The Support Decision System for establish Radio Communications in Distress Situations for Masters of Touristic Yachts travelling around the Wallace’s Line Sea Area

The maritime area for sailing between the Pacific and the Indian Ocean along the Wallace’s Line is classified as very attractive for yachting and sailing of small unconventional, including tourist sea yachts, but on the other hand is assessed as dangerous. Radio communication coverage in the area in question for Class A1 and A2 communication zones is severely limited there. The use of standard radio communication equipment VHF/MF class on small tourist vessels and yachts is therefore limited or even ineffective in many parts of the analyzed sea area. This is of significant importance in distress situations, requiring calls to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers in case of danger to life and property. This situation therefore poses a navigational safety risk for smaller pleasure yachts often sailing in the area. It should be noted that the possible sinking of such a vessel, flooding or entry of crew and passengers into the water in this area is additionally dangerous as the warm waters there are abundant with sharks and other dangerous predatory fish. In such situations, even a minor yacht failure can turn into a major maritime tragedy resulting in loss of life. This is why the ability to effectively and quickly establish radio communication with Marine Rescue Coordination Centers is so important there. This paper presents the idea of an innovative radio communication system to support the decision of the skipper of a small seagoing touristic yacht sailing in Indonesian waters of the Wallace’s Line, in a distress situation when it is necessary to urgently call for the assistance of an MRCC. The system concept is based on the use of ANN methods to assist the captain in making the optimum navigational decision. A ANN model and an example of numerical simulation of the new decision-support system’s operation are presented, with reference to the existing communication A1, A2 zones of the Wallace’s Line area, and a present position of a small touristic yacht. The result of the calculations is the determination of the value of the new corrected course of the yacht, the distance and the time needed to reach the nearest area to establish radio communication with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre using VHF/MF radio equipment.