Global Maritime Distress

and Safety System

(GMDSS)
 Basic Concept of the GMDSS
The fundamental difference between the old and the
new distress system is that the new system is shore
centred/coordinated and moves emphasis from
ship to ship alerting to ship to shore alerting. The
new system is quicker, simpler and, most importantly,
more efficient and reliable than the old manual Morse
Code and radiotelephone alerting system. GMDSS is
specifically designed to automate a ship’s radio
distress alerting function, and consequently, remove
the requirement for manual (human) watch-keeping on
distress channels.
The basic concept of the system is that search and
rescue authorities ashore, as well as shipping in the
immediate vicinity of the ship in distress, will be
rapidly and automatically alerted to a distress
situation so that they can assist in a co-coordinated
SAR operation with minimum delay. The system also
provides for urgency and safety communications,
and the promulgation of maritime safety information
(MSI) including- navigational and meteorological
warnings and forecasts, and other urgent safety
information to ships. In other words, every ship,
fitted appropriately for GMDSS, is able, irrespective
of the area in which it operates, to perform those
communication functions, which are essential for the
safety of the ship itself and of other ships operating
in the same area.
Before
Now
Now
The GMDSS Equipment
Handheld VHF

Handheld
VHF Radios
Handheld VHF
Range: 3 miles (another boat) to 20 miles
(CG tower)

Best Uses: Cockpit safety, ship to dinghy,

small boats (inflatables, kayaks)

Limitations: Some uses are illegal but

handy, short range, few channels
SART
 Search and Rescue Transponder
SART (search and rescue transponder)

 SART will only respond to a 9 GHz X band

radar.
 SART may be triggered by any Xband
radar within a range of 8 NM(15 KM).
 If Radar-SART is with in range,a line of 12
dots equally spaced will be shown.
 If SART is within 1NM the arc will become
full circle.
VHF radiotelephone with DSC
VHF radiotelephone with DSC
 Transmission/Reception of DSC on CH
70(156.525 MHz).
 Transmission/Receptionof Radiotelephony
on CH 6,CH13,CH16.
 Continuous watch on CH 70.
 When sending a distress signal,DSC
device will at minimum include the ship
MMSI number.
A Word About Digital Selective Calling
 New safety requirement
 Free registration
 Unique vessel identifier
 Part of GMDSS (Global Marine Distress
Safety System)
 Currently supplied on fixed VHF and
some other communications equipment
 Not yet monitored by Coast Guard
NAVTEX Receiver
NAVTEX Receiver
 An automated medium frequency direct
printing device.
 Range : 200 nautical mile
 Receive navigational and meteorological
warnings and forecast as well as urgent
maritime safety information to ships.
Inmarsat C

sat C
Standard C/Inmarsat C
Range: Worldwide

Best Uses: Reliable messages worldwide

Emergency position reporting
Free text weather 4X per day for free
Small antenna, relatively simple
installation
Limitations: Expensive if brevity is not your
forte
EPIRBs
EPIRBs
 406 MHz Beacons
 Category 1 (hydrostatic release)
 Category 2 (manual release)
 PLB
 121.5 not monitored after 1 Feb 2009
 Unique encoding for each unit
 Register it with NOAA (it’s free!)
 World wide coverage
 Available with GPS signal transmission potential
 Waterproof, reliable, buoyant, rugged
Functional requirements
 The GMDSS regulations (chapter IV of
the International SOLAS Convention),
require that every GMDSS equipped ship
shall be capable of;
1. Distress alerting – Ship to shore
 EPIRB
 Digital Selective Calling (DSC)
 INMARSAT
2. Distress alerting – Shore to ship
3. Distress alerting – Ship to ship
4. Search and Rescue Co-ordinating Communications
5. On-Scene Communication
6. Locating
7. Transmission/Reception of Maritime Safety
Information
8. General Radiocommunications
9. Bridge-to-Bridge Communications
Application

The GMDSS applies to vessels subject to

the SOLAS Convention - that is:
 Commercial vessels of 300 Gross
Registered Tons (GRT) and above,
engaged on international voyages.
 The GMDSS became mandatory for
such vessels
as at February 1, 1999.
1 February 1992 – ships may comply with
the GMDSS requirements

1 August 1993 – ships must comply

with satellite EPIRB and NAVTEX
requirements

1 February 1995 – ships built on or

after this date must fully comply with
the GMDSS requirements

1 February 1999 – ships must

comply with the GMDSS
requirements
Equipment vs Operational
requirements
 The major difference between the
GMDSS and its predecessor systems is
that the radio communications equipment
to be fitted to a GMDSS ship is
determined by the ship's area of
operation, rather than by its size.
 Because the various radio systems used
in the GMDSS have different limitations
with regards to range and services
provided, the new system divides the
world's oceans into 4 areas:
 Sea Area 1
 Sea Area 2
 Sea Area 3
 Sea Area 4
GMDSS Sea Area 1
 This area of GMDSS is within the
radiotelephone coverage of at least one
VHF coast station in which continuous
DSC alerting is available. Such area could
extend typically 30 – 50 nautical miles
from the coast station.
GMDSS Sea Area 2
 This area of GMDSS is an area excluding
sea area A1, within the radiotelephone
coverage of at least one MF coast station
in which continuous DSC alerting is
available. Such area could extend typically
about 50 – 400 nautical miles from the
coast station
GMDSS Sea Area 3
 This area of GMDSS is an area excluding
sea area A1 and A2, within the
radiotelephone coverage of at least one
HF coast station in which continuous DSC
alerting is available. This area lies
between about latitudes 70º North and
South.
GMDSS Sea Area 4
 This area of GMDSS is an area outside
sea area A1, A2 and A3.
 THE END
THANK YOU
BRAJPAL SINGH