Inmarsat introduces next generation safety service

Peter Senior, VP Safety Security Inmarsat Maritime: "SafetyNET II is an important and highly effective, next generation safety service"

NOVEMBER 17, 2017 — Marking a key stage in upgrading the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), satellite communications provider Inmarsat has launched a new service for Maritime Safety Information Providers (MSIPs) called SafetyNET II.

For more than 20 years, SafetyNET has been the international service for broadcasting and automatic reception of Maritime Safety Information (MSI), transmitting up to 360,000 messages each year. All MSI messages from shore-to-ship are received on board free of charge.

Inmarsat’s new generation SafetyNET II international broadcast and automatic reception service for MSI enables MSI providers 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 exhaustive 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 also provides additional reassurance to ships in distress, by modernizing the infrastructure supporting the International Maritime Organization’s GMDSS in a way that can enhance search and rescue operations.

Another enhancement sees the introduction of read-receipts, so Search and Rescue (SAR) personnel know whether messages responding to distress calls have been picked up, assisting SAR decision-making.

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,” says 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,” continues Broadhurst. “They can focus on new functionalities, such as the ability to schedule navigational warning repeat messages,” continued Broadhurst.

MSIPs also often have to work within tight budgets. Using a web-based platform means they do not need to spend on specialized hardware or divert stretched resources for IT upkeep. Inmarsat recognized 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. 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 centers, one in London and the other in Burum in the Netherlands.