ACN 148/19 - DEC 2019 GUIDANCE ON AIS NOTIFICATIONS FOR SAR

ALCOAST COMMANDANT NOTICE                               CANCEL DATE  10 DEC 2020

R 110855 DEC 19
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-5RI//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N16130//
ACN 148/19
SUBJ:  GUIDANCE ON AIS NOTIFICATIONS FOR SAR
A. U.S. Coast Guard Addendum to the United States National Search and Rescue
Supplement (NSS) to the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and Rescue
(IAMSAR) Manual, COMDTINST M16130.2 (series)
1. This ACN provides policy and guidance for resolving the receipt of AIS
information associated with Automated Information System (AIS) Search and Rescue
Transmitter (SART) devices and is an addition to information provided in REF (A).
2. Overview.
    a. AIS is a VHF-FM (line-of-sight) navigation-communication protocol for
ship-to-ship-to-shore exchange of pertinent navigation safety information, e.g.
vessel identity, position, course, speed, navigational status, data, etc.
Although AIS is not intended for distress communications or providing a Global
Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) alert, there is nothing prohibiting AIS
users transmitting their own safety related texts to denote they are in distress
or require assistance. Further, there are three types of AIS stations that are
purposely and solely designed as (SAR) locating devices—AIS Search and Rescue
Transmitters (SART), AIS Man Over-Board (MOB) Devices, and AIS Electronic Position
Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs).
    b. Mandatory AIS carriage is expanding to smaller vessels and its voluntary use
is growing. Given their lower purchase and operating costs, AIS SART devices,
required under the Safety of Life at Sea convention GMDSS regulations on ships and
survival craft for locating a vessel or a person in distress, will eventually out
number radar SART. This proliferation of AIS devices will likely increase
notifications to the U.S. Coast Guard. Determining which AIS notifications may or
may not be associated with a distress alert will require knowledge of these AIS
devices and increased diligence of the SAR Mission Coordinator (SMC) and Joint
Rescue Coordination Centers (JRCCs)/Command Centers (CC).
3. Policy and Guidance for AIS Notifications for SAR is located at:
https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/cgsar/Policy/Forms/AllItems.aspx.
4. These changes will be incorporated into the next revision of REF (A), which
will be released within the next year.
5. Questions regarding this policy update should be directed to Mr. Max Moser,
COMDT (CG-SAR-1) at: Kenneth.M.Moser@uscg.mil.
6. Released by Ms. Dana S. Tulis, Director, Office of Emergency Management.
7. Internet release is authorized.