■ When a ship station may relay a distress alert

1. Distress alert or call not acknowledged by a coast station within 5 minutes.

• If there is no sign of an acknowledgement by a coast station within 5 minutes, and no distress communications are heard between a coast sttaion and the vessel in distress, then the receiving station must relay the distress alert ashore by any means available, but to coast station only.

2. Ship in distress is unable to send a distress alert

• When the station in distress is not itself in a position to transmit a distress alert or message, and
• When the Master or other person responsible for the station not in distress considers that further help is necessary.