REGULATIONS AND

TRAFFIC
PROCEDURES
BY
J. KAPITI
Ship's Radio Licences
• All established mobile stations must have a radio licence, normally
issued by the national administration or another office/institute on
behalf of the national administration.
• The conditions are laid down in the licence document.
• The licence, or a copy of it, must always be found on board the ship so
that it can be inspected by any authorities that are entitled to do so.
• In Namibia CRAN is responsible for issuing radio licences.
 Radio Surveys and Radio Safety
Certificates
• The radio equipment must satisfy the provisions stipulated in the Radio
Regulations, and be in accordance with the radio licence.
• All cargo and passenger ships obliged to be fitted with radio stations in
accordance with the SOLAS Convention must have a CARGO SHIP
SAFETY RADIO CERTIFICATE.
• The certificate is normally valid for maximum one year from the date of
issue, and must be renewed every year.
• Inspectors/surveyors from the appropriate shore-based authorities are entitled
to inspect the ship station as often as they find necessary in order to ensure
that it is in compliance with licence conditions, and international
conventions. and agreements.
 Operation of the Radio Station -
Operator Certificates
• The master, or person in charge of the ship, has the highest authority
with regard to the operation of the radio station.
• On board ships fitted with GMDSS installations and sailing in Sea
Area A2, A3, A4, there must be at least one person with a GENERAL
OPERATOR'S CERTIFICATE (GOC).
• Other duty officers must be holders of a Restricted Operator's
Certificate (ROC) in order to be qualified to operate VHF radio
communication equipment on GMDSS ships. ( Sea A1)
• Radio operators are obliged to follow the recommendations provided
by the Radio Regulations Convention and other relevant conventions.
 Observance of Secrecy

