Solution enabling fishermen to more constantly and accurately monitor fish activity
Les Ulis, March 5th 2013 – Orolia (NYSE Alternext Paris – FR0010501015 – ALORO), global specialist in critical GPS applications, announced today that it has been awarded a contract from Thalos SAS worth over one million euro, for the supply of tuna fish aggregating device (FAD) tracking buoys.
The order was placed as a result of Orolia’s successful launch of the first ever FAD multi beam tuna tracking buoy incorporating five independent echo sounders and the signing of a new two year exclusive agreement that gives Thalo SAS the rights to independently manage the FAD tuna tracking buoy software and services for their existing extensive tuna fishing customer base and to further develop market leading innovative enhancements and software solutions for this system. In addition, this exclusive agreement, with has started end of January of this year, will give Thalos the exclusive right to sell the software and tuna buoy into the global tuna seine fishing market.
The new Multibeam tuna buoy and onboard software gives tuna fishermen the ability to monitor fish activity under and around the Fish Aggregating Device more constantly and accurately, providing them with the information to make more cost effective decisions as to when to make the often long journey to revisit the FAD.
Commenting on the contract, Jean-Yves Courtois, CEO of the Orolia Group, said, “After the notification of 2 contracts in 2012 for the supply of Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) for the observation of fishing fleets and the supply of beacons to track fishing boat fleets and oil slicks, this new contract underlines our capacity and expertise in developing positioning and communication equipment for mobile objects, which are exposed to particularly extreme environmental conditions (flooding, hard impacts or vibrations, high humidity or dust, etc.). Future generations of fishing products will require ever greater levels of specialist technical knowledge and customer specific solutions and services. These products will be based on further integration of different technologies and data. Thalos are already well placed within the global tuna fishing market, offering a number of unique products, solutions and services based upon integrated data solutions. It was therefore logical to give Thalos a license for our software to enable them to further develop the tuna fishing product portfolio in-line with their customer’s ever increasing requirements. Our software platform will keep being used in other applications in growing markets such as monitoring AIS infrastructures”.
“This contract with Orolia enables Thalos to have a direct handle on the software technology and on the operations of the FAD tuna tracking system. Thalos is therefore ideally positioned to meet the rapidly changing requirements of the global tuna fishing market, whilst allowing customers to benefit from new and reactive in-house technical developments that were until now not possible. Thalos will in particular build further customer-oriented software solutions that are smoothly integrated with Orolia’s tuna buoys, while directly ensuring the continuous availability of the service. This contract is an important milestone in the provision by Thalos of integrated services and solutions for the global tuna fishing market.” explains Claude Barraud, CEO of Thalos SAS.
About Orolia SA
Orolia is a high-technology group dedicated to improving the safety, compliance and efficiency of its customers’ remote operations by providing them business solutions and services based on the most advanced positioning, navigation, timing, sensing, information and communications technologies. Since 2006, the Orolia group has been able to establish itself as one of the leaders in PNT solutions at a global level through its strong brands: Spectracom, SpectraTime, T4Science, Boatracs, McMurdo, Kannad Aviation and Kannad Marine. Orolia’s headquarters are located in Les Ulis, (France). The company also has main offices in Neuchâtel (Switzerland), Rochester (New York), San Diego (USA), Basingstoke (UK), Portsmouth (UK), Guidel and Sophia-Antipolis (France). Orolia has both OSEO “Innovative Company” & “OSEO Excellence” Labels and wins the Bold Creativity Prize (2010) and for the second year in a row, the group has been awarded third place in the Deloitte Technology Fast 5 (2011 and 2012). http://www.orolia.com
About Thalos SAS
Thalos is a high-technology company developing innovative services and applications for the maritime world that make use of satellite data communications technologies. Since 2001, Thalos has developed specific technologies in the field of satellite communication and information services that facilitate the tuna fishing business in a sustainable and environment-conscious manner. Thalos is located in Ploemeur (Britanny, France), and sells in the global market; a large majority of its revenues come from outside France and Europe.
