A Fisheries Administration officer installs a solar-powered Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) on one of the Kingdom’s many fishing vessels. - FAO
PHNOM PENH: The Fisheries Administration (FiA) has announced the successful roll-out of 800 second-generation Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS). They have been installed on medium and large fishing vessels across the Kingdom’s four coastal provinces.
An additional 800 units will be deployed by 2025, raising the total number to 1,600.
This VMS units are provided free of charge, and are solar powered, so do not require any external power sources. Designed to support fishermen in case of an emergency at sea, they will provide the FiA with reliable location data.
The FiA, under the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, completed the installations with the support of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), explained a November 11 FAO press release.
“The VMS system provides benefits to fishermen. For example, if the vessel encounters problems, their last known location can be used to support any search effort and it is free of charge for installation,” it added.
The rollout covered the coastal provinces of Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong, Kampot and Kep.
This initiative is part of the FAO’s "CAPFISH-Capture" programme, funded by the EU, which supports sustainable growth in the fisheries sector. The programme provided the FiA with new technology to implement the VMS effectively.
The rollout includes trawler vessels and other active fishing craft greater than 12m in length.
The 2nd generation VMS unit is an improvement from the first phase, where 125 VMS units were deployed to test the VMS system and functionality on vessels greater than 18m.
The FAO has also provided FiA officers with training on the operation of the new technology.
Seng Bunna, head of the Koh Kong provincial FiA, noted that over 200 fishing boats in the province have already been equipped with VMS. The installation follows a phased, voluntary approach based on vessel size, helping to locate boats and provide timely rescue in case of maritime issues.
“We inform fishers of the benefits of VMS. Previously, locating a boat in trouble relied on contacting other vessels, which was challenging. Now, if communication fails, they can reach out to the FiA, and we can locate them immediately,” he said, adding that the installation will continue in phases.
The CAPFISH-Capture programme aims to improve fisheries conservation, management and compliance with fisheries laws and regulations including the National Plan of Action to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the inland and marine domain, particularly to strengthen fisheries management frameworks. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
