Chapter 8


Voice procedure 3: Urgency & Safety calls


It is easy to think of situations in which a Mayday call would not be justified, but which still warrant some kind of special treatment. The drifting motor boat example on page 43 is just one example that justifies the use of an Urgency Call, using the proword “Panpan” (from the French “panne”, meaning “breakdown”) to claim priority over all other calls except Distress communications.


The official definition of an urgency situation is “when the calling station has a very urgent message to transmit concerning the safety of a ship, aircraft or other vehicle, or the safety of a person.”


Unlike a Mayday or Mayday Relay, a Panpan call is not a broadcast: it should be addressed to someone — even though, in many cases, that “someone” will be “All stations”.


An urgency call should always be made on Channel 16, using High Power.


“Panpan, Panpan, Panpan.


All stations, all stations, all stations, this is Blue Tango, Blue Tango, Blue Tango, Mike Yankee, Foxtrot, Tango, Seven, MMSI 235021396…”


Immediately following the urgency call, without waiting for a reply, send the urgency message. There is no rigid format for an urgency message, but in most cases, the “PDANIO” section of a distress message is a good template:-


P -Position - Two six zero degrees from Longships light, nine miles


D - Distress - Adrift in the traffic separation scheme


A - Assistance - Request a tow


N - Number - Three persons on board


I - Information - A twelve metre motor cruiser


 


O - Over 

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