Parliamentary Secretary for Fishing Clint Camilleri has said that the first seven Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS) were installed on fishing vessels over 12 meters.

He said that more VMS systems, financed by the National Fund, will continue to be installed on Maltese boats. He said that a number of these vessels go fishing far off the Maltese coast.

He spoke of the imprtance of communication when one is out at sea, mentioning the need to plan routes as to where fish can be found, the reporting of the fish caught, and a report of the vessels location. All this, he said, must occurr through VMS.

The new system installed on the vessels works through satelite. This system offers certaincy that the vessel will never be caught in an area without coverage, he said.