Module 6 - Distress & Mayday
Receiving And Controlling Distress Traffic
Active recall
Section 9 of 9
Explain the main idea from receiving and controlling distress traffic in your own words.
On receiving a DSC distress alert, stop any transmission that could interfere and listen on Channel 16. If there is still no DSC acknowledgement after five minutes and you can assist, acknowledge by voice: MAYDAY; distressed vessel name and call sign or MMSI; THIS IS own vessel three times and own call sign or MMSI; RECEIVED MAYDAY; assistance and ETA if proceeding; OVER. Relay the distress to an appropriate coast station by any available means.
A station controlling distress traffic may impose radio silence using SEELONCE MAYDAY. Other stations remain silent unless their traffic is essential to the distress. SEELONCE FEENEE announces that distress traffic has ended. MAYDAY RELAY is used by a station transmitting a distress message on behalf of another station or person in distress; pass the source message accurately and do not embellish it.
Key points
- Listen first and protect Channel 16 distress traffic.
- The five-minute rule applies before a capable assisting ship voice-acknowledges an unacknowledged DSC alert.
- RECEIVED MAYDAY is the acknowledgement proword.
- SEELONCE MAYDAY imposes silence; SEELONCE FEENEE ends distress traffic.
- Relay the distress to the Coastguard by any available means.
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