Receiving a distress message


It is a very well-established principle that seafarers are supposed to help each other when in distress. It is embodied in the international Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention, as well as in the Radio Regulations.


The ITU Convention says:-


Radio stations shall be obliged to accept, with absolute priority, distress calls and messages regardless of their origin, to reply in the same manner to such messages, and immediately to take such action in regard thereto as may be required.


That principle, however, needs to be diluted with a bit of common sense. If a cruise liner were to get into difficulties on its way out of Southampton on a summer Sunday, a thousand yachts and motor cruisers trying to reply to its distress call would not be exactly helpful!


More recent amendments to the Radio Regulations clarify the situation: in effect they say:-


if it is likely that a coast radio station (such as the coastguard) will have received the message, you should allow five minutes for them to respond before doing so yourself.


if you are not in a position to offer effective assistance, you should not acknowledge the message.


Unless you are acknowledging and assisting, you must maintain radio silence on any channel being used for distress communications.


 


As well as these compulsory requirements, it is a very good idea to write down as much of the distress message as possible, in case you subsequently find that you are able to assist in some way, such as by sending a Mayday Relay (see page 51)

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