Always on the lookout to create new opportunities in the maritime industry, IEC Telecom is heading to Vigo in Spain this summer. As one of the largest fishing ports in Europe, Vigo is the ideal location for Navalia 2022, an international naval sector trade fair, taking place from May 24th to 26th, 2022. Not only does the port city generate 6,000 direct jobs, it is home to 357 local fishing companies that turn over €3,000 million every year. IEC Telecom is participating in this exhibition for the first time as part of expanding its presence in the Spanish market.

Spain employs the largest number of people in the fishing sector in the EU, i.e. 38,000 in 2019, and is renowned as a leading producer of fishing products. With over 200 fishermen’s associations, Spain is also heavily committed to innovations in maritime communications, and alongside Poland, Germany, and the UK, Spain is one of the leading countries in the European maritime satellite communication market. As modern fishing moves towards sustainability, catch traceability, and compliance, IEC Telecom wants to empower the fishing industry to take advantage of the latest technological advances in satellite communications – a burgeoning sector with revenues projected at approximately $383.62 million by 2025 in Spain alone.

As such, Navalia has become an essential meeting place for the sector in Spain & Southern Europe. Navalia 2022 has been organised as a three-day event to bring together over 25,000 maritime professionals and 500+ exhibitors from 90 countries to discuss the latest trends in energy efficiency, offshore communications, sustainability, risk prevention, and more.

The recent rising trend in fuel prices – a whopping 200% increase in a year from 40 cents a litre to 1.20 euros a litre - and the calls for emergency measures to ensure the sustainability of the EU fishing sector led to a request to moor the entire Spanish fleet in March 2022 until an agreement could be reached by the Executive Committee and the Permanent Commission of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds to lower the cost of fuel, electricity, and gas.

Satellite communications have had a special impact on the Spanish fishing sector with digitalisation of operations as well as improvements in social sustainability. As the fishing industry looks to satcom to increase operational efficiency, and thus, decrease associated fuel consumption, IEC Telecom plans to deliver integrated and scalable communication services for both critical resource planning and crew welfare.

As a reliable international service provider, IEC Telecom is committed to empowering vessel owners with both the optimisation of their operations as well as advances in affordable crew welfare solutions. Today, it is possible to receive accurate real-time meteorological updates, enable smart applications for weather notifications and fish catch reporting, and communicate instructions from shore to reduce labour hours as well as fuel consumption, leading to greater efficiency and cost savings.

Moreover, dedicated onboard connectivity ensures improved safety for the crew, precise coordination of their work, and better working conditions onboard small and mid-sized vessels where maritime professionals are often exposed to greater risk.

With Iridium GMDSS being certified to operate in Spain, IEC Telecom plans to showcase its unique capabilities at Navalia 2022, particularly the initiation of both Distress Alert and Safety Voice with the press of a single button. Iridium GMDSS delivers safety services at 25% of the cost of current equipment required to do the same, enabling more fishing vessels to access life-saving and efficient sea-to-shore communications. Designed to work in extreme conditions at sea, Iridium GMDSS ensures reliable coverage to the Spanish fishing fleet with inherent operational efficiencies.

IEC Telecom will also be presenting its optimised VSAT offer for mid-sized vessels with the state-of-the-art GX60 NX Ka/Ku terminal. Compact and lightweight, GX60 NX can be easily installed and quickly deployed on 2.5GHz Ka-wideband with a frequency tuned radome & reflector.

IEC Telecom is renowned for such future ready satellite communication products and plans to spread the benefits of digitalisation and affordable satcom technology to over 8,000 vessels in the Spanish fleet, 96% of which comprise of fishing vessels.

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	Issue 78 of Robban Assafina   (Mar./Apr. 2022)