A team of students representing the ‘Etienne’ student company at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences in Sohar managed to create a device that could potentially save the lives of fishermen on sea fishing trips.

The device was registered and has since obtained an intellectual property certificate from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Investment Promotion.

Ayman bin Abdullah Al Hosani, one of the team members, was quoted as telling the Oman News Agency that the device is installed on the fishing boat to protect it from problems that the fisherman may face.

These problems were reportedly identified through a questionnaire distributed among fishermen in the Sultanate.

He added that the results of the survey indicated that the common and recurring problems include the boat capsizing completely or sinking as a result of water leaking into the boat.

Ayman then stated that in these two cases, the device sends a distress message to the competent authorities, followed by the GPS location of the boat to start the rescue operation.

In the event of a mechanical malfunction during a fishing trip, the device has an emergency button that can send a distress message followed by the location of the boat to the competent authorities.

He pointed out that the installation and manufacturing of the device began for the first time in June last year, as the device was designed to be installed in small marine fishing boats, recreational boats, and excursions in order to ensure safety and security of its users.

He then explained that the features of the innovative device and its components work on advanced communication technologies via satellite, which allows communication from anywhere on the surface of the earth.

Ayman then said that the device underwent several stages of testing before the manufacturing process. He breaks them down into three: research and study stage, prototype and modification stage, and testing and experimentation stage.