Icom MA-510TR Class B AIS Solution for your Commercial Maritime Tenders
by Ian Lockyer, Icom UK 28 Nov 2022 15:46 GMT
Cruise ship at anchor ourside St Peter Port, Guernsey. Large ship with blue hull and a yellow lifeboat or tender off the coast of the Channel Islands, UK © Icom UK
Are you a commercial maritime operator who wants to equip your tender fleet with an effective Class B AIS transponder... but the stumbling block has always been assigning unique MMSI numbers?
Well, Icom has a firmware upgrade for its MA-510TR Class B AIS transponder, allowing operators to equip transponders to their fleet of tenders with unique MMSI numbers.
The solution gives the operator the ability to be able to track tenders and safety boats that are assigned to a mother ship. For instance, a cruise ship might have some tenders to take guests ashore. The operator may want to know where they are. The MA-510TR enables them to use the unique MMSI assigned to the tender or lifeboat.
Who would find this Upgrade Beneficial?
Cruise ships, Superyachts, Research vessels... any larger commercial vessel that has a tender that needs to identify where that tender is. In the past, you could only do this with Class A, but now you can do this with the Class B MA-510TR Transponder. Icom is the first manufacturer to have this facility available on a Class B Transponder.
How can I get this Firmware Upgrade?
This upgrade will be incorporated on all new MA-510TR from Icom UK. Anyone who requires this feature and has an existing MA-510TR can contact Icom UK and for a charge of £30 ex VAT plus return carriage will arrange the upgrade and send it back to them. If you have any questions about this upgrade, please contact the Icom UK Marine team at 01227 741741 or email