Legal frame
Governing: D.M. 1 Sep 2021 Allegato 2(b), (o); D.Lgs. 171/2005 arts 40, 41 and 53-bis; Guardia Costiera service pages and bathing ordinances (numbers). Builds on: L2.1, L4.1.
The numbers
| Number / channel | Use |
|---|---|
| 1530 — Numero Blu | Guardia Costiera sea emergencies, free from Italian phones |
| 112 | Single European emergency number (NUE) |
| VHF channel 16 | Distress and urgency calls; the Coast Guard listens |
| Operator's phone | On your contract (D.M. 2021 art. 3(2)(d)); breakdowns and questions |
Save 1530 and the operator's number before you leave. Phone coverage near cliffs can be poor; a handheld VHF, where the boat has one, is better.
Mayday or Pan?
The rental instructions teach the two calls (Allegato 2(o)):
- Mayday — grave and imminent danger to people or the boat: fire, sinking, someone missing in the water.
- Pan (Pan-Pan) — urgent but not immediate danger: engine failure drifting towards rocks, an injured person who needs help.
A simple Mayday on channel 16:
- "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, this is [boat name or operator and number] …"
- Position (a landmark and distance off is fine), the problem, the number of people aboard, what help you need.
- "Over." Then listen.
The same sheet mentions the traditional silence periods on channel 16 in the first three minutes of every half hour. Distress traffic always has priority.
WARNING — Man overboard with a kill-cord If the driver goes over wearing the kill-cord, the engine stops and the boat drifts nearby. If someone else goes over, turn back at once, approach from downwind at slow speed, and stop the engine before they are alongside the propeller.
Breakdowns
Most calls are dull: out of fuel, fouled propeller, flat battery. Anchor if you are drifting towards the shore or rocks and the depth allows, put lifejackets on, and phone the operator. If you cannot hold position and the situation is getting worse, that is a Pan or a 1530 call, not a matter for the operator alone.
After an accident
If you collide with another boat, a swimmer or a fixed object:
- Help first. Check the people in both boats and in the water; call 1530 or 112 if anyone is hurt.
- Stay. Do not leave the scene before help and the authorities arrive or release you.
- Exchange details with the other party: names, phone numbers, boat numbers, insurance.
- Tell the operator immediately; they hold the insurance and must deal with the Capitaneria.
- Record the time, position, photos and witnesses.
Expect an alcohol test: after any accident the enforcing officers may test the person in command, including at a hospital (Codice art. 53-bis(7)–(8)). Alcohol turns an accident into a doubled fine and seizure (Lesson 4.1).
Liability and insurance
- Civil liability follows the road-traffic rule (art. 40). The hirer is jointly liable with the owner towards third parties (art. 40(2), since 2026).
- Powered pleasure craft must carry compulsory insurance (art. 41). Units used commercially, hire boats included, must also cover injury to the driver and the persons carried (art. 41(3-bis)).
- Your contract governs damage to the boat itself; read the excess before you sign.
CAUTION — Weather The instructions tell you to read the day's forecast before leaving. Summer afternoons bring sea breezes and short, steep seas; the jet-ski limit in Palermo is Force 3 for good reason. If the sea is building, come back early.
For radio procedure in depth, see the SRC/VHF course; for collision rules, the COLREGs trainer.