Mission

1. Tasks

• To provide radio communication for the safety of human life at sea and safety of navigation within the designated areas of the Estonian Republic.
• To provide radio transmission to ships of navigational and hydro-meteorological information in compliance with the international requirements.
• To provide maritime communication for legal persons and individuals of the Estonian Republic for operational and public correspondence traffic.
• To provide continuous updating, maintenance and repair of communication equipment.

2. The actual course of activities of RIKS based on the statute
   
   
   1. To provide radio communication for the safety of human life at sea and safety of navigation within the designated areas of the Estonian Republic.
      Ensued from the implementation of the new Solas convention GMDSS requirements, with which the Estonian Republic has joined on 16 March 1992,the building of base stations network became actual on the Estonian coast. The respective draft of unified conception of maritime communication system and primary development plan was compiled in 1995.
      The only solution was to create an update fully automated network consisting of 11 base stations (figure 1). The first priority in the new system is given to the distress traffic and SAR messages which is the liability of the MRCC of the Estonian Border Guard.
      VHF base stations network was established on 08 December 1999. This network is first of all in the service of the MRCC of the Estonian Border Guard, but is also available to the present and future State Fleet.
      
      
   2. To provide radio transmission of navigational and hydro-meteorological information to ships in compliance with the international requirements.
      In order to ensure the better reading qualities of the navigational safety Navtex messages compiled in Sweden in the eastern area of the Baltic Sea it was decided in the Helsinki conference of the Baltic and Barents Sea states to transmit these messages to ships from Estonia for practical purposes. In November 1997 test transmissions from the new Suurupi transmission center commenced. At present Navtex transmissions from Estonia are internationally approved and for improving reception in the IMO (International Maritime Organization) designated area there was a public tender in the end of 1999 to acquire new, update Navtex transmitters in 2000.
      Sea weather reports and ice reports also emergency gale- and navigational warnings from the Estonian Meteorological and Hydrological Institute are transmitted by radiotelephone in English and Estonian on VHF channel 69.
      
      
   3. To co-operate with the respective governmental structures of the other Baltic States to meet the international requirements of radio communication.
      In addition to the co-operation with the Swedish Maritime Administration in transmitting Navtex information RIKS also participates in the work of the coordination committee of Baltic/Barents Sea Regional Co-operation on the GMDSS. Relations have been established with the respective Maritime Administrations of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia.
      
      
   4. To provide maritime communication for legal persons and individuals of the Estonian Republic for opeational and public correspondence traffic.
      To preserve the reputation of Estonia as a maritime country RIKS offers the following paid service for ship - to –shore communication:
      
      • Forwarding telephone calls
      • Forwarding business and private telegrams
      As the commercial service hasn’t been the first priority up till 2000.there hasn’t been sufficient income. VHF radiotelephone communication is provided via the new network of base stations, the center of which is situated at 15 Systa street where 24 h radio watch is kept. The MF and HF radiotelephone service is also from Systa street and long-range communication reception is via the reception station at Merivälja center and transmission via Suurupi transmission center. Radio telex center is situated in the reception center from where Suurupi transmitters are remotely controlled.
      
      
   5. To provide continuous updating, maintenance and repair of communication equipment.