Standard Marine Communication Phrases
Encyclopedia
The Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) is a set of key phrases in the English language (which is the internationally recognised language of the sea), supported by the international community for use at sea and developed by the International Maritime Organization
(IMO). They aim to explain: 1) external communication phrases – ship to ship & ship to shore communication, 2) onboard communication phrases – communication within the ship.
The SMCP includes phrases which have been developed to cover the most important safety-related fields of verbal shore-to-ship (and vice-versa), ship-to-ship and on-board communications. The aim is to reduce the problem of language barriers at sea and avoid misunderstandings which can cause accidents.
International Maritime Organization
The International Maritime Organization , formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization , was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959...
(IMO). They aim to explain: 1) external communication phrases – ship to ship & ship to shore communication, 2) onboard communication phrases – communication within the ship.
Background
The SMCP were adopted by the 22nd Assembly of the IMO in November 2001 in a resolution which also promoted the wide circulation of the SMCP to all prospective users and all maritime education authorities.The SMCP includes phrases which have been developed to cover the most important safety-related fields of verbal shore-to-ship (and vice-versa), ship-to-ship and on-board communications. The aim is to reduce the problem of language barriers at sea and avoid misunderstandings which can cause accidents.
Examples
- To describe an unmanned and abandoned ship floating adrift, the SMCP gives the correct phrase as, “unlit derelict vessel adrift in vicinity (date, time and position if known)”
- Being stuck in ice and requesting assistance: “I am fast in ice. I require assistance”.
- Damage to vessel by ice: “I have developed stability problems, heavy icing. Request ice breaker assistance”.
- Ship is sinking: “I am sinking. Please proceed to my assistance. What is your ETA at our distress position?”
See also
- List of international common standards
- MarTEL (Maritime Tests of English Language)MarTEL (Maritime Tests of English Language)MarTEL is a standardised test of maritime English language proficiency, through an interactive online learning platform. It was created under the European Union's, Leonardo da Vinci funding stream, in combination with the Lifelong Learning Programme, and was established in 2007.MarTEL has three...
is a standardised test of maritime English language proficiency - SeaspeakSeaspeakSeaspeak is a simplified form of English, designed to facilitate communication between ships whose captains' native tongues differ. It has now been formalised as Standard Marine Communication Phrases ....