What is the future of the GMDSS?

SOLAS Chapter V places a formal, legal, requirement on all sailors to get weather forecasts before going to sea and to monitor forecasts whilst at sea. The GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) is in place to make all this possible. For coastal sailors, that means having on board, at least, marine VHF radio and NAVTEX. In addition, for ocean going sailors, and depending on which area of the world, it means having INMARSAT-C and/or HF/SSB transceivers. For reasons, variously, of cost, space and power small blue water vessels may have to make a choice of the latter two.

The increasing power and reliability of the Internet is leading to a trend away from the dependable GMDSS services to non-operational methods of obtaining weather information when cruising both coastal and blue waters. For many purposes, the Internet is a reliable system. The reasons why it cannot and should not be regarded as a replacement for the GMDSS are

• The GMDSS sends navigation warnings and weather information to the user. It is a “push” system. The Internet is a “pull” system.
• For coastal sailors reception via terrestrial cell phone circuits is limited in range to about 5-10 miles normally or 25 miles with an external aerial. There can be [lace inshore with no cell phone signal – eg parts of western Scotland.
• Satellite phone systems can fail – see Sir Robin Knox-Johnston’s book of his 2006 round the world race.

• URLs can and do change.

Similar considerations apply to use of cell phones rather than marine VHF for vessel to shore communications. In this case communication with other vessels is not possible. A call for help might be received by the coastguard but heard by nobody else; there is no direction finding system etc.

Already, there are sailors who will make long crossings such as Biscay via the traditional outside route with only VHF and, possibly, not even NAVTEX on board. In doing so, they may be depending on a 5-day forecast. That is a recipe for disaster. There are sailors who go trans-ocean with neither HF radio nor INMARSAT-C. They may be depending upon satellite telephony for their information. In neither case can they comply with the requirements of SOLAS Chapter V which is mandatory on all vessels.

My, personal, concern is that if the less that the GMDSS is used the less will nations feel obliged to provide operating funds and the system will decay. Any diminution in the availability of GMDSS services to small vessels is self defeating in that it will only encourage the increasing use of non operational systems. The discussion regarding the possible cessation of the USCG HF radio services is a warning shot across the bow.

Under Chapter V of the SOLAS Convention, Contracting Governments undertake to provide weather information suitable for shipping (the term is assumed to include all vessels going to sea). Such information is required to be transmitted in text and, as far as practicable, graphic form. As any professional or leisure sailor knows, these services are of fundamental importance to safety of vessel and crew.

For many years the dissemination of weather and other MSI (Marine Safety Information) has been in a variety of formats. First are those by voice over VHF, MF/SSB and HF/SSB radio. Secondly, there are messages in text form using satellite or terrestrial radio, variously via INMARSAT-C, NAVTEX, RTTY (Radio Teletype) and STOR (Simplex Telex over Radio). Third there is Radio Facsimile for the broadcast of synoptic and other charts

The single most important common factor of these is that they are broadcast. That is, they come to the user automatically, on a scheduled basis. Additionally and importantly, warnings are also broadcast so that, as long as receiving equipment is switched on and within range, all vessels should receive notice of significant deteriorations in the weather, navigation warnings, distress alerts and so on.

A major plus for all these systems is that, INMARSAT-C apart, they use fairly low cost receiving equipment and are suitable for use on the vast majority of small vessels, professional and leisure. For blue water sailors, Mini-C is an affordable, low power consumption system to receive INMARSAT-C broadcasts and to transmit short text messages.

Perhaps it is ironic that, with the advent of computers, the reception of Radio Facsimile, SITOR and RTTY has become relatively easy and inexpensive for small vessels, even those with limited power supplies. There are a number of software packages for this and other purposes. For example, synoptic observations broadcast by RTTY can be decoded and a weather chart drawn automatically.

Particularly significant was the initiative by NASA Marine with their Weatherman. This is, effectively, a SSB receiver pre-tuned to four of the DWD RTTY frequencies with built in software to save the texts of forecasts for viewing in soft copy on screen.

