Overdue vessel
A vessel has not arrived when expected and has not been heard from; ships are asked to look out for it.
An overdue report is raised by family, owners or port authorities when a vessel misses its expected arrival. The warning describes the vessel — length, rig, hull colour, persons on board — and its planned route: "52 FOOT S/V, WHITE HULL, FIVE PERSONS ON BOARD, OVERDUE MADEIRA TO MARTINIQUE".
Many overdue cases end with the vessel arriving late or making contact. A later warning cancelling the broadcast is usually the only sign in the record, and it rarely says why.
What the archive shows
2,522 messages in this archive use “Overdue vessel”, the earliest issued 1998-11-21 and the latest 2026-07-31. 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 2014, with 187 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 2,518 of 2,522 recorded messages (100%), the largest warning type group in this selection.
Located messages that use it fall in 53 sea areas; the most frequent are North Atlantic Ocean (355), South Pacific Ocean (263) and North Pacific Ocean (207).
Its use is spread fairly evenly through the year: the busiest month, August, has 228 messages and the quietest, November, 182.
By warning series: HYDROPAC 1,463, HYDROLANT 952, NAVAREA IV 47 and HYDROARC 46, and 2 more.
Messages using it, by year of issue
By month of issue, all years
Where it appears · 53 sea areas
How it reads in recent messages
- HYDROPAC 2182/26 · Incidents · North Pacific Ocean2026-07-31
…MARSHALL ISLANDS TO MALAYSIA. 37 FOOT S/V ENGRID, WHITE HULL, ONE PERSON ON BOARD, OVERDUE MARSHALL ISLANDS (07-07.0N 171-04.0E) TO MALAYSIA. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO KEEP…
37 foot S/V engrid, white hull, one person on board, overdue marshall islands (07-07.0N 171-04.0E) to malaysia → - HYDROLANT 2011/24 · Incidents · Gulf of Mexico2024-09-17
LOUISIANA. DNC 15. F/V, NINE TO TEN PERSONS ONBOARD, OVERDUE VENICE (29-14.42N 089-21.88W). VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO KEEP A SHARP LOOKOUT,…
F/V, nine to ten persons onboard, overdue venice (29-14.42N 089-21.88W) → - HYDROLANT 963/24 · Incidents · North Atlantic Ocean2024-05-07
STRAITS OF FLORIDA. FLORIDA. DNC 15. 21 FOOT VESSEL, ONE PERSON ON BOARD, OVERDUE. LAST KNOWN POSITION IN 26-32.04N 080-02.40W. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO KEEP A…
21 foot vessel, one person on board, overdue → - HYDROLANT 851/24 · Incidents · Caribbean Sea2024-04-22
EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA. GUADELOUPE. DNC 14. 32 FOOT S/V SENSATION, THREE PERSONS ON BOARD, OVERDUE GUADELOUPE (16-15.00N 061-30.00W) AND RETURN. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO KEEP A…
32 foot S/V sensation, three persons on board, overdue guadeloupe (16-15.00N 061-30.00W) and return → - HYDROLANT 842/24 · Incidents · Caribbean Sea2024-04-20
…CARIBBEAN SEA. SAINT LUCIA. DNC 14. EIGHT METER F/V TRUST AND BELIEVE, WHITE HULL, OVERDUE DENNERY (13-54.43N 060-53.17W) AND RETURN. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO KEEP A SHARP…
Eight meter F/V trust and believe, white hull, overdue dennery (13-54.43N 060-53.17W) and return → - HYDROLANT 801/24 · Incidents · North Atlantic Ocean2024-04-15
EASTERN NORTH ATLANTIC. MOROCCO. DNC 08. F/V NIAMA N, FOUR PERSONS ON BOARD, OVERDUE. LAST KNOWN POSITION IN 31-54.20N 010-15.10W ON 13 APR. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO…
F/V niama n, four persons on board, overdue → - HYDROLANT 768/24 · Incidents · Caribbean Sea2024-04-12
…AND BARBUDA. DNC 14. 13 METER F/V ONE LOVE, WHITE AND GREY HULL, THREE PERSONS ON BOARD, OVERDUE SAINT JOHN'S (17-07.80N 061-52.20W) TO WEST OF BARBUDA (17-37.80N 062-01.00W) AND…
13 meter F/V one love, white and grey hull, three persons on board, overdue saint john's (17-07.80N… → - HYDROPAC 1117/24 · Incidents · South Pacific Ocean2024-04-07
SOUTH PACIFIC. TONGA. DNC 06. 24 FOOT VESSEL, WHITE HULL AND RED STRIPE, OVERDUE FOA ISLAND (19-43.57S 174-17.46W) TO FAAKEKAI VILLAGE (19-41.09S 174-16.67W) ON 060200Z…
24 foot vessel, white hull and red stripe, overdue foa island (19-43.57S 174-17.46W) to faakekai village… →
Earliest in the archive
- HYDROPAC 894/98 · Incidents · South China Sea1998-11-21
1. M/V CHEUNG SON OVERDUE FROM 22-20N 118-49E AT 160000Z NOV. REPORTS TO HONG KONG MRCC. 2. 20 FOOT CONTAINER…
M/V cheung son overdue from 22-20N 118-49E at 160000Z nov →
Often in the same message
Related terms
- Persons on board (POB)
- The number of people reported aboard a vessel in distress, overdue or missing.
- 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.
- Last known position
- The most recent confirmed position of a missing vessel or person — the starting point of a search.
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.