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Satnews Daily
March 3rd, 2009

Germanischer Lloyds Passes EMS Satamatics' System


EMS Satamatics, a division of EMS Technologies [NASDAQ: ELMG] announced the successful Type Approval by Germanischer Lloyds of its dual-mode Ocean Alert Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) and Long Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) solution.

Ocean Alert With this approval, Ocean Alert SSAS/LRIT now offers ship owners a dual-mode product fully compliant with the mandatory regulations set by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for both SSAS and LRIT, delivering significant cost savings at both the point of sale and installation.

The EMS Satamatics solution is the only fully compliant SSAS and LRIT Inmarsat D (IsatM2M) solution with maritime Class Society approval on the market today. The Germanischer Lloyd Type Approval demonstrates EMS Satamatics’ commitment to quality maritime products.

EMS Satamatics also announced today the launch of an enhanced web-based tracking application, Ocean Alert+ TM, as part of the dual-mode product to provide even more functionality to users, including the ability to determine the LRIT status of each terminal, all at no additional cost. For current owners of the Ocean Alert product, EMS Satamatics provides a free software upgrade package to allow customers to upgrade any terminal to the more cost-effective dual-mode Ocean Alert LRIT system.

“When we launched the Ocean Alert product in 2003, we were committed to providing a low-cost SSAS-compliant product that could be upgraded to meet the mandatory requirements of LRIT when these regulations came into effect,” said Sandy Lumsden, Product Manager, EMS Satamatics. “Our announcement last year to provide a software upgrade free of charge and today’s announcement of Type Approval for Ocean Alert SSAS/LRIT gives everyone at EMS Satamatics a sense of achievement by fulfilling this promise to our customers.”

With the list of Flag States approving Ocean Alert SSAS/LRIT growing by the week, EMS Satamatics is confident that this latest milestone will further strengthen its position in the maritime marketplace for offering affordable, reliable products that meet or exceed customers‘ expectations. LRIT compliance became mandatory in January for thousands of vessels worldwide and applies to vessel types engaging in international voyages, such as passenger ships (including high speed craft, cargo ships at or exceeding 300 gross tonnage) and mobile offshore drilling units. Proof of conformance of both the ship’s LRIT and SSAS obligations is mandatory for the annual vessel radio survey.