This notice was issued by SAMSA on 10 March 2015:
TO ALL REGIONAL MANAGERS, PRINCIPAL OFFICERS, SMALL VESSEL SKIPPERS AND OPERATORS, SMALL VESSEL OWNERS AND AFFECTED PARTIES
This Marine Notice outlines the changes to Maritime Radio SOLAS watch keeping by Telkom Maritime Services and the changes in Radio carriage requirements by small vessels ensuing from these changes.
1. The renewal of the Telkom/Department of Transport SOLAS Service Agreement was signed on the 14th January 2014. This is the Agreement whereby Telkom Maritime Services provides SOLAS distress watch keeping and Maritime Safety Information Services.
2. The Agreement shall be fully implemented by 01/07/2015 and South Africa shall declare GMDSS Sea Area A1.
Sea Area A1 is defined as: “A coastal area within the radiotelephone coverage of at least one VHF coast station in which continuous DSC alerting is available”.
3. The existing analogue shore based radio equipment will be replaced by digital equipment. For small vessels to interact with the digital equipment, a VHF radio with DSC capability is required. This will also ensure interoperability between all vessels.
4. A DSC distress alert sent on VHF CH 70 has the following advantages over the traditional radiotelephone Mayday call transmitted on VHF CH 16:
a. A digital signal travels further than a voice signal – improved range of transmission;
b. Distress alert (undesignated) provided with the single press of a button;
c. The position is included in the initial distress alert.
5. VHF CH 16 aural watch keeping will be maintained by Telkom Maritime Services until April 2018 to allow all vessels to make the transition to DSC carriage.
6. 29 Mhz and 2182 khz aural watch-keeping by Telkom will cease with effect from 01/07/2015.
7. Due to the cessation of the SOLAS watch keeping by the South African coast stations on 29 Mhz it will no longer be appropriate for small vessels to carry 29 Mhz radios as a safety option in terms of item 18, Annexure 2 of the Merchant Shipping (National Small Vessel Safety) Regulations 2007.
Categories of vessels covered by these regulations shall be equipped with VHF Marine Radios to comply with the safety requirement.
8. In summary, vessels may continue to carry 29 Mhz radios as voluntary fit equipment for intership communications, communications with clubs etc., however, these radios will no longer be appropriate to fulfill the safety requirements of the regulations from 01/07/2015.