Mobile Phones ‘Not Suitable Substitute’ For VHF Radio At Sea, Marine Notice Urges

1st October 2019

Boaters and mariners have been reminded of the limitations of using mobile phones for emergency communication at sea.

Marine Notice No 40 of 2019 emphasises that mobile phones “should not be considered as a suitable substitute” for marine VHF equipment, which it urges all users of recreational craft to carry.

“Mobile phone coverage at sea is limited and unreliable. Mobile phones are also highly susceptible to failure due to water ingress,” the notice states.

The use of VHF, however, “makes it possible to broadcast to, and receive from, all vessels and coast stations within the vicinity in the event of an emergency”.

Where practicable, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS) says recreational craft should maintain a continuous listening watch on VHF channel 16 and DSC watch on VHF channel 70.

Further details are included in Marine Notice No 40 of 2019, a PDF of which is available to read or download HERE.

Published in Water Safety

Tagged under

About The Author

MacDara Conroy

Email The Author

MacDara Conroy is a contributor covering all things on the water, from boating and wildlife to science and business

We've got a favour to ask

More people are reading Afloat.ie than ever thanks to the power of the internet but we're in stormy seas because advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news sites, we haven’t put up a paywall because we want to keep our marine journalism open.

Afloat.ie is Ireland's only full–time marine journalism team and it takes time, money and hard work to produce our content.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help.

If everyone chipped in, we can enhance our coverage and our future would be more secure. You can help us through a small donation. Thank you.