Marimsys VMS Chile

Marimsys developed and implemented the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) for the Government of Chile under the framework of Law 19,121. This law requires that industrial fishing boats limit fishing activities to – generally – 5 nautical miles from the coast of Chile. This leaves the 5 mile zone for “artesanal” or smaller fishing boats and limits excessive fishing effort being applied to inshore waters.

The Chilean system was revolutionary as it continued the tradition of the Republic of Chile innovating in the incorporation of market principles in government functions. Prior VMS systems had been by negotiated contract between the satellite system provider or solutions integrator and the sovereign country; Chile broke new ground by inviting various system providers to become type-approved in Chile and then compete for sales. This drove down costs for both the sales of the hardware and the monthly costs of the bandwidth contracts. Each system sold for between $1,000 and $1,500 less than it would have sold without this competitive model, the bandwidth contracts were provide for between $50 and $100 / month less than would have been the case in a sole supplier situation.

Chile also pioneered in the emission of reports at short intervals. Prior systems had focussed on “where is the vessel” with the provision of hourly reporting. The Chilean system, by dropping the minimum report interval to 8 minutes is capable of determining “what” the vessel is doing. When you see a series of circular positions, they are all at speeds of below 2 knots and reflect the drift of the current – there is no question, that vessel was purse seining, and the printout of the chart can be shown to the court to demonstrate the fact.

Bridge Vigia

This system has made it possible to increase the effectiveness of the supervision carried out by the Maritime Authority and Sernapesca (National Fisheries Service). At the same time it has enabled the industrial fishing and small-scale fishing areas to remain completely separate from each other. A few years ago there were significant conflicts between artesanals and industrial fishermen, now there are virtually none.

Marimsys Modem VMS

Our System Control Software receives and displays on the mapping and report-oriented software the protocols of all approved systems in the Chilean VMS: being ORBCOMM generic, ORBCOMM Marimsys, a particular ORBCOMM protocol, INMARSAT Garmin, INMARSAT Thrane & Thrane and Argos.

At the same time, over 60% of the industrial fishing boats were equipped with ORBCOMM VMS devices. Marimsys achieved this market by creating systems that are easy to use, and low cost to operate because they use technically superior protocols which lower the delivery cost of the reports and hence save the fishermen money. This Marimsys Modem equipment, includes a satellite communicator, back-up battery, system status alarms in a “hardened VMS box” which also provides protection against unfavorable weather conditions at sea, a Mayday button, and the best antenna in the ORBCOMM system, the “Chilean Eggbeater”.

The system has proved to be a powerful supervision tool, and at the same time it has shown its effectiveness in cases of emergencies at sea, allowing greater speed and a better use of available rescue resources. The count stands at 5 sunken vessels in which the Marimsys MAYDAY function has been of assistance, helping in the saving of a total of 38 seamen’s lives to date.

This System Control Software is optimized to pinpoint “potential infractions” automatically, bring them in front of the system control operator automatically who makes the decision: “Infraction – to Legal”, “Not Infraction – no further investigation necessary”, or, “Unclear at this point – needs further investigation”. These signoffs by system control officers are permanently logged and auditable to reinforce system integrity.

Perhaps the greatest advance of moving almost all calculations to the server has been in the reduction of operator time required to analyze each “potential infraction”. Upon clicking on a “porential infraction”, the specific reprots which led the server to filter and identify the “potential infraction” come immediately to the screen from the table in which they are saved. Additionally a variable number of “before potential infraction” and “after potential infraction” are available for immediate display. Likewise “Trips”, where reports are recorded for a complete “leave Port” to return to Port area” sequence, plots the entire fishing trip instantly to the screen.

At the present time, and in order to maintain leadership in VMS equipment, Marimsys has developed a new model: Marimsys Modem VMS II, an improved version of its predecessor, that in addition includes other uses such as an integrated e-mail message unit, equipped with a 20-key alphanumerical keyboard and a screen which shows text messages, resulting in communication between vessel and shore and vice versa. Furthermore, there are also changes in the design including adjustment of its inclination and waterproofing. This equipment can also function with an additional power source, with optional solar panel equipment. For further information on this equipment click here (link a home \ satellite solutions \ mobiles \ equipment). This new device is in process of certification, for acceptance by various Maritime Authorities.

Marimsys Modem VMS II

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