NTRC to host GMDSS Radio Training for Fishermen in St. Vincent and the Grenadines
The National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) in collaboration with the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard will be hosting a series of one day GMDSS Radio training sessions at various locations across St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The objective of the training sessions is to further equip fishermen on the use of VHF Radios that work with the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). The basic concept of this system is that the Coast Guard as well as vessels in the immediate area of a ship in distress will be rapidly alerted to the emergency so that they can assist with minimum delay time.
The NTRC implemented the GMDSS system in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to improve the VHF maritime coverage around the country. Under this project, the control system, consisting of work stations for the radio operators and servers, were installed at the Coast Guard Base. Additionally, a total of one hundred (100) Digital Selective Calling (DSC) enabled radios were procured and made available to owners of marine vessels at a subsidized cost. Some of the radios were distributed free of cost to fishermen in the major fishing villages across St. Vincent and the Grenadines.