Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) Training Course

1. Introduction to GMDSS and Regulatory Framework

1.1 GMDSS Concept and Structure

• GMDSS objectives including (distress alerting, search and rescue coordination, maritime safety information, routine communications)

• Sea areas classification including (A1, A2, A3, A4 areas, coverage requirements, equipment mandates)

• System architecture including (terrestrial systems, satellite systems, coastal stations, ship stations)

• Functional requirements including (ship-to-shore alerting, shore-to-ship alerting, ship-to-ship communication, SAR coordination)

• Introduction to STCW Code A-IV/2 and SOLAS Chapter IV requirements for GMDSS operators

1.2 Regulatory Requirements and Certification

• SOLAS Chapter IV requirements including (equipment mandates, operational procedures, watchkeeping requirements)

• Radio Regulations including (ITU regulations, frequency allocations, licensing requirements, operational procedures)

• STCW competency requirements including (training standards, assessment criteria, certification procedures, revalidation)

• Flag state regulations including (licensing requirements, equipment approval, inspection procedures)

• International conventions including (SAR Convention, MARPOL, Load Lines, safety protocols)

2. VHF Radio and Digital Selective Calling (DSC)

2.1 VHF Radio Operations

• VHF system characteristics including (frequency range, propagation, coverage limitations, antenna requirements)

• Channel allocations including (distress channels, working channels, port operations, pilot channels)

• Operating procedures including (calling procedures, working procedures, channel selection, power management)

• Equipment operation including (transceiver operation, antenna systems, power supplies, backup systems)

• Maintenance procedures including (routine checks, performance testing, fault diagnosis, repair procedures)

2.2 Digital Selective Calling (DSC)

• DSC principles including (digital technology, selective calling, automatic functions, message formats)

• DSC controllers including (equipment operation, programming procedures, test functions, status monitoring)

• Distress procedures including (distress alerting, acknowledgment procedures, relay procedures, coordination)

• Safety and urgency procedures including (safety calling, urgency calling, medical assistance, navigation warnings)

• Routine calling including (individual calling, group calling, all ships calling, geographical calling)

3. MF/HF Radio Systems and Procedures

3.1 MF/HF Radio Characteristics

• Frequency bands including (MF bands, HF bands, propagation characteristics, coverage areas)

• Propagation phenomena including (ground wave, sky wave, ionospheric effects, seasonal variations)

• Antenna systems including (antenna types, radiation patterns, grounding systems, tuning procedures)

• Equipment specifications including (transceivers, antenna tuners, power amplifiers, monitoring equipment)

• Operating procedures including (frequency selection, power control, tuning procedures, interference avoidance)

3.2 MF/HF DSC and Radiotelephony

• DSC procedures including (distress calling, safety calling, routine calling, selective calling)

• Radiotelephony procedures including (voice procedures, phonetic alphabet, international codes, traffic handling)

• Coast station operations including (traffic lists, working frequencies, charging systems, service areas)

• Ship station operations including (watch schedules, calling procedures, traffic handling, log keeping)

• Emergency procedures including (distress traffic, medical advice, search and rescue coordination)

4. Satellite Communication Systems

4.1 INMARSAT System

• INMARSAT constellation including (satellite coverage, ocean regions, land earth stations, network operations)

• Ship earth stations including (equipment types, antenna systems, installation requirements, performance standards)

• Service types including (distress and safety, voice services, data services, fax services)

• Operating procedures including (call setup, traffic handling, billing procedures, service selection)

• Maintenance procedures including (system monitoring, fault diagnosis, performance testing, service reports)

4.2 INMARSAT Emergency Procedures

• Distress alerting including (distress button procedures, automatic functions, position reporting, message formats)

• Search and rescue including (RCC coordination, medical assistance, emergency communications, position updates)

• Safety communications including (maritime safety information, weather routing, navigation warnings)

• Priority traffic including (distress priority, urgency priority, safety priority, routine traffic)

• System reliability including (backup procedures, alternative systems, redundancy planning, emergency power)

5. Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB)

5.1 EPIRB Systems and Operation

• EPIRB types including (COSPAS-SARSAT system, 406 MHz beacons, 121.5 MHz homing, GPS integration)

• System architecture including (polar orbiting satellites, geostationary satellites, local user terminals, mission control centers)

• Beacon specifications including (transmission characteristics, battery life, environmental standards, coding systems)

• Installation requirements including (mounting procedures, float-free arrangements, manual activation, testing procedures)

• Registration procedures including (beacon registration, database maintenance, contact information, ownership transfer)

5.2 EPIRB Emergency Procedures

• Activation procedures including (automatic activation, manual activation, test procedures, false alarm prevention)

• SAR coordination including (alert processing, position determination, rescue coordination, communication protocols)

• Position accuracy including (GPS enhancement, Doppler positioning, search area calculation, time factors)

• Recovery procedures including (beacon recovery, post-incident procedures, maintenance requirements, replacement)

• False alarm procedures including (prevention measures, cancellation procedures, penalty implications, reporting requirements)

6. Search and Rescue Transponder (SART)

6.1 SART System Operation

• SART principles including (radar transponder technology, response characteristics, detection range, battery life)

• Equipment specifications including (transmission frequency, response delay, pulse characteristics, environmental standards)

• Installation procedures including (mounting arrangements, battery installation, test procedures, maintenance schedules)

• Operating procedures including (activation procedures, positioning requirements, radar interaction, signal identification)

• Performance testing including (range testing, response verification, battery testing, system validation)

6.2 SART Emergency Use

• Emergency deployment including (activation procedures, positioning for maximum effectiveness, battery conservation)