The big minus is that the technology is obsolete. In this world of high speed communications, computers and satellite delivery systems, there is diminishing commercial interest in maintaining these transmitting equipment and none in improving them.

Some years ago now, IMO was considering possible options for replacing Radio Facsimile. Just recently, in a User Notice, dated May 9, 2007, the US Coast Guard has requested public comment in order to assess the demand for the HF radio broadcasts of weather forecasts by Radio Facsimile, voice; and SITOR. They say that the infrastructure necessary to provide these services has exceeded its life expectancy; the equipment is no longer manufactured, repairs are difficult to accomplish, and spare parts generally are not available.

Clearly, the writing is on the wall for the old technology and there will be increasing pressure, particularly from those delivering GMDSS services to modernise and to rationalise their hardware in order to reduce costs.

As a consequence, it is equally certain that, all too easily, over-hasty implementation of new systems will lead to a very significant deterioration in GMDSS services capable of reception by leisure sailors and those commercial vessels that are not subject to the full SOLAS regulations.

Although the USCG Notice concerned, specifically, their own HF services it should be remembered that NAVTEX is another service that uses technology that is over 40 years old. MF/SSB services are already being curtailed. The UK ceased its HF/SSB voice broadcasts for METAREA I some years ago. Perhaps, even VHF could be under threat.

As I see it there are three options -

• Maintain the old, trusted systems even with their imperfections. To do so would probably require sustained and significant co-ordination between all the user community of small vessels, professional and leisure. The need for safety of life at sea has to be paramount. At the very least, the existing systems should be maintained until such time as affordable alternatives are available to all and in use by the majority.
• Implement improved satellite or other communications systems capable of use with low priced and low cost to use receiving equipment. The precedent for such is NAVTEX, a system which can be used on small vessels using receivers that do not necessarily meet SOLAS standards. I understand that Australian fishing boats are equipped with low cost INMARSAT-C equipment. If forecasts and other MSI could be made available using such equipment then the old systems could reasonably be phased out over a suitable period.

To implement these ideas would need concerted effort to persuade IMO and the industry that low cost equipment is a possibility if users can be persuaded to see the advantages. A high volume market would be needed to justify the development costs.

A third, more radical option, probably anathema to some would be -

• Use the Internet which has gained in accessibility over the last few years.

When near the coast and within reach of cell phone aerials it is already possible to get much GMDSS weather information at fairly low cost. Over the oceans, or out of reach of land based aerials, then costs of using satellite telephone systems are still too high for many. Perhaps, what is needed is an Internet service maintained to operational standards and funded under the SOLAS convention by Contracting Governments. There would need to be totally free access to such a system both on the high seas and in coastal waters.

Such a system would have to be able to encompass all the current information provided on NAVTEX and INMARSAT-C. There would need to be some way of informing users that messages were being broadcast. Some system such as the various audible warning alarms used on DSC radio. Such would be necessary to counter the major disadvantage of this option in that, as it stands, it is a “pull” system. Information is not broadcast and that there is no amendment system whereby warnings were immediately brought to the attention of potential users.

For all non SOLAS vessels, their owners and operators, the challenge now is to get a measure of agreement so as to be able to put collective pressure on Governments and IMO in order to avoid deterioration in the provision of MSI. The existing, largely terrestrial based systems, have well known shortcomings. The systems are taken largely for granted and that means that they will not be missed until it is too late and the Rubicon crossed

There is much potential value in the newer technologies, but care must be taken in order to advance a step at a time. All too easily, we will finish up with a high tech system that is accessible to SOLAS vessels and leisure sailors with deep pockets, but with a concomitant loss of services to the most vulnerable vessels on the high seas. These represent a majority interest, numerically, and that should be of concern to Governments. Too hasty changes in the broadcasting of MSI could, all too easily, become a disaster waiting to happen.