VHF Distress
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Revision as of 21:10, 29 August 2008
VHF Radio Distress Calling Procedures
Distress Terminology and Procedures
The radiotelephone distress signal consists of the expression MAYDAY. This signal, which indicates that the vessel sending it is threatened by grave and imminent danger and that the vessel requires immediate assistance, is used in the distress call which precedes the distress message and may only be transmitted on the authority of the Master or person responsible for the vessel. The transmission should be made slowly and distinctly, each word clearly pronounced.
The distress call and distress message should be preceded by the ALARM SIGNAL which consists of two alternative audio frequency tones, one a high note of 2200 cycles per second and the other a low note of l300 cycles per second, making a distinctive warbling sound which should be transmitted for approximately 30-60 seconds time permitting.
The purpose of the ALARM SIGNAL is to attract attention:
- To announce urgent severe weather warnings (cyclones, etc.)
- Distress calls.
- The loss of a person overboard when assistance by other ships is required and cannot be satisfactorily obtained by the use of the URGENCY SIGNAL only. The distress signal MAYDAY should be sent before each call and before each message concerning distress.
DISTRESS CALLS AND DISTRESS MESSAGES.
The DISTRESS CALL consists of the Distress Signal MAYDAY transmitted three times, followed by the words THIS IS and the name and call sign of the vessel in distress, repeated three times, its position, either in latitude or longitude and/or whenever possible by its bearing and distance in nautical miles from a known geographical point, the nature of the distress, the kind of assistance required, and any other information of use to rescue vessels.
The Distress Call has ABSOLUTE PRIORITY over all other transmissions. All stations helping it must immediately suspend all transmissions likely to interfere with the distress call and distress traffic and listen on the frequency on which the distress call has been made.
Example of Distress Call and Message
The ALARM SIGNAL transmitted for 30 – 60 seconds, followed by the spoken words MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY, this is ........ (name and/or call sign of vessel in distress, repeated three times) MAYDAY, name of vessel ........ position 10 miles Southwest of Singapore, struck unidentified object, and sinking, require immediate assistance, will fire off distress rockets at intervals (and any other information that may be of assistance to rescue operations) ..... OVER.
Acknowledgement of Receipt of a Distress Message
Vessels in the vicinity should acknowledge receipt immediately but when in the vicinity of a coast station time should be allowed for the coast station to reply without interference.
Vessels not in the immediate vicinity should allow a short interval to elapse before acknowledging, to allow stations near the vessel in distress and in a better position to render assistance to acknowledge receipt without interference from stations not in the vicinity.
Distress messages should be acknowledged as follows
Name of vessel or coast station that transmitted the distress message, repeated three times THIS IS ....... (name of vessel or coast station acknowledging receipt, repeated three times) RECEIVED MAYDAY OVER.
Every vessel acknowledging receipt of a distress message should, upon the order of the Master or person responsible for the vessel, supply its name, position, speed at which it is proceeding to the distress scene, and the time it will take to reach the distress scene.
When not in a position to render assistance, a station hearing a distress message which has not been acknowledged should take all possible steps to attract attention of other stations who may be in a position to render assistance. The ALARM SIGNAL and the MAYDAY RELAY signal should be used to attract attention.
The SILENCE PERIODS may be used for repeating/relaying distress messages and the distress messages may also be repeated/relayed on any other frequency if further assistance is required. The frequency of channel 16 is recommended and the distress message may be repeated/relayed on all frequencies if no attention is obtained on the channel 16.
Mayday Relay
A shipstation or coast station learning of a mobile station in distress should relay a distress message in the following cases:
- When the station in distress cannot transmit a distress message itself.
- When the master or person responsible for the station considers that further help is necessary.
- When it has heard a distress call that has not been acknowledged and is not in a position to render assistance itself.
The distress message should be announced and relayed as follows:
MAYDAY RELAY three times, THIS IS ........ name of station relaying the distress message, repeated three times, distress message as received.
When relaying a distress message it is important to use the words MAYDAY RELAY so that D.F. bearings are not taken on the wrong station.
The distress signal may be used only when immediate assistance is required, i.e. only when the safety of life or a vessel is in imminent danger. Except in the case of distress, the use of the distress signal is forbidden.
Restrictions on other stations during distress communications
The vessel in distress or the station controlling distress traffic may impose silence on ALL other stations or any one station, by transmitting the signal SEELONCE MAYDAY followed by its name or identification on the frequency being used for distress working. No other station may use this expression. Other stations wishing to impose silence may use the expression SEELONCE DISTRESS followed by its name or identification.
Stations not participating in the rescue operations may not transmit on the frequencies being used for distress communications before the controlling station announces SEELONCE FEENEE in which case normal communications may be resumed or SEELONCE PRUDONCE in which case the frequencies being used for distress communications may be used for other communications providing no interference is caused to the distress communications (SEELONCE PRUDONCE is or should be announced when continuous silence is no longer required, when other brief communications are allowed on condition that the operators listen carefully before communicating to avoid interference when the frequencies are required by the stations involved in the rescue operations)
At the end of the distress phase, when no further assistance is required, the controlling station should cancel the silence imposed by the distress signals by broadcasting a message to ALL stations as follows MAYDAY (once) hullo ALL STATIONS (3 times) this is ...... name of controlling station, 3 times, time and name of ship that was in distress, SEELONCE FEENEE OUT.
Normal communications may then be resumed but stations should listen carefully and avoid interference to urgency and safety messages which often follow distress operations.
URGENCY SIGNAL
The Radiotelephone Urgency Signal is the expression PAN-PAN transmitted three times before the call and may be sent only on the authority of the master or person responsible for the station.
It indicates that the station transmitting it has a very urgent message to transmit concerning the safety of a ship, aircraft or other vessel; or the safety of a person e.g. engine breakdown and vessel drifting into danger, but not in immediate danger and requiring a tow or other assistance, urgently; serious illness or injury of a person on board, man overboard, etc.
- The Urgency Signal should be used to announce an urgency message on channel 16 and may be addressed to a particular station or to all stations (Charlie Quebec).
- The Urgency Signal has priority over all other signals except Distress Signals and stations hearing it should avoid interfering with the Urgency Message.
- Stations hearing the Urgency Signal should continue to listen for at least three minutes. If at the end of that period no Urgency Message has been heard, normal working may be resumed.
- If the Urgency Message was addressed to all stations, the station which transmitted it should cancel it by another message addressed to all stations when no further assistance is required.
- Urgency Messages may be repeated in the last minute of silence periods and/or on the alternative call and safety frequency channel 16 if insufficient response is obtained.
SAFETY SIGNAL
The expression SECURITE pronounced SAY-CURE-E-TAY repeated three times preceding a call to all stations indicates that the station making the call is announcing a message concerning the safety of navigation, e.g. a Navigation Warning, Gale Warning, etc. Navigation warnings should be announced on 2l82 or channel 16 and transmitted on working frequencies.
The Safety signal SECURITE should be transmitted or repeated towards the end of the first available Silence Period and the warning transmitted immediately after the Silence Period.
The Safety Signal has priority over all other signals except Distress and Urgency signals/message and stations hearing it should not cause interference unless they have a distress or urgency message to transmit.
The Safety Signal, SAY-CURE-E-TAY should be used to announce all navigation warnings, which should be broadcast as follows
SAY-CURE-E-TAY ( three times) Hullo all stations, ( three times) this is...... name of station announcing the warning, (three times) navigation warning number..... will follow on ........ (frequency or channel)
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