TowBoatUS Local Provider Has No MMSI

Electrical and electronic topics for small boats
conch
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Location: Florida Keys,Hawaii,Mississippi

TowBoatUS Local Provider Has No MMSI

Postby conch » Fri Sep 09, 2016 1:35 pm

I was adding MMSI numbers to my DSC call list and thought it would be a good idea to add my local TowBoatUS provider. I called and was told they did not have a MMSI number. I was a bit surprised and called BoatUS. I was connected to the MMSI numbering section. That fellow suggested I use a cellphone for contact. Not the answer I expected.

Guess I thought BoatUS and TowBoatUs would be leading the way with getting everyone registered and connected with MMSI.

Chuck

jimh
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Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: TowBoatU.S. Local Provider Has No MMSI

Postby jimh » Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:09 pm

That your local TowBoatU.S. provider did not have an MMSI to give you may not be too strange. I believe TowBoatU.S. is a towing service operation affiliated with BoatU.S. If I understand your comments, the tow boat operators you contacted do not encourage boaters in distress to contact them by making a DSC call to a particular tow boat. This seems like a reasonable policy.

When you make a DSC call to another vessel, you are only polling that vessel. A local towing service provider may have more than one vessel that could be available to provide service. You might call a vessel that is out of radio range. You might call a vessel out of service and unmanned. You might call a vessel already involved in towing. In all instances a call to a single vessel could go unanswered, while the towing service may have other vessels available. The towing service is probably monitoring Channel 16 for calls. The use of cellular telephony to contact the towing company does seems like a reasonable method, as long as you are in the coverage area. Perhaps the range of their towing service is limited to approximately the distance offshore that cellular telephones can cover.

I don't know that there is a correlation between BoatU.S. being a private registration agent for MMSI's in the USA and their policy about how to communicate with their affiliated towing service providers. It seems simpler to just call one central dispatching number to request service than to have to manually populate a radio's DSC directory with multiple MMSI's of individual boats that participate in their towing service.

porthole
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Location: LSD Lower Slower Delaware

Re: TowBoatUS Local Provider Has No MMSI

Postby porthole » Tue Oct 04, 2016 11:27 am

Having worked with the local TowBoatUS provider for 20 years I would agree with Jim's comments.

Most of the Towers do have an MMSI number, at least on some of the larger boats. We were required to have it for the boats that went into NY harbor or into the shipping lanes. The TowBoatUS provider for Manasquan, Shark River and Mantoloking was one of the first AIS repeating providers in the area (not sure if that is the correct terminology though)

Your best choice for contacting the TowBoatUS provider in your area for non emergency purposes is by the local's phone contact. Or if you need service, either the TowBoatUS 24 hour hotline or if you have a smartphone, the TowBoatUS towing app.

And in an emergency, the always first contact should be on channel 16 to let others in the area know of your dilemma and for the USCG to get on line with the high tech equipment now installed around the country.

Even if all you need is a breakdown tow, hailing the USCG on 16 will get you to the provider of your choice, and will follow up on the service.
Thanks,
Duane
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