BeiDou becomes third global maritime satnav provider

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China’s BeiDou has been adopted to provide tracking systems for ships after being given a certificate by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), reports CGTN, a state-run news channel based in Beijing.

At its meeting Nov. 2-11 in London, the IMO Maritime Safety Committee adopted a resolution to approve the BeiDou Message Service System (BDMSS) for use in the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS).

The GMDSS is an internationally recognized distress and radio communication safety system for certain-sized ships under the IMO Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS). The automated ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship system uses navigation satellites and terrestrial radio systems with digital selective calling technology.

The meeting summary states:

Following the assessment and evaluation of an application by China Transport Telecommunication Information Group Co. Ltd. (CTTIC) to recognize the BeiDou Message Service System (BDMSS) for use in the GMDSS, the MSC adopted an MSC resolution on Statement of recognition of the maritime mobile satellite services provided by CTTIC through BDMSS.

BDMSS was evaluated taking into account the existing requirements of the criteria for the provision of mobile satellite communication systems in the GMDSS (resolution A.1001(25)).

The recognition is currently limited to a coverage area within 75°E to 135°E longitude and 10°N to 55°N latitude.

BeiDou is the third system approved for GMDSS, following Inmarsat and Iridium, both of which use GPS and Galileo to provide tracking services.