Man overboard
Also written: MOB, person overboard
Someone has gone into the water from a vessel; ships in the area are asked to look for them.
Man-overboard broadcasts give the vessel, the time and the position where the person was last seen, often with a description of clothing or a lifejacket. Because the person drifts with wind and current, the search area grows with every hour after the time in the message.
These are among the most time-critical warnings in the system and among the shortest-lived. seahazards shows them only in the closed-case archive, 30 days after cancellation, as the historical record of the broadcast.
What the archive shows
2,840 messages in this archive use “Man overboard”, the earliest issued 1995-07-19 and the latest 2026-09-06. 1 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 2018, with 217 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 2,726 of 2,840 recorded messages (96%), the largest warning type group in this selection.
Located messages that use it fall in 62 sea areas; the most frequent are South China Sea (600), South Atlantic Ocean (513) and North Atlantic Ocean (260).
Its use is spread fairly evenly through the year: the busiest month, April, has 261 messages and the quietest, July, 217.
By warning series: HYDROPAC 1,752, HYDROLANT 1,052, NAVAREA XII 18 and NAVAREA IV 14, and 2 more.
Messages using it, by year of issue
By month of issue, all years
Where it appears · 62 sea areas
In force now · 1
- NAVAREA X 99/26 · Wrecks · Bismarck Sea2026-09-06 · in force
…RADIO CONTACT WITH STRANDED VESSEL TO PNGMRCC IMMEDIATELY. PNGMRCC CONTACT 24/7 CONTACT MOB: +675 73517017 / EMAIL: PNGMRCC@NMSA.GOV.PG
All ships transiting the bismarck sea in vicinity of cape gloucester are requested to maintain a sharp… →
How it reads in recent messages
- HYDROPAC 2366/26 · Incidents · South China Sea2026-08-18
SOUTH CHINA SEA. MALAYSIA. MAN OVERBOARD FROM VESSEL BOT PUKAT JERUT JHFA IN 06-21.23N 103-55.05E AT 151500Z AUG. VESSELS IN…
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
SOUTH CHINA SEA. MAN OVERBOARD FROM F/V BD 93959 TS IN 13-09.00N 111-26.00E AT 090700Z AUG. VESSELS IN VICINITY…
Man overboard from F/V bd 93959 ts in 13-09.00N 111-26.00E at 090700Z aug → - HYDROLANT 1586/26 · Incidents · South Atlantic Ocean2026-08-16
SOUTH ATLANTIC. BRAZIL. MAN OVERBOARD FROM VESSEL IN 24-34.60S 045-25.70W ON 14 AUG. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO KEEP A…
Man overboard from vessel in 24-34.60S 045-25.70W on 14 aug → - HYDROPAC 2198/26 · Incidents · South China Sea2026-08-01
SOUTH CHINA SEA. VIETNAM. MAN OVERBOARD FROM F/V BTH 99564 TS IN 10-01.00N 107-31.00E AT 010230Z AUG. VESSELS IN VICINITY…
Man overboard from F/V bth 99564 ts in 10-01.00N 107-31.00E at 010230Z aug → - HYDROPAC 1146/26 · Incidents · South China Sea2026-04-17
SOUTH CHINA SEA. VIETNAM. MAN OVERBOARD FROM F/V NT 02073 TS IN 10-43.00N 108-21.00E AT 152300Z APR. VESSELS IN VICINITY…
Man overboard from F/V nt 02073 ts in 10-43.00N 108-21.00E at 152300Z apr → - HYDROPAC 1122/26 · Incidents · South China Sea2026-04-15
SOUTH CHINA SEA. MAN OVERBOARD FROM F/V BV 0340 TS AT 140810Z APR IN 06-45.00N 107-03.00E. VESSELS IN VICINITY…
Man overboard from F/V bv 0340 ts at 140810Z apr in 06-45.00N 107-03.00E → - HYDROPAC 1018/26 · Incidents · South China Sea2026-04-04
SOUTH CHINA SEA. VIETNAM. MAN OVERBOARD, FROM F/V QNG 98047 TS. FOUR PERSONS ON BOARD, IN 17-11.00N 108-02.00E, 030330Z APR.…
Man overboard, from F/V qng 98047 ts →
Earliest in the archive
- HYDROLANT 1360/95 · Incidents · North Atlantic Ocean1995-07-19
MAN OVERBOARD IN VICINITY 33-09N 025-30W AT 191027Z JUL. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO KEEP A SHARP…
Man overboard in vicinity 33-09N 025-30W at 191027Z jul →
Often in the same message
Related terms
- Keep a sharp lookout
- A request to every ship in the area to watch for the vessel, people or object described.
- Last known position
- The most recent confirmed position of a missing vessel or person — the starting point of a search.
- 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.