Module 18 - Signals & Communications
PAN-PAN and Securite
What you will learn
Run the MCA small-craft urgency and Coastguard safety procedures without confusing the Channel 16 announcement with the working-channel message.
Priority and channel sequence are separate decisions. PAN-PAN announces urgency on Channel 16 and moves the message to the nominated working channel; safety information to HM Coastguard follows its own DSC path where supported.
PAN-PAN is used for urgent situations such as engine failure near a lee shore, a serious but stable medical problem, or a vessel disabled but not in grave and imminent danger. For the MCA small-craft DSC procedure, send an All Ships urgency announcement nominating a working channel, make the PAN-PAN urgency call on Channel 16, then transmit the message on the nominated working channel.
Securite introduces safety information such as a navigation warning, defective light, severe local weather, or other hazard to shipping. To pass safety information to HM Coastguard using the MCA small-craft procedure, make an individual DSC call with safety priority if the set supports it, accept the acknowledgement, and wait on the working channel indicated. If the radio does not support that call, make the voice call on Channel 16. Follow current Coastguard and local instructions rather than assuming every safety message uses one identical channel sequence.
| Traffic | DSC action | Voice path |
|---|---|---|
| Distress | Distress alert | MAYDAY on Channel 16 |
| Urgency | All Ships urgency; nominate channel | PAN-PAN announcement on 16, message on nominated channel |
| Safety to HMCG | Individual safety call where supported | Wait on channel indicated in acknowledgement |
Choose the path for a stable medical urgency
A crew member has a painful injury and needs medical advice, but breathing, circulation and vessel control are stable. The set supports an All Ships urgency call.
1. Set priority
Use PAN-PAN while the condition is urgent but does not meet the grave-and-imminent MAYDAY threshold.
2. Announce
Send the All Ships urgency DSC call, nominate a working channel and make the PAN-PAN announcement on Channel 16.
3. Move and update
Send the urgency message on the nominated channel and escalate if the casualty or vessel condition crosses the distress threshold.
Sense check: The operator can distinguish the Channel 16 announcement from the message that follows on the nominated channel.
Common mistake or limitation
- Do not conduct the complete routine urgency conversation on Channel 16 after nominating a working channel.
- A safety call to HM Coastguard is not one universal voice SECURITE sequence; use the current individual DSC safety procedure where supported.
- PAN-PAN must be upgraded when grave and imminent danger requiring immediate assistance develops.
- Examples such as engine failure do not determine priority by themselves; position, drift, time, people and remaining controls do.
Recap
- PAN-PAN is urgency without the immediate grave danger of MAYDAY.
- All Ships urgency DSC nominates a working channel.
- Make the PAN-PAN announcement on Channel 16, then send the message on the nominated channel.
- For safety information to HM Coastguard, use individual DSC safety priority where available and follow the acknowledged channel.
Optional quick check
Section 4 of 18
After an All Ships urgency DSC call has nominated Channel 6, where should the detailed PAN-PAN message be sent?
Sources and factual review
Reviewed 20 August 2026 - Compass Revision editorial review.
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