Ship to shore Distress alerts are used to alert other ships in port of navigational hazards.

The Distress alert should identify the station in Distress and its position & time of position update . Also, the alert may include the nature of the Distress, the type of assistance required , or the course and speed of the mobile unit .

Ship-to-ship Distress alerts are used to alert other ships in the vicinity of navigational hazards and bad weather.

The vessel nearest to the emergency must notify the Coast Guard before leaving the vicinity.