Changwon Coast Guard: "Press the SOS Rescue Button in Emergency Situations at Sea"

The Changwon Maritime Police Station in Gyeongnam announced on the 2nd that it will conduct a year-round campaign for 3,247 fishing vessels equipped with Vessel Positioning and Alert System (V-Pass) to "press the SOS rescue button directly."

The campaign is implemented to enable fishing vessels to quickly report emergencies such as flooding, fuel depletion, collisions, or medical emergencies at sea, so that they can be promptly rescued.

The maritime police will board the vessels together with fishermen to train them in sending rescue signals habitually even in urgent situations.

The purpose is to have the hands remember the signaling process first, rather than the mind.

Changwon Coast Guard is explaining to a fisherman how to press the SOS button on the vessel in case of an emergency. [Photo by Changwon Coast Guard]

The Changwon Maritime Police explained that quickly sending rescue signals at sea allows rescue agencies such as the maritime police to immediately recognize accidents in emergencies, enabling fast and efficient rescue to save lives.

V-Pass is a device for automatic reporting of fishing vessel arrivals and departures, and its additional function, the danger alarm, only sounds when conditions of a 70-degree tilt and 10 minutes of signal loss are met, so it is advised to know how to report directly.

A Changwon Maritime Police official said, “At sea, communication environments are highly restricted due to radio reception range and weather conditions, and various accidents such as capsizing and flooding can occur in the blink of an eye.”

“Even if an accident occurs, the transmitter power may be off or the antenna submerged, preventing signals from being sent and alarms from sounding,” he emphasized, “so in emergencies, please press the SOS button immediately.”

The Changwon Maritime Police is replacing old V-Pass transceivers and relocating antennas installed in low-lying areas to higher locations to improve emergency signal reception environments, and plans to improve the accident recognition system through research and development.

Chief Kim Young-cheol said, “In case of an emergency at sea, please wear a life jacket and immediately press the SOS emergency rescue buttons on D-MF/HF, VHF-DSC, SeaNavi, and V-Pass so that rapid rescue activities can be carried out.”