AIS-enabled personal locator beacon and new SOLAS EPIRB launches
Communication and safety at sea specialist, Ocean Signal is launching its latest and most technologically advanced safety beacons to the market at SMM, the shipbuilding, machinery and marine technology trade fair, in Hamburg this week.
The new rescueME EPIRB3 and SafeSea EPIRB3 Pro offer full regulatory compliance for vessels operating under SOLAS regulations, meeting the new updated IMO (International Maritime Organization) Maritime Safety Committee EPIRB rules, which came into force on 1 July 2022. Additionally, Ocean Signal is unveiling its new rescueME PLB3, the first AIS-enabled personal locator beacon (PLB).
The new EPIRB3 series and PLB3 both include AIS location signalling, new infrared strobe lights, advanced GNSS positioning, along with Return Link Service (RLS) confirmation messaging back to the beacons.
The addition of AIS signalling to Ocean Signal’s new lineup of safety beacons adds another layer of safety that allows all nearby vessels in VHF range to see a distress signal on their AIS receivers.
The introduction of near-field communication (NFC) technology into the beacons enables users to monitor their beacons, review self-test results, view GNSS test locations, and monitor beacon performance and maintenance.
James Hewitt, managing director for Ocean Signal, says: “The technology advances we are introducing at SMM with our new line-up of AIS-equipped EPIRBs and PLBs is unlike anything else available on the market. We took the new EPIRB requirements, fit them inside the form factor of a PLB, and then also added the ability for mobile connectivity to your smartphone. Then we also came out with a new line-up of EPIRBs utilising this new technology platform simultaneously.
“It was a herculean task for our design team. The result is a new series of beacons that gives our customers exactly what they have been asking for, at competitive prices, with more usability than any other beacons on the market.”
The new IMO rules state that vessels under SOLAS regulations will have to fit a new EPIRB with an internal AIS locating signal and an internal GNSS receiver, along with the 406MHz and 121.5MHz transmitters, when current devices are due for replacement.
The Ocean Signal rescueME PLB3 from Ocean Signal is being marketed to Europe, Africa, Australia, and New Zealand only.
For territories outside this region (US, Canada and Americas) the PLB is marketed under the ACR Electronics, Inc brand as the ACR ResQLink AIS PLB.
The 30th SMM event will be running in Hamburg 6 to 9 September.
