Lesson 7.1: IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases (IMO SMCP)

The Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) is a set of key phrases in the English language (which is the internationally recognised language of the sea), supported by the international community for use at sea and developed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). They aim to explain:

1.  external communication phrases – ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communication,
2.  onboard communication phrases – communication within the ship.

Organization of the IMO SMCP

The IMO SMCP is divided into External Communication Phrases and On-board Communication Phrases as far as its application is concerned, and into Part A and Part B as to its status within the framework of STCW 1978 as revised.

• Part A covers phrases applicable in external communications, and may be regarded as the replacement of the Standard Marine Navigational Vocabulary 1985, which is required to be used and understood under the STCW Code, 1995, Table A-II/I. This part is enriched by essential phrases concerning ship handling and safety of navigation to be used in onboard communications, particularly when the Pilot is on the bridge, as required by Regulation 14(4), Chapter V, SOLAS 1974, as revised.
• Part B calls attention to other on-board standard safety-related phrases which, supplementary to Part A may also be regarded as useful for maritime English instruction.