In a bid to provide enhanced safety and security for maritime traffic, foundation would be laid here tomorrow for establishing a national Navtex Network that would offer mariners various information including navigational and weather forecast and pirate warning.
Shipping Minister G K Vasan would lay the foundation for the network, which would be function directly under the Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships.
NAVTEX is an international automated medium frequency direct printing service for delivery of navigational and meteorological warnings and forecast, search and rescue information and pirate warnings to ships.
The Indian Navtex Network would have seven transmitting stations -- Veraval, Vengurla Point, Muttom Point, Porto Novo, Vakalpudi, Balasore -- to broadcast maritime safety information to mariners up to 250 nautial miles.
An emergency NAVTEX Control Centre is also being established at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to ensure uninterrupted service to mariners.
The network would broadcast navigational warnings, meteorological warnings and forecasts for 10 minutes at regular intervals round the clock.
The Ministry would also have monitoring stations at Okha, Ratnagiri, Azhikode, Puducherrym Dolphin's Nose, Sagar Island and Port Blair.
The Shipping Minister would also throw open the Chennai Lighthouse to visitors and inaugurate the Lighthouse Technical Museum.
