UAE satellite phone helps save lives of 7 stranded fishermen from Philippines

UAE satellite phone helps save lives of 7 stranded fishermen from Philippines

The vessel the men were travelling in sank when it hit turbulent waters, leaving them adrift until they were able to use the phone to establish contact with their families

Published: Mon 2 Jan 2023, 5:38 PM

A UAE company’s satellite phone has helped rescue seven fishermen who were stranded in waters between the Philippines and Indonesia.

Yahsat hosted a celebratory ceremony in the Philippines after its Thuraya XT-LITE satellite phone helped save lives of the fishermen stranded in the Pacific Ocean.

In November 2022, the seven fishermen faced turbulent waters on their journey, leading to their vessel sinking. Using the Thuraya XT-LITE, the fishermen were able to establish contact with their families to inform them of the incident. The families then established connection with the local service partner, DelNet, which informed Yahsat’s offices in Singapore of the situation. Yahsat’s customer care team was able to top-up credit on the Thuraya XT-LITE, and the fishermen were subsequently able to coordinate with the Coast Guard and provide them with their GPS location.

“The success of the search and rescue mission highlights the role of satellite communications and critical connectivity in crisis situations. Yahsat is well positioned as a global satellite operator with a fleet of five