The Doha Maritime Coast Station was today officially opened at a ceremony that welcomed dignitaries and senior representatives of the maritime industries.

With shipping one of Qatar’s most essential industries – supporting the delivery of everything from liquid natural gas exports through to food imports – the Coast Station will play a vital role in ensuring the safety and smooth passage of ships in the waters surrounding Qatar.

Supported by Qtel, The Doha Maritime Coast Station will be a vital link in the Global Maritime Distress Safety System (GMDSS), an international set of safety procedures and communication processes, supported across a range of frequencies. Using world-class communication technology, it will provide essential updates, ranging from weather reports through to emergency alerts.

The Station will be open 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, to ensure that there is always support for ships at sea.

Officially opening the facility, Ahmed Yousef Al-Derbesti, Executive Director, International Services, Qtel, said: “The Doha Maritime Coast Station will provide a vital facility for ships in Qatar’s waters, making a material contribution to Qatar’s positioning as a key international hub. We are very proud that some of the world’s most advanced technology, as well as some of the most experienced human resources in the operational and engineering fields, will be provided by Qtel at the Doha Maritime Coast Station.”

The Doha Maritime Coast Station will provide a range of frequencies for area coverage, with short range radio services covering the waters immediately around Qatar, and more advanced services, including High Frequencies, Digital Selective Calling (DSC) and radio telex, used for communication further out into the Ocean.

A team of engineers and operational experts are now permanently based at the Station, which is situated on the coast in Lusail.
In the event of a distress signal or urgent messages received from a maritime mobile station or vessel, the Station’s role is to alert all ships and coast stations in the region immediately, so that help can be dispatched in time to save the person or the vessel in distress.

Weather forecasts received from the meteorological office in Doha are transmitted twice daily to keep ships and local fishermen informed of gales and other potentially-dangerous weather conditions.

The station is managed in accordance with the provisions and regulations of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and International Maritime Organization.