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EPIRB and PLB: register, test, and who pays for a false alert?
Short answer
In an emergency an EPIRB or PLB alerts the rescue services by satellite. It must be registered so they know who they are looking for. If it goes off by accident, report the false alert at once, because a search after a false alert costs money too.
Any yacht that goes well offshore should carry a distress beacon. The EPIRB belongs to the boat, and many models activate themselves when the boat sinks; the PLB is a personal beacon worn by a member of the crew. Both transmit through the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system to the rescue coordination centres, and current models add a GPS position. So that the MRCC knows whose beacon it is, which boat to look for and whom to call, the beacon has to be registered.
Register the beacon with the authority of the flag state, in the UK with the UK Beacon Registry, and keep the details current, especially boat name, call sign, MMSI and emergency contacts at home. Test it only with the manufacturer's self test, never with a live alert, and watch the expiry dates of the battery and the hydrostatic release. When the boat or the owner changes, the registration has to change too, or the coastguard ends up calling the wrong person.
If the beacon goes off by accident, for example while it is being removed, when water gets into the bracket or through a handling error, do not simply switch it off. Report the false alert at once to the nearest MRCC or coastguard by radio or phone. The sooner you report it, the smaller the search. A search after a false alert can cost money, and depending on the country the bill may go to whoever caused it. In your policy, look at whether the third party cover includes search and rescue costs after a false alert from an EPIRB or DSC, and at the limit per incident, the annual limit and the deductible. Search costs for people in real distress are a separate question, often answered by personal accident cover.
Worth remembering
Registration
tells the rescuers whom they are looking for
False alert
report it at once, do not just switch off
A beacon only helps when its details are right.
Questions
What owners ask us about this
Do I have to register my EPIRB?
Yes, with the authority of the flag state, in the UK with the UK Beacon Registry. Without registration the rescuers do not know which boat to look for or whom to call.
What do I do after an EPIRB false alert?
Report the false alert at once to the nearest MRCC or coastguard by radio or phone, rather than just switching the beacon off. The sooner you report it, the smaller the search.
Who pays for a search after a false alert?
Depending on the country, whoever caused it. Check whether your third party cover includes these costs, and look at the limit per incident, the annual limit and the deductible.
Related
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