This marks a key stage in upgrading the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), the organisation said.
Inmarsat’s new international broadcast and automatic reception service for maritime safety information (MSI), enables MSIP’s to transition their communications to web-based messaging.
As a web-based service, SafetyNET II introduces broadcast scheduling, continual monitoring, message cancellation, multiple text input methods, among other functions and usability improvements.
Following testing with six host countries, SafetyNET II is fully available for the delivery of safety-related messages to vessels, including weather forecasts, navigational warnings and piracy alerts.
It is also claimed to provide additional reassurance to distressed ships, by modernising the infrastructure supporting the IMO’s GMDSS by enhancing search and rescue (SAR) operations.
Another enhancement sees the introduction of read-receipts, so SAR personnel know whether messages responding to distress calls have been picked up.
During the trial period, SafetyNET II was instrumental in saving lives, with its use proving pivotal in two rescues overseen by authorities in New Zealand*.
“SafetyNET II is an important and highly effective, next generation safety service,” said Peter Broadhurst, senior vice president, safety & security, Inmarsat Maritime. “Direct input from MRCCs and other MSI providers was instrumental in developing and refining the solution to fit end-user requirements.
“Most MSIPs are familiar with web-based interfaces, which means the training requirement is lower. They can focus on new functionalities, such as the ability to schedule navigational warning repeat messages,” Broadhurst added.
MSIPs often have to work within tight budgets. Using a web-based platform means they do not need to spend on specialised hardware or divert stretched resources for IT upkeep. Inmarsat said that it recognised that the new system needed to be both future-proofed and backwards compatible.
SafetyNET II is no longer limited to ships featuring Inmarsat C terminals, as ships with FleetBroadband will automatically benefit from enhanced resilience, as messages will have multiple pathways to reach the bridge.
To ensure redundancy, SafetyNET II is supported from two custom-built and synched data centres, one in London and the other in Burum.