Sea Environment, Kuwait

Highlights

• RipEX, 300 MHz
• Environmental Monitoring
• Installation on sea buoys
• Solar powered
• Flexible protocol
• Maximum reliability
• Multiple repeaters

The Arabian Gulf has some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Many of the vessels are Oil tankers that use offshore moorings while their cargo of oil is loaded for transportation around the world.

The Kuwaiti authorities understand the environment is a major element of the comprehensive development of a country. The Environment Public Authority (EPA) of Kuwait was established to monitor the environment and implement international legislation and policy. In 2016 a decision was taken to establish an environmental monitoring information system using a network of buoys, strategically positioned throughout the coastal waters of Kuwait, to monitor water quality and alert the authority to oil spillages.

The logistics of establishing and maintaining a marine monitoring offshore network meant the authority could only consider radio modems with an industrial hardened design that use heavy duty industrial components and can provide  a 24/7 reliable service in a harsh maritime climate. The only radio modem that EPA Kuwait sourced that could meet all their criteria was the RACOM RipEX radio modem.

The network was designed to operate using Flexible protocol at a frequency in 300 MHz band. Due to the distances involved, it was necessary to use several repeaters to enable data transmissions between the center and farthest buoys.

The network came into service in 2017 and has been successfully helping EPA monitor the environment in Kuwaiti coastal waters ever since.