At 5:24 a.m. last Tuesday, Villa de Pitanxo issued two alerts. The Spanish fishing vessel’s radio beacons sent out automatic warnings which were immediately received and processed by the National Maritime Rescue Coordination Center. Authorities tried to contact the Spanish shipping firm but did not receive a response. Luis Planas, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, said that technology has enabled them to detect the location of the incident. He was speaking in the corridors of Congress of Deputies last Wednesday.
The Villa de Pitanxo, a modern ship, was just 20 years old. It had a power output of 878.19kW (1,194.0hp), a length 50.3m, and could carry a maximum weight of 1,120 tonnes. Sources in the sector claim that Spain has a number of technologically-prepared boats. “Especially for long distance. They add that she is very professional and is a pioneer in the field of communication technology and equipment.
Regulation 2847/93 (European Council) “establishes an applicable control regime to the common fisheries strategy, established a system to locate fishing vessels via satellite, to improve management and accuracy of data, and is effective as of 1993.
The regulations have been updated by several Spanish governments to make the vessels more compatible with new technology and to keep up with the latest developments in the sector. The vessel location equipment (ELB) was revealed in Order APA/899/2018 published in the Official State Gazette on August 23.
The order states that the antenna unit will include an approved antenna by the manufacturer. This antenna may be used for the Global Positioning Satellite System’s (GNSS) functions and the satellite reception, transmission and transmission system of messages. It also contains two separate antennas approved and approved by manufacturer.
Sources from the fishing sector say that monitoring systems should not be confused or misunderstood as security systems. This section explains that Spanish law requires additional measures depending on the length and type of fishing vessel. They point out that the EPIRB is mandatory.
The emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB), or emergency radio beacon, was the system that alerted at 5:24 AM (peninsular hour) to the alarm of the Galician shipwreck. All ships must carry them, and they transmit quickly on a frequency that Salvamento Maritimo can receive instantly when they come in contact with water.
Radio beacon system for ships.
The radio beacon activates and transmits radio signals using the ship’s unique identity number. These radio signals are captured by satellites, processed by them and sent to the nearest maritime rescue coordination centre. This center deciphers the code and contacts ship.
The rescue operation activates if the center doesn’t receive a response. This was the case with Villa de Pitanxo. The EPIRB warn messages contain data that allows the location of the radio beacon to been calculated. Even “the most advanced ones can send the coordinates”, sources in the shipping sector indicate.
The rescue service involved in the operation will attempt to locate the EPIRB radio beacon and positioning equipment based on the radio signals.
Additionally, on some ships with 300 gross registered tons of cargo, these radio beacons can be activated to detach from their hulls. This is thanks to the Hydrostatic Launch U (HRU), which automatically releases the EPIRB radio transmitter when it reaches a depth of about 4 or 5 metres.
It extends to the surface of water to activate a flash light and give off an audible alarm for rescue personnel. Radio beacons are placed in open areas on the ship to ensure that it doesn’t get stuck by any antennas or projections. Minister Planas, in the Congress of Deputies, stated that “this system allowed us to rapidly rescue three people.” Sources in the sector add, “But, there’s more security technologies.”
The size and functions of the ship will also affect the level of technology equipment. “The GDMSS (Global Maritime Distress Safety System) is the next most popular system. They reveal that security equipment is based on communications. This depends on where the ship operates and the bank’s size.
This system can perform the following operations: search and rescue coordination, alert (including position), localization (positioning), provision maritime information, general communications, bridge-to-bridge communication, and coordination of search and rescue. The system also has emergency power supplies and redundant warning systems.
The ships are also equipped with a system called VRD, or Voyage Data Recorder, which is similar to the ones found on aircraft. Large ships, like airplanes, must have this system to record all navigation activity for the past 12 hours. It is possible to examine in detail the causes of accidents. This will allow you to clarify the facts and help prevent future ones.
Black box on a ship.
Industry sources confirm that this system is not to be confused with the “blue box that records fishing data”, but can collect data such as radiotelephone communications and navigation data with GPS, images of radar, voice conversations, and data from the probe, AIS, and data from the probe.
This will be the instrument that determines the cause of the sinking Villa de Pitanxo, in the waters close to Canada.
