- Living up to the commitment of the MOF, the upgraded device will promote better search and rescue performance by greater locating persons falling overboard. -

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister MOON, Seong-Hyeok) has announced its plan to develop the new style of Personal Locator Beacon (PLB), a device locating fisherman in a Man-overboard (MOB) situation to alert search & rescue services. Initiated in July, 2021, the project has a purpose to facilitate successful rescue of any fisherman in distress resulting from accidents at sea such as vessel collision, sinking, capsizing and fire on board.

The ideal apparatus is expected to save time and cost to rescue a person at risk by accurately-locating performance. Compared with V-Pass, used for locating vessels in the event of emergency, the current PLB features a disadvantaged coverage of radio transmission from earth stations that usually fails to reach vessels in operation at sea and pinpoint MOB. The satellite-relayed PLB unfortunately requires high cost for communication as well.

Technological development will hopefully remedy above-mentioned demerits. It is expected that the new technology for satellite-free PLB offers greater global coverage not to miss anyone at sea in distress, enabled by the connection with LTE-based Maritime Wireless Communication (LTE-M; up to 100 km) and Digital Medium & High Frequency Communication (D-MF/HF; over 100 km).

The device’s portability will also be improved. The new equipment will take a variety of small-sized forms (e.g. watch, necklace and life-jacket-attached ones) to be comfortably carried on the fishermen. Its upgraded functions cast a glow with a sensor automatically or manually sending a coded message for MOB rescue when it contacts water.

The system for monitoring PLBs will be installed at the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperation (Korean phonetic name Suhyup), a competent authority for real-time monitoring of vessels’ data and location, to encourage picking up the distress alert and locating a man at risk.

The Ministry’s annual plan indicates its step-by-step approach from complete development of updated PLB by the end of 2021; demonstration at sea followed by trials on board in 2022; and projects to supply the devices in 2023.

“Fishing vessels’ accidents have created tough situations in search & rescue of missing fishermen, mainly caused by the absence of witness. It is my sincere hope that the new PLB enables better and faster crew-saving work to dedicate itself to protecting the life and property of fishers”, said Director An, Yong-woon of Fishing Vessel Safety Policy Division of the MOF.