.
NUTFA has written to the MMO repeatedly for the last four years about the need for a full procurement process for provision of equipment that needs to work perfectly if a fishing vessel is to be able to go to sea to make a living.
Following a complaint to the Cabinet Office Procurement Panel, calling for a review of the way in which the MMO was implementing the tendering process for the iVMS units, it became very clear early on that there was to be little in the way of due diligence on the proposed suppliers.
Testing of equipment many months after it had been installed across the English fleet was very much ‘operation stable door’ as far as NUTFA was concerned. We had asked the MMO to undertake this testing, as a minimum, before any units were approved for installation.
In addition to lengthy correspondence, we met with officials in late 2021 setting out very clearly our concerns about the type approval process, and requesting a delay of implementation, particularly for the smaller classes of vessel, until the position was clarified.
The delay for smaller vessels was not just in relation to our concerns about the flawed type approval process, but because of the unreliability of iVMS close to shore, where signal is often lost due to cliffs or other obstructions. Sussex IFCA produced a document in February 2020 suggesting a derogation for the first half a mile from shore as a direct result of this practical problem.
Our concerns included a referral to the Defra audit office, correspondence with the Cabinet Office and with several ministers, and repeated requests to the MMO and Defra to mend the error of their ways in an approval process that involved no independent testing, and no actual testing of the units at sea.
Fishermen have made alterations to their vessels in order to accommodate their chosen iVMS unit, and have taken time off from sea to enable iVMS installation. Fishermen relied on the type approval – an approval given with nothing in the way of due diligence or testing at sea.
We are aware, through our correspondence with many fishermen, of difficulties with performance of iVMS units that continue to be on the ‘approved’ list, particularly in cases where units are not broadcasting position data, but have not alerted fishermen onboard to this fact.
The type approval route was conceived to save the staff time and funding costs that a full procurement exercise would have entailed and, we feel, to place the onus for successful operation of the units on fishermen themselves. Many felt they had no option but to install units, due to a funding policy designed to reward early adoption and, in effect, force fishermen to act as guinea pigs for the MMO.
Meanwhile, regulators in Northern Ireland and Scotland have wisely sat back and waited to see what would happen, safe in the knowledge that the date of the statutory instrument making iVMS mandatory would be postponed when the inevitable difficulties appeared.
NUTFA could not have done more than it has to highlight the failures of the MMO in respect of the iVMS policy management over the last few years. Failure to listen to our concerns, which have ultimately proven to be correct, has led to the waste of many hundreds of thousands of pounds from the public purse and, more pertinently, from funds earmarked to support the fishing industry in other ways.
We have called for accountability on this issue for many years and take no pleasure in saying ‘I told you so’, due to the vast impact that is now unfolding to the detriment of the inshore fishermen in England, who have done no more than follow guidance given to them by ministers, Defra and the MMO.
We hope that genuine lessons will be learned from this fiasco, and that a new approach to this and related issues, such as the roll-out of REM, can be developed – one in which representatives of the inshore fleet can play a meaningful role, and where their expertise and experience will genuinely be listened to.
https://fishingnews.co.uk/news/fishermens-association-lessons-must-be-learned-from-ivms-fiasco/
Here's a news report from the UK of a botched attempt at installing a tracking system on fishing boats. Apparently the transponders were not transmitting the position of the boats to the ground station continuously and were also ineffective in some areas where geographical features were not favourable. This article alleges that proper sea trials were not conducted before implementing.
FISHERMEN’S ASSOCIATION: LESSONS MUST BE LEARNED FROM IVMS FIASCO
8th June 2023
Repeated warnings were ignored, and fishermen’s concerns were not listened to
By Jerry Percy and Sarah Ready of the New Under Ten Fishermen’s Association
The lack of independent testing prior to the national roll-out of the iVMS programme is yet another example of the need for an independent regulator to regulate those who regulate the fishing industry.
NUTFA has written to the MMO repeatedly for the last four years about the need for a full procurement process for provision of equipment that needs to work perfectly if a fishing vessel is to be able to go to sea to make a living.
Following a complaint to the Cabinet Office Procurement Panel, calling for a review of the way in which the MMO was implementing the tendering process for the iVMS units, it became very clear early on that there was to be little in the way of due diligence on the proposed suppliers.
Testing of equipment many months after it had been installed across the English fleet was very much ‘operation stable door’ as far as NUTFA was concerned. We had asked the MMO to undertake this testing, as a minimum, before any units were approved for installation.
In addition to lengthy correspondence, we met with officials in late 2021 setting out very clearly our concerns about the type approval process, and requesting a delay of implementation, particularly for the smaller classes of vessel, until the position was clarified.
The delay for smaller vessels was not just in relation to our concerns about the flawed type approval process, but because of the unreliability of iVMS close to shore, where signal is often lost due to cliffs or other obstructions. Sussex IFCA produced a document in February 2020 suggesting a derogation for the first half a mile from shore as a direct result of this practical problem.
Our concerns included a referral to the Defra audit office, correspondence with the Cabinet Office and with several ministers, and repeated requests to the MMO and Defra to mend the error of their ways in an approval process that involved no independent testing, and no actual testing of the units at sea.
Fishermen have made alterations to their vessels in order to accommodate their chosen iVMS unit, and have taken time off from sea to enable iVMS installation. Fishermen relied on the type approval – an approval given with nothing in the way of due diligence or testing at sea.
We are aware, through our correspondence with many fishermen, of difficulties with performance of iVMS units that continue to be on the ‘approved’ list, particularly in cases where units are not broadcasting position data, but have not alerted fishermen onboard to this fact.
The type approval route was conceived to save the staff time and funding costs that a full procurement exercise would have entailed and, we feel, to place the onus for successful operation of the units on fishermen themselves. Many felt they had no option but to install units, due to a funding policy designed to reward early adoption and, in effect, force fishermen to act as guinea pigs for the MMO.
Meanwhile, regulators in Northern Ireland and Scotland have wisely sat back and waited to see what would happen, safe in the knowledge that the date of the statutory instrument making iVMS mandatory would be postponed when the inevitable difficulties appeared.
NUTFA could not have done more than it has to highlight the failures of the MMO in respect of the iVMS policy management over the last few years. Failure to listen to our concerns, which have ultimately proven to be correct, has led to the waste of many hundreds of thousands of pounds from the public purse and, more pertinently, from funds earmarked to support the fishing industry in other ways.
We have called for accountability on this issue for many years and take no pleasure in saying ‘I told you so’, due to the vast impact that is now unfolding to the detriment of the inshore fishermen in England, who have done no more than follow guidance given to them by ministers, Defra and the MMO.
We hope that genuine lessons will be learned from this fiasco, and that a new approach to this and related issues, such as the roll-out of REM, can be developed – one in which representatives of the inshore fleet can play a meaningful role, and where their expertise and experience will genuinely be listened to.
https://fishingnews.co.uk/news/fishermens-association-lessons-must-be-learned-from-ivms-fiasco/
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages