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DISTRESS CALL LEVELS


Busy day at NAUTICAL LOG with lots of comments to recent Posts and some good questions from non-seafaring commenter's about those DISTRESS CALLS. Lets us explain how they must be used:

Level #1; a MAYDAY situation is one in which a vessel, aircraft, vehicle or person is in grave and imminent danger and requires immediate assistance. Examples: Fire, Explosion, Sinking.

Level #2; a PAN situation which is one other than Level #1. Examples: Fouled propeller, Engine failure, or Out of Fuel.

There is a fuller explanation given in WIKIPEDIA which one can read. Since the MS Yushin Maru #3 had an apparently 'Fouled propeller' she should have used the PAN level call. Her procedure would therefore be something of this nature:

"PAN - PAN - PAN all ships this is YUSHIN MARU #3 - YUSHIN MARU #3 - YUSHIN MARU #3. My position is (give Latitude & Longitude) my propeller has been fouled from an attack by the SSCS Pirate Group vessels which are still in the area. We request assistance."

This message would be repeated three times . If no reply after say 15 minutes it could be repeated. After that it would be up to the Master to decide how long this is going to go on. Since the only people known to be able to assist are the SSCS who are the ones who caused the problem in the first place. To NAUTICAL LOG this is an exercise in futility and shows the stupidity of the behaviour in The Southern Ocean. We hope this is helpful and shows that all concerned are violating the Navigation Rules and Maritime Laws in general so clearly there is no innocent party, quite apart from the whaling /anti-whaling issue itself.

Good Watch.

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