PART 4 - Canadian Coast Guard

3 HF
As for MF, but the alert must be cancelled on all the frequency bands on which it was transmitted. Hence, in stage
2.2 the transmitter should be tuned consecutively to the radiotelephony distress frequencies in the 4, 6, 8, 12 and
16 MHz bands, as necessary.
4 Inmarsat-C
Notify the appropriate JRCC to cancel the alert by sending a distress priority message via the same CES through
which the false distress alert was sent.
NAME, CALL SIGN, IDENTITY NUMBER,
POSITION,
Cancel my Inmarsat-C distress
alert of DATE, TIME UTC
= Master +
5 EPIRBs
If for any reason an EPIRB is activated accidentally, the ship should contact the nearest coast station or an
appropriate coast earth station or JRCC and cancel the distress alert.
6 General
6.1 Notwithstanding the above, ships may use any means available to them to inform the appropriate
authorities that a false distress alert has been transmitted and should be cancelled.
6.2 No action will normally be taken against any ship or mariner for reporting and cancelling a false distress
alert. However, in view of the serious consequences of false alerts, and the strict ban on their
transmission, Governments may prosecute in cases of repeated violations.
1 Introduction
Procedure for Responding to DSC Distress Alerts by Ships
(COMSAR/Circ.25)
The Sub-Committee on Radiocommunications and Search and Rescue (COMSAR) decided that Digital Selective Calling
(DSC) relays of distress alerts on all shipborne DSC equipment should be reduced and prepared a procedure for responding
to VHF/MF and HF distress alerts, given in flow diagrams 1 and 2 which follow, recommending that it be displayed on the
ship's bridge as A4 size posters. It also prepared the following guidance.
2 Distress relays
2.1 Radio personnel serving on ships should be made aware of the consequences of transmitting a distress
relay call and of routing a DSC distress relay alert to other than coast stations (CS).
2.2 The number of unintended activations of DSC distress alerts and DSC distress relay alerts creates extra
work load and confusion to (M) JRCCs and also causing delay in the response-time. The original distress
alert from a ship in distress should not be disrupted by other ships, by transmitting a DSC distress relay
alert.
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