GMDSS - Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
GMDSS - GLOBAL MARITIME DISTRESS AND SAFETY
SYSTEM | VERIFIED EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - LATEST
VERSION 2026/2027
GLOBAL MARITIME DISTRESS AND SAFETY SYSTEM (GMDSS)
1. Which international organization developed the Global Maritime
Distress and Safety System?
A. International Maritime Organization (IMO)
B. World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
C. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
D. International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
ANSWER : A - International Maritime Organization (IMO)
Explanation: The IMO developed GMDSS and built it into SOLAS. The
WMO deals with weather services, ICAO with aviation and the IHO
with charting, so none of them created the system.
2. GMDSS carriage requirements are contained in which chapter of
SOLAS?
A. Chapter II-1 - Construction
B. Chapter III - Life-saving appliances
C. Chapter V - Safety of navigation
D. Chapter IV - Radiocommunications
ANSWER : D - Chapter IV - Radiocommunications
Explanation: Chapter IV of SOLAS deals with radiocommunications and
therefore with GMDSS. Chapter II-1 covers construction, Chapter III
covers life-saving appliances and Chapter V covers navigational safety.
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, GMDSS - Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
3. GMDSS became fully mandatory for SOLAS ships on:
A. 1 February 1999
B. 1 January 1992
C. 1 February 1995
D. 1 January 2005
ANSWER : A - 1 February 1999
Explanation: The phase-in period started in 1992 and ended on 1
February 1999, when GMDSS became fully compulsory. The other
dates do not mark the end of the transition.
4. GMDSS carriage requirements apply to:
A. All vessels of any size on any voyage
B. Only passenger ships carrying more than 100 passengers
C. Only tankers above 10,000 GT
D. Cargo ships of 300 GT and above and all passenger ships on
international voyages
ANSWER : D - Cargo ships of 300 GT and above and all passenger
ships on international voyages
Explanation: SOLAS Chapter IV covers passenger ships and cargo ships
of 300 GT and upward engaged on international voyages. It is not
limited to tankers or to large passenger ships, and it does not cover
every small vessel.
5. Before GMDSS, distress alerting at sea depended mainly on:
A. Morse code on 500 kHz monitored by a radio officer
B. Satellite EPIRBs
C. Digital selective calling
D. NAVTEX broadcasts
ANSWER : A - Morse code on 500 kHz monitored by a radio officer
Explanation: The old system relied on ships listening for Morse
distress calls on 500 kHz. Satellite EPIRBs, DSC and NAVTEX are all
products of the GMDSS era.
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, GMDSS - Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
6. The basic concept of GMDSS is that:
A. Every ship must be able to send Morse messages over long
distances
B. Ships in distress should rely only on other vessels for help
C. Shore-based rescue authorities and ships nearby are alerted
quickly so that a coordinated SAR response can start with
minimum delay
D. All ships should listen on one frequency at all times
ANSWER : C - Shore-based rescue authorities and ships nearby are
alerted quickly so that a coordinated SAR response can start with
minimum delay
Explanation: GMDSS uses automated alerting so both the shore RCC
and ships nearby learn of the incident quickly. Manual Morse, sole
reliance on other ships, or a single frequency are not the basis of the
system.
7. How many functional requirements does GMDSS specify for ships?
A. Five
B. Seven
C. Nine
D. Twelve
ANSWER : C - Nine
Explanation: SOLAS Chapter IV lists nine functions: alerting, alert
reception, ship-to-ship alerting, SAR coordination, on-scene
communications, locating, MSI reception, general
radiocommunications and bridge-to-bridge communications.
8. Which of the following is NOT one of the GMDSS functional
requirements?
A. Providing weather routing advice for commercial voyage planning
B. Transmitting ship-to-shore distress alerts
C. Transmitting and receiving locating signals
D. Receiving maritime safety information
ANSWER : A - Providing weather routing advice for commercial
voyage planning
Explanation: Weather routing is a commercial service and not a
GMDSS function. The other three are listed among the nine required
functions.
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9. A GMDSS ship must be able to send a ship-to-shore distress alert by:
A. A single approved means only
B. Two VHF radios of the same type
C. At least two separate and independent means, each using a
different radiocommunication service
D. Voice on VHF channel 16 only
ANSWER : C - At least two separate and independent means, each
using a different radiocommunication service
Explanation: SOLAS demands two separate and independent means so
that one failure does not prevent alerting. A single means or two
identical radios would not give that redundancy.
10. The purpose of a distress alert is to:
A. Quickly notify rescue coordination centres and ships in the vicinity
that a vessel or person is in distress
B. Provide routine navigational warnings
C. Request a pilot for port entry
D. Transmit weather forecasts to all ships
ANSWER : A - Quickly notify rescue coordination centres and ships
in the vicinity that a vessel or person is in distress
Explanation: The alert is meant to get help moving fast. Navigational
warnings, pilot requests and forecasts are different kinds of traffic.
11. MSI in GMDSS stands for:
A. Marine Signal Intensity
B. Mobile Satellite Identification
C. Maritime Safety Information
D. Maritime Security Inspection
ANSWER : C - Maritime Safety Information
Explanation: MSI is Maritime Safety Information, meaning navigational
and meteorological warnings, forecasts and urgent safety messages
sent to ships.
