Maritime Distress Monitoring: Who Qualifies and What You Get
Learn how maritime distress monitoring provides 24/7 search and rescue coordination for all vessels at sea in New Zealand.
This scheme provides continuous monitoring of radio distress signals to ensure help is available when vessels encounter emergencies at sea.
Who it's for
This service is designed for safety at sea and is available to all vessels. Whether you are operating a large commercial vessel or a smaller boat, the monitoring system is meant to cover everyone currently out on the water.
What you get
The primary benefit of this scheme is constant, 24/7 distress monitoring. This means that if a vessel encounters a life-threatening situation, the monitoring system is active around the clock to detect signals. Once a distress signal is received, the service provides coordination for search and rescue operations to help locate and assist those in need.
What it costs you
There is no charge for using this service in an emergency. If you find yourself in a life-threatening situation at sea and require search and rescue coordination, the emergency response is provided free of charge.
The catch to know
The effectiveness of this monitoring depends entirely on your equipment working correctly when you need it most. The most important thing to remember is to ensure your EPIRB (an emergency position-indicating radio beacon) is properly registered with the relevant authorities. Additionally, you must regularly check that the battery in your EPIRB is current and has not expired, as a dead battery will prevent your distress signal from being detected by the monitoring service.
How to apply
- Verify that your vessel is equipped with a functional EPIRB.
- Register your EPIRB to ensure your location can be identified.
- Regularly check your equipment to confirm the battery is current.
- In a life-threatening emergency, activate your device or broadcast a Mayday to trigger the monitoring and rescue process.