Standard Marine Communication Phrases and the International Code of Signals in radio-telephony

Analyses of marine casualties and accidents investigation reports show recurrent cases of ineffective Bridge Resource Management; particularly the ineffective relationships between master, crew, pilot and shore personnel. Communication difficulties often occur in these areas not just due to cultural differences but also due to language 'barriers'. In the world of international shipping, with seafarers from different countries sailing on ships trading to all parts of the world, effective communication between those on board, and between ship and shore is vitally important. Presently, there is no recognised international or European standards for the assessment of English language for seafarers. According to recent IMO statistics, 80% of accidents occurring at sea are caused by human errors, with half due to poor communication. When communicating between ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore through radio-telephony, the ship or shore may use either of the following: The Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) has been compiled to:

• assist in the greater safety of navigation and of the conduct of the ship,
• standardize the language used in communication for navigation at sea, in port-approaches, in waterways, harbours and onboard vessels with multilingual crews, and
• assist maritime training institutions in meeting the objectives mentioned above.

These phrases are not intended to supersede or contradict the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972, special local rules or recommendations made by IMO concerning ships' routeing. Neither are they intended to supersede the International Code of Signals. When applied on ship's external communication, this has to be done in strict compliance with the relevant radiotelephone procedures as set out in the ITU Radio Regulations. Furthermore, the SMCP, as a collection of individual phrases, should not be regarded as any kind of technical manual providing operational instructions. The SMCP meets the requirements of the STCW Convention, 1978, as revised, and the SOLAS Convention, 1974, as revised, with regards to verbal communications and covers the relevant communication safety aspects laid out in these conventions. The SMCP builds on basic knowledge of English language and is purposely drafted in a simplified version of Maritime English to reduce grammatical, lexical and idiomatic varieties to a tolerable minimum. It also uses standardized structures for the purpose of its functional aspects, i.e. diminishing misunderstanding in safety related verbal communications, so as to reflect present Maritime English language usage on board vessels and for ship-to-shore/ship-to-ship communications.