Starting January 1, 2024, the Norwegian Coastal Administration will change how we send navigation and weather warnings to ships sailing in the Arctic area. This may mean the older Inmarsat-C receivers on board will no longer receive navigational and weather alerts in the Arctic.
‒ We have already sent information and warnings about the change to navigators on several channels, and will continue to do so throughout 2023, said Trond Ski senior adviser at the Coastal Administration.
‒ It is important to note that this only applies to the oldest Inmarsat-C receivers. None of the receivers that have been sold in the last ten to fifteen years will be affected, he added.
The change has been decided by the United Nations maritime organization IMO to harmonize maritime satellite warning transmissions globally.
Covers the North Sea and Skagerrak
On January 1, 2021, the Coastal Service became the first agency in the world to use the Iridium SafetyCast satellite service to send warnings to ships. This was a milestone in the history of maritime safety in the northern regions, as satellites were used for the first time to send navigational warnings to ships in the polar regions. On 19 December 2022, the UK authorities also adopted this service.
‒ This means seafarers can now also receive navigational and weather alerts via the Iridium SafetyCast in the North Sea and on the Skagerrak, explains the director of navigation technology and maritime services at the Coastal Administration, Arve Dimmen.
The Iridium SafetyCast satellite service is part of a global maritime system used to send emergency and safety messages (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, GMDSS).
A milestone for emergency and security services
Internationally, great efforts have been made to find technical solutions that simplify and harmonize the delivery of emergency warnings, navigation and weather. In December 2022, the Norwegian Coastal Administration became the first agency in the world to send alerts to multiple satellite systems via an API interface.
‒ We now send navigation alerts to satellite systems directly from our own professional system. This saves time for our operators who no longer need to log into individual satellite systems to send out alerts. The fact that an API interface has now been developed and used to send satellite warnings is an important milestone for international emergency and security services, said Ståle Sveinungsen, head of the maritime traffic center in Vardø.
Want to be a mover
The Norwegian Coastal Administration wants more countries to use the API interface it has now developed for sending alerts. This will contribute to increased use of satellite warnings globally and provide increased safety for seafarers.
‒ We are and will continue to be ambassadors and a driving force for the adoption of new systems and new technologies to enhance maritime safety services internationally, said Dimmen.
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