AMVER, sponsored by the United States Coast Guard, is a unique, computer-based, free, and voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange for assistance to persons in distress at sea. With AMVER, rescue coordinators can identify participating ships in the area of distress and divert the best-suited ship or ships to respond[1] .
Participating in AMVER does not put ships under any additional obligation to assist in search and rescue efforts, beyond that which is required under international law.
Amver participants will note the basic format for Amver reports corresponds to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) standard. However, Departure Reports have been eliminated in favor of the more common practice of filing a combined Sailing Plan/Departure Report upon departure. In other words, experience has shown there is no need for both Sailing Plans and Departure Reports since most vessels are in the habit of combining these two reports. This combined report is now called simply a Sailing Plan, and it should be sent within a few hours before or after departure. In another change, the information required for Position and Deviation Reports has been increased, as recommended by numerous participants, to ensure enough information is provided to keep Amver accurate. Also, an end-of-report (“Z”) line has been added to facilitate automatic processing of Amver reports.
There are four types of Amver reports: Sailing Plan, Position Report, Deviation Report, and Arrival Report. Amver Report Formats and Usage. A brief description follows below: A. Sailing Plan – contains complete routing information and should be sent within a few hours before, upon, or within a few hours after departure. B. Position Report – should be sent within 24 hours of departure and subsequently at least every 48 hours until arrival. The destination should also be included in Position Reports. C. Deviation Report – should be sent as soon as any voyage information changes, which could affect Amver’s ability to accurately predict the vessel’s position. Changes in course or speed due to weather, ice, change in destination, or any other deviations from the original Sailing Plan should be reported as soon as possible. D. Arrival Report – should be sent upon arrival at the sea buoy or port of destination. 6 E. At the discretion of the master, reports may be sent more frequently than the above schedule, for example: during heavy weather or other adverse conditions. Complete, timely, and accurate reports are essential to keeping Amver accurate and saving lives!
(i)Southern Academy of maritime studies, Chennai, India. (ii)Chief Officer B.Santosh lectures. (iii) thul c