All reporting whether initial or follow-up, should follow IMO’s reporting format as outlined below and should contain

the
following information:

LABEL FUNCTION EXPLANATION

A Ship Name, call sign and nationality

B Date and time (UTC) of event A 6-digit group giving day of month
(first two di-gits), hours & minutes
(last four digits)
C Position A 4-digit group giving latitude in
degrees and mi-nutes suffixed with N
or S, and a 5-digit group gi-ving
longitude in degrees and minutes
suffixed with E or W
D Position True bearing (first 3 digits) and
distance (state distance) in nautical
miles from clearly identified landmark
(state landmark)
E True course A 3-digit group
F Speed at time of incident In knots and tenths of knots as a 3-
digit group
L Route information Details of intended track
M Radio communications Full details of radio stations (names)
and frequen-cies being guarded
N Time (UTC) of next report A 6-digit group as under BB above
P Cargo on board: can be included in Type(s) and quantity(/ies) of cargo/
„RR„ as relevant bunker on board and brief details of
any dangerous cargoes as well as
harmful substances and gases that
could endanger persons or the
environment
Q Defects or damage or deficiencies or Brief details of conditions of the ship
other limitations as relevant; ability to transfer cargo/
ballast/ bunker fuel
R Description of pollution or possi-ble Brief details of pollution; this should
overboard discharge include the type(s) of fuel oil, an
estimate of the quantity discharged,
whether the discharge is continuing,
the cause of the discharge and, if
possible, an estimate of the
movement and area of slick
S Weather conditions Brief details of weather and sea
conditions prevai-ling including wind
force and direction and relevant swell
details
T Ship’s representative and/ or owner Name, address, telex and telephone
number of the ship’s owner and
representative (charterer, mana-ger
or operator of the ship or their
agents)
U Ship’s size and type Details of length, breadth and type of
ship as well as draught
X Miscellaneous and additional Any other information including
information relevant details such as brief details
of incident, need for outside
assistance, action being taken to limit
further discharge; details of any
personnel injuries su-stained, details
of P & I Club and local correspon-
dent.