VComm, a subsidiary of SatComms and a provider of satellite communication products based in Australia, has been selected by the National Fisheries Authority (NFA) of Papua New Guinea (PNG) to provide a specialist turn-key integrated Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) for fisheries management under a multi-year agreement.
The VMS includes the provision of Inmarsat airtime via the Inmarsat C platform. Phase one implementation will include approximately 500 fisheries vessels, with considerable expansion and system evolution planned for 2011.
Sylvester Pokajam, Managing Director of the National Fisheries Authority said: "This is a major landmark for both the NFA and Papua New Guinea. We have invested in world-class technical and operational infrastructure to take fisheries management to new heights in the Pacific, with a company that has a proven commitment to local and regional fisheries sector. We also feel that the benefits of the system could be utilised by other Pacific countries who may be watching our implementation."
The implementation marks a number of 'first' for PNG and the Pacific VMS community, particularly integration of vessel monitoring data with the NFA's own vessel licensing database.
The NFA will now be able to monitor and control commercial fishing operations from one platform, which will improve stock sustainability within PNG waters and beyond. As the heart of the control infrastructure is based in PNG, this fully scalable system is ideally placed to assist other Pacific-based fisheries to implement an enhanced VMS system.
For further information contact:
VcommsWellington, New Zealandwww.vcomms.com