World leading dredging fleet to retrofit and install new builds with Iridium’s Global Maritime Distress and Safety System

Iridium Communications  announced that Jan De Nul Group, a leading maritime construction and civil engineering company, has become the latest fleet to select Iridium’s Global Maritime Distress and Safety System  solution. By adopting Iridium^® GMDSS, Jan De Nul is continuing its commitment to ensure the safest operating environment possible for its personnel.  Iridium GMDSS is the world’s most modern and only truly global GMDSS solution, enabling rapid safety-of-life response and the only GMDSS service to currently offer integrated voice services.

Jan De Nul owns and operates a large, versatile and modern fleet of dredging and offshore installation vessels. The activities of Jan De Nul Group ensure that shipping traffic is possible, maintaining the depth of rivers and canals, expanding existing ports and building new ones.

“Jan De Nul plans to roll out Iridium GMDSS in all retrofits and newly built vessels,” said Nils Crabeel, Communication & Network Officer, Jan De Nul Group. “Having LRIT and SSAS alongside GMDSS in one terminal is an important advantage – as is both safety and non-safety voice capabilities.

Developed by Iridium partner Lars Thrane, the LT-3100S is the first Iridium GMDSS terminal.  A small and lightweight system, the LT-3100S is an affordable option for any vessel requiring satellite communications, where it can serve as the primary shipboard communications solution or solely as a GMDSS system.

“Jan De Nul is a powerhouse in this industry, and we are honored that they are equipping their fleet with Iridium GMDSS,” said Wouter Deknopper, vice president of maritime at Iridium. “Iridium GMDSS has seen great success in the market due to its integrated, truly global capability, providing all three services – distress alert, safety voice and maritime safety information, in one terminal. Along with our Iridium Certus^® service, it has played a major role in our continued growth and leadership position for reliable maritime satcom.”

GMDSS is an internationally regulated service that provides life-saving assistance to mariners in distress. It is a required service for all Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) class vessels, many of which have had to carry multiple terminals to meet varying communications needs. Iridium GMDSS remains the only solution to offer truly global coverage, even in Arctic and Antarctic waters, and delivers all three key GMDSS services – distress alert, distress voice and maritime safety information (MSI). All services are delivered through one terminal and harness the power of Iridium’s truly global, weather resilient L-band satellite connectivity.  When combined, these features make Iridium GMDSS service unmatched in the industry.