ITU Radio Regulations for seafarers

1 What it covers

The Radio Regulations are the ITU treaty on radio frequencies and radio services. For seafarers the key part is Article 47: it sets the categories of certificates for operators in the maritime mobile service, including the GMDSS general and restricted operator’s certificates.²

The Regulations describe the operator certificate itself; the additional maritime requirements for a ship’s radio operator and the endorsement of the certificate are set by the STCW Convention (chapter IV) and the flag administration.³

2 Documents in the reference

Operator certificates by category of Article 47.

• 47Article 47: operators’ certificatesGeneral Operator’s Certificate (GOC)Restricted Operator’s Certificate (ROC)and 10 brief entries in the reference

3 Where to read the text

ITU distributes the Radio Regulations as a publication. This page gives our own explanation, article numbers and a link to the official publication.

• Radio Regulations, 2024 edition, volume 1 (ITU, PDF)