Marine safety will be more advanced and efficient in the new Millennium, according to Scott Simmons of Harbour Radio in St. George's.

Mr. Simmons -- the rescue centre's Chief Radio Officer -- was speaking at the Hamilton Lions Club's weekly meeting yesterday.

"Bermuda Harbour Radio is fundamentally a communications facility operating in support of a variety of maritime operations,'' he said.

Internationally known as RCC, or Rescue Coordination Centre, they operate all day in search and rescue mode, following up on local distress calls, environmental protection, port operations and pleasure boat safety.

The centre is located at Fort George -- a site which long ago served as a signal station.

"We currently maintain a continuous distress watch on four international maritime distress frequencies,'' Mr. Simmons said. "And it is not unusual to find ourselves assisting ships and aircraft on search and rescue missions in the western Atlantic one minute, and the next be providing tidal information to a boat in the Great Sound.'' In addition, Harbour Radio broadcasts navigational warnings as well as weather updates to ships according to an international schedule 24-hours a day.

Link to a satellite feed provides a constant flow of vital weather information while other satellite systems provide channels of communication with 12 rescue centres in the Atlantic to keep on top of what is happening.

"Bermuda handles some 300 safety of life incidents a year,'' Mr. Simmons said, "the majority of which occur in coastal waters. Although with the wonders of modern technology, we become involved in incidents quite literally half a world away.'' On February 1, an innovative distress alert system went into operation worldwide called the Global Marine Distress System.

Replacing the outmoded Morse Code, this new system was declared the greatest change to maritime communications since the loss of the Titanic .

Using a "safety net of terrestrial radio and satellite technology'', this system boasts the ability to be able to assure assistance for vessels in distress no matter where they are.

"Conceived over a decade ago, it will no doubt take a few more years before the system is perfected,'' Mr. Simmons explained. "Even now Bermuda is one of only a handful of countries in the Western Hemisphere to be fully compliant with this system.'' A nearly 360 degree surveillance scope of Bermuda's coastal waters can be accomplished from the twin radar units, one at St. George's and the other at Gibbs' Hill Lighthouse, in Southampton.

Three years ago saw the upgrading of the Harbour Radio radar tracking systems and enhanced offshore detection capabilities. The future holds the possibility of increasing the scope of satellite-based radar imaging from 30 miles to entire economic exclusion zone of 200 miles.

"Heady stuff, but the development of such systems commercially is already well advanced and holds real promise for a little country like Bermuda,'' Mr.

Simmons said.

Another technology recently put in use is the VHF radio direction finding.

"All local boats operating offshore are required by law to carry a marine VHF radio,'' Mr. Simmons explained. "The problem for us has been that all too often the people offshore would call us saying that they were in trouble, but they would know only very roughly where they were. A great deal of detective work would be required before we could even know where to send a rescue vessel.

"With the closure of NAS Bermuda and the loss of any form of immediate aircraft support, VHF Direction Finding was an inexpensive and effective alternative for locating people offshore quickly.'' Calling Harbour Radio: Bermuda Harbour Radio spokesman Scott Simmons spoke to the Hamilton Lions yesterday.