France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications has upgraded its land earth station in Aussaguel, France, to ensure that its Inmarsat-C and Mini-C services are Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) compatible.
A statement said that in the event of an attack, SSAS allows captain or crew members to send out a "covert" alert and rapidly obtain assistance. With piracy and attacks at sea becoming increasingly widespread, the IMO (International Maritime Organization) agreed that all vessels of more than 500 tonnes should have SSAS by July 1, 2004.
The SSAS is a one-way, ship-to-shore security system available with compatible Inmarsat-C and Mini-C terminals. It enables crew on board to trigger an alert without the attackers' knowledge thanks to a minimum of two activation points placed in strategic positions on the ship. The alert, with both the ship's identity and position, is then transmitted via satellite by e-mail, telex or SMS to the ship's flag state authority. The authority in turn can request the nearest coastal emergency services to come to the ship's assistance.
Using the SSAS-compatible Mini-C terminal by Thrane & Thrane (Capsat TT-3000SSA), the shipowner can programme the addresses of three shipping authorities of his choice. France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications charges no monthly fee for SSAS usage via this terminal. Alert messages are instead invoiced according to the format in which they are sent (e-mail, telex, SMS etc.) as with the standard Inmarsat-C service.
France Telecom Mobile Satellite Communications markets mobile satellite services (Inmarsat, Thuraya, Iridium) and says they have a large proportion of customers in the maritime (navy, merchant navy, pleasure boating, cruises, fishing), media and NGO, security, construction, oil & gas and transportation sectors.
