Ocean Alert
Ship Security Alert System.

The Inmarsat satellites which have served seafarers well for communications and distress alerts in past. Now have a new use - relaying security alerts relating to terrorist attacks, hi jacking and piracy from ships on the high seas.

Recent addition to SOLAS regulations (Chapter XI-2, Regulation 6) requires vessels to fit an SSAS, 'Ship Security Alert System', consisting of a concealed transmitter and alarm buttons which when pressed will cause an alert to be sent to the flag authority. Ships constructed after July 1st 2004, passenger ships, tankers, gas carriers, bulk carriers and high speed craft are already fitted. Other cargo ships over 500grt should comply by the first Radio Inspection after 1st July 2006.

The Ocean Alert consists of an anonymous, easily concealable metal box housing the terminal and battery pack, at least two activation points and the low angle omni directional antenna (IP66). The ST101 terminal incorporates a 12 channel GPS receiver and an Inmarsat D+ transceiver. Its small size, built in battery and easy installation mean that it can be fitted by the ship's staff and is virtually fit and forget.

Satamatics can give every vessel be it passenger, tanker, cargo, fishing or leisure a compact solution for tracking, tracing, messaging and security operating worldwide, 24 hours-a-day, 365 days–a-year. Information delivery is via Inmarsat ’s constellation of communication satellites, providing operators, owners and crew with accurate reports of their vessels' position and status, wherever they are.

The precise location of any vessel in a fleet can be tracked on any computer connected to the Internet. The Ocean Alert web site is accessed using a standard web browser and security is maintained by user name and passwords.

Using the Ocean Alert web interface Fleet Managers can interogate the satellite terminal on board ship for a current position report, or remotely change the tracking interval.