Iridium Satellite has appointed OTESAT-Maritel as an authorized service provider, Iridium announced March 16.

A satellite communications equipment and services provider to the Greek and international maritime markets, OTESAT-Maritel is a subsidiary of the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization, the public telephone and telecommunications company in Greece.

Also, Faria WatchDog Inc., an Iridium value-added reseller, announced March 16 that its Iridium-based vessel monitoring system has been type approved by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for installation on commercial fishing vessels in U.S. waters.

The WatchDog 750 unit is a dual-mode transceiver that provides text messaging, mandated position reporting and activity code declarations, catch and notification forms, and e-mail.