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.