Orals Revision: Distress Signals & Communications (Master 200/OOW 500 Yacht Route)

Orals revision card — Master (code vessels less than 200 GT)/Officer of the Watch (yachts less than 500 GT) Oral Examination Syllabus, Section 2.1 'Distress Signals and Communications' (MCA, gov.uk, updated 17 June 2026). Small-vessel/yacht route — a different syllabus from the Unlimited CoC track covered elsewhere in this series.

Distress Signals

• Know the conditions under which distress signals may be used, the various types, what action to take on receiving one, and your obligation to render assistance
• Correct use of pyrotechnics, EPIRBs and SARTs, including the circumstances appropriate to each — these are tested as distinct pieces of equipment with distinct purposes, not interchangeable

Communications Procedure

• Correct distress communications procedure, including the precise meaning and use of Mayday, Pan-Pan and Securité messages
• Emergency communication within the GMDSS regulations

Quick Self-Check

• What's the difference between a Mayday, a Pan-Pan and a Securité message?
• What's the practical difference between an EPIRB and a SART, and when would you use each?
• When are you obligated to render assistance to a vessel in distress, and does that obligation have limits?

Test yourself: GMDSS · Safety Knowledge Checks.

Related Reading

• Revision: Proficiency in Survival Craft & Rescue Boats (PSCRB) — the equipment side of the same emergency-response picture
• OOW Revision: SOLAS, MARPOL, ISM & Legislative Compliance — where GMDSS sits inside the wider regulatory framework, from the Unlimited route