Viasat+Inmarsat Contingency Exercise

On 6 May, IMSO took part in a satellite contingency exercise hosted by Viasat+Inmarsat at their Network Operations Centre in London. The scenario simulated a full satellite outage and successful service restoration in under an hour, part of the regular quarterly drills required of International Maritime Organization (IMO) recognized GMDSS providers.

The exercise brought together over 25 experts across six countries and was followed by a Public Services Committee meeting, where GMDSS matters and topics relevant to the upcoming IMO NCSR Sub-Committee (May 2025) and IMSO Advisory Committee meetings (June 2025) were discussed.

IMSO’s participation led by Laurent Parenté, Director General with Halil Keskin, Head of Operational Services and Philip Lane ,Technical Officer, reflects the Organization’s unique role in overseeing satellite safety services under the GMDSS. This highly specialised function, though not widely known, is critical to ensuring transparency and reliability in global maritime safety communications.

The event was also attended by Alison Horrocks, Chief Corporate Affairs, Peter Broadhurst SVP Safety and Regulatory and John Dodd, Director of Maritime Safety Services, from Viasat+Inmarsat.