The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is an mandatory international system developed by the IMO for automated ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship emergency alerts. It integrates satellite (e.g., Inmarsat) and terrestrial radio (VHF/MF/HF) technologies to guarantee distress alerts are sent instantly and accurately, regardless of location, to speed up SAR efforts
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VHF DSC Radios (Short-range communication, distress alerts)
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MF/HF DSC Radios (Long-range distress & safety communication)
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Inmarsat-C Terminals (Satellite distress messaging)
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Navtex Receivers (Weather alerts and navigation warnings)
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EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons) (Automatic distress beacons)
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SART (Search and Rescue Transponders) (Used in rescue operations)