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GMDSS
Primary Mission Areas:
Maritime Information:
GMDSS STATISTICS

These statistics from the USCG Atlantic Area RCC refer to the number of distress alert cases (e.g. ships sending the alert), not the number of alerts received.  The USCG routinely receives numerous distress alerts, especially DSC alerts, from the ship sending the alert as well as relays of that alert from other ships.  Those numerous extraneous alerts and relays are not included in the RCC statistics reported below.   The USCG is not collecting similar statistics from the Pacific Area.  

The documents below are Excel spreadsheets in Acrobat PDF format.  Information includes numbers of real and false alerts, alerts having invalid identities, invalid positions, and no position information.  Systems for which statistics are collected include MF/HF DSC, Inmarsat A, B, C, and E (EPIRB).  Statistics concerning COSPAS-SARSAT EPIRB alerts are collected by NOAA.   The AMVER Rescue Summary Experience provides statistics on actual distress alerts by means of alert, including both GMDSS and means, during the period 1996-1999, in both Atlantic and Pacific Areas. 

USCG Atlantic Area
January 2003 January 2004 January 2005 January 2006 January 2007 January 2008 January 2009
February 2003 February 2004 February 2005 February 2006 February 2007 February 2008 February 2009
March 2003  March 2004 March 2005 March 2006  March 2007 March 2008 March 2009
April 2003 April 2004 April 2005 April 2006 April 2007 April 2008 April 2009
May 2003 May 2004 May 2005 May 2006 May 2007 May 2008 May 2009
June 2003 June 2004 June 2005 June 2006 June 2007 June 2008 June 2009
July 2003 July 2004 July 2005 July 2006 July 2007 July 2008 July 2009
August 2003 August 2004 August 2005 August 2006 August 2007 August 2008 August 2009
September 2003 September 2004 September 2005 September 2006 September 2007 September 2008 September 2009
October 2003 October 2004 October 2005 October 2006 October 2007 October 2008 October 2009
November 2003 November 2004 November 2005 November 2006 November 2007 November 2008 November 2009
December 2003 December 2004 December 2005 December 2006 December 2007 December 2008 December 2009

(Statistics from Jan 2000 - Dec 2002 have been relocated)

- GMDSS Statistics Totals 1996 - 2000 (Jan 01)

DSC Distress Statistics

GMDSS Statistics Total of the USCG Atlantic Area available above shows a significant reduction in the number and rate of false alerts during 2000.  The false alert rate for HF DSC was comparable to other GMDSS systems, including 406 MHz EPIRBs.  

USCG radio watchstanders and ship operators had been overwhelmed by the number of inappropriately transmitted all-ship DSC distress relays.  The USCG issued a notice to mariners in an attempt to reduce the numbers of relays.  The average number of relays for each distress message transmitted was subsequently reduced significantly.