In 2003, Inmarsat launched Fleet 77, a new maritime satellite service that gave ocean-going vessels access to global voice, data and fax communications.

Critically, Fleet 77 (F77) was also Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) approved as a voice safety service, meeting the 99.9% reliability requirements of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). In fact, F77 has continuously surpassed that, achieving 99.99% reliability for the entirety of its life, during which it has transmitted nearly 10,000 distress calls for help.

Today, the digital world has been transformed and demand for higher bandwidth is growing exponentially. Having informed the IMO in 2015 of our plans to close it down and carried out a comprehensive information programme to ensure all remaining customers were advised to migrate to new-generation services, today is the end of Fleet 77.

Significant advance

So it’s goodbye to Fleet 77, and hello to Fleet Safety – the most significant advance in maritime safety in a generation.

Fleet Safety brings our GMDSS* safety services to tens of thousands of FleetBroadband and Fleet One users for instant Distress Alerting, reception of maritime safety information (MSI), voice distress, urgent medical advice and assistance, access to innovative Inmarsat safety services and direct and immediate access to over 50 search and rescue centres around the world.

While the safety functions have advanced, what remains unchanged is the need for reliability. And with a 40-year heritage protecting lives at sea, seafarers can continue to set out with peace of mind, knowing that help will always be in reach through our portfolio of global, reliable and seamless safety services, including the world’s first GMDSS service, Inmarsat C.

_{*MSC.450(99) & MSC.434(98)}