At its 111th session (MSC 111), the IMO Maritime Safety Committee adopted amendments to SOLAS Chapter V, recognizing VDES as an alternative to AIS for fulfilling minimum carriage requirements. The amendments are set to enter into force on 1 January 2028.
For the maritime community, this is an important step forward. With this decision, VDES has a defined place in the international regulatory framework that governs shipborne navigational systems and equipment. Vessel owners & operators, equipment manufacturers and authorities now have the regulatory certainty needed to move forward with confidence.
VDES builds on AIS rather than replacing it, combining terrestrial and satellite connectivity to deliver affordable, robust, worldwide communication with significantly higher data capacity, two-way data exchange, and global coverage.
The VDES Alliance welcomes this decision and sees it as validation of the work done across the industry – to bring VDES to a point where it earns its place in SOLAS.
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