AMVER: Difference between revisions

'''AMVER''', or '''Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue''' is a worldwide voluntary reporting system sponsored by the [[United States Coast Guard]]. It is a computer-based global ship-reporting system used worldwide by [[search and rescue]] authorities to arrange for assistance to persons in distress at sea. With AMVER, rescue coordinators can identify participating ships in the area of distress and divert the best-suited ship or ships to respond. Participating in AMVER does not put ships under any additional obligation to assist in search and rescue efforts, beyond that which is required under [[international law]].<ref name=AMVER01>{{cite web|title=

On April 15, 1958, the United States Coast Guard and commercial shipping representatives began discussions which led to the creation of AMVER. Originally known as the '''A'''tlantic '''M'''erchant '''V'''essel '''E'''mergency '''R'''eporting System, it became operational on July 18, 1958.<ref name= "AMVER02" /> AMVER began as an experiment, confined to waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, notorious for icebergs, fog and winter storms. Vice Admiral Alfred C. Richmond, [[Commandant of the Coast Guard|Coast Guard Commandant]] at the time, called on all commercial vessels of U.S. and foreign registry, over 1,000 gross tons and making a voyage of more than 24 hours, to voluntarily become AMVER participants. The basic premise of AMVER, as a vehicle for mariner to help mariner without regard to nationality, continues to this day.<ref name= "AMVER02" />

The first home of the AMVER Center was at the New York Custom House in downtown New York City, due to the fact that many commercial cargo and passenger lines operating in the Atlantic maintained offices nearby, and AMVER's success would depend on close ties to the merchant fleet. The system's first computer was an [[IBM RAMAC]] (Random Access Method Accounting Control), characterized as being able to "evaluate information and determine the position of vessels through [[dead reckoning]]." The product of the computer was a "Surface Picture" or "SURPIC" of an area of the ocean, indicating the AMVER participating ships in the vicinity.<ref name= "AMVER02" /> In 1966, the Coast Guard moved its regional headquarters from the Custom House to [[Governors Island]], in upper New York Bay. The move included the AMVER Center and consolidated all New York area Coast Guard activities, including a [[Rescue Coordination Center]], at one site. One year after the move, AMVER's title was revised to read '''A'''utomated '''M'''erchant '''VE'''ssel '''R'''eporting program. Subsequent homes for the AMVER computer would include [[Washington, D.C.]]; Governors Island, New York; and now at Martinsburg, West Virginia.<ref name= "AMVER02" />

 

In October 1982, the first joint AMVER/satellite-alerting rescue occurred, using the experimental [[P91-1 ARGOS|ARGOS]] and [[Cospas-Sarsat]] system. December of that year saw the [[U.S. Maritime Administration]] and the Coast Guard sign an agreement making AMVER participation mandatory for U.S.-flag shipping, and suspending the requirement for the filing of reports to the overlapping [[USMER]] reporting system. This benefited many U.S. masters, already AMVER participants, who were juggling reports to two parallel systems, and allowed for a consolidated plot of all U.S. shipping worldwide.<ref name="AMVER02" />

With the advent of the [[Global Maritime Distress Safety System]] (GMDSS), the role of AMVER was redefined to complement the emerging technology. Rescue coordination centers around the world began using [[Emergency position-indicating radiobeacon station|Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacons]] (EPIRBS), [[Inmarsat-C]] and [[Digital Selective Calling]] terminal auto-alarms to "take the search out of search and rescue." Then, attention could be turned to AMVER as a tool for the rescue phase of the operation.<ref name="AMVER02" />

 

The beginning of the 1990s saw the need for the entire software package of AMVER to be rewritten in [[UNIX]]/[[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] technology to keep pace with the evolution of data processing. This new version would provide more capacity; mechanisms for recurrent routings and maintaining ships on station (e.g., research ships or fishing factory ships); graphic plot depiction; and parser capability, once again bringing AMVER current with the state of the art.<ref name="AMVER02" /> Home for the AMVER Center was moved to the Operations Systems Center, a new facility designed and built to consolidate many Coast Guard computer systems at Martinsburg, West Virginia. Contracted out to civilian operation, this facility released many staff members for reassignment throughout the Coast Guard.

In conjunction with the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA) and [[COMSAT]] (the U.S. signatory to Inmarsat) AMVER has assisted in the development of "compressed message" software to move report data at high speed and low cost to encourage more frequent, user-friendly reporting and thus increase plot accuracy at a time when many shipping companies are removing full-time radio officers from GMDSS-compliant ships.<ref name="AMVER02" />

 

Today, over 22,000 ships from hundreds of nations participate in AMVER. An average of 4,000 ships are on the AMVER plot each day and those numbers continue to increase. The AMVER Center computer receives over 14,000 AMVER messages a day. Over 2,800 lives have been saved by AMVER participating ships since 2000.<ref name="AMVER02" />