At the beginning of the year, Sapmer signed two collaboration agreements with Météo-France. Under the first of these, Sapmer undertakes to carry out the deployment of drifting buoys. The second agreement allows the installation of a Mercury meteorological observation station on board the longliner Albius.
The objective of this collaboration under the first agreement is to study ocean conditions, using to the network of drifting buoys under the supervision of the Météo-France meteorological marine centre in Brest. The data collected will supply the needs of global meteorological monitoring.
The deployment at sea of drifting buoys by Sapmer’s vessels on behalf of Météo-France is part of the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP),an international programme that co-ordinates the use of autonomous buoys for the observation of atmospheric conditions at sea, action that is followed by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO.
Deployment of these buoys gathers data relating to atmospheric pressure, sea temperature, ocean currents, and wind and wave conditions. All of this contributes to providing data gathered in the rarely-visited Antarctic waters for weather forecasting, ship routing, marine safety, monitoring drifting objects, reducing the environmental impact of marine operations and monitoring climate change
Sapmer is the first French fishing company to commit to such a partnership with Météo- France.
The second agreement defines the modalities for carrying out meteorological observations (MERCURY) on board Sapmer’s Albius. The objective is to collect meteorological observation data which will then be forwarded to the international meteorological services as part of the VOS program (Voluntary Observing Ship) of the WWO (World Meteorological Organisation).
The crew will be trained in techniques to be used for meteorological observations according to the rules in place.
This agreement is part of the SOLAS convention to which France is a signatory and which has an important meteorological component. Sapmer is therefore proud to participate in the improvement of the safety of seafarers through these two agreements.
