AMSA and the Bureau of Meteorology provide vessels with maritime safety information (MSI) about hazards and foreseeable dangers to safe navigation through Australia's marine environment.
MSI gives mariners information relating to:
- navigational safety warnings
- meteorological warnings
- meteorological forecasts relevant to vessels within specified coastal areas
- search and rescue information
- other urgent safety related messages.
Most MSI is temporary, while others may remain relevant for several weeks and superseded by notices to mariners.
Meteorological warning and forecasting services
The Bureau of Meteorology, as METAREA X coordinator, provides the meteorological component of MSI through the Inmarsat SafetyNET, and Iridium SafetyCast systems. This is supplemented by HF radiotelephone broadcasts through sites at Wiluna, WA and Charleville, QLD.
Meteorological warning and forecasts are made to METAREA X, the high seas (North Eastern, South Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern) and coastal waters (Bass Strait, Torres Strait, Northern Territory, Western Australia and Northern Australia).
Information on how to receive meteorological warnings and forecasts are available from the Bureau of Meteorology.
Navigational warning service
AMSA, as Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Australia (JRCC Australia) and the NAVAREA X Coordinator, provide the navigational warning component of MSI via the Inmarsat SafetyNET, and Iridium SafetyCast systems supplemented by HF radiotelephone broadcasts through sites at Wiluna, WA and Charleville, Qld.
Navigational warnings are broadcast to NAVAREA X and coastal warning areas A to H.
Navarea X boundaries
Antarctic coast longitude 080° 00 E
30° 00 S 080° 00 E
30° 00 S 095° 00 E
12° 00 S 095° 00 E
12° 00 S 127° 00 E
10° 00 S 127° 00 E
10° 00 S 141° 00 E
00° 00 S 141° 00 E
00° 00 S 170° 00 E
29° 00 S 170° 00 E
45° 00 S 160° 00 E
Antarctic coast longitude 160° 00 E
Coastal navigational warning areas
A summary of all NAVAREA X and AUSCOAST warnings currently in force are issued weekly on Thursday at 0000hrs UTC.
To obtain the latest navigational warnings issued by AMSA, you can search the maritime safety information (MSI) database.
How to receive maritime safety information
Every ship at sea must have the ability to receive Maritime Safety Information (MSI) according to regulation IV/4 of SOLAS. Additionally, every ship must be equipped with a receiver or receivers that can receive MSI and search and rescue information for the entire duration of its voyage as stated in regulation IV/7 of SOLAS.
The primary methods for receiving maritime safety information whilst transiting or navigating off the Australian coast, are the Inmarsat SafetyNET and Iridium SafetyCast systems, supplemented by HF radiotelephone broadcasts.
It is the responsibility of masters to ensure their Enhanced Group Call (EGC) and HF receivers are correctly configured, even while in port. See also Marine Notice 05-2023 – Receiving Maritime Safety Information (MSI).
Navigational warnings via HF radiotelephone
Navigational warnings via HF radiotelephone are broadcast on the following schedule and frequencies from sites at Wiluna, WA and Charleville, QLD.
It is important to test which frequencies and broadcast site (Charleville, QLD or Wiluna, WA) suit your listening requirements for time of day, month and season.
| CHARLEVILLE (VIC) VOICE FREQUENCIES (kHz) | WILUNA (VIC) VOICE FREQUENCIES (kHz) | |||
| DAY | NIGHT | DAY | NIGHT | |
| 4426 | 2201 | 4149 | 2056 | |
| 8176 | 6507 | 8113 | 6230 | |
| 12365 | 8176 | 12362 | 8113 | |
| 16546 | 12365 | 16528 | 12362 | |
| Navigation warning area | UTC | UTC |
| NAVAREA X | 19:25 | 07:25 |
| AUSCOAST A | 20:25 | 06:25^ |
| AUSCOAST B | 20:25 | 06:25^ |
| AUSCOAST C | 21:25 | 08:25^ |
| AUSCOAST D | 21:25 | 08:25^ |
| AUSCOAST E | 22:25 | 09:25 |
| AUSCOAST F | 22:25 | 09:25 |
| AUSCOAST G | 23:25 | 10:25^ |
| AUSCOAST H | 23:25 | 10:25^ |
^ - Effective 00:00 UTC on Friday, 8 April 2022, Charleville will cease promulgating navigation warnings at 06:25, 08:25 and 10:25 UTC on the frequency 8 176 kHz. Please choose an alternate operating frequency from the table above.
To convert to your local time zone, the following applies:
- AEDT is UTC+11:00
- AEST is UTC+10:00
- ACDT is UTC+10:30
- ACST is UTC+9:30
- AWST is UTC+8:00