Table of Contents:                                                                                                                                     Page

             1.   Purpose...........................................................................................................................................1

             2.   Description......................................................................................................................................1

             3.   Policy..............................................................................................................................................1

             4.   Responsibilities................................................................................................................................1

1.                  Purpose.  The purpose of this chapter is to describe the telecommunications process of the NWS Marine Ship Report Program.  This chapter does not cover ship data received by NWS on the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Global Telecommunication System.

2.                  Description.  Several means of telecommunications are employed to move ship weather observations from ships at sea to the NWS Telecommunication Gateway (NWSTG).  Ships transmit their meteorological reports via radio or satellite.  The reports are received by coastal radio stations for radio transmissions or coastal earth stations for reports sent by satellite.  Both kinds of coastal stations relay the reports to the NWSTG via telex.

3.                  Policy.  The NWS is responsible for maintaining a meteorological watch of specified ocean areas adjacent to U.S. coasts in order to provide timely marine forecasts and warnings.  To facilitate the meteorological watch, NWS has agreed to pay telecommunications costs of ship weather reports emanating from the following areas:  Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea West of 35° W and North of 3° N, and Pacific Ocean East of 160° E and North of 25° S.  All reports for which telecommunications bills are paid must conform to WMO code form FM13-VII SHIP, Ships Weather Observations.

4.                  Responsibilities.  This section briefly describes the responsibilities of NWS Headquarters and ships that transmit ship weather observations.
 
 

MARINE SHIP REPORT TELECOMMUNICATIONS  (G-92)                                                             SECTION 4
 

              a.  The Telecommunications and Dissemination Branch of the Systems Integration Division has overall responsibility for the following:

                   1.  Budgeting for ship report telecommunications costs;

                   2.  Maintaining a database of ships that provide reports in order to monitor satellite and telex costs, and verify ship telecommunications bills; and

                   3.  Maintaining agreements with companies that provide telecommunications for ship weather reports.

              b.  The Observing Systems Branch of the Systems Integration Division, through its Port Meteorological Officer Program, actively promotes the NWS Marine Ship Reporting Program and encourages regular reporting of weather observations by participating vessels.

              c.  Responsibilities for ship communications remain at the discretion of shipboard operators and are usually dictated by the equipment available.  Types of telecommunications used by ships to send weather observations include:

                   1.  International Maritime Satellite Organization (INMARSAT) Standard A and Standard C satellite communications units;

                   2.  National Ocean Service provided SEAS, observation and satellite telecommunications units; and

                   3.  High frequency radio.