Appendix 5 - Ships' Message Formats
Clasification Society 2024 - Version 9.40
Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Circulars - Maritime Safety Committee - MSC.1/Circular.1334 – Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships – (23 June 2009)Guidance to shipowners and ship operators, shipmasters and crews on preventing and suppressing acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships - Annex – Guidance to Shipowners, Companies1, Ship Operators, Shipmasters and Crews on Preventing and Suppressing Acts of Piracy1 and Armed Robbery1 Against Ships - Appendix 5 - Ships' Message Formats

Appendix 5 - Ships' Message Formats

Report 1 - Initial message - Piracy/armed robbery attack alert

1 Ship’s name and, callsign, IMO number, INMARSAT IDs (plus ocean region code) and MMSI
  MAYDAY/DISTRESS ALERT (see note)
  URGENCY SIGNAL
  PIRACY/ARMED ROBBERY ATTACK
2 Ship’s position (and time of position UTC)
    Latitude Longitude
    Course Speed KTS
3 Nature of event
Note:   It is expected that this message will be a Distress Message because the ship or persons will be in grave or imminent danger when under attack. Where this is not the case, the word MAYDAY/DISTRESS ALERT is to be omitted.
    Use of distress priority (3) in the INMARSAT system will not require MAYDAY/ DISTRESS ALERT to be included.

Report 2 - Follow-up report - Piracy/armed robbery attack alert

1 Ship’s name and, callsign, IMO number
2 Reference initial PIRACY/ARMED ROBBERY ALERT
3 Position of incident
  Latitude Longitude
  Name of the area  
4 Details of incident, e.g.
  While sailing, at anchor or at berth?
  Method of attack
  Description/number of suspect craft
  Number and brief description of pirates/robbers
  What kind of weapons did the pirates/robbers carry ?
  Any other information (e.g., language spoken)
  Injuries to crew and passengers
  Damage to ship (Which part of the ship was attacked?)
  Brief details of stolen property/cargo
  Action taken by the master and crew
  Was incident reported to the coastal authority and to whom?
  Action taken by the Coastal State
5 Last observed movements of pirate/suspect craft, e.g.:
6 Assistance required
7 Preferred communications with reporting ship, e.g.:
  Appropriate Coast Radio Station
  HF/MF/VHF
  INMARSAT IDs (plus ocean region code)
  MMSI
8 Date/time of report (UTC)
Parent topic: Annex – Guidance to Shipowners, Companies footnote , Ship Operators, Shipmasters and Crews on Preventing and Suppressing Acts of Piracy footnote and Armed Robbery footnote Against Ships
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