Iridium Enables a New Electronic Chart Distribution Service for the Maritime Industry
Datema Receives International Approval for ENCTrack “Pay-as-You-Sail” System
MCLEAN, Va., May 24, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Datema Delfzijl B.V. has received international approval for its revolutionary ENCTrack electronic chart distribution service, which uses global satellite data links provided by Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM). ENCTrack is the first and only postpaid electronic cartography licensing and provisioning service that charges ships only for the charts actually used. This method eliminates the need for license management and substantially improves safety at sea.
“ENCTrack is a great example of how Iridium’s continually expanding ecosystem of partners is developing innovative solutions that require reliable data communications services at sea, everywhere around the world,” said Dan Mercer, vice president and general manager, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia, Iridium. “By commanding the furthest reaching communication network, only Iridium can provide cost-effective, near real-time, global electronic chart distribution to ships.”
GTT Systems B.V., an Iridium value-added manufacturer and reseller, together with its sister company Leap Development B.V., developed the Iridium ship tracking device for the ENCTrack service.
Datema’s “pay-as-you-sail” service records the ship’s movements accurately using the GTT Systems tracking device, which sends position reports at intervals through the Iridium short-burst data (SBD) service. The position reports received via Iridium are fed into a redundant gateway server, which generates invoices based on the duration of use and the charts used.
Datema originally introduced the ENCTrack service in 2009, and received approval from the International Center for Electronic Navigational Charts (IC-ENC) to continue the ENCTrack service as of April 1, 2011.
“The IC-ENC approval couldn’t have come at a better time, with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) carriage requirements for Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS) coming into force next year,” said Jan ten Thije, CEO, GTT Systems. “It is estimated that ships can save up to 20 percent in licensing and chart acquisition costs with ENCTrack.”
For more information on ENCTrack, visit www.enctrack.com.
About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium Communications Inc. (www.iridium.com) is the only mobile satellite service (MSS) company offering coverage over the entire globe. The Iridium constellation of low-Earth orbiting (LEO) cross-linked satellites provides critical voice and data services for areas not served by terrestrial communication networks. Iridium serves commercial markets through a worldwide network of distributors, and provides services to the U.S. Department of Defense and other U.S. and international government agencies. The company’s customers represent a broad spectrum of industry, including maritime, aeronautical, government/defense, public safety, utilities, oil/gas, mining, forestry, heavy equipment and transportation. Iridium has launched a major development program for its next-generation satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT. The company is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A and trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbols IRDM (common stock), IRDMW ($7.00 warrants), IRDMZ ($11.50 warrants) and IRDMU (units).
CONTACT: Press Contacts:
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Iridium Communications Inc.
+1 (703) 287-7476
