Changes coming around

摘要

Communications on ships exist for only one reason as far as regulators go and that is to enhance marine safety and rescue. That was not always so and early marine radio communications were confined to commercial and profit-making ventures. Today's vessels enjoy a standard of communication that was only dreamt about, even 20 years ago. The advent of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) in the 1990s saw a wholesale scrapping of existing communication equipment and demise of the radio operator, to be replaced by a new system thai made carriage of Inmarsat C or better satellite stations mandatory for all ships above 300 gt except those operating solely in coastal waters.