Module 12 — Maritime English for GMDSS

English is the operational language of GMDSS. The student does not translate: fixed phrases are learned.

Phonetic alphabet

Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

Numbers and positions

Numbers are spoken digit by digit ("fife" for 5, "niner" for 9). Positions: "position four one degrees two zero minutes north, zero zero three degrees one five minutes east".

Times

Always in UTC: "time: one three four five UTC".

Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP)

The IMO defines fixed phrases for each situation. Examples: "Say again", "I read you loud and clear", "Stand by on channel 16".

Sample Mayday in English

"MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY. This is motor vessel Albatros, Albatros, Albatros. Call sign EABX. MMSI two two four one two three four five six. MAYDAY Albatros. Position four one degrees one two minutes north, zero zero two degrees three three minutes east. Fire in engine room. Eight persons on board. Request immediate assistance. Over."

Regulatory framework for the operator (6.5 and Article 47 RR)

SOLAS IV/16 requires every ship to carry personnel qualified for distress, urgency and safety communications; the GMDSS no longer requires a dedicated radio officer. Certificates are defined in ITU RR Article 47 (GOC, ROC, LRC, SRC) and the minimum competencies are in STCW section B-IV/2. Maritime English is not an academic add-on: it is part of the required qualification.

SMCP as the standard

The IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases (resolution A.918(22)) are the internationally accepted operational vocabulary and syntax. Part 5 and the annexes of the manual refer to them for distress, urgency, safety, VTS, pilotage and bridge-to-bridge communications. The objective is verifiable clarity, not fluency: short phrases, unambiguous terms, numbers read digit by digit ('fower' for 4, 'niner' for 9).

Structure of a standard transmission

Called-station identification (up to 3 times) + 'THIS IS' + own identification + call sign / MMSI + message + 'OVER' / 'OUT'. In distress: 'MAYDAY' three times. In urgency: 'PAN-PAN' three times (ITU RR Article 33). In safety: 'SÉCURITÉ' three times.

Reading critical data

Position: latitude and longitude digit by digit, degrees and minutes, north/south and east/west. Time: always UTC, digit by digit. MMSI: nine digits read one by one. Courses and speeds: three digits with explicit units. Ambiguity in any of these fields invalidates the alert as an operational tool.

Difference from general English

SMCP forbids non-standard abbreviations, colloquial expressions and unnecessary synonyms. 'Vessel in sight' yes; 'I can see a ship over there' no. 'Request assistance' yes; 'I need help please' no. An operator practices until the phrases come by default, without effort.

Phonetic alphabet and numbers (ITU-R M.1172)

The NATO/IMO phonetic alphabet reads: Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu. Digits are read individually with standardized pronunciation: nadazero, unaone, bissotwo, terrathree, kartefour (fower), pantafive (fife), soxisix, setteseven, oktoeight, novenine, decimal, stop. Under stress the simpler 'fower' and 'niner' forms are used to avoid confusion with other languages.

Prowords, Q-codes and ICS

Essential procedure words: OVER (end of turn, expecting reply), OUT (end of conversation, no reply expected), ROGER (received and understood), WILCO (received and will comply), NEGATIVE (no), AFFIRMATIVE (yes), STATION CALLING (when the caller's identity was missed), SAY AGAIN (repeat), CORRECTION (what I just said was wrong, here is the correct version), BREAK (separates parts of a message), I SPELL (spelling follows). Surviving operational Q-codes: QRA (name of my station), QRM (other-station interference), QRN (atmospheric noise), QRT (cease transmission), QSL (I acknowledge), QSO (communication), QSY (change of frequency), QTH (my position). The International Code of Signals (ICS) keeps single-letter flags with radio meaning: A Alpha (diver down), B Bravo (dangerous cargo), D Delta (keep clear), G Golf (need a pilot), H Hotel (pilot on board), O Oscar (man overboard), Q Quebec (quarantine), U Uniform (standing into danger), V Victor (I require assistance — not distress), Y Yankee (dragging anchor). Operational time is always UTC; any reference to local time must show the offset explicitly in the log.

SMCP structure (A.918(22))

Part A: phrases for external communications. Chapter 1 Distress, Urgency, Safety (MAYDAY, PAN-PAN, SÉCURITÉ, cancellations). Chapter 2 Urgency traffic (collision, allision, man overboard, fire, engine failure, piracy). Chapter 3 Safety communications (met, ice, AtoN, on-scene SAR). Chapter 4 VTS standard phrases (reporting points, anchoring, movements). Chapter 5 Pilotage. Part B: onboard phrases for bridge team, passengers and internal emergency. The exam typically asks for the correct SMCP phrase for a scenario: 'You are on collision course' / 'Request immediate assistance' / 'Vessel in sight bearing ... distance ...' / 'Proceed to rendezvous position ... by ... UTC'.

Radio discipline (RR Art. 18 and 19)

Article 18: authorisation. A station may only transmit when it holds the ship station licence and the operator holds the matching certificate (Art. 47). Article 19: identification. Every transmission except distress signals must be identified by call sign or MMSI at the start and end of each exchange; anonymous transmission, fake call signs or impersonation are forbidden. Operational prohibitions: profanity, music, superfluous traffic, transmission without operational need, listening to or broadcasting third-party correspondence (confidentiality, Art. 17 RR). Power: minimum compatible with satisfactory communication (spectrum-economy principle). Breaches are a serious administrative offence of both the operator and the station.