Pan-pan

The radiotelephony message PAN-PAN is the international standard urgency signal that someone aboard a boat, ship, aircraft, or other vehicle uses to declare that they need help and that the situation is urgent,[1][2][3] but for the time being, does not pose an immediate danger to anyone's life or to the vessel itself.[4] This is referred to as a state of "urgency". This is distinct from a mayday call (distress signal), which means that there is imminent danger to life or to the continued viability of the vessel itself.[5] Radioing "pan-pan" informs potential rescuers (including emergency services and other craft in the area) that an urgent problem exists, whereas "mayday" calls on them to drop all other activities and immediately begin a rescue.

The exact representation of PAN in Morse code is the urgency signal XXX (  ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄   ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄   ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ), which was first defined by the International Radiotelegraph Convention of 1927.[6]

  1. ^ "Safety and Distress Radiotelephone Procedures". Transport Canada. 28 June 2013. Archived from the original on 5 August 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  2. ^ District Eleven Response (dr). "Search and Rescue: Calling the Coast Guard". United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  3. ^ 1st Coast Guard District (6 September 2001). "Special Notice To Mariners" (PDF). United States Coast Guard. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-13. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  4. ^ "RIC-22 – General Radiotelephone Operating Procedures". ic.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-08-11.
  5. ^ "RIC-22 – General Radiotelephone Operating Procedures". ic.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-08-11.
  6. ^ "International Radiotelegraph Convention of Washington, 1927" (PDF). search.itu.int. pp. 87–88. Retrieved 2021-01-09.