UK updates EPIRB/PLB registration from 15 April 2026
From 15 April 2026, the UK updates the rules on registering emergency beacons at sea. If you skipper a UK‑flagged ship or operate a hovercraft, you must make sure every EPIRB on board is registered. If PLBs are carried on board, each PLB must be registered by its owner. These duties are set out in Statutory Instrument 2026/306 on legislation.gov.uk.
What this means in real life: registration links a beacon’s unique code to names, numbers and vessel details so a rescue centre can call you fast and launch the right response. It saves time when minutes matter.
Let’s sort the kit. An EPIRB is the vessel’s beacon. It transmits a distress alert on 406.0–406.1 MHz to satellites and also sends a 121.5 MHz homing signal so rescuers can find you at close range. A PLB is a smaller handheld unit that you activate manually; as a minimum it includes a 121.5 MHz homing signal alongside the 406 MHz alert.
Who is on the hook? For EPIRBs, the owner and the master share responsibility to register and to keep the details correct. If someone else operates the ship on the owner’s behalf, that operator counts as the owner for these rules. For PLBs, the responsibility sits with the person who owns the device.
What information has to be filed? The instrument points you to Merchant Shipping Notice 1924 (M+F), issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. That notice sets the list of particulars, including beacon identifiers and contact details. If anything changes, you must give written notice to the Secretary of State as soon as reasonably practicable.
Where and to whom do these rules apply? The interpretation and registration parts of the regulations apply to UK ships and hovercraft wherever they are in the world. Through amendments to the Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order 2023, the same registration duties also apply to watercraft as they do to ships and hovercraft.
What happens if you ignore it? Using a ship in breach of the EPIRB registration duty or failing to register a PLB is an offence. On summary conviction there can be a fine; on indictment the court can impose up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. There is a due‑diligence defence if you can prove you took all reasonable steps to comply.
Beyond fines, inspectors have a practical tool: detention. If there are clear grounds to believe a requirement has been breached, a ship may be detained in the UK. The master must be served with a detention notice stating the reasons, and the familiar arbitration and compensation routes under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 apply.
Why now, and what’s changed? The Department for Transport is aligning UK rules with recent amendments to Chapter IV (radiocommunications) of the SOLAS convention, the global safety baseline for ships. The instrument also updates definitions in the 1998 Radio Installations Regulations to the 406 MHz EPIRB standard and cleans up cross‑references in the 2021 Radiocommunications Regulations for sea areas A2 to A4.
It also tidies the fee tables. The Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018 are amended so the correct regulations are listed against radio and navigational equipment inspections. Separately, the stand‑alone 2000 EPIRB Registration Regulations are revoked because their job is now done inside the new instrument.
Dates to remember if you teach or work at sea: the Treasury consented on 17 March 2026; the instrument was signed on 18 March; it was laid before Parliament on 24 March; and it comes into force on 15 April 2026. Until 15 April, the existing arrangements continue.
A quick glossary to help students read official texts with confidence. A Statutory Instrument (SI) is secondary legislation used to update detailed rules under an Act; this one is SI 2026/306. ‘Made’ means signed by a minister-in this case Keir Mather for the Department for Transport, with Treasury consent from Stephen Morgan and Christian Wakeford. ‘Laid’ means formally placed before Parliament. A Merchant Shipping Notice (MSN) is MCA guidance that lists the technical particulars you must provide and is published on GOV.UK.
Preparing to comply is straightforward. Check the hex IDs on your EPIRBs and PLBs, confirm they transmit on 406 MHz with a 121.5 MHz homing signal, gather the vessel and contact details listed in MSN 1924, and submit or update your registration with the Secretary of State following MCA guidance. Keep records on board and update them promptly after any sale, refit or crew change.
If you want to dig deeper for a coursework project, start with the instrument on legislation.gov.uk, read MSN 1924 (M+F) on GOV.UK, and then look up how SOLAS Chapter IV fits into the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. It’s a neat case study in how international rules become UK law-and how that helps search‑and‑rescue crews reach people faster.