Relevant documents and M-notices: SOLAS, MGN 610, The Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2002
There are three kinds of mandatory reporting that apply to masters of UK vessels on which you are likely to be tested:
Marine accident and casualty reporting. This is covered in a separate article:
Ship reporting systems (SOLAS V Reg 11)
Danger messages (SOLAS V Reg 31)
There are other reporting obligations (MARPOL, distress messages etc) but those will be covered elsewhere.
SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 11:
Ship reporting systems…shall be used by all ships, or certain categories of ships or ships carrying certain cargoes in accordance with the provisions of each system so adopted.
The master of a ship shall comply with the requirements of adopted ship reporting systems and report to the appropriate authority all information required in accordance with the provisions of each such system.
This is made into UK law by the The Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2002, Regulation 5.
Who does this apply to?
All UK ships wherever they are, and non-UK ships in UK waters.
What does this mean, in practical terms?
Vessels generally report to reporting system when transiting busy waters; this can include Traffic Separation Schemes etc. A full list of UK reporting schemes is in the Admiralty List of Radio Signals, Vol. 6. If a vessel is unable to comply (for example, her radio equipment has failed) she should endeavour to re-establish communications as soon as reasonably practicable. The master should enter the fact and reasons for not reporting in the ships log book.
What does a reporting point look like on a chart/ECDIS?
Note that not all reporting points are ship reporting system reporting points; they might be Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) reporting points, or reporting points at a harbour limit.
Are VTS mandatory?
They can be mandatory or voluntary. VTS are described in SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 12, and made into UK law under The Merchant Shipping (Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Reporting Requirements) Regulations 2004, Regulation 6. These regulations also cover notification prior to entry into port (Regulation 5).
What are the UK-adjacent mandatory ship reporting systems and where are they?
CALDOVREP in the Dover Strait
MANCHEREP off Les Casquets
OUESSREP off Ushant
There is also WETREP; this extends from Portugal to Shetland and applies to certain classes of tankers.
Daily reporting
SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 28:
Each ship of 500 gross tonnage and above, engaged on international voyages exceeding 48 hours, shall submit a daily report to its company…The report shall contain the following:
ship’s position
ship’s course and speed
details of any external or internal conditions that are affecting the ship’s voyage or the normal safe operation of the ship.
This is normally sent in as part of the masters daily report. This information must be retained by the company for the duration of the voyage
LRIT
SOLAS Chapter V Regulatio 19-1 requires passenger ships, and cargo ships of 300GT and over, to be fitted with an automatic transmitting system. This is covered in another article:
SOLAS V Regulation 31 - Danger messages
If asked about the masters reporting obligations under SOLAS, this is more than likely the answer that the examiner is looking for.
This is made into UK law by the The Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2002.
Who does this apply to?
All UK ships wherever they are, and non-UK ships in UK waters.
Under SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 31 the master is obliged to report:
dangerous ice
a dangerous derelict
any other direct danger to navigation
a tropical storm
sub-freezing air temperatures associated with gale force winds causing severe ice accretion on superstructures
winds of force 10 or above on the Beaufort scale for which no storm warning has been received
This information is also given in the Mariners Handbook (NP100) 4.43.
They must report these to all ships in the vicinity (usually via a Securité announcement on VHF CH16) and to the competent authorities; this means the relevant NAVAREA coordinator, usually via a coastal station. Details of NAVAREAs are given in Vol.1 of the Admiralty List of Radio Signals (ALRS). The correct reporting format is given in SOLAS Chapter V Regulation 32.
If asked a question about encountering a non-functioning or out-of place aid to navigation (these are considered a ‘direct danger to navigation’), the examiner wants to hear that you would inform the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) immediately on becoming aware of a new danger, or a defect in an aid to navigation (including the aid being out-of-place. Contact details and instructions, and copies of the UKHO reporting form are provided in the weekly copy of the Admiralty Notices to Mariners.
Nuclear ships
SOLAS Chapter X Regulation 11:
In the event of any accident likely to lead to an environmental hazard the master of a nuclear ship shall immediately inform the Administration. The master shall also immediately inform the competent Governmental authority of the country in whose waters the ship may be, or whose waters the ship approaches in a damaged condition.
This is made into UK law under The Merchant Shipping (Nuclear Ships) Regulations 2022, Regulation 23:
The owner and master of a nuclear ship must ensure that…whenever an accident occurs to the ship or a defect is discovered, either of which affects the safety of the ship, it is reported at the earliest opportunity,
in the case of a United Kingdom nuclear ship:
to the Certifying Authority and the Secretary of State; and
if the ship is in a port outside the United Kingdom, to the appropriate authorities of the country in which the port is situated; and
in the case of a non-United Kingdom ship, to the Secretary of State or a proper officer
Dangerous goods
SOLAS Chapter VII Regulation 6:
When an incident takes place involving the loss or likely loss overboard of dangerous goods in packaged form into the sea, the master, or other person having charge of the ship, shall report the particulars of such an incident without delay and to the fullest extent possible to the nearest coastal State.
This is made into UK law under The Merchant Shipping (Carriage of Dangerous Goods and Harmful Substances) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 Regulation 10.
Note that there is some overlap here with reporting requirements under MARPOL:
There are various other voluntary reporting schemes, worldwide; the most successful of these is AMVER. This is parallel to, and separate from, GMDSS and SOLAS.
MCAQs
Where would you find a list of UK ship reporting systems?
Is a VTS a ship reporting system?
What does a reporting point look like on a chart/ECDIS?
What would you do if you could not report in due to faulty radio equipment?
What navigational dangers would you report, and to whom?