ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s maritime security agency on Saturday announced a project to equip the country’s fishing vessels with Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS), saying the technology would strengthen maritime security, combat illegal fishing and improve the management of marine resources.
Pakistan has a coastline of about 1,000 km along the Arabian Sea and an exclusive economic zone that supports fisheries, shipping and offshore resources.
Vessel Monitoring Systems use GPS transmitters and satellite or cellular communications to automatically relay a vessel’s identity, position, speed and course to shore-based monitoring centers at regular intervals.
Unlike standalone GPS devices, which display a vessel’s location only to its crew, VMS allows authorities to track fishing boats in real time and respond more quickly to emergencies at sea.
“The project will have multifaceted benefits from ensuring safety and security of our fishermen to enhanced maritime domain awareness and sustainable exploitation of marine resources,” the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) said in a statement.
The agency said the project would introduce modern monitoring capabilities to safeguard Pakistan’s maritime interests, improve coordination at sea and strengthen oversight of fishing activities.
The system is expected to improve the safety of fishermen by helping authorities monitor vessels during rough weather, coordinate search-and-rescue operations and identify boats that may be in distress. It is also expected to support efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing while providing better data to manage fisheries and protect marine ecosystems.
VMS could also help reduce incidents in which Pakistani fishermen inadvertently cross maritime boundaries. Pakistani fishermen have previously been detained after entering Indian waters, often because of navigational challenges and the difficulty of identifying maritime borders at sea.
Real-time vessel tracking could also help authorities better monitor vessel movements and alert fishermen before they stray into restricted waters.
