A worldwide harmonized sea rescue system
Throughout the 20th century, rescue at sea has been organized to be as efficient as possible, and to respond to emergencies anywhere on the surface of the seas. From the simple, isolated coastal station of the late 19th century, mariners now have access to an international system known as the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). Resulting from various conventions, the most recent in 1999, it organizes assistance and coordination between the institutions and regulations of the various countries.
Geographic zones according to means of communication
Depending on where you're navigating, the means of giving the alert will vary. To this end, the texts have defined 4 geographical zones, according to the coverage of the various devices:
- A1 or coastal zone: zone covered by at least one VHF coastal station using DSC;
- A2 or wide area: area covered by at least one MF coast station using DSC outside the A1 area;
- Zone A3 or wide area: area covered by an Inmarsat geostationary satellite outside zones A1 and A2;
- Zone A4 or polar zones: area covered by the HF with ASN, excluding zones A1, A2 and A3.
Obligations that differ depending on the navigation zone
Depending on the area frequented by the boat, international regulations require vessels subject to the SOLAS international conventions to carry various means of communication and distress beacons. For pleasure craft, national regulations set the rules. Division 240, for example, requires all vessels sailing more than 6 miles from a shelter to carry a fixed VHF radio, plus an EPIRB beacon for locating the vessel in the event of an accident when sailing more than 60 miles offshore.
