DOHA: Amid apprehensions raised by some Qatari boat owners the Ministry of Transport yesterday clarified that it is obligatory for all ships and boats in the country to install Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Very High Frequency (VHF) radio.

Nasser Musaad Qaddar Director of Planning and Licensing of Marine Transport at the Ministry of Transport told a press conference that the decision was in the interest of citizens to protect their life and property and ensure marine safety.

AIS is a digital VHF radio-based transponder system that can prevent collisions and can protect the boat from being run down by a huge fast moving ship. AIS uses GPS VHF radio and sophisticated digital processing to automatically communicate between vessels without any operator interaction.

He said the decision was the result of studies and consultations and coordination with different bodies concerned. These devices in ships and boats keep them connected with the Coast Guard and coastal stations to provide them help and rescue if they face technical problems or accidents in the sea he added.

It will also help in identifying the location of the ship or boat and give them guidance when it is necessary. “Not installing these devices or switching them off are considered a violation of the decision” said Qaddar. Any boat owner who has queries about the system must contact the ministry.

Regarding the prices of the devices he said the ministry has issued a list of manufactures who sell the products at low prices; not more than QR1500 for AIS and QR1000 for VHF.

There is a grace period for installing the devices if they are not readily available in the market.

Local Arabic daily Al Raya reported yesterday that many boat owners were surprised by the new decision.

They said that the devices are not available in the market and the installation cost ranges from QR5000 to QR6000.

Some doubted the need for installing such sophisticated devices in small boats that do not go beyond five to six kilometres into the sea. The existing mobile communication system is enough for them they said.