SeaReady app · Learn
SMCP phrasebook
The IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases officers use every day, by category and searchable, with a note on when to say each one.
Updated 2026-10-11 · SeaReady’s own words. The app changes often — if a screen looks different from this page, tell us from Help → Suggest an improvement.
What it is for
The SMCP phrasebook is a working selection of 66 of the IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases — the phrases officers and helmsmen use every day on the VHF and on the bridge. The phrases are meant to be said exactly as written; under each one is SeaReady’s own short note on when to use it and how to reply.
The phrases are in nine categories: "Procedure & message markers" (INSTRUCTION, ADVICE, WARNING, "Say again", "Over", "Out"…), "Distress" (MAYDAY and what to say after it), "Urgency & safety" (PAN-PAN, SECURITE), "Standard wheel orders", "Standard engine orders", "Pilotage", "VTS & traffic", "Anchoring & berthing" and "Search & rescue".
Who can use it
Everyone, on every plan including Free. Works offline.
Step by step
- Open "SMCP phrasebook" from the Learn group of the menu.
- Tap a category chip ("All" shows everything, with the category under each phrase).
- Or type in "Search phrases…" to find a phrase by its words or by the note under it.
- Read the phrase in bold and the note on when to say it; say it exactly as written.
Tips
- Cadets: practise the "Standard wheel orders" and "Standard engine orders" with a friend — the helmsman repeats each order and reports when it is done.
- Answer in full ("Yes, I have a pilot on board"), not just "yes" — the message markers exist so nobody misreads a short answer.
Limits and good to know
- This is a selection, not the full IMO publication; the source note at the bottom names it (IMO Resolution A.918(22)). Read-only, nothing is saved.
Related pages
- Quick referenceA regulatory digest with what the Master must know, a high-risk transit pack (BMP and GNSS spoofing cards) and a plain-language glossary.
- HandoverWrite structured relief notes in four sections; open observations, expiring certificates and conditions of class are added automatically.
- Cadet task bookA personal practice log of cadet tasks by department, each signed off by an officer with a name and date, printable for your own record.
Use it in the app
The same page sits inside SeaReady under Help → Handbook and behind the “?” in the screen’s header, and it reads offline at sea.
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- Quick referenceA regulatory digest with what the Master must know, a high-risk transit pack (BMP and GNSS spoofing cards) and a plain-language glossary.
- Cadet task bookA personal practice log of cadet tasks by department, each signed off by an officer with a name and date, printable for your own record.