Persons on board (POB)
Also written: POB
The number of people reported aboard a vessel in distress, overdue or missing.
The number of persons on board is one of the first things a rescue centre establishes and one of the few details repeated in almost every distress and overdue broadcast. It tells searchers how many people they are looking for, and whether to expect a liferaft.
The figure is what was reported when the warning was written. It can change in later messages as the case develops.
What the archive shows
10,103 messages in this archive use “Persons on board (POB)”, the earliest issued 1989-08-21 and the latest 2026-08-24. 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 2017, with 850 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 10,041 of 10,103 recorded messages (99%), the largest warning type group in this selection.
Located messages that use it fall in 76 sea areas; the most frequent are South China Sea (1,682), Mediterranean Sea - Eastern Basin (1,345) and North Atlantic Ocean (941).
Its use is spread fairly evenly through the year: the busiest month, December, has 961 messages and the quietest, April, 725.
By warning series: HYDROPAC 5,835, HYDROLANT 3,937, NAVAREA IV 145 and HYDROARC 96, and 2 more.
Messages using it, by year of issue
By month of issue, all years
Where it appears · 76 sea areas
- South China Sea 1,682
- Mediterranean Sea - Eastern Basin 1,345
- North Atlantic Ocean 941
- South Pacific Ocean 651
- Indian Ocean 631
- North Pacific Ocean 451
- Coral Sea 413
- South Atlantic Ocean 404
- Caribbean Sea 404
- Arabian Sea 216
- Bismarck Sea 186
- Mozambique Channel 171
How it reads in recent messages
- HYDROPAC 2423/26 · Incidents · South China Sea2026-08-24
SOUTH CHINA SEA. VIETNAM. F/V BV 99079 TS, 15 PERSONS ON BOARD, TAKING ON WATER IN 09-43.00N 108-33.00E AT 240530Z AUG. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED…
F/V bv 99079 ts, 15 persons on board, taking on water in 09-43.00N 108-33.00E at 240530Z aug → - HYDROPAC 2182/26 · Incidents · North Pacific Ocean2026-07-31
PACIFIC OCEAN. 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…
37 foot S/V engrid, white hull, one person on board, overdue marshall islands (07-07.0N 171-04.0E) to malaysia → - NOAAORR-11158 · Spills · North Pacific Ocean2026-05-11
…in the Santa Barbara Channel. Initial reports are that it is a natural gas fire and all persons on board have been evacuated. Additional information to follow. 2. THREAT: OIL. 3. POSITION…
87HX+RV santa barbara, ca, USA → - HYDROPAC 1129/26 · Incidents · Gulf of Aden2026-04-16
GULF OF ADEN. YEMEN. VESSEL, BLUE HULL, TWO PERSONS ON BOARD, UNREPORTED IN VICINITY BALHAF (13-56.98N 048-09.49E). VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO…
Vessel, blue hull, two persons on board, unreported in vicinity balhaf (13-56.98N 048-09.49E) → - HYDROPAC 1095/26 · Incidents · South China Sea2026-04-12
SOUTH CHINA SEA. 1. M/V FENGHUANG, 23 PERSONS ON BOARD, DISABLED AND ADRIFT IN VICINITY 11-36.00N 111-49.00E AT 120314Z APR. VESSELS IN…
M/V fenghuang, 23 persons on board, disabled and adrift in vicinity 11-36.00N 111-49.00E at 120314Z apr → - 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. VESSELS IN VICINITY REQUESTED TO KEEP A SHARP…
Man overboard, from F/V qng 98047 ts → - HYDROPAC 91/26 · Incidents · South China Sea2026-01-12
SOUTH CHINA SEA. VIETNAM. DNC 11. 1. F/V KH 90026 TS, EIGHT PERSONS ON BOARD, UNREPORTED. LAST KNOWN POSITION IN VICINITY 10-27.00N 109-03.00E AT 120430Z JAN.…
F/V kh 90026 ts, eight persons on board, unreported → - HYDROPAC 3153/25 · Incidents · South China Sea2025-11-29
SOUTH CHINA SEA. VIETNAM. DNC 23. F/V DNA 90350 TS, TEN PERSONS ON BOARD, DISABLED AND ADRIFT DUE TO ENGINE FAILURE IN 17-00.00N 108-25.00E AT 290822Z NOV.…
F/V dna 90350 ts, ten persons on board, disabled and adrift due to engine failure in 17-00.00N 108-25.00E at… →
Earliest in the archive
- NOAAORR-6717 · Spills · Gulf of Alaska1989-08-21
…feet of water. The vessel contained approximately 80,000 gallons of diesel and had 11 people on board, all of whom safely escaped. The vessel slowly leaked some diesel, and a small slick was…
Upper cook inlet, alaska →
Often in the same message
Related terms
- Overdue vessel
- A vessel has not arrived when expected and has not been heard from; ships are asked to look out for it.
- 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.
- Man overboard
- Someone has gone into the water from a vessel; ships in the area are asked to look for them.
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.