• The holder of the radio licence is required to preserve the secrecy of

telecommunications, as laid down in the relevant provisions of the
Convention.
• The station is not allowed to receive any other correspondence than it
is intended to.
• Without special permission, it is prohibited to publish or take
advantage of traffic designated to others.
 Priority for distress calls, distress messages and
other messages concerning the safety of lives at sea
• Distress calls shall have absolute priority over all other transmissions.
• All stations hearing such calls shall immediately cease any
transmission capable of interfering with the distress traffic and shall
continue to listen to the frequency used for the emission of the distress
call.
• This call shall not be addressed to a particular station and
acknowledgement of receipt shall not be given before the distress
message which follows it has been transmitted.
Unauthorised transmissions
All stations are forbidden to carry out:
a)- unnecessary transmissions
b) - the transmission of superfluous signals and correspondence
c) - the transmission of false or misleading signals
d) - the transmission of signals without identification
• Make sure not to interfere with transmissions already in progress, and
radiate only as much power as is necessary to ensure satisfactory
service.
 Control and adjustment of radio
transmitters
• The testing of radio equipment should be kept at an absolute
minimum.
• In order to avoid harmful interference, remember to take all possible
precautions, such as:
- choice of frequency (distress frequencies should not be used unless
absolutely necessary)
- tests should be carried out using reduced power/artificial antenna
- duration of test signals should be less than 1 0 seconds
- test transmissions should include call sign/other identification of the
transmitting station
 Service documents, publications and
posters
• Ships are required to take care of all service documents that may be subject to submission in
accordance with the Radio Regulations
The following documents are required:
• (a) The ship's Radio Licence
• (b) The radio operator's certificates
• (c) The GMDSS Radio Logbook
• (d) The List of Call Signs and Stations' Numerical Identities used by the Maritime Mobile
and Maritime Mobile Service (ITU)
• (e) The List of Coast Stations (ITU)
• (f) The List of Ship Stations (ITU)
• (g) The List of Radio determination and Special Service Stations (ITU)
• (h) The manual for Use by the Maritime Mobile" and Maritime Mobile Satellite Services
(ITU).
 Service documents, publications and
posters
• In addition international/national regulations require that the
following documentation/publications be carried on board:
(a) Radio Safety Certificate
(b) Antenna sketch
(c) List of spare parts
 Radio Log
• The radio log, as required by the SOLAS Convention, must be kept
together with the radio and must be written in accordance with the
details required by the Radio Regulations and guidelines.
• REFER TO DOC
Radio Log
Radio Telephony Communications -
Calling Procedures
VHF telephony
• On the VHF-band, emission class F3E and G3E (frequency/phase-
modulated telephony) must be used.
• The frequencies on the VHF-band are used for short distance
communication, and are less exposed to interference and distortion
than the MF-band.
• The international frequency list includes both simplex and duplex
channels, numbered from 01 to 28, and from 60 to 88 with a channel
separation of 25 kHz.
Radio Telephony Communications -
Calling Procedures
• The channel plan includes the following communication needs:
- PUBLIC CORRESPONDENCE - execution of radio telephone calls and cables
between ships and the public telecommunications network via a coast station.
- HARBOUR AND PILOT SERVICE - radio communications between a ship
station and harbour - or pilot stations.
- The primary calling and working channel for this service is channel12.
- INTERSHIP COMMUNICATIONS - traffic between ship stations.
- Assigned channels are 6, 8, 1 0 and so on.
- SAFETY SERVICE - radio telephone communications concerning distress,
urgency or safety traffic.
The international distress, safety and
calling channel
• Channell6 (156.8 MHz) is the international distress and calling
channel for stations using frequencies on the band between 156 and
174 MHz.
• This channel is used for all kinds of distress, urgency and safety
traffic.
• Safety messages shall preferably be transmitted on a working channel,
after preliminary announcement on channel 16.
 The international distress, safety and
calling channel
• Channel16 can also be used by:
- coast and ship stations for calling and replying to calls
- coast stations for announcement of traffic lists and important maritime messages
which will be broadcasted on traffic channels
- coast and ship stations for transmission of selective calling
• As a general rule, ships calling coast stations should make the call on the available
working channel whenever possible.
• Before calling, the ship must listen to the working channel to make sure that there
is no traffic taking place.
• Consult the ITU "List of Coast Stations" for further information.
List of VHF Channels
List of VHF Channels
List of VHF Channels
 Traffic Lists
• Coast stations normally transmit their calls in the form of traffic lists
consisting of the names and the call signs of all ship stations they have
traffic for, in alphabetical order.
• The traffic lists are transmitted at fixed times on the primary working
channels.
• This information is found in the "List of Coast Stations"
 MF radio telephony (coast telephony).
• On the medium frequency band between 1605 kHz and 4000 kHz, the following
emission classes are allowed:
• H3E - Single sideband with full carrier, only for 2182 kHz.
• J3E - Single sideband with suppressed carrier, this emission class is used for
ordinary traffic handling.
• The 2182kHz frequency is used by GMDSS ships for distress and safety traffic
using radiotelephony, emission class J3E.
• The 2182 kHz frequency can also be used to call up and reply to calls.
• Coast stations use 2182 kHz to announce transmissions on a working frequency
and to announce traffic lists that are to be transmitted on a working frequency.
 General calling procedures
• As a general rule ships calling coast stations should, make the call on
an available working channel.
• Before calling, the ship must listen to the working channel to make
sure that there is no traffic taking place.
• Working channels are listed in the ITU publication "List of Coast
Stations".
 General calling procedures
• In Region 1, all ship stations on international voyages may use:
• Ship-to-shore working frequency: 2045kHz( class BE emission)
• Intership working frequency: 2048kHz( class BE emission)
• The 2048 kHz frequency may be used as an additional ship-to-shore
• working frequency.
• The following ship-to-shore frequencies may be assigned to coast stations as
receiving frequencies:
• 2051kHz, 2054kHz, 2057kHz.
• In Regions 2 and 3, all ships on international voyages may use:
• Intership working frequencies: 2635, 2638kHz( class BE emission)
 HF telephony
• Only emission class BE should be used on the short wave bands
between 4000-27000 kHz.
• Ship stations may generally use the following HF frequencies (duplex)
to call coast stations:
 HF telephony
• NOTE: The frequencies 4125kHz, 6215kHz, 12290 kHz and
16420kHz are assigned simplex frequencies for distress and safety
traffic.
• If using these frequencies for routine calls to coast stations, monitor
them first to make sure that no distress or safety traffic is interrupted.
• The "List of Coast Stations" provides details about coast stations,
opening times and listening watch on shortwave telephony.
THANK YOU