🔍 Key Concepts

• Categories of radio traffic in the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS): distress, urgency, safety, routine • Purpose of navigational warnings (like unreported dangers to navigation such as ice, derelicts, submerged objects) • Which type of message is used to protect safety of navigation versus immediate danger to a specific vessel

💭 Think About

• Is an unreported iceberg an immediate life‑threatening situation to your vessel right now, or is it primarily a danger to navigation for all vessels in the area? • Which radio priority is specifically intended for messages about hazards to navigation and weather warnings? • How are distress, urgency, and safety calls ordered in terms of priority, and which fits a new danger like an iceberg that others need to avoid?

✅ Before You Answer

• Verify which category covers immediate grave and imminent danger requiring immediate assistance • Verify which category is used for navigational and meteorological warnings to other ships • Make sure you are not using the highest priority traffic category unless a vessel is actually in distress