OceanGate Expeditions has announced Inmarsat as the 2022 Titanic Survey Expedition satellite service provider.
Inmarsat’s Fleet Xpress high speed broadband satellite service will enable OceanGate Expeditions’ crew to instantly connect with scientific and operational resources anywhere in the world and to share important findings immediately, while enhancing safety for the entire operation.
Modern wireless communications for maritime vessels
Following the tragic loss of life in the sinking of the Titanic, the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) was adopted.
Over the years, the SOLAS Convention evolved as maritime technologies evolved and in 1979, Inmarsat was established by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), in order to provide modern wireless communications to maritime vessels and served as a crucial advancement in maritime safety.
Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS)
The Marconi radio used on the Titanic had a range of only a few hundred nautical miles"
In 1992, the IMO, the United Nations (UN) agency responsible for ship safety, began the phase-in of a new system called Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and Inmarsat became the first satellite operator to meet the stringent requirements of GMDSS for global safety communications. Today, they remain the only organisation offering the service worldwide.
Stockton Rush, the President of OceanGate Expeditions, said “The Marconi radio used on the Titanic had a range of only a few hundred nautical miles. Today, the satellite service provided by Inmarsat gives us instant, reliable, global reach. Inmarsat’s services are crucial to our ability to operate safely and efficiently.”
Inmarsat - OceanGate Expeditions partnership
Stockton Rush adds, “We are proud to continue our partnership with Inmarsat for the second year of our multi-disciplinary study of the Titanic, its archaeology, and its marine ecosystem. Inmarsat satellite connectivity will support our extended team’s efforts to understand what the next 110 years hold for the Titanic.”
Eric Griffin, the Vice President of Offshore Energy & Fish at Inmarsat Maritime, said “Our advanced satellite services save lives and provide connectivity to vessels working in remote and challenging maritime locations around the globe. We’re here to keep mariners safe. Inmarsat was originally created to develop a satellite communications network for protecting lives at sea and we are deeply proud of our safety heritage.”
OceanGate Expeditions Titanic Expedition
The OceanGate Expeditions Titanic Expedition will embark from St. John’s, Newfoundland on June 15, 2022. The wreck of the Titanic lies roughly 400 nautical miles off the coast of St. John’s, in the Atlantic Ocean. The port is the closest major port to the location of the wreck of the Titanic ship.
Aspiring Mission Specialists interested in supporting the Titanic Expedition should contact OceanGate Expeditions for qualifications, availability, and additional details.