The company is announcing a new product which will be significantly smaller when compared to the classic transponders currently used for VMS and other tracking, surveillance and fleet management applications – and it will not need any power supply or antennas to connect.

The product series, with the generic name ‘Colibri’, partly financed with EU funds, will have several versions. One of them will be ‘mini VMS’.  The new transponder is based on the latest Iridium Short Burst Data technology. The new Iridium compact satellite modems allow EMA to further miniaturise and lower cost, offering the customer more for less.

The mini VMS offers additional benefits but keeps the same basic functionality as its elder brothers: BlueTraker VMS Light and BlueTraker VMS. In its mini VMS version it is the first device that operates without any externally connecting cables. Using new solutions and optimisations EMA’s engineers have succeeded in reducing the power requirements to a new level. The result is a product that is planned to operate for a minimum of two years having no external power supply connected.

Programmable buttons are an additional function of the mini VMS allowing for a Distress Button to be included in the package too.

The mini VMS version is just right for small (fishing) fleets. It will be of a great value to developing countries (especially in South America, Africa and Asia) which have a large number of artisanal fishing boats. In these countries fishing is an important source of survival for local economies, but presents a significant security problem to the authorities as well. The cable-less, detachable version of the mini VMS is aimed specifically at these fleets, allowing the fishermen to remove the device after fishing to prevent its damage or theft, or leave it attached. Having a detachable device would mean that sometimes a fisherman could “forget” the device at home and thus violate the rule. Conversely the device is primarily a security terminal which will be of a vital importance in life threatening situations. The device cannot be deactivated on purpose, so it will be active at home and the sea, which limits the possibilities for manipulation.

The most valuable safety and security function is the Distress Button, which alerts the respective authorities of any distress situation. mini VMS changes the frequency of sending its data in this case to the shortest interval of reporting, thus allowing the authorities to track and rescue the boat rapidly. A number of fishermen all over the world with artisanal fishing boats are not prepared for staying out on the seas for more than a couple of days. They find themselves in urgent situations each and every year. Until now, the only possibility of being rescued was through their mobile phones. This is a limited solution, as the signal range does not extend more than 5-10 miles from the coast or the distress situation does not allow it to constantly communicate with the SAR centre.

With the new mini VMS device, EMA is positioning itself as the only VMS terminal manufacturer that offers  a “scaled approach” to VMS solutions for fishing fleets: mini satellite terminals for artisanal fisheries, “light” BlueTraker versions for small vessels and BlueTraker satellite terminals for medium and larger size fishing vessels that need an electronic logbook solution as well.

Other manufacturers still stick to the rule: “one terminal should fit all”.

BlueTraker hybrid (satellite/GPRS) and e-Logbook (ERS) option proved to be an established optimum solution for fishing vessels where a large number of islands, estuaries and fjords are found and where better GPRS coverage is present.

More news and details on mini VMS and BlueTraker VMS terminals will be available in the forthcoming months.