New Procedures For Maritime Weather Information Broadcasts

Maritime Safety Information Broadcasts to seafarers in the Welsh Coast area are changing channels.

 

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by Angela Smith, Maritime & Coastguard Agency

February 20, 2007

On 1st February 2007 the Maritime and Coastguard Agency introduced a radical and improved policy for broadcasting the Maritime Safety Information to all sea farers. The improvements come following consultation with our customers and service providers.

The Broadcasts covering the Welsh Coast area (Lands End to Great Orme Head including the Bristol and St Georges Channels) will be instigated from the Coastguard Operations Room either at Swansea or Milford Haven and will be prefixed “This is Swansea and Milford Haven Coastguards” All Broadcasts will be announced on VHF Ch16 and listeners will be required to change to the appropriate channel as directed. (details below)

There will be Two Types of Maritime Safety information Broadcasts, and 8 Broadcasts during every 24 hours.

Type ‘A’ - A full Maritime Safety Information broadcast (New Inshore Waters Forecast and outlook, Gale Warnings, Shipping Forecast and Navigational Warnings.)

Type ‘B’ - The New Inshore Waters Forecast to include outlook (The Met Office will be issuing updated Inshore Waters Forecasts every 6hrs), Gale Warnings in force, and new Strong Wind Warnings (Strong Wind Warnings will be included in the Inshore Forecast and will only be issued on their own if the winds reach force 6 or more and were not predicted at the time the Inshore Forecast was issued)

Braocast Times And Types:

By Swansea and Milford Haven Coastguard Stations.

Type 'A'

• 0750
• 1950

Type 'B'

• 0150
• 0450
• 1050
• 1350
• 1650
• 2250

All broadcasts will be in local time and mariners will no longer have to take into account whether this is British Standard Time or Greenwich Mean Time.

Aerials And Frequencies For MSI Broadcasts - Swansea and Milford Haven:

• St. Anns Head, Tenby (Monkstone Point) and Blaenplwyf (Aberystwyth)
  • VHF Channel 84
• Dinas Head, Hartland Point, Mumbles and Severn Bridge
  • VHF Channel 86
• Coombe Martin and St. Hillary (Cardiff)
  • VHF Channel 23

There will be NO broadcasts on the Welsh Coastal area with regard to weather information on Medium Frequency from the 1st February 2007.

For further information or any queries please contact Milford Haven Coastguard Station on: 01646 690909.