T&T: AIS

[Mel Kowal]

The following is from NATIONAL GMDSS IMPLEMENTATION TASK FORCE Newsletter 
and Summary Record of October 19, 2007 Meeting
e. Current Status of Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). Jorge Arroyo 
reported on the status of AIS implementation. The following are highlights:

         1). The long awaited promulgation of regulations providing for 
expansion of AIS carriage to over 17,000 additional vessels is still 
pending but should be forthcoming in the fall or winter of 2007 with a 
revised timeline.

         2). Increment 1 of the Nationwide AIS (NAIS) acquisition is in 
full swing with the deployment of a shore-side network of receivers at 30 
major ports and critical waterways. The Coast Guard anticipates having 190 
receive only sites in the network. A Request for Proposals (RFP) for 
Increment 2 in the AIS procurement with the capability to transmit messages 
as well as receive them is on schedule for a November release.

         3). The Coast Guard has type approved 5 Class B AIS units to date. 
Final certification by the FCC is required prior to their sale. The FCC has 
received permission to waive their Rules to enable prompt Class B 
certification which can be expected by early November.

         4). The AIS Search and Rescue Transponder (SART) has been approved 
by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as an alternative to the 
Radar SART  required for the GMDSS. In addition, the AIS SART provides a 
performance 10 times better than a conventional RACON. FCC certification 
will be required to use the AIS SART on U.S. ships.