Sailors have a VHF on board their boat, 60% of which they use to make distress calls. However, more and more sailors are using their cell phones (37% of rescue requests are made by cell phone) and until now, there has been no dedicated platform to quickly take into account their calls. Indeed, 112 is a land-based emergency number and therefore not well adapted to rescue at sea. To remedy this, a special number was created, "196". It allows to contact the rescue services free of charge, from any cell phone and outside the coverage area. It has been chosen to remind the channel 16 of the VHF and the old emergency number 1616.
Article 2 of Decision No. 2013-1405 of December 17, 2013, amending Decision No. 2002-1179 of December 19, 2002, establishing the list of emergency numbers to be carried free of charge by electronic communications operators states " The number 196 is the emergency number of the regional maritime surveillance and rescue operational centers. "
In 2004, the 1616 is introduced and allows to report a maritime event to the Regional Operational Center for Surveillance and Rescue (CROSS). In 2011, it is replaced by 112.
Give preference to VHF
However, the use of the VHF should not be abandoned because the cell phone is not well adapted to the navigation environment. Gérard d'Abboville, president of the Conseil supérieur de la navigation de plaisance (Superior Council of Pleasure Boating) calls for " The use of the VHF (international distress frequency) must be maintained. When you call for help with a telephone, none of the boats that may be nearby will pick up the alert, but with the VHF it will. In some situations, it can be decisive in saving people."
