Vessel Monitoring & Surveillance
WHAT IS VMS ?
A Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) is a cost-effective satellite based tool for the successful monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) of fisheries activities. It provides to the Vanuatu Fisheries Department accurate and timely information about the location and activity of regulated fishing vessels (FVs) via a Mobile Transceiver Units (MTUs) that is installed onboard each licensed FVs prior to the commencement of their fishing operations.
THE IMPORTANCE OF VMS
PART 19 – MONITORING CONTROL AND SURVEILLANCE.
Section 121- 122:
All Vanuatu flagged fishing vessels licensed to operate inside and outside Vanuatu Exclusive Economic Zone ( VU EEZ) and all Foreign FVs licensed to operate inside VU EEZ are required as part of their fishing license conditions to install, operate and maintain an MTU onboard their vessels for the duration of their licensing period.
Fisheries Act Amendment No. 38 of 2019 Section 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 has amendments relating to MTU and non-reporting, particularly for vessels to provide manual report on vessel positional data every one hour for 30 days, the timeframe given for the vessel to return to port and rectify the MTU Non-reporting issue.
APPROVED MTUS
MTUs must be in the list of Approved MTUs and/or meet certain specifications within a jurisdiction prior to installation onboard FVs. This is to ensure accurate GPS readings and normal, consistent broadcasting in a harsh environment like the sea.
A regularly updated list of MTU installers around the region is maintained for vessel owners' convinience should there be the need for MTU installation done when a fishing license is purchased from a flag state.