🔍 Key Concepts

• GMDSS basic concept – equipment and capabilities depend on the vessel’s intended sea area of operation (A1, A2, A3, A4). • Difference between distress/safety functions (distress alerting, MSI – Maritime Safety Information) and general communications (routine/operational traffic). • IMO requirement that all compulsory GMDSS ships must be able to support distress alerting and MSI reception appropriate to where they actually sail, not everywhere on the globe.

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: Does the IMO require every ship to be fitted for all sea areas (A1–A4), or only for the sea areas where the ship is actually certified to operate? • Which is more fundamental under GMDSS: a specific technology (like Inmarsat or EGC) or the functions (distress alerting, MSI, and possibly general communications) that must be achievable by some approved means? • Look at how each option uses sea areas and systems: Is it tying the requirement to one specific system (e.g., Inmarsat in A4) or to the functions for the vessel’s intended operating area?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify that the requirement is function-based, not brand/system-based (Inmarsat vs others). • Check which options incorrectly demand capabilities in all sea areas regardless of intended operation—that is not how GMDSS is structured. • Confirm that compulsory vessels must at minimum support distress alerting and receipt of MSI in the area where they are actually allowed to trade, and then decide whether general communications is also part of the core functional requirement.