Global marine safety equipment provider Mobilarm Ltd is joining forces with Europe’s largest Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) manufacturer and pioneer, Marine Rescue Technologies Ltd, the company behind the leading marine PLB brand, Sea Marshall®. Mobilarm entered a sale and purchase agreement with MRT on 28 February 2011 which covers all Marine Rescue Technologies Ltd assets, including the entire Sea Marshall product line.
The result of the acquisition will be the formation of the world’s largest technology company dedicated to marine safety and man overboard technology, and signifies the coming of a new era in the acceptance and application of PLBs within all maritime applications.
“With David Marshall at the helm, Marine Rescue Technologies and the Sea Marshall brand were the original driving force behind the introduction of PLBs into the marine market so we are delighted to count this highly-regarded organisation as part of Mobilarm,” comments Lindsay Lyon, CEO, Mobilarm. “David has dedicated a lifelong career to the improvement of maritime safety relating to persons lost at sea and the company shares Mobilarm’s approach to innovation and technology. This, combined with an experienced distribution network and portfolio of EU-approved products will help Mobilarm take the world of PLBs and man overboard safety technology to a much wider market.”
As the name behind the first affordable PLB for civilian use, Sea Marshall® has continued to innovate ever since. The idea was seeded following David’s own experience of a man overboard (MOB) situation, the sinking of the ‘Gaul’ trawler in 1974, and a request by the UK Ministry Of Defence to develop a PLB for the Joint Services entry to the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1975.
Subsequently, David and the Sea Marshall® name have been behind a number of innovations in maritime personal safety, including pioneering life-saving PLB technology for fishermen, offshore workers, divers and workboat crew. The current flagship Sea Marshall® products include the AU9 series and the SARfinder® Alert and Locate unit. Several new Sea Marshall® products are also scheduled for 2011.
“Sea Marshall and Mobilarm have been working towards the same goal, from opposite sides of the globe,” says David Marshall, founder of Marine Rescue Technologies. “There is today a definite awareness of the role that PLBs can play in saving lives. They are part of normal daily wear in many commercial applications; they are accepted as standard equipment and now successful rescues occur as a matter of normal use. The market opportunity is vast, potentially each and every life jacket should have a PLB fitted, and after years of creating an awareness of the need to protect mariners by the inclusion of a locating device, governments under Health & Safety rules are finally demanding their carriage. Mobilarm is perfectly positioned to support this market growth.”
“Both Mobilarm’s VHF DSC beacon technology and Sea Marshall’s 121.50 MHz MOB solutions have a strong place in the market and now they are available from a single organisation, users will have an even greater opportunity to choose the solution that best fits their needs,” continues Lyon. “We’re looking forward to working with the Marine Rescue Technologies team and the business network that makes Sea Marshall such a respected name. With a stronger global presence and exciting plans in the pipeline for our own VHF DSC beacon technology and Sea Marshall’s extensive product range, Mobilarm will continue to ensure that life and work at sea is safer for everyone.”