• Radar detection including (radar settings, sweep rate, gain adjustment, target identification)

• Search procedures including (search patterns, radar techniques, visual confirmation, communication coordination)

• Recovery operations including (homing procedures, final approach, survivor pickup, equipment recovery)

• Maintenance requirements including (battery replacement, performance testing, certification procedures, record keeping)

7. Navtex and Maritime Safety Information

7.1 Navtex System

• Navtex principles including (518 kHz system, automatic reception, message formatting, storage systems)

• Coverage areas including (Navarea boundaries, transmitter locations, transmission schedules, language options)

• Message types including (navigational warnings, meteorological warnings, search and rescue information, piracy warnings)

• Equipment operation including (receiver operation, message selection, storage management, printing functions)

• Programming procedures including (station selection, message filtering, time scheduling, maintenance functions)

7.2 Maritime Safety Information (MSI)

• MSI sources including (Navtex, SafetyNET, coastal radio, pilot services, port authorities)

• Information types including (navigation warnings, weather information, ice reports, search and rescue notices)

• Dissemination procedures including (broadcast schedules, priority systems, update procedures, cancellation procedures)

• Reception procedures including (automatic reception, manual tuning, message processing, information distribution)

• Record keeping including (message logging, information filing, regulatory requirements, audit procedures)

8. GMDSS Watchkeeping and Procedures

8.1 Watchkeeping Requirements

• Watch schedules including (continuous watch, dual watch, single watch, automated systems)

• Distress frequencies including (2182 kHz, 156.8 MHz, DSC frequencies, satellite channels)

• Watch procedures including (listening watch, scanning procedures, priority monitoring, alert response)

• Logbook requirements including (equipment status, communications log, maintenance records, regulatory compliance)

• Personnel requirements including (qualified operators, backup operators, training requirements, competency maintenance)

8.2 Routine Communication Procedures

• Traffic handling including (message priorities, routing procedures, charging systems, delivery confirmation)

• Working frequencies including (frequency selection, interference avoidance, coordination procedures, band planning)

• International procedures including (calling procedures, identification requirements, language requirements, time standards)

• Documentation requirements including (station licenses, operator certificates, equipment approvals, inspection records)

• Quality assurance including (communication clarity, procedure compliance, equipment performance, operator competency)

9. Equipment Maintenance and Troubleshooting

9.1 Preventive Maintenance

• Maintenance schedules including (daily checks, weekly inspections, monthly tests, annual surveys)

• Performance testing including (power output, frequency accuracy, modulation quality, receiver sensitivity)

• Battery maintenance including (capacity testing, voltage monitoring, replacement schedules, backup systems)

• Antenna systems including (SWR testing, connection inspection, corrosion prevention, performance optimization)

• Documentation requirements including (maintenance logs, test records, defect reports, certification procedures)

9.2 Fault Diagnosis and Repair

• Troubleshooting procedures including (systematic diagnosis, test equipment use, fault isolation, repair techniques)

• Common problems including (power supply failures, antenna problems, frequency drift, noise interference)

• Repair procedures including (component replacement, adjustment procedures, calibration requirements, safety precautions)

• Spare parts management including (critical spares, inventory control, procurement procedures, storage requirements)

• Technical support including (manufacturer support, service networks, technical documentation, training resources)

10. Emergency Response Coordination

10.1 Distress Communication Procedures

• Distress alerting including (DSC procedures, voice procedures, satellite procedures, emergency frequencies)

• Message formatting including (distress message content, position information, nature of distress, assistance required)

• Acknowledgment procedures including (coast station response, ship station response, relay procedures, coordination)

• Traffic coordination including (distress traffic control, working frequency selection, communication priority, silence periods)

• Documentation including (distress log, message records, time records, position updates)

10.2 Search and Rescue Coordination

• RCC coordination including (rescue coordination centers, communication procedures, resource coordination, status reporting)

• On-scene coordination including (OSC designation, communication procedures, search coordination, rescue operations)

• Medical emergencies including (medical advice procedures, evacuation coordination, communication requirements, priority handling)

• Pollution incidents including (reporting procedures, response coordination, communication requirements, international cooperation)

• Post-incident procedures including (debriefing, reporting requirements, investigation support, lessons learned)

11. HSE in GMDSS Operations

• Electromagnetic radiation safety including (RF exposure limits, antenna safety, personal protection, measurement procedures)

• Electrical safety including (power system safety, grounding requirements, shock prevention, maintenance safety)

• Equipment safety including (installation safety, operational safety, maintenance safety, emergency procedures)

• Communication security including (information protection, unauthorized access prevention, encryption procedures)

• Emergency preparedness including (backup systems, emergency power, alternative communications, contingency planning)

12. Quality Assurance and Standards

• ITU Radio Regulations compliance including (frequency coordination, technical standards, operational procedures)

• Equipment standards including (type approval, performance standards, installation requirements, certification)

• Operational standards including (procedure compliance, operator competency, system reliability, performance monitoring)

• Quality management including (system documentation, procedure control, training records, audit procedures)

• Continuous improvement including (performance monitoring, feedback systems, technology updates, best practices)

13. Case Studies & Group Discussions

• Regional GMDSS operations from Middle East waters including (communication challenges, equipment performance, coordination issues)

• Complex emergency scenarios including (multiple distress situations, communication failures, coordination challenges)

• Equipment failure scenarios including (system redundancy, backup procedures, alternative communications)

• International coordination examples including (cross-border incidents, language barriers, procedure differences)

• The importance of proper training in ensuring reliable GMDSS operations and effective emergency communications