The Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2002 require compliance with SOLAS regulation V/35, which provides that the use of an international distress signal, except for the purpose of indicating that a person or persons are in distress, and the use of any signal which may be confused with an international distress signal are prohibited. No penalty is specified in the Safety of Navigation Regulations for a contravention of regulation 35.
What are the UK statutory requirements regarding the misuse of distress signals?
