Marine Orders - Part 21: Safety of navigation and emergency procedures, Issue 6 (Order No. 2 of 2009)
28Danger messages
Start here
Get a plain-English read of 28
Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in Marine Orders - Part 21: Safety of navigation and emergency procedures, Issue 6 (Order No. 2 of 2009).
28 Danger messages
[SOLAS V/31 & V/32]
28.1 Prescribed safety signals
28.1.1 For the purposes of paragraph 269A(1)(a) of the Navigation Act, the prescribed safety signal is the word 'SECURITE' (pronounced 'SAY‑CURE‑E‑TAY') spoken 3 times.
Note: The sending of a safety signal will normally be preceded by a DSC Safety Announcement, or Immarsat EGC.
28.1.2 A person must not transmit a prescribed safety signal except for the purpose of giving notice that the calling radio station has a danger message to transmit concerning an important navigational or meteorological warning.
28.2 Danger messages
28.2.1 For the purposes of section 269A of the Navigation Act a danger message must convey the information set out in Regulations 31 and 32 of Chapter V of SOLAS.
28.2.2 The master must send the danger message as soon as he or she has the information required by 28.2.1.
28.2.3 A danger message must end with the name of the ship and the call sign of the ship radio station.
28.2.4 The announcement of a safety signal that precedes a danger message must be in accordance with Article 33 of ITU-R.
28.2.5 Nothing in 28.1 is intended to prevent a danger message being included as part of a meteorological service that is transmitted at fixed times.
28.2.6 Subsequent observations and reports must be made in accordance with Paragraph 3 of Regulation 32 of Chapter V of SOLAS.
28.3 Duties of person receiving prescribed safety signal
28.3.1 A person operating a radio station who hears a prescribed safety signal must listen on the radio frequency used for the transmission of the danger message until he or she is satisfied that the message is of no concern to the ship.
28.3.2 A person must not interfere with the transmission of a danger message that follows the transmission of a prescribed safety signal.
28.4 Priority of safety traffic
A danger message preceded by the safety signal has priority over all communications other than distress and urgency communications.
28.5 Official log-book entries
The master of a ship must ensure that entries are made in the official log-book recording:
(a) all new dangers to navigation observed;
(b) all danger messages and information received in regard to new dangers to navigation; and
(c) all danger messages and information sent or transmitted in regard to new dangers to navigation and the exact time and position of the ship when the danger message information was sent or transmitted.