What are Standard Maritime Phrases?
Every ship requires a communication system to allow the crew and relevant personnel to communicate on technical matters: 1) Internally, regarding all equipment on board; and 2) Externally, regarding navigation and voyage, whether with shore or other ships.
While we are fully aware of the various evolving systems and technologies governing communication methods, it is vital to understand the rules, regulations and guidelines that define these communication methods.
Standard Maritime Phrases
These communications must strictly adhere to formal rules and avoid any over-communication. Therefore, virtually any form of internal or external communication, including technical aspects on board an operating ship, must follow a clear set of verbal protocols, as outlined by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in its Standard Maritime Phrases (SMCP) resolution.
The scope of these protocols is similar to the protocols that pilots must follow when communicating with air traffic control. However, in the case of ships, these guidelines are much more extensive due to time constraints, operational complexity and the many stakeholders involved, and the composition and level of these stakeholders are also for many reasons.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted the Ship Management Control Protocol (SMCP) Guidelines in 1977 as an alternative to the Standard Maritime Vocabulary. The language of communication is generally English, but in rare cases, such as between two ships of the same country where English is not the official language, the rules also apply to that language. The SMCP Guidelines as a whole can be divided into two main parts for reference:
- Part A
- Part B
Part A covers all phrases and communication protocols related to external matters. This includes communications between a ship and its port of call, between two ships, or between a ship and any other possible relevant land, air, or water contact point. In practice, the form of external communications follows the Radio Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). As mentioned above, Part B only deals with internal communications, which must be followed by the crew and personnel on board.
However, these terms and phrases do not imply any form of violation or punitive measures in practical application. You can ignore them, replace them with a colloquial or informal tone, or use them in any way that suits our intention.
However, they are generally considered to be universally applicable practices that should be followed as standard communication methods worldwide to avoid misunderstandings, miscommunications, misinterpretations, language barriers or other gaps in information exchange. They are also independent of communication norms, such as those mentioned in the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea or the International Code of Signals, which are more stringent in actual application.
Standard Maritime Vocabulary
Key features of implementing these protocols:
Must be stated as is, without abbreviations or synonyms.
Even if you have the option of “yes” or “no”, you should try to give a complete answer. For example, when asking a very general question, such as “Is this X?”, the answer should be “yes, it is X” (not simply “yes” or “no”).
When a word or term is difficult to spell or understand, a specific phonetic pronunciation list should be used.
For example, when spelling a random term “ABC”, you would say “A for Alfa, B for Bravo, C for Charlie”, instead of “A for Apple, B for Ball, C for Cat” as we practice in very simple common language everywhere else.
Pronunciation is also an important aspect, although people’s English accents vary according to nationality. For example, a French person speaking English and a Russian person might have difficulty distinguishing them apart. To partially address this, the pronunciation of numbers follows certain standards, as explained below.
Only numbers fall into this category, as it is almost impossible to develop and implement a specific pronunciation for every word in the English dictionary. Moreover, numbers can have a particularly serious impact in emergency situations or tense moments. For example, in thick fog, two ships are approximately X nautical miles apart and cannot see each other. Misinterpreting the value X for another value Y by either ship can have very serious consequences.
Numbers are usually considered as an analysis of their number. For example, the number 175 should be expressed as “one seven five” rather than “one seven five”. Similarly, other informal practices, such as reading the number 0 as “O” (knot) rather than “zero”, should be avoided.
When specifying positions, appropriate symbols should be used to indicate north or south of the equator and east or west of the Greenwich meridian. Angles and positions are usually specified in standard 360-degree rotations, starting at zero and increasing in a clockwise direction.
Speed and distance are always expressed in knots and nautical miles, respectively.
Conditional phrases such as “may”, “could”, “would”, “should”, “might”, and “might” should be avoided. For example, when asking whether to enter a waterway, instead of asking “May I or may I enter this waterway?”, phrase it like this: “Question. Do I have the right to enter this waterway?” Similarly, instead of saying: “You must not move. There may be icebergs ahead,” say: “Danger. Do not move. Iceberg warning ahead.”
If the message is urgent or critical, use the word “repeat” for emphasis. For example, “Do not move. Traffic ahead. Repeat. Do not move. Traffic ahead.”
If the message is not understood correctly, use “Please repeat” instead of the colloquial “How are you?” or “Excuse me?”.
Use only specific terminology, such as distress, urgency, or safety signals: MAYDAY, PAN PAN, etc.
To replace information, help should be in the form of: “Error. _______________________________. Correction.”
The SMCP encompasses a wide range of terms, phrases, abbreviations, and vocabulary. This article does not cover all of these topics; references can be found in International Maritime Organization (IMO) publications and other sources.
Examples and explanations include:
- Abandon ship: Evacuate all passengers and crew in the event of an accident or distress.
- Drift: Dump cargo or consumables overboard to reduce weight or improve stability.
- Follow-up: Continue to sail or proceed to a predetermined location.
- Stop: Measure the water depth (equivalent to a linear measurement of 1.8 meters).
- Force stop: Reverse engine power to force the ship to stop while avoiding collision or obstacles.
- MMSI: Maritime Mobile Service Identity (MMSI).
- Give way: Give way to other vessels.
- Disorder: Gather all passengers, crew, and personnel at a designated location.
- ETA: Estimated time of arrival.
- Air: When communications and telemetry are unavailable.
- SAR: Search and rescue.
