Regulation 32 – Information required in danger messages

 The following information is required in danger messages:

  1 Ice, derelicts and other direct dangers to navigation:

• .1 The kind of ice, derelict or danger observed.

• .2 The position of the ice, derelict or danger when last observed.

• .3 The time and date (Universal Co-ordinated Time) when the danger was last observed.

  2 Tropical cyclones (storms)^footnote

• .1 A statement that a tropical cyclone has been encountered. This obligation should be interpreted in a broad spirit, and information transmitted whenever the master has good reason to believe that a tropical cyclone is developing or exists in the neighbourhood.

• .2 Time, date (Universal Co-ordinated Time) and position of ship when the observation was taken.

• .3 As much of the following information as is practicable should be included in the message:

  • – barometric pressure,^footnote preferably corrected (stating millibars, millimetres, or inches, and whether corrected or uncorrected);

  • – barometric tendency (the change in barometric pressure during the past three hours);

  • – true wind direction;

  • – wind force (Beaufort scale);

  • – state of the sea (smooth, moderate, rough, high);

  • – swell (slight, moderate, heavy) and the true direction from which it comes. Period or length of swell (short, average, long) would also be of value;

  • – true course and speed of ship.