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GMDSS - GLOBAL MARITIME DISTRESS AND SAFETY
SYSTEM | VERIFIED EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - LATEST
VERSION 2026/2027
GLOBAL MARITIME DISTRESS AND SAFETY SYSTEM (GMDSS)
1. Which international organization developed the Global Maritime
Distress and Safety System?
A. International Maritime Organization (IMO)
B. World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
C. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
D. International Hydrographic Organization (IHO)
ANSWER : A - International Maritime Organization (IMO)
Explanation: The IMO developed GMDSS and built it into SOLAS. The
WMO deals with weather services, ICAO with aviation and the IHO
with charting, so none of them created the system.
2. GMDSS carriage requirements are contained in which chapter of
SOLAS?
A. Chapter II-1 - Construction
B. Chapter III - Life-saving appliances
C. Chapter V - Safety of navigation
D. Chapter IV - Radiocommunications
ANSWER : D - Chapter IV - Radiocommunications
Explanation: Chapter IV of SOLAS deals with radiocommunications and
therefore with GMDSS. Chapter II-1 covers construction, Chapter III
covers life-saving appliances and Chapter V covers navigational safety.
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, GMDSS - Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
3. GMDSS became fully mandatory for SOLAS ships on:
A. 1 February 1999
B. 1 January 1992
C. 1 February 1995
D. 1 January 2005
ANSWER : A - 1 February 1999
Explanation: The phase-in period started in 1992 and ended on 1
February 1999, when GMDSS became fully compulsory. The other
dates do not mark the end of the transition.
4. GMDSS carriage requirements apply to:
A. All vessels of any size on any voyage
B. Only passenger ships carrying more than 100 passengers
C. Only tankers above 10,000 GT
D. Cargo ships of 300 GT and above and all passenger ships on
international voyages
ANSWER : D - Cargo ships of 300 GT and above and all passenger
ships on international voyages
Explanation: SOLAS Chapter IV covers passenger ships and cargo ships
of 300 GT and upward engaged on international voyages. It is not
limited to tankers or to large passenger ships, and it does not cover
every small vessel.
5. Before GMDSS, distress alerting at sea depended mainly on:
A. Morse code on 500 kHz monitored by a radio officer
B. Satellite EPIRBs
C. Digital selective calling
D. NAVTEX broadcasts
ANSWER : A - Morse code on 500 kHz monitored by a radio officer
Explanation: The old system relied on ships listening for Morse
distress calls on 500 kHz. Satellite EPIRBs, DSC and NAVTEX are all
products of the GMDSS era.
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, GMDSS - Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
6. The basic concept of GMDSS is that:
A. Every ship must be able to send Morse messages over long
distances
B. Ships in distress should rely only on other vessels for help
C. Shore-based rescue authorities and ships nearby are alerted
quickly so that a coordinated SAR response can start with
minimum delay
D. All ships should listen on one frequency at all times
ANSWER : C - Shore-based rescue authorities and ships nearby are
alerted quickly so that a coordinated SAR response can start with
minimum delay
Explanation: GMDSS uses automated alerting so both the shore RCC
and ships nearby learn of the incident quickly. Manual Morse, sole
reliance on other ships, or a single frequency are not the basis of the
system.
7. How many functional requirements does GMDSS specify for ships?
A. Five
B. Seven
C. Nine
D. Twelve
ANSWER : C - Nine
Explanation: SOLAS Chapter IV lists nine functions: alerting, alert
reception, ship-to-ship alerting, SAR coordination, on-scene
communications, locating, MSI reception, general
radiocommunications and bridge-to-bridge communications.
8. Which of the following is NOT one of the GMDSS functional
requirements?
A. Providing weather routing advice for commercial voyage planning
B. Transmitting ship-to-shore distress alerts
C. Transmitting and receiving locating signals
D. Receiving maritime safety information
ANSWER : A - Providing weather routing advice for commercial
voyage planning
Explanation: Weather routing is a commercial service and not a
GMDSS function. The other three are listed among the nine required
functions.
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, GMDSS - Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
9. A GMDSS ship must be able to send a ship-to-shore distress alert by:
A. A single approved means only
B. Two VHF radios of the same type
C. At least two separate and independent means, each using a
different radiocommunication service
D. Voice on VHF channel 16 only
ANSWER : C - At least two separate and independent means, each
using a different radiocommunication service
Explanation: SOLAS demands two separate and independent means so
that one failure does not prevent alerting. A single means or two
identical radios would not give that redundancy.
10. The purpose of a distress alert is to:
A. Quickly notify rescue coordination centres and ships in the vicinity
that a vessel or person is in distress
B. Provide routine navigational warnings
C. Request a pilot for port entry
D. Transmit weather forecasts to all ships
ANSWER : A - Quickly notify rescue coordination centres and ships
in the vicinity that a vessel or person is in distress
Explanation: The alert is meant to get help moving fast. Navigational
warnings, pilot requests and forecasts are different kinds of traffic.
11. MSI in GMDSS stands for:
A. Marine Signal Intensity
B. Mobile Satellite Identification
C. Maritime Safety Information
D. Maritime Security Inspection
ANSWER : C - Maritime Safety Information
Explanation: MSI is Maritime Safety Information, meaning navigational
and meteorological warnings, forecasts and urgent safety messages
sent to ships.
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