🔍 Key Concepts

• GMDSS (Global Maritime Distress and Safety System) purpose and scope • Differences between equipment requirements and personnel (operator) requirements • How GMDSS supports distress alerting, locating, and coordination of search and rescue (SAR)

💭 Think About

• Think about whether GMDSS focuses only on the radios carried, only on who operates them, or on the entire distress and safety system on board. • Ask yourself: Does GMDSS include both hardware (equipment) and trained people to use it, or just one of those? • Consider what must be in place on a GMDSS ship so that a distress call can be sent, received, and followed up effectively.

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify whether GMDSS regulations specify minimum equipment by sea area (A1, A2, A3, A4). • Check if licensed GMDSS radio operators are required on GMDSS‑equipped vessels, not just equipment alone. • Confirm that distress alerting, acknowledgement, and coordination are core functional goals of GMDSS, not optional extras.