Ocean Signal announces European certification approval

Ocean Signal's rescueME MOB1 has completed all the regulatory procedures required to permit sale throughout Europe.

UK marine communication and safety specialist Ocean Signal has announced the receipt of the approvals for usage, which confirm all the relevant requirements have been satisfied for a life-saving product.

Developed as the world’s smallest AIS (Automatic Identification System) MOB device, the rescueME MOB1 has also received approval for the USA, and has been recognised in the 2015 SAIL Magazine Pittman Innovation Awards.

The product was named by the judges’ panel of the US magazine’s annual awards as a winner in the Safety Category, and is included among 15 of the sailing industry’s most outstanding new products.

Alan Wrigley, managing director at Ocean Signal said, “The reaction to the rescueME MOB1 at boat shows has already been extremely positive, so we are delighted to receive the certification approvals. We are confident that the rescueME MOB1 will have a significant impact on safety at sea and that customers will appreciate the benefits of the compact size and other features.

“To receive recognition in the 2015 SAIL Magazine Pittman Innovation Awards is also very pleasing, as it is always gratifying to receive accolades from experts in the field.”

The Ocean Signal rescueME MOB1 with integrated DSC is a compact life-saving device which has been designed to attach easily to most life jackets, ready for automatic activation in the event of a man overboard situation.

The MOB1 device communicates the location of a person in the water back to the boat and other vessels in the vicinity. Once the rescueME MOB1 is activated, AIS transmissions will provide accurate position information on the vessel’s chart plotter. In addition, the Digital Selective Calling (DSC) VHF alarm will also be triggered.

The lightweight and easy-to-use rescueME MOB1 measures just 134mm (height) by 38mm (width) by 27mm (depth), and weighs 90g. It can be conveniently attached to the oral tube of a life jacket using the mounting clip supplied with the device.

The Pittman Innovation Awards recognises innovative products from across the world, honouring the ‘best of the best’ new products in sailing gear following extensive research by an experienced team of experts.

The Safety Category judge, and SAIL’s executive editor, Adam Cort, particularly noted the small size of the rescueME MOB1 at 30% smaller than similar products, as well as the “valuable DSC radio feature”.

Mr Cort went on to say, “Our judges were impressed both by the overall quality of the product and the way it combines multiple technologies to make it as easy as possible to quickly get to an MOB victim, no matter what the conditions.

“MOB beacons that transmit AIS signal so nearby vessels can track the person in trouble are already appreciated by many sailors - Ocean Signal’s rescueME MOB1 is the smallest yet.

“When activated, it [the rescueME MOB1] sends a distress message to your boat’s VHF, triggers an alarm and transmits the MOB’s position, which it then repeats every 5 minutes. Most AIS plotting devices will track AIS MOB signals these days, but only a few sound alarms. The rescueME MOB1 clips to most inflatable life vests and can be pre-armed so that it auto-activates when the vest does. It also has a strobe and a battery good for seven years.”

For more information, visit Ocean Signal