The fundamental difference between the old and the new distress system is that the new system is shore centred/coordinated and moves emphasis from ship to ship alerting to ship to shore alerting. The new system is quicker, simpler and, most importantly, more efficient and reliable than the old manual Morse Code and radiotelephone alerting system. GMDSS is specifically designed to automate a ship’s radio distress alerting function, and consequently, remove the requirement for manual (human) watch-keeping on distress channels.The basic concept of the system is that search and rescue authorities ashore, as well as shipping in the immediate vicinity of the ship in distress, will be rapidly and automatically alerted to a distress situation so that they can assist in a co-coordinated SAR operation with minimum delay. The system also provides for urgency and safety communications, and the promulgation of maritime safety information (MSI) including- navigational and meteorological warnings and forecasts, and other urgent safety information to ships. In other words, every ship, fitted appropriately for GMDSS, is able, irrespective of the area in which it operates, to perform those communication functions, which are essential for the safety of the ship itself and of other ships operating in the same area.
Functional requirements
- The GMDSS regulations (chapter IV of the International SOLAS Convention), require that every GMDSS equipped ship shall be capable of.
- EPIRB
- Digital Selective Calling (DSC)
- INMARSAT
- The GMDSS applies to vessels subject to the SOLAS Convention - that is:
- Commercial vessels of 300 Gross Registered Tons (GRT) and above, engaged on international voyages.
- The GMDSS became mandatory for such vessels as at February 1, 1999.
- February 1992 – ships may comply with the GMDSS requirements
- August 1993 – ships must comply with satellite EPIRB and NAVTEX requirements
- February 1995 – ships built on or after this date must fully comply with the GMDSS requirements
- February 1999 – ships must comply with the GMDSS requirements
- The major difference between the GMDSS and its predecessor systems is that the radio communications equipment to be fitted to a GMDSS ship is determined by the ship's area of operation, rather than by its size.
- Because the various radio systems used in the GMDSS have different limitations with regards to range and services provided, the new system divides the world's oceans into 4 areas:
- Sea Area 1
- Sea Area 2
- Sea Area 3
- Sea Area 4
- This area of GMDSS is within the radiotelephone coverage of at least one VHF coast station in which continuous DSC alerting is available. Such area could extend typically 30 – 50 nautical miles from the coast station.
- This area of GMDSS is an area excluding sea area A1, within the radiotelephone coverage of at least one MF coast station in which continuous DSC alerting is available. Such area could extend typically about 50 – 400 nautical miles from the coast station
- This area of GMDSS is an area excluding sea area A1 and A2, within the radiotelephone coverage of at least one HF coast station in which continuous DSC alerting is available. This area lies between about latitudes 70º North and South.
- This area of GMDSS is an area outside sea area A1, A2 and A3.
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