MOROCCO – Marlink, a provider of Smart Network Solutions, has extended its partnership with Soremar Group, a maritime company, to provide an enhanced range of safety and vessel management services to fishing operators in North Africa.
This agreement will enable Soremar clients, companies operating fishing vessels in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean, to access vessel monitoring systems (VMS) using Iridium’s L-band communications.
“Fishing operators in North Africa focus on safety compliance and the optimisation of potential catch, so the ability to combine mandated safety services with digital tools is an obvious advantage,” says Dounia Gnaou, Managing Director, Soremar Group.
“The high number of alerts received via GMDSS every year is a testament to the value of this service to our customers operating in harsh environments.”
The North African fishing vessels can also install Iridium’s new Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) communications through this partnership enabling them to stay connected and compliant, while providing communications during an emergency.
“Being able to provide tailored services is key for a partner like Soremar whose customers demand safety but also require the utmost flexibility and agility in their connectivity plans in a very competitive market,” said Tore Morten Olsen, President, Maritime, Marlink.
“Enhanced provision of VMS and GMDSS services enables Soremar customers to further explore and embrace digitalisation and value-added services that can improve profitability moving forward.”
Marlink and Soremar have previously collaborated to create a portal that can be used by shoreside teams to track fishing vessels at sea and send and receive vessel positions and fleet overview to meet regulatory requirements.
“Fishing operators in North Africa focus on safety compliance and the optimisation of potential catch, so the ability to combine mandated safety services with digital tools is an obvious advantage.”
Dounia Gnaou – Managing Director, Soremar Group
Since the end of last year, Soremar has held state licences to provide security solutions for the Iridium satellite network via Marlink, which is now commercially available to Soremar’s extensive portfolio of fishing customers in Morocco and neighbouring countries.
Its extensive knowledge and long heritage in North Africa make it the natural choice for fishing industry customers requiring the widest choice of digital safety solutions.
In other related news, Tunisia recently deployed a satellite monitoring system based on three complementary components, namely a central computer system at the Ministry of Agriculture, 50 central and local control rooms and terminals ensuring the transmission of data relating to the location and activities of vessels while guaranteeing confidentiality.
It will also provide a database for scientific research programmes on monitoring the exploitation of fishing sites.
The terminals will be installed in 874 vessels (that is 6.72% of the fleet), in a bid to optimise the safety of fishermen and their vessels and combat illegal fishing which threatens seafood wealth and the sustainability of the sector.
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