The OrbComm system was used to transmit the vessel's position, and the MARIMSYS Bridge VIGIA fleet plotting software was used to graphically plot the vessel's coordinates, helping to facilitate the rescue of the crew.

Don Gregorio, a 165-foot modern fishing vessel based in the port of Talcahuano, Chile, issued a "MAYDAY" distress call at approximately 7:00 pm on September 5. Water began to rapidly flood the engine room, and the pumps were failing. Don Gregorio had been routinely emitting precise latitude and longitude coordinates several times an hour from the MARIMSYS Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) on board the vessel.

These routine position reports and system status messages are transmitted through the OrbComm network to a shoreside data processing facility managed by DAMOS SudAmerica, OrbComm's South American service distribution partner. The data is then delivered to the Chilean Coast Guard Marine Data Center in Valparaiso, Chile, for monitoring by the Chilean Coast Guard and Fishing Authority.

The reports are graphically displayed for Chilean fishing and emergency personnel using the MARIMSYS VIGIA software's data processing and electronic charting capability. In the case of emergencies, the vessel's positions are made available over the Coast Guard's Search and Rescue Response Network.

Using Don Gregorio's vital position reports, and the position reports of other ships in the area, which are accurate to +/- 15 meters, the Chilean Coast Guard quickly determined which vessels were closest to the scene of the sinking. Rancquilhue, another Chilean fishing vessel nearby, was immediately dispatched and reached the scene in about an hour.

Meanwhile, the crew of Don Gregorio had taken refuge in life rafts as their vessel began a rapid three- mile descent to the bottom of the Humboldt Trench of the Eastern Pacific, just 20 minutes after the initial distress call. The crew was safely rescued aboard Rancquilhue without any loss of life or serious injury.

"Approximately 65% of the Chilean industrial fishing fleet is fitted with satellite positioning systems that utilize the OrbComm network," said Pat Waggaman, Director of MARIMSYS. "We are delighted to work with OrbComm and DAMOS to ensure that critical vessel position, status and distress reports are delivered 24 hours a day, seven days a week where and when they are needed -- quickly and reliably."

"We are proud to have played such an important role in the rescue of Don Gregorio's crew," said Scott L. Webster, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OrbComm. "With the rapid response of the Chilean Coast Guard and the precise coordinates provided via OrbComm and MARIMSYS, a new generation of rescue operations using satellite technology is working to save lives at sea."

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