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4 min read Monthly Regulatory Meetings

Monthly Regulatory Meetings for July 2026

Regulatory Preview Coverage Window: June 29 – August 31, 2026
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Monthly Regulatory Meetings for July 2026

NCSR 13 closed last Friday with draft amendments that would make two-way communication an optional feature of 406 MHz float-free EPIRBs via the Galileo Return Link Service. If adopted by MSC 112 in December, RCCs would gain the ability to acknowledge distress alerts and exchange predefined messages directly with persons in distress at sea. That's a substantive operational shift, and the package now heads into an inter-sessional review period before formal consideration.

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What to Watch

1. EPIRB Two-Way Communication Amendments (Draft Revision of MSC.471(101)) Timeframe: Inter-sessional period now through MSC 112, December 2026. NCSR 13 finalized draft amendments introducing Galileo Return Link Service two-way messaging as an optional capability for 406 MHz float-free EPIRBs. Submission to MSC 112 (session number unverified against 2026 IMO program PDF at time of this review) is expected in December 2026. RCC coordinators should begin reviewing how predefined message libraries and alert acknowledgment workflows would integrate with existing rescue coordination procedures.

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2. IAMSAR Manual 2028 Edition Amendments Timeframe: Ongoing inter-sessional work; next ICAO/IMO JWG session date unconfirmed. NCSR 13 advanced proposed amendments to the 2028 IAMSAR Manual covering emergency psychology, Radar SART guidance, Ship Security Alert System integration, and SAR operations involving submarines and submersible craft. Administrators responsible for updating national SAR plans should track the ICAO/IMO Joint Working Group on SAR for the next drafting session. Session timing for JWG 32 has not been confirmed in publicly available documