Sec.  80.1109   Distress, urgency, and safety communications.

   (a) Distress traffic consists of all messages relating to the immediate
   assistance required by the ship in distress, including search and rescue
   communications and on-scene communications. Distress traffic must as far as
   possible be on the frequencies contained in  Sec. 80.1077.

   (b)  Urgency  and  safety  communications  include:  navigational  and
   meteorological  warnings  and  urgent information; ship-to-ship safety
   navigation  communications;  ship  reporting  communications;  support
   communications for search and rescue operations; other urgency and safety
   messages and communications relating to the navigation, movements and needs
   of  ships  and  weather  observation messages destined for an official
   meteorological service.

   (c) Intership navigation safety communications are those VHF radiotelephone
   communications conducted between ships for the purpose of contributing to
   the safe movement of ships. The frequency 156.650 MHz is used for intership
   navigation safety communications (see  Sec. 80.1077).