Ian Waugh - A Mariner\'s Guide to Marine Communications

Your Distress Alert will include, as a minimum:

Your vessel's MMSI.

Vessel position.

The word 'undesignated' (as the 'nature of distress').

If time permits, use the DSC Controller to change the 'nature of

distress' from 'undesignated' to one of the following:

• Fire/explosion


• Collision


• Listing (and in danger of capsizing)


• Disabled and adrift


• 
  

  Piracy/Armed attack

  
  

   -
  
   -
  
   -

  
  

Flooding

Grounding

Sinking

Abandoning

Man overboard

2182kHz Voice Distress Procedures - Example - Sea Area A2

Vessel in Distress is M/V justina, callsign GJUS, MM SI

232456789. Coast Station is Falmouth Coastguard, MM SI 002320014.
           Vessel' Wizard callsign GWIZ is also in the vicinity
           Mayday Mayday Mayday this is Motor Vessel]ustina,]ustina,]ustina
           Mayday - M/V]ustina - callsign GolfJuliet Uniform Sierra -MMSI 232456789
           Position 49 degrees 22 minutes North 010 degrees 50 minutes West
           Struck submerged object and sinking - Require Immediate Assistance - Over
           Mayday]ustina]ustina]ustina
           This is Falmouth Coastguard, Falmouth Coastguard, Falmouth Coastguard
           Received Mayday - How many persons onboard please - Over
           The initial voice procedure shown above will get your voice
           Distress CALL ('Mayday Mayday Mayday this is Motor VesseIjustina,

justina,justina') and Distress MESSAGE ('Mayday - M/V justina-

callsign GJUS - MM SI 232456789 - Position ... Problem ... 'Require

Immediate Assistance', and any other information, including number

of persons onboard, weather conditions etc) out on 2182kHz for the

coast station/MRCC, or any other vessel in the area, to receive.

If you forget to provide the number of persons onboard, the MRCC

will ask for that information. If weather conditions are poor, or the situation

for rescuers is hazardous, the MRCC can then discontinue the Search

and Rescue (SAR) operation as soon as all persons are accounted for.

Action Onboard Vessels receiving a DSC Distress Alert on 2187.5kHz
Other vessels in the vicinity should receive the DSC Distress Alert
from the ship in distress, and should normally also receive the DSC
Distress Acknowledgement (on 2187.5kHz) from the Coast Station/

MARINE COMMUNICATIONS 81