Float free
Lusty & Blundell Ltd has announced they will offer reliable, cost-effective “float free” Ocean Signal EPIRBs to New Zealand’s commercial fishing fleet.
18 April 2018
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New regulations from the NZ Ministry of Transport, introduced in March, require all commercial fishing vessels from 7.5 to 24 metres, operating outside of enclosed waters, to carry a Category 1, automatically-deployed, float-free EPIRB.
L&B’s Bob Fassio says he believes many operators will choose to fit the float-free EPIRBS well before the 1 January 2019 deadline.
“They can definitely save lives. Over the last 11 years, 24 people have died when the inshore fishing boats they were on sank and the crews were unable to activate their manual EPIRBs.”
When used with a SafeSea ARH-100 float free housing, the E100 and E100G will activate and deploy automatically if submerged in water. The E100G’s robust internal GPS fixes the exact location of the vessel or individual in distress to within 110-120 metres.
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Like all Ocean Signal beacons, the SafeSea E100 and E100G float-free EPIRBs are compatible with the next-generation MEOSAR satellites. This ensures they will offer near instantaneous signal detection and transmission, enabled by the global transponders and upgraded ground-station components.
The coordinates are then transmitted via a 406MHz distress signal to search and rescue authorities, with a 121.5MHz homing signal further guiding searchers to the position.
RRP AU$1346
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