I am proceeding to your co-ordinates

WE SHOULD ARRIVE WITHIN A HALF HOUR

More usually, the Acknowledgement and Assistance messages will be merged into one if the ship acknowledging the Initial Distress Message is able to render assistance:

Action by Station Acknowledging Receipt of a Distress Message

1. Forward information immediately to the appropriate Coast Guard or search and rescue agencies or organizations.

2. Continue to guard the frequency on which the distress message was received and, if possible, any other frequency that may be used by the station in distress,

3. Notify any station with direction-finding or radar facilities which may be of assistance.

4. Cease all transmissions that may interfere with the distress traffic.

Action by Other Stations Hearing a Distress Message

1. Continue to guard the frequency on which the distress message was received and, if possible, establish a continuous watch on appropriate distress and emergency frequencies.

2. Notify any station with direction-finding or radar facilities and request assistance, unless it is known that this action has been or will be taken by the station acknowledging receipt of the distress message.

3. Cease all transmissions that may interfere with the distress traffic.

Distress Traffic

Distress traffic consists of all transmissions relative to the immediate assistance required by the station in distress.

Essentially, all transmissions made after the initial distress call are considered as distress traffic. In distress traffic, the distress signal MAYDAY, spoken once, shall precede all transmissions. This procedure is intended to alert stations unaware of the initial distress call, and now monitoring the distress channel, that traffic heard relates to a distress situation.

Any station in the Maritime Mobile Service that has knowledge of distress traffic and cannot itself assist the station in distress shall, nevertheless, follow such traffic until it is evident that assistance is being provided.

Until a message is received indicating that normal working may be resumed (there has been a cancellation of distress), all stations that are aware of distress traffic but are not taking part in it are forbidden to transmit on the frequencies being used for distress traffic.

3.2.4 Acknowledge Response

Message transmitted by the vessel in distress conforming the Assistance Information Message has been understood. (example);

3.2.5 Relay of a Distress Message

A distress message repeated by a station other than the station in distress shall transmit a signal which includes the following:

1. the signal MAYDAY RELAY spoken three times,

2. the words THIS IS,

3. the name and call sign of the station relaying the message (three times),

4. the distress signal MAYDAY (once),

5. the particulars of the station in distress such as the distress station's identification, location, nature of distress, number of persons on board (repetition of the distress message as received),

6. the vessel name and call sign,

7. OVER.

Example (Relaying Initial Distress Message):

3. 3 Imposition of Silence

The station in distress, or any station in the immediate vicinity, may impose silence on a particular station or stations in the area if interference is being caused to distress traffic.

The station in distress shall use the expression SILENCE MAYDAY or SEELONCE MAYDAY (the international expression).

Other stations imposing silence during a distress situation shall use the expression SILENCE DISTRESS or SEELONCE DISTRESS (the international expression).

If radio silence is imposed during a distress situation, all transmissions shall cease immediately except from those stations involved in distress traffic.

Examples

Imposition of silence on a specific station by the station in distress. (M/V Bounty VC3312 is causing interference to distress traffic.)

Imposition of silence on all stations by a station other than the station in distress.

3.4 Cancellation of Distress

When a station is no longer in distress, or when it is no longer necessary to observe radio silence (that is, rescue operation has concluded), the station that was in distress, the rescue vessel or the station that controlled distress traffic shall transmit a message addressed to ALL STATIONS on the distress frequency(ies) advising that the distress traffic has ended.

The proper procedure for cancelling a distress message is as follows:

1. the distress signal MAYDAY (once),

2. the words ALL STATIONS (three times),

3. the words THIS IS,

4. the name or call sign of the station transmitting the message, or both, (three times),

5. the filing time of the message,

6. the call sign of the station in distress (once),

7. the words SILENCE FINISHED or SEELONCE FEENEE (the international expression),

8. a short plain-language description of why the distress situation is being cancelled (that is, vessel clear and under tow),

9. the name and call sign of the station transmitting the message,

10. the word OUT.

Example:

3. 5 IMO STANDARD MARINE COMMUNICATION PHRASES (SMCP 2001) USED IN DISTRESS COMMUNICATIONS

In SMCP 2001 distress communications (spoken or written, those conducted via VHF, MF, HF or GMDSS, etc.), are dealt with in:

3.5.1 IMO SMCP 2001 (extract):

In GMDSS, a distress alert is defined as a radio signal from a distressed vessel

automatically directed to an MRCC giving position, identification, course and speed of the

vessel as well as the nature of distress.

3.5.2 (SMCP cont’d)