EMA BlueTraker® VMS to be Installed on More Than 200 Ships
CELJE, SLOVENIA – March 08, 2011 – (Marine NewsWire) EMA Group (EMA) today announced that the Albanian government has awarded the company a contract to implement Iridium-based Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) for the country’s commercial fishing fleet.
The contract, issued by the European Union (EU) Delegation to Albania, together with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Water Administration of the Republic of Albania, provides for monitoring and control of the fishing vessels in accordance with the requirements of the EU Commission.
Under the contract, EMA will install its BlueTraker® VMS transponders on more than 200 Albanian fishing craft. The EMA BlueTraker VMS is an intelligent hybrid tracking transponder that uses the Iridium satellite short-burst data (SBD) service to transmit vessel coordinates when the ships are out of range of shore-based wireless networks.
“Leveraging the unique pole-to-pole global coverage of the Iridium network, the BlueTraker VMS provides the most reliable and cost-effective tracking, monitoring, control and surveillance services worldwide,” said Zlatko Mastnak, CEO of EMA. “In addition, the BlueTraker VMS is also e-logbook ready, in accordance with EU regulations that mandate electronic reporting and monitoring requirements on commercial fishing operations.”
“Iridium’s high network quality and low-latency two-way data links provide a robust and reliable monitoring solution for ship owners to meet the EU position reporting regulations,” said Greg Ewert, executive vice president, global distribution channels, Iridium. “Iridium is the only satellite system that offers consistent coverage over all the world’s navigable waters.”
About EMA Group EMA Group HQ is based in Slovenia with worldwide partners and distributors (operations). Its mission is to develop and produce a range of intelligent transport and maritime systems, as well as to introduce hybrid communication design to vessels and vehicles of any kind. EMA’s solutions are applicable in a broad range of industries for technology and service providers and system integrators. Among numerous installations, EMA also provided BlueTraker VMS systems to Croatia and Malta.
About Iridium Communications Inc. Iridium Communications Inc. (www.iridium.com) is the only mobile satellite service (MSS) company offering coverage over the entire globe. The Iridium constellation of low-Earth orbiting (LEO) cross-linked satellites provides critical voice and data services for areas not served by terrestrial communication networks. Iridium serves commercial markets through a worldwide network of distributors, and provides services to the U.S. Department of Defense and other U.S. and international government agencies. The company’s customers represent a broad spectrum of industry, including maritime, aeronautical, government/defense, public safety, utilities, oil/gas, mining, forestry, heavy equipment and transportation. Iridium has launched a major development program for its next-generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. The company is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A. and trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbols IRDM (common stock), IRDMW ($7.00 warrants), IRDMZ ($11.50 warrants) and IRDMU (units).