Investigating the Reliability of the Location Transmitted by V-Pass Terminals: Prompt Rescue of Fishing Vessels

Abstract

Fishing boats are equipped to quickly rescue ships and save lives in the event of an incident at sea; therefore, determination of the incident location is imperative for a swift response. According to the 2021 marine accidents by ship use statistics, fishing and non-fishing boats accounted for 64.6 and 35.4%, respectively, of the total 3053 ships involved in an accident. In addition to V-pass and the Automatic Identification System (AIS), several other types of terminals exist; however, approximately 91% of all registered fishing boats use V-pass terminals. Therefore, it is essential to know the exact location of fishing boats. However, little research has been conducted on V-pass equipment. Therefore, in this study, marine experiments were conducted using V-pass and AIS terminals that are mainly used in fishing boats. To determine the exact location of an incident and rapidly respond and rescue, this study compared the data saved in the terminals with the data received by the Vessel Traffic Service center. In the event of a maritime incident, the radio shadow areas and causes of the error in the location transmitter must be investigated to quickly rescue the fishing boat and to determine the root cause of the incident, respectively. © 2023 by the authors.