On Monday, July 6, 2026, satellite and hybrid internet of things connectivity provider Ground Control announced that its RockFLEET tracking technology has been selected to support France’s new coastal fishing vessel monitoring programme.
The long-term implementation campaign will be masterminded by parent group CLS, which plans to deploy the certified hardware solution across the majority of the country’s small-scale artisanal fishing fleet.
Mandatory Maritime Compliance Framework
Under newly enacted French regulations established as part of a wider package of European fisheries control reforms, all coastal fishing vessels under 12 metres will be legally mandated to carry an approved satellite tracking device between 2026 and 2028. The state-backed oversight measures are designed to improve the granular traceability of fishing activity, strengthen regional fisheries management, and support the sustainable use of sensitive marine resources through evidence-based decision-making.
Dual-Mode Communications Specifications
The RockFLEET platform operates as a permanently installed marine tracking terminal designed to withstand harsh outdoor marine environments. The system includes the following core technical tracking capabilities:
- Dual-mode network routing combining local cellular coverage in coastal waters with automatic switching to the global Iridium satellite network when vessels move beyond mobile signals.
- Integrated LTE Narrowband connectivity to support least-cost data routing whenever terrestrial networks remain accessible.
- Remote device management utilities accessible via cloud-hosted dashboards, alongside user-configurable reporting intervals, secure geofencing options, and end-to-end data transmission protocols.
Executive Assessment on Sustainability
“Sustainable fisheries management depends on having reliable, trusted information about activity at sea,” stated Alastair MacLeod, CEO of Ground Control. “For many coastal fleets, maintaining continuous visibility can be challenging when vessels regularly move beyond terrestrial coverage. RockFLEET was designed to remove that gap by combining satellite and cellular connectivity into a single solution that continues reporting wherever vessels operate.”
Deployment Timeline Through 2028
The large-scale integration of the certified vessel monitoring beacons across thousands of small-scale French craft will proceed in structured operational phases leading up to the final 2028 regulatory enforcement deadline. The deployment marks a significant commercial expansion of the unified tech stack built since CLS finalized its corporate acqu
