In January the Boards of FLTC and FLTC Services Limited agreed their principal objectives for 2013 namely:

FLTC

1. To enhance the safety of fishermen in UK waters through cooperation between the fishing and oil and gas industries

2. To contribute towards funding information systems for fishermen in relation to oil and gas hazards in UK waters and to ensure that such systems are available

3. To build up the Endowment Fund

4. To maintain close links with the oil and gas and fishing industries and with companies expected to make a decommissioning payment to FLTC

FLTC Services Limited

1. To finance and provide information systems for fishermen in relation to oil and gas hazards in UK waters

2. To complete a review of and finalise changes to processes to capture and disseminate information relating to oil and gas assets in UK waters

3. To prepare a report on the possible extension of the FishSAFE Information programme to other jurisdictions in Europe

4. To obtain from the European Fisheries Fund or its successor a grant towards funding the provision of information services to fishermen in 2014 and 2015.

5. To continue to supply FishSAFE units to fishermen

6. To maintain the FishSAFE website.

The Endowment Fund set up by FLTC has received a boost from BP who have made a payment for their interest in the Miller Platform. The Endowment Fund will provide finance to support the provision of information to fishermen about oil and gas related hazards in UK waters.

FLTC Services Limited have been awarded a grant of up to £413,250 by the Scottish Ministers and The European Fisheries Fund for the FishSAFE Information Project. The Project concerns the capture and dissemination of data relating to oil and gas assets and infrastructure and is in three parts:

1. Collection and dissemination of data relating to assets in UK waters including data about new and decommissioned assets

2. Developing changes in processes to capture and disseminate data and

3. Research and development of a proposal to provide information relating to oil and gas assets in the waters of other Member States and Norway.

FLTC was set up in August 2007 and since then has been financed by working capital provided by a loan from Oil and Gas UK. The FLTC Business Plan envisages that the Group's long term objectives will be financed by income generated from an Endowment Fund to be built up by payments made by oil and gas companies who with regulatory consent leave assets in UK waters after decommissioning production facilities.

FLTC have now received the first of those decommissioning payments from Total E&P UK Limited in respect of the MCP 01 Platform and from BP Exploration Operating Company Limited for the North West Hutton Platform.

Those payments enabled FLTC to establish an Endowment Fund in December 2010. As other assets are decommissioned and further payments are received the Fund will increase and in time is intended to generate revenue to finance the activities of the FLTC Group.

FLTC at Norwegian Fishing Exhibition from 17 - 20 August 2010

FLTC's subsidiary company FLTC Services Limited was represented in Trondheim ,Norway at the 50 year  anniversary of Nor -Fishing one of the world's principal fishing exhibitions which runs from 17 to 20 August.

At the stand of The Sea Fish Industry Authority Kingfisher Information Systems the new FishSAFE unit was presented, which warns fishermen of oil and gas related hazards in UK waters. Fishermen can also view and obtain information about ww.fishsafe.eu a multi lingual web site which provides fishermen and oil and gas companies with up to date information about oil and gas assets in UK waters. Information on the site is provided in English, Norwegian , Dutch , German and French.

Since its launch there has been strong demand for the new FishSAFE Unit.

195 units have been sold at the price of £529 each plus VAT.

This price has been made possible by a grant from The European Fisheries Fund and the Scottish Ministers and by services provided without charge by FLTC Services Limited a not for profit company with charitable status. FLTCS is supported by The Scottish Fishermen's Federation,The National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations and Oil and Gas UK. The company is funded by OGUK and by some of their member companies.

The heavily subsidised price applies to the first production run of the units only. Once the first units have been sold any further units ordered will not benefit from the grant awarded and are likely to cost considerably more than £529.

If you wish to order a FishSAFE unit please contact:

FLTC Services Limited

24 Rubislaw Terrace

Aberdeen AB 10 1 XE

+44(0) 1224 646 944

FishSAFE Launched and Available Now

FLTC Services Limited is pleased to announce that the new FishSAFE unit is now available for sale.

Substantial funding has been secured from the Scottish Ministers and the European Fisheries Fund which has subsidised the cost of a unit to £529 plus VAT.  This price is limited to the first run of units, so act quickly to secure a unit.

If you are interested in purchasing a unit, please contact FLTC Services Limited via +44(0)1224 646944.

The new Unit boasts a number of significant improvements on the previous FishSAFE unit, which FLTC Services Limited plan to discontinue support for (including data updates) in 2010.

Further information relating to FishSAFE can be found here

Successful Live Demonstration of FishSAFE

On 9 October 2009, the new FishSAFE Unit was put through its tests during a live demonstration at a lunchtime seminar held in the Aberdeen offices of Oil and Gas UK. The event was attended by representatives from the oil and gas and fishing industry, Scottish Government and Aberdeenshire Council.

