The concept of a sinking ship that takes the emergency beacon down with it, dashing the hope of being rescued when the boat sinks has been reexamined. A new emergency beacon is available that doesn't go down with the ship — it is released and floats freely in the water. 

Ocean Signal's compact Category 1 (auto-deploy) SafeSea EPIRB1 Pro is an emergency position indicating rescue beacon. The SafeSea EPIRB1 Pro is designed to release automatically from the Category 1 Auto Deploy Bracket once submerged in water and float freely from a sinking vessel. When floating on the surface, it will then transmit the boat’s distress message to alert rescue authorities.

SafeSea EPIRB1 Pro provides a link to emergency services for both recreational and commercial vessels, and the beacon complies with IMO regulations that require an automatic release housing to be provided for mandatory fitted EPIRBs. The new EPIRB1 Pro features a 30 percent reduction in size compared to other EPIRBs, a 10-year battery life and at an affordable price.

Weighing 422g (14.9oz), the EPIRB1 Pro measures 178mm (h) by 89mm (w) by 100mm (d) and is supplied with the automatic deployment bracket (Category 1), or ‘float-free’.

The SafeSea EPIRB1 Pro operates on the three Cospas-Sarsat satellite systems including the new MEOSAR, ensuring they will offer the near instantaneous signal detection and transmission enabled by the global MEOSAR satellites and upgraded ground-station components.

Using the next-gen network, anyone activating an EPIRB1 Pro can expect their beacon to be located within 100 meters (328 feet), 95 percent of the time, within 5 minutes of the distress signal. The new EPIRB1 Pro incorporates a state-of-the-art 66 channel GPS receiver for faster location and improved accuracy.

James Hewitt, Ocean Signal Managing Director, said that Ocean Signal has a heritage of launching the world’s smallest maritime safety products into the market, so they are excited to continue that heritage on to IMO vessels required to have a float-free EPIRB. With a competitive price and the latest in EPIRB technology packaged inside the world’s smallest float-free EPIRB, it’s the perfect solution for both recreational and commercial vessels who are looking for the peace of mind of a safer journey, whether it is required or to simply improve on-board safety.

Ensuring maximum chance of survival in an emergency, the Ocean Signal SafeSea EPIRB1 Pro communicates the location of the survivors to search and rescue services in three ways — the designated 406MHz Cospas-Sarsat satellite system with position provided by an integrated GPS receiver, a 121.5MHz homing beacon, plus a high brightness LED strobe light to maximize visibility in low light conditions. Once activated, the SafeSea EPIRB1 Pro transmits the position and user’s unique ID to a Rescue Coordination Center via satellite link for transfer to the relevant local search and rescue services.

Operating within a temperature range of -20oC and +55oC and waterproof up to 10 meters, the Ocean Signal EPIRB will transmit for 48 hours to keep rescue services updated for longer.

For more information on the EPIRB and further products from Ocean Signal, go to the website at www.oceansignal.com.

This device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the FCC in the United States. This device is not, and may not be offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.