Maritime Rescue Picks Cellnex to Supply a Radiotelecommunications System in Spain

he Maritime Rescue and Safety Society (SASEMAR) of the Spanish Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has awarded Cellnex Spain the contract for the provision of services included within the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System for the Safety of Life at Sea. Cellnex will provide the service through its Network of Coast Stations distributed in strategic sites along the Iberian peninsula coast in the VHF, MF, HF and NAVTEX frequency bands.

The Coast Stations are connected through Cellnex’s national data transmission network to the Maritime Radio Communications Control Centres (CCR), where Maritime radio operators, also belonging to Cellnex, provide the “Permanent Listening Service” (24×365): receiving alerts and distress calls, emergency and security and transferring them to the Rescue Coordination Centres (CCS).

In addition, the Service includes broadcasting Radio warnings, Bulletins and Meteorological warnings upon request and under the coordination of Maritime Rescue, interconnection with the Spanish medical radio service for medical consultations from the sea, communications service for radio equipment testing, and ships’ inspections.

The Coast Station Network covers the maritime zones A1, A2 and A3 (in the VHF, MF and HF bands) from the Spanish coast; radio coverage of 35 nautical miles in VHF band (maritime zone A1), 150 nautical miles in Medium Wave (maritime zone A2) and Short-Wave coverage between 76 degrees North and 76 degrees South (maritime zone A3).

Providing the service complies with the international conventions signed by Spain, in particular the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention and the International Search and Rescue Convention (SAR), which are the most important international treaties governing the safety of ships.

The Level of Service demanded by Maritime Rescue, with a high degree of availability appropriate for a security and emergency service of these characteristics, requires a very robust network, designed with redundancies and contingency plans to guarantee the operability and assurance of such a critical service.

Cellnex has extensive experience in managing safety and emergency communications networks and services, and its mobile radio systems with their more than 1,300 base stations, serve more than 98,000 users including police officers, firefighters, forest rangers and healthcare personnel throughout Spain.