NAVTEX

Back to:	CIRM Knowledge Base
Page completeness level:	Medium

Overview

NAVTEX is a SOLAS carriage requirement as per Chapter IV, Regulation 7, clause 1.4 and Chapter X, Regulation 3. It uses Narrow Band Direct Printing (NBDP) telegraph equipment to receive navigational and meteorological warnings and urgent information for shipping.

The frequency 518 kHz has been designated for world-wide use of the international NAVTEX service.

Three message priorities are used to dictate the timing of the first broadcast of a new warning in the NAVTEX service. In descending order of urgency they are:

• VITAL: for immediate broadcast, subject to avoiding interference to ongoing transmissions;
• IMPORTANT: for broadcast at the next available period when the frequency is unused;
• ROUTINE: for broadcast at the next scheduled transmission period.

Performance standard, testing standard & carriage requirement

Performance Standards

• IMO Resolution A.694(17) (adopted 6 November 1991) - General Requirements for Shipborne Radio Equipment forming part of the GMDSS
• IMO COMSAR Circ.32 (16 August 2004) - Guidelines for the harmonization of GMDSS requirements for radio installations on board SOLAS ships
• IMO Resolution MSC.148(77) (adopted 3 June 2003) - revised Recommendation on Performance Standards for Narrow-Band Direct-Printing Telegraph Equipment for the Reception of Navigational and Meteorological Warnings and Urgent Information to Ships (NAVTEX)
• IMO Resolution MSC.430(98) (adopted 16 June 2017) - amendments to resolution MSC.148(77) on Revised Performance standards for narrow-band direct-printing telegraph equipment for the reception of navigational and meteorological warnings and urgent information to ships (NAVTEX) - new paragraph 9.4 added to require a Bridge Alert Management (BAM) interface in accordance with resolution MSC.302(87)
• ITU-R M.540-2 (06/90) - Operational and technical characteristics for an automated direct-printing telegraph system for promulgation of navigational and meteorological warnings and urgent information to ships
• ITU-R M.625-4 (03/12) - Direct-printing telegraph equipment employing automatic identification in the maritime mobile service

Testing standards

• IEC 61097-6 (2012-01) - Global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) – Part 6: Narrowband direct-printing telegraph equipment for the reception of navigational and meteorological warnings and urgent information to ships (NAVTEX)
• ETSI EN 300 065-1 V1.2.1 (2016-06) — Electromagnetic compatibility and Radio spectrum Matters (ERM); Narrow-band direct-printing telegraph equipment for receiving meteorological or navigational information (NAVTEX); Part 1: Technical characteristics and methods of measurement

Typical system components

The equipment should comprise:

• radio receivers and a signal processor

and either:

• an integrated printing device, or
• a dedicated display device, printer output port and a non-volatile message memory; or
• a connection to an integrated navigation system and a non-volatile message memory.

Detailed requirements

Performance Standards

Defintions
Term	Defition
Term 2	Defintion 2
Module A - Title
Section title	Para number	Requirement

See also

• Narrow Band Direct Printing (NBDP)