Now, MMB to develop app for seafarers

Have you faced a situation where you were sailing in a ferry off the coastline but were unable to zero down on your location? The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) is planning to launch an app for seafarers and passengers to access their location and navigate in the sea sans internet connectivity.

"We are working on a mobile application for passengers which will work irrespective of whether data services are available or no. We already have hydrography and documentary data available with us," said Atul Patne, Chief Executive Officer of the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB).

Apart from a map-only feature, the application will have other passenger-friendly facilities.

"People will also be able to check tourist spots around the jetties," added Patne. A senior MMB official said the app will give people details of their location, the nearest port and lighthouse and bathymetric features like the depth of the water.

It can be operated in offline mode as data connectivity is not available in the sea. "It will help seafarers and cargo and passenger movemement. The app will be similar to Google maps-based navigation services deployed by app-based taxis like Ola and Uber," he explained.

At present, master boats travel on a route and set a GPS trail to be followed by other vessels later. "However, this will be more advanced," the official said, adding that while some features could be available for all, others like bathymetric data may be paid.