GMDSS
The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System: the internationally agreed set of radio services ships use for distress alerting and safety broadcasts.
The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System became mandatory for ships covered by the SOLAS Convention in 1999. It combines satellite and terrestrial radio — Digital Selective Calling, NAVTEX, satellite safety broadcasts, EPIRBs and SART transponders — so that a distress alert reaches a rescue centre and warnings reach every ship in the area.
In warning texts GMDSS appears mostly in contact details (a rescue centre's GMDSS e-mail or telex) and in notices about coast radio stations whose GMDSS services are unavailable.
What the archive shows
2,053 messages in this archive use “GMDSS”, the earliest issued 1999-03-10 and the latest 2026-08-30. 2 of them are in force in the latest lists we collected. A hazard reported again and again counts once per message.
The largest yearly count is 2017, with 360 messages. Collection is incomplete between 2024-05 and 2026-08-17, so 2024, 2025 and 2026 are not comparable with fully collected years.
Incidents accounts for 1,909 of 2,053 recorded messages (93%), the largest warning type group in this selection.
Located messages that use it fall in 12 sea areas; the most frequent are South China Sea (1,877), Gulf of Thailand (98) and North Pacific Ocean (2).
Messages that use it are issued most often in December (248 across all years) and least often in July (123).
By warning series: HYDROPAC 1,987, NAVAREA IV 50, NAVAREA XII 11 and HYDROLANT 3, and 1 more.
Messages using it, by year of issue
By month of issue, all years
Where it appears · 12 sea areas
In force now · 2
- NAVAREA I 172/26 · Nav aids · North Sea2026-08-16 · in force
GMDSS. ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND EAST COAST. 1. MF R/T AND DSC SERVICES FROM CULLERCOATS SITE…
Mf r/t and dsc services from cullercoats site 55-04.4N 001-27.8W off air → - NAVAREA I 167/26 · Nav aids · Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland2026-08-08 · in force
GMDSS. SCOTLAND, WEST COAST. MF DSC SERVICE FROM TIREE SITE 56-30.2N 006-57.8W OFF AIR.
Mf dsc service from tiree site 56-30.2N 006-57.8W off air →
How it reads in recent messages
- HYDROPAC 2472/26 · Other · South China Sea2026-08-29
…TO KEEP A SHARP LOOKOUT, ASSIST IF POSSIBLE. REPORTS TO MRCC VIETNAM, EMAIL:HPLES-GMDSS@HPLES.COM.VN .
F/V sg 66014 ts sunk in 10-02.08N 106-57.98E → - HYDROPAC 2423/26 · Incidents · South China Sea2026-08-24
…TO KEEP A SHARP LOOKOUT, ASSIST IF POSSIBLE. REPORTS TO MRCC VIETNAM, EMAIL: HPLES-GMDSS@HPLES.COM.VN.
F/V bv 99079 ts, 15 persons on board, taking on water in 09-43.00N 108-33.00E at 240530Z aug → - HYDROPAC 2366/26 · Incidents · South China Sea2026-08-18
…TO KEEP A SHARP LOOKOUT, ASSIST IF POSSIBLE. REPORTS TO MRCC VIETNAM, EMAIL: HPLES-GMDSS@HPLES.COM.VN.
Man overboard from vessel bot pukat jerut jhfa in 06-21.23N 103-55.05E at 151500Z aug → - HYDROPAC 2363/26 · Incidents · South China Sea2026-08-17
…TO KEEP A SHARP LOOKOUT, ASSIST IF POSSIBLE. REPORTS TO MRCC VIETNAM, EMAIL: HPLES-GMDSS@HPLES.COM.VN.
Man overboard from F/V bd 93959 ts in 13-09.00N 111-26.00E at 090700Z aug → - HYDROPAC 2359/26 · Incidents · South China Sea2026-08-17
…TO KEEP A SHARP LOOKOUT, ASSIST IF POSSIBLE. REPORTS TO MRCC VIETNAM, EMAIL: HPLES-GMDSS@HPLES.COM.VN.
M/V khoi nguyen 18 flooding and sinking in 09-00.00N 112-00.00E at 211538Z jul → - HYDROPAC 2349/26 · Incidents · Gulf of Thailand2026-08-15
…TO KEEP A SHARP LOOKOUT, ASSIST IF POSSIBLE. REPORTS TO MRCC VIETNAM, EMAIL: HPLES-GMDSS@HPLES.COM.VN.
One person missing from F/V kg 94532 ts in 09-16.95N 104-34.96E at 151230Z aug →
Earliest in the archive
- NAVAREA IV 63/99 · Incidents1999-03-10
…URGENTLY REQUESTS YOUR COOPERATION IN MANAGING AND REDUCING THE INCREASING NUMBER OF GMDSS MF/HF DSC FALSE DISTRESS CALLS AND UNNECESSARY RELAYS. EACH DSC DISTRESS ALERT AND…
Coast guard urgently requests your cooperation in managing and reducing the increasing number of gmdss mf/hf… →
Often in the same message
Related terms
- 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.
- EPIRB
- Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacon: a distress beacon that sends a vessel's identity and position to rescue centres by satellite.
- NAVTEX
- An automated medium-frequency radio service that sends coastal warnings as text to a small printer or screen on board.
- Inmarsat-C / SafetyNET
- The satellite system that carries NAVAREA warnings to ships at sea, and the terminal number rescue centres give for reports.
- Maritime Safety Information (MSI)
- Navigational and meteorological warnings, forecasts and other urgent safety messages broadcast to ships.
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.