Q: True or False: a DSC distress alert should only be activated once a vessel's loss is effectively certain.

False — an uncontrolled emergency such as an unidentified flood already qualifies as grave and imminent danger DSC distress procedures require activation when a vessel is in grave and imminent danger requiring assistance — not certainty of loss. Freedom II's skipper delayed DSC activation, relying instead on voice VHF calls that went unanswered for around 45 minutes in an area of poor coverage. The investigation concluded earlier DSC activation would likely have brought help sooner.

Question 1

True or False: a DSC distress alert should only be activated once a vessel's loss is effectively certain.

Accepted Answer

False &mdash; an uncontrolled emergency such as an unidentified flood already qualifies as grave and imminent danger DSC distress procedures require activation when a vessel is in grave and imminent danger requiring assistance &mdash; not certainty of loss. Freedom II's skipper delayed DSC activation, relying instead on voice VHF calls that went unanswered for around 45 minutes in an area of poor coverage. The investigation concluded earlier DSC activation would likely have brought help sooner.

Question 2

You need to send a distress alert because the vessel is taking on water faster than the pumps can cope. Which message format and channel/priority is correct?

Accepted Answer

A "Mayday" distress call on Channel 16 / DSC distress alert, giving position, nature of distress and assistance required Grave and imminent danger requiring immediate assistance (e.g. uncontrolled flooding) requires a Mayday distress call / DSC distress alert — Pan-Pan is for urgency without immediate danger to life, and Securité is for navigational safety information.

Question 3

True or False: An EPIRB should be registered with the relevant national authority, and the registration details kept up to date so that a false alarm can be quickly resolved or a real activation correctly attributed.

Accepted Answer

True True. EPIRB registration links the unique beacon ID to vessel and contact details, allowing SAR authorities to quickly verify activations (genuine or false) and contact the vessel/owner — unregistered or out-of-date beacons slow down the SAR response and waste resources.