GROUND CONTROL EXPANDS EUROPEAN FISHERIES MONITORING

Ground Control expands European fisheries monitoring with Türkiye RockFLEET deployment. Deployment across over 850 commercial fishing vessels will strengthen fleet visibility, improve regulatory oversight and support sustainable fisheries management.

Ground Control’s RockFLEET vessel monitoring technology has been selected for a major fisheries monitoring programme in Türkiye, helping authorities improve visibility of commercial fishing activity and strengthen efforts to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Delivered through Ground Control’s parent company, CLS, under a contract awarded by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, through the GEF-funded FishEBM Black Sea and FishEBM Mediterranean projects, the initiative will see over 850 commercial fishing vessels equipped with RockFLEET Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) devices between May and October 2026.

The deployment spans almost 100 ports across Türkiye’s coastline.

The Türkiye programme builds on Ground Control’s growing presence in European fisheries monitoring, following the deployment of RockFLEET for the French government’s commercial fisheries monitoring programme.

The consecutive national deployments demonstrate increasing confidence in hybrid satellite and cellular connectivity to provide continuous vessel visibility and support effective fisheries management.

The programme forms part of Türkiye’s wider investment in modernising fisheries monitoring infrastructure.

With the largest fishing fleet in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions, [C(1] [AC2]  the country is enhancing its monitoring, control and surveillance capabilities to improve regulatory oversight, support sustainable fisheries management and strengthen action against illegal fishing.

RockFLEET has been developed specifically for demanding maritime operations where reliable connectivity cannot be guaranteed. Combining cellular and Iridium satellite communications in a single device, it automatically selects the most appropriate network to maintain uninterrupted reporting, whether vessels are operating close to shore or further offshore.

The system delivers near real time vessel tracking, automated position reporting and configurable geofencing alerts, while integrating directly into national fisheries monitoring platforms.

This gives fisheries authorities continuous visibility of fleet activity and enables faster operational decision making across extensive maritime areas. Unlike traditional tracking systems that rely on a single communications method, RockFLEET’s hybrid architecture provides greater resilience in environments where cellular coverage is inconsistent.

Alastair MacLeod, Chief Executive Officer at Ground Control, said: “Effective fisheries management starts with trusted, reliable data. Authorities need continuous visibility of vessel activity to make informed operational decisions, improve compliance and protect valuable marine resources.

This latest deployment builds on our recent work with the French government and represents another important milestone for RockFLEET. Seeing two national fisheries programmes select our technology in such quick succession reflects the growing confidence in resilient hybrid satellite connectivity to support monitoring, compliance and the long-term sustainability of fisheries.”

The deployment demonstrates the increasingly important role hybrid satellite connectivity is playing in fisheries management. As governments seek greater transparency across commercial fishing fleets, resilient communications infrastructure is becoming essential to support monitoring, enforcement and long-term sustainability objectives.

Beyond commercial fisheries, RockFLEET is used across maritime, offshore energy, environmental monitoring and remote asset tracking applications where dependable communications are critical to safe and efficient operations.