Radio Regulations

Source: the Radio Regulations published by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

ART

53

Order of priority of communications

RR-2024 · in force CHAPTER IX — Maritime services

§ 1 All stations in the maritime mobile service and the maritime mobile-satellite service shall be capable of offering four levels of priority in the following order:

1) Distress calls, distress messages, and distress traffic.

2) Urgency communications.

3) Safety communications.

4) Other communications.

§ 2 In a fully automated system, where it is impracticable to offer all four levels of priority, category 1 shall receive priority until such time as intergovernmental agreements remove exemptions granted for such systems from offering the complete order of priority.

Notes

53.2

Source: ITU Radio Regulations, editions of 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020 and 2024. The English, French and Spanish texts are each taken from the official edition in that language, not translated from one another. Sources and citation.