What is the purpose of a marine VHF radio's channel 16?

• A. For distress calls and emergency communications.
• B. For routine navigational updates only.
• C. For weather forecasts.
• D. For private calls between vessels.

Answer: (A)

Channel 16 is the designated international distress, safety, and calling channel for marine VHF radios. It’s the channel that all mariners and coast stations monitor to hear emergencies and to establish contact with another vessel or shore station. When there’s trouble, you use channel 16 to signal distress and to identify who needs help, initiating communication by stating your vessel’s name, position, and the type of assistance required. Once contact is established, you switch to a working channel to continue the conversation so channel 16 stays available for emergencies.

This channel isn’t intended for routine navigational updates or general weather information; those types of transmissions are handled on other channels or through separate weather services. Private or casual calls between vessels are also typically conducted on other channels, once initial contact has been made on the distress channel.