The Department of Transport draws attention to two Marine Notices as a reminder to owners, operators and skippers of the importance of following correct VHF radio procedures in emergency situations.
It follows a recommendation in the MCIB report into an incident on a Skellig Michael passenger ferry that sank off the islands in July 2024, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.
The report found that there was no call to the Irish Coast Guard by VHF radio or mobile telephone from the MV Sea Breeze III as it took on water some three nautical miles north of Little Skellig on 7 July 2024.
Marine Notice No 61 of 2020 sets out the details of the coastguard’s VHF working channels around the Irish coastline.
Meanwhile, Marine Notice No 77 of 2023 contains several circulars in relation to compliance with Chapter IV of the Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) as it pertains to radio communications and distress alerts.
