Published on: 24 March 2022
On 3 March, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency published guidance for the MGN 665 (M+F) Registration of EPIRBs and 406 MHz PLBs used in the maritime environment.
The UK Beacon Registry has created an online portal for registration of EPIRBs and 406 MHz PLBs, and this is now live and very user friendly. Offline registration is also still available.
This Maritime Guidance Note is associated with The Merchant Shipping (EPIRB Registration) Regulations 2000. It draws attention to the requirements of those Regulations, namely the mandatory registration of all Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) carried on UK registered ships. The MCA also strongly recommends registration of all 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) used in the maritime environment. The Regulations ensure that details held on the database are as accurate as possible for Search & Rescue (SAR).
This notice is for all Owners, Masters, Skippers and Operators of Vessels that carry EPIRBs, and this notice should be read with SI 2000 No. 1850 – The Merchant Shipping (EPIRB Registration) Regulations and replaces MSN 1816.
The key points, are:
- 406 MHz beacons (EPIRBs) fitted to a United Kingdom flagged vessel must be registered with the UK 406 MHz Beacon Registry.
- Changes to registered beacons must be notified promptly using the online, customer self-service or for offline users or where accessibility assistance is required, via the Beacon Registry.
- It is an offence by the Owner and/or the Operator not to follow these requirements.
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MCA strongly recommends all 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) used in the maritime environment are registered and the registered information kept up to date.
You can find a link to the MGN 665 (M+F) Registration of EPIRBs and 406 MHz PLBs used in the maritime environment via the web page, which can be found here, where you will be able to access the MCA published document.
We suggest that you take the time to look through the document and make sure that you have registered your details and to make sure that everything is up to date, otherwise you could be subject to a fine (which is covered within the MCA document).
