Distress signal received
A rescue centre has received an alert — from a beacon, a radio call or a satellite terminal — and is asking ships to look.
"DISTRESS SIGNAL RECEIVED" warnings are issued when a rescue centre has an alert it cannot yet resolve: a beacon position, a Digital Selective Calling alert, a Mayday relayed by another ship. The text gives what is known — the position, sometimes the vessel's name or its identity number — and asks ships to look and report.
Many alerts turn out to be false or are resolved quickly, and the warning is cancelled. Receiving a signal, and cancelling the broadcast, both say nothing about what happened on board; seahazards shows these messages only as the record of the broadcast.
What the archive shows
11,418 messages in this archive use “Distress signal received”, the earliest issued 1984-12-18 and the latest 2025-11-20. None of them is in force in the latest lists we collected. A hazard reported again and again counts once per message.
The largest yearly count is 2015, with 700 messages. Collection is incomplete between 2024-05 and 2026-08-17, so 2024 and 2025 are not comparable with fully collected years.
Incidents accounts for 11,406 of 11,418 recorded messages (100%), the largest warning type group in this selection.
Located messages that use it fall in 68 sea areas; the most frequent are North Pacific Ocean (3,593), North Atlantic Ocean (1,407) and South Pacific Ocean (1,033).
Its use is spread fairly evenly through the year: the busiest month, January, has 1,028 messages and the quietest, February, 829.
By warning series: HYDROPAC 8,917, HYDROLANT 2,315, NAVAREA IV 82 and NAVAREA XII 81, and 3 more.
Messages using it, by year of issue
By month of issue, all years
Where it appears · 68 sea areas
- North Pacific Ocean 3,593
- North Atlantic Ocean 1,407
- South Pacific Ocean 1,033
- South China Sea 1,003
- Philippine Sea 1,001
- Coral Sea 589
- Indian Ocean 541
- South Atlantic Ocean 255
- Tasman Sea 237
- Mediterranean Sea - Eastern Basin 215
- Gulf of Mexico 170
- Caribbean Sea 135
How it reads in recent messages
- HYDROPAC 3006/25 · Incidents · South China Sea2025-11-20
SOUTH CHINA SEA. VIETNAM. DNC 11. DISTRESS SIGNAL RECEIVED FROM VESSEL IN 08-45.00N 107-45.00E. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO KEEP A…
Distress signal received from vessel in 08-45.00N 107-45.00E → - HYDROPAC 215/25 · Incidents · South China Sea2025-01-28
SOUTH CHINA SEA. INDONESIA. DNC 11. DISTRESS SIGNAL RECEIVED ON 406 MHZ IN 01-59.52N 107-21.24E ON 28 JAN. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO…
Distress signal received on 406 mhz in 01-59.52N 107-21.24E on 28 jan → - HYDROPAC 3583/24 · Incidents · South China Sea2024-11-19
SOUTH CHINA SEA. INDONESIA. DNC 11. DISTRESS SIGNAL RECEIVED ON 406 MHZ FROM VESSEL JIN MAO 12 IN 04-41.40N 108-56.90E AT 191214Z NOV…
Distress signal received on 406 mhz from vessel jin mao 12 in 04-41.40N 108-56.90E at 191214Z nov vessels in… → - HYDROPAC 3558/24 · Incidents · South China Sea2024-11-17
SOUTH CHINA SEA. INDONESIA. DNC 11. DISTRESS SIGNAL RECEIVED ON 406MHZ IN 04-27.20N 107-43.80E AT 161437Z NOV. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED…
Distress signal received on 406MHZ in 04-27.20N 107-43.80E at 161437Z nov → - HYDROLANT 981/24 · Incidents · Celtic Sea2024-05-10
CELTIC SEA. ENGLAND. DNC 19. DISTRESS SIGNAL RECEIVED ON 406 MHZ IN 49-00.00N 007-15.00W. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO KEEP A…
Distress signal received on 406 mhz in 49-00.00N 007-15.00W → - HYDROPAC 1554/24 · Incidents · South Pacific Ocean2024-05-10
SOUTH PACIFIC. TONGA. DNC 06. DISTRESS SIGNAL RECEIVED ON 406 MHZ IN 20-27.00S 175-00.00W. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO KEEP A…
Distress signal received on 406 mhz in 20-27.00S 175-00.00W → - HYDROPAC 1546/24 · Incidents · North Pacific Ocean2024-05-09
WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC. DNC 12. DISTRESS SIGNAL RECEIVED ON 406 MHZ IN 01-05.00N 136-56.00E ON 09 MAY. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO…
Distress signal received on 406 mhz in 01-05.00N 136-56.00E on 09 may → - HYDROPAC 1542/24 · Incidents · North Pacific Ocean2024-05-08
WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC. MICRONESIA, FEDERATED STATES OF. DNC 12. 1. DISTRESS SIGNAL RECEIVED ON 406 MHZ IN 05-57.0N 149-19.0E AT 081600Z MAY. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED…
Distress signal received on 406 mhz in 05-57.0N 149-19.0E at 081600Z may →
Earliest in the archive
- NOAAORR-9004 · Spills · North Pacific Ocean1984-12-18
…Point Buchon, Morro Bay, CA. 1. 72' F/V Cinco De Mayo, located 7.5 miles W of Pt. Buchon Mayday call @ 1052. Boat capsized and losing fuel: 4000 gallons #2 30-50 gal, lube oil, winds…
Point buchon, morro bay, ca →
Often in the same message
Related terms
- EPIRB
- Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon: a distress beacon that sends a vessel's identity and position to rescue centres by satellite.
- DSC (Digital Selective Calling)
- The digital radio alert built into modern marine radios — one button sends a distress alert with the vessel's identity and position.
- Keep a sharp lookout
- A request to every ship in the area to watch for the vessel, people or object described.
- RCC / JRCC (Rescue Coordination Centre)
- The centre that organises search and rescue in its region; warnings ask ships to send their reports there.
Warning types that use it
- Incidents — Search-and-rescue broadcasts, published only once a case has been closed for 30 days: groundings, sinkings, capsizes, fires, man overboard, overdue vessels. Nothing here is live.
Counts cover the messages in this archive that use the term, recounted 2026-09-24; see coverage for what is collected and since when. Not for navigation — follow official NAVAREA and coastal broadcasts.