Module 7 - Urgency & Safety Calls
Radiomedical and SMCP Awareness
What you will learn
Use plain, standard, observable language in a medical or safety exchange and explain what the IMO SMCP do not replace.
The IMO SMCP reduce misunderstanding between people with different language backgrounds. They support clear exchanges but do not choose priority, replace procedure or provide a medical diagnosis.
The IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases provide standardised English for ship-to-ship, ship-to-shore and onboard safety communication. Their purpose is to reduce ambiguity and language barriers where a misunderstood instruction or report could create risk.
In a radiomedical handover, use short observable statements and answer the question asked. Say whether the casualty is conscious and breathing, what symptoms or injury are present, when they began, what has changed and what first aid has been given. Avoid slang, local abbreviations and unsupported conclusions.
SMCP awareness does not replace the ITU urgency call, the MCA telemedical route, current onboard first-aid guidance or official SRC practical assessment. The operator still chooses priority, uses the required structure, reads back critical instructions and asks for repetition or clarification when needed.
Turn an assumption into an observable report
A crew member says, 'He has probably got food poisoning and seems pretty bad.' The Coastguard needs a clearer handover.
1. Remove the diagnosis
Unless clinically established, do not present a guessed cause as fact.
2. Report observations
State consciousness, breathing, pain location, vomiting, temperature if measured, onset and change.
3. Confirm instructions
Read back critical advice, ask for repetition when unclear and record what was agreed.
Sense check: Another trained person should understand the report without knowing the speaker's slang or assumptions.
Common mistake or limitation
- Using conversational filler or local shorthand where a standard phrase or direct observation is clearer.
- Treating SMCP as a substitute for the PAN-PAN or SECURITE call structure.
- Giving a guessed medical diagnosis instead of symptoms, observations and changes.
Recap
- SMCP exist to reduce ambiguity in international safety communication.
- Radiomedical traffic should separate observations from assumptions.
- Standard phrases support, but do not replace, radio procedure or practical competence.
Optional quick check
Section 9 of 9
Which medical report is most useful?
Sources and factual review
Reviewed 20 August 2026 - Compass Revision editorial review.
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