NOAA’s Office of Radio Frequency Management (ORFM) provides an application to request an MMSI (Maritime Mobile Service Identity) number for digital select calling (DSC) capable radios. All NOAA radios that require a call sign and/or MMSI number should be using this site and not going through a commercial vendor like Boat US; NOAA was issued a block of numbers specifically for this purpose.

Several line offices have liaisons with ORFM and requests from those lines should be routed through them.

• OMAO: Frank Coluccio, 541-867-8707
• NMFS: John Bortniak, 301-427-8754; info the NMFS Intranet http://home.nmfs.noaa.gov/mb/radio/
• Other line offices: contact Carmelo Rivera at OFRM, (301) 625-5646

General information on MMSI can be found at http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=mtMmsi

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VOC Tim Stentz from the NMFS Northwest Fisheries Science Center’s Point Adams Research Station pulled together some impressive metrics regarding his small boat unit’s work.  Click the image to view it full size.

Thanks for all the hard work Tim!

Point Adams Vessel Operations Fast Facts - click to view full size

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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ASBE class students at PIFSC

The NOAA Small Boat Program held the first class of its Annual Small Boat Evaluation (ASBE) course at the Pacific Island Fisheries Science Center on Ford Island, Hawaii from January 24-27, 2012.   PIFSC volunteered to be the pilot test and provided the facilities and boats needed for the course.  There were 13 students from NMFS and NOS line offices who were taught NOAA policy, inspection techniques, and given hands-on experience with inspecting small boats and their systems.  With the success of this course the Small Boat Program is ready to proceed with more in the future.  The course requires a classroom and a minimum 3 of Class A, I, and II small boats out of the water.  If you are interested in the class and/or have questions please email sbp.xo@noaa.gov.

Many thanks to Chad Yoshinaga and PIFSC for hosting the class and many of the Hawaii small boat units for providing boats for inspection.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Police in Australia took an unexpected hit from a wave that tipped their boat during a search and rescue mission.

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/msnbc.com/46116872

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Minutes of the November 29 – December 1, 2011 Small Boat Safety Board (SBSB) meeting have been posted in the Small Boat section of the OMAO Fleet Wiki.  Major topics were:

• The director of the Customs and Border Patrol Office of Air and Marine, National Marine Center gave a presentation on his center’s small boat repair and maintenance facilities and capabilites
• Immersion suit inspections
• Discussion on ship davits
• Review of operator training requirements, results of VOC survey; approval of Fremont Maritime (Seattle) and Army Corps of Engineers Motorboat Operator Certification Course as BS&S equivalents
• Discussion on drills, frequency, timing, applicability
• Carriage requirements for paper charts and updates
• Environmental policy
• Discussion on route-based criteria for small boat safety equipment/stability/construction
• Applicable standards for inspections
• Current state/challenges/successes of the small boat community and improvements that can be made
• Annual Small Boat Evaluation course update

Please see the meeting minutes for full details on these and other agenda items.

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