Search & Rescue Exercise Streamed Live Thanks to Cobham Satcom

Cobham SATCOM partner Tototheo has deployed a SAILOR 900 VSAT system in support of the Cyprus Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Larnaca and the large-scale multinational Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise ‘NEMESIS 2015’. The exercise took place within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus on 1st July. Air and naval search and rescue units as well as personnel from Cyprus, the State of Israel, Greece and the USA took part.

The objective of NEMESIS 2015 was to simulate the planning, preparation and execution of a multinational joint search and rescue exercise designed to prepare the teams for effective response in search and rescue missions and other humanitarian operations in the region.

The exercise involved a number of air and sea craft including: nine warships, an oil platform, an oil tanker, antipollution vessels, two Port & Marine Police ships, four helicopters and two airplanes. The scenario itself was divided in four phases and dealt with a serious accident in open sea, within an area where oil and gas rigs are operating along with their supporting vessels.

To enable the greatest learning from the exercise, a SAILOR 900 VSAT antenna system supplied by the team at Cobham SATCOM in conjunction with their partner Tototheo, was installed on the EDT Flying Enterprise offshore supply vessel. With the world’s most advanced and reliable antenna of its class on board, the official camera crew were able to transfer live high definition video footage of the exercise to coordinators and stakeholders in the rescue coordination center.

“With the help of the robust, reliable SAILOR 900 VSAT system from Cobham SATCOM combined with iDirect technology, we were always confident that we could enable great coverage of the exercise at the best possible quality, based on the 1 meter antenna link budget,” said Eugene Vardas, VSAT specialist at Tototheo Trading Ltd. “We couldn’t have achieved this without the reliability and precision of the SAILOR 900 VSAT system.”