How to change MMSI number?

oldbean

oldbean

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Me: Old Cleeve Boat: Vounaki, Ionian
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Our syndicate has just bought a boat from Sunsail in Greece.
It was formerly Greek registered but we have now got UK registration and are applying for a UK VHF licence. This will mean being given a new MMSI number for the DSC.

I have been told that it is not easy (or even possible?) for users to change the MMSI code once it has been set up. I have written to Sunsail who gave me the details of the supplier. They do not answer my emails.

(Thinks - I wonder if anyone would know or care if we continued with the original MMSI number?)

Any advice would be most welcome.

John

The radio is a Skanti Leisure, model number TU1000P, serial no 306808002. It was supplied by

SRH Marine Electronics S.A

17 - 19 Gravias Street,

Piraeus

 
Depending on the radio set, the MMSI can be loaded only once or twice by the user, but a service agent would be able to do it for you.

My Sailor/Skanti SSB radio CAN be reset by the user, with a procedure which is not described in the user manual, but IS described in the installation manual (which came with the radio). Don't know if that's true for all Skanti's, but it's worth to check if you have it in the boat's manuals.

The MMSI is country-specific and is recorded in the ITU database, against the owner's name, the boat's name and callsign.
If you get a new registration, you are supposed to ask for a new licence and therefore a new callsign/MMSI couple.
You MAY get away with using the old MMSI, as long as you never make a DSC call to a coast station, but first time you do, they will notice and you will be in trouble!
 
[ QUOTE ]
why do you want to change the number ?
It's just a number

[/ QUOTE ]
I beg to differ: the MMSI number is strictly in associacion with a specific boat, having a specific callsign and a specific nationality, and to which one or more EPIRBs may be also registered.

Using a radio with someone else's MMSI is not only a violation, but is also potentially dangerous.
Imagine a scenario like this: they get into trouble, and they send out a DSC distress alert (which contains the boat's MMSI and position) and then follow with a Mayday voice call on Channel 16, where they give a callsign which does not match with the previous call's MMSI.
--> the Coast Guard would be under the impression that there are two boats under distress, a Greek-registered one and a UK-registered one!
Time and resources may be wasted looking for a non-existent greek boat in distress!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Now thats what I call a Slap /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

And some!!!
Its comments like that that put us back in the dark ages rather than moving on!

Regards
 
Hello Gian,
just bought a boat in Greece fitted with VHF
Question?, is the radios call sign recognised internationally
and does it stay with the boat , or when i bring the boat
to UK will i have to be issued with a new call sign
The boat in question is not MMSI registered
Thought for today. Thank you Tony
 
[ QUOTE ]
just bought a boat in Greece fitted with VHF
Question?, is the radios call sign recognised internationally
and does it stay with the boat , or when i bring the boat
to UK will i have to be issued with a new call sign

[/ QUOTE ]
Be carefull there may be small differences between Countries on how they implement international agreements, so what I know to be the rule here in Italy may not be 100% true everywhere.

As a general rule, the callsign (and the MMSI, which you may consider as a "digital-age" callsign) are assigned by each Country to boats registered in the Country itself.
In fact you can tell a boat's nationality from the callsign prefix or MMSI's first digits, which are Country-specific.

So, if you change the boat's registration to another Country (e.g. from Greece to UK) you definitely must apply for a new (UK) licence, and new callsign+MMSI will come with that.

This is not totally irrelevant, old fashioned bureaucracy: also EPIRBs are registered against a boat's MMSI number, and the list is kept by each Country; so if you launch a distress call from, say, the Med, the local MRCC will recognise your call as coming from an UK-registered boat, and will get in touch with the UK MRCC for rescue coordination.
 
I bought a another boat last year and have not changed the mmsi number,thought logically that it did not need changing, definitive answer please, Does it need changing? this is a serious question although some may think I am thick.
 
If you changed the boat's registration <u>country</u> you must apply for a new radio license and therefore callsign+MMSI.

If you changed registration within the same country, or just changed ownership, you better ask OFCOM; in some countries, you would definitely have to ask for a new license, not sure about UK.
 
Your MMSI and call sign are part of your ships radio licence.
If you have a new boat (new to you) you should apply for a new SRL.
Once you have done this you will be issued with the new bits.

As stated you should never use an old MMSI number from someone else.

Am sure this would be a breach of you licence and would hold in store for you all the fines etc.

As an idea £5000 fine confiscation of the radio, 18 months inside for you and the can impound your boat!.

For full fact speak to Joe or Susan at Ofcom on 0207 981 3147.

Regards
 
IN the UK the as gianfranco says, the Call Sign, MMSI and Radio Licence are BOAT specific. If you change boats, and take your DSC radio with you that means you need to apply for a new Ships Licence and that you will need to change your MMSI.
 
small addition to make it even clearer - when you sell a boat you should remove the ships radio licence and advise OFCOM that the call sign is no longer required.

I believe the same (but not OFCOM of course) applies to SSR number/document as well but few seem to bother...........
 
I've just been through all this, having registered my boat in the UK - it was previously registered in Malta.

As previous posters have said you are obliged to change the MMSI as it is country specific. So you have to:

1. Deregister in the country currently registered.
2. Register in the new country.
3. Apply for radio licensing in the new country. This will create a new callsign and MMSI.
4. Change the MMSI (usually) coded into the EPIRB. This will need to be done by a dealer and will cost me about $50US when I can get to one in the Caribbean.
5. Change the MMSI coded into any DSC equipment - which can also require a dealer.

So all a bit tedious, but the steps themselves are straightforward. Of course just because you buy a boat that's registered in another country it doesn't mean you have to change the registry though there are many reasons why you might want to (cost in my case - it's about EU2000pa to keep it registered in Malta). But if you do reregister you have to go through all the stuff I've enumerated and probably something else I've forgotten!
 
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