The Maritime & Coastguard Agency has released a new Merchant Shipping Notice which requires all Small Fishing Vessels to carry an EPIRB on-board for safety purposes.

Although existing vessels have until 23 October 2019 to comply, new vessels must comply immediately.

The requirements are as follows:

Vessels of less than 10-meters: 1 x EPIRB or 1 x PLB (per crew member) is required

Vessels of 10-meters and over: 1 x EPIRB is required 

The purpose of a SART is to perform as a secondary alarm when search and rescue units are searching for a life raft/lifeboat in distress. The primary alarm will usually be an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) or distress call on VHF / HF.