The FishSAFE Unit is a GPS-based hazard warning device which provides fishermen with audible and visual warnings for surface and subsea hazards in UK waters.

Significant improvements have been made from the previous model which was over a decade old. Improvements include a larger, full colour screen which has far greater capabilities for the display of additional information about hazards.

Steve Taylor of Geomatics Limited demonstrated the FishSAFE unit to attendees at the event by putting the unit through various realistic scenarios to show how the unit reacts to the detection of oil and gas related surface and subsea structures. When a hazard is detected, an audible alarm is triggered and a message is displayed on screen to warn the skipper in enough time to avoid the hazard.

The project, coordinated by FLTC Services Limited and advised by Geomatics Limited, has been supported by Oil & Gas UK, the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, and the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations. Grants have also been provided by the Scottish Government and the European Fisheries Fund for testing the Unit.

300 FishSAFE Units, manufactured by Jeppesen Italia S.r.l., a Boeing company, will be ready for supply before the end of the year. Further information about sales of the unit will be posted on this website.

Left to Right - Alex West, Director of FLTC,  John Skipper, Director of FLTC and BP, Niall Scott, Executive Chairman of FLTC Services, Michael Sutherland of SFF and James Brown, SFF Vice President, with the new FishSAFE Unit.

New FishSAFE in Development

FLTC Services (FLTCS) will host a live demonstration of a working prototype of the highly anticipated new FishSAFE device on 9 October 2009. Representatives from both the fishing and oil and gas industries in addition to other key stakeholders will attend this presentation to hear of progress made in the developmnent of FishSAFE.

FLTC Services, with the assistance of a grant from the Scottish Ministers and the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) to meet the first phase costs of developing a replacement for FishSAFE, have recently successfully completed laboratory and sea trials with prototype units and the event on 9 October will be the first opportunity for stakeholders to view the unit in operation.

FLTCS aims to make 300 of the new state-of-the-art devices available to the UK fishing fleet in Q4 2009 with the help of second phase funding from the European Fisheries Fund (EFF).

FishSAFE is a unique GPS-based safety device which provides fishermen with audible and visual warnings of seabed obstructions on which fishing nets may become caught.  The original FishSAFE device, developed in 1998, can no longer be maintained since its internal components are becoming obsolete.

The project is supported by Oil & Gas UK, the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF), the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO).

Forum for oil and gas and fishing industries builds on collaboration to improve mariners' safety

The FLTC welcomed thirty-five senior representatives from the oil and gas and fishing industries as well as the Scottish and UK Governments to a special meeting in Aberdeen on Monday 15 June to learn about the steps taken so far by the Fisheries Legacy Trust Company (FLTC) to improve mariners' safety in UK waters.

Niall Scott, executive chairman of FLTC, said: "Since its launch in 2007, the FLTC has made significant progress in several projects to inform fishermen of seabed structures and equipment related to oil and gas activities on the UK continental shelf (UKCS), and as a result, improve their safety.

"It is imperative that representatives from the oil and gas and fishing industries are well-informed of these developments. Monday's lunchtime forum provided them with the ideal opportunity to learn about the new initiatives and offers a platform for further discussion and collaboration."

Attendees to the meeting learned from Neil Murray of Sea Fish Industry Authority (SFIA) about the new international web portal,www.fishsafe.eu, which provides fishermen and other mariners from the UK and other countries with enhanced information about the location of oil and gas companies' operations in UK waters. The site provides this information  in English, French, German, Dutch and Norwegian, assisting in improving the safety of mariners whose first language is not English.

In addition, the way in which the Secretary of States Representative for Maritime Salvage and Intervention (SOSREP) helps to remove or reduce the risk to persons, property and the UK environment arising from marine accidents was explained. Colin Mulvana Deputy to the SOSREP highlighted how the current SOSREP, Hugh Shaw, is co-operating with the maritime, offshore and salvage communities as well as Government departments, agencies and organizations in this pursuit.

Attendees also benefited from updates from Euan Meldrum (Oil & Gas UK), Martin Wadsworth (Common Data Access, CDA) and Niall Scott (FLTC) on wells, trawl sweeps and FLTC projects, such as the development of FishSAFE 2, the unique GPS-based safety device which provides fishermen with audible and visual warnings of seabed obstructions on which fishing nets may become caught.

Pictured from left: Colin Mulvana (Deputy SOSREP), Jim Mckie (Marine Lab), Niall Scott (FLTC), Bruce Stewart (Marine Scotland), Wendy Kennedy (DECC), Neil Murray (Seafish Industry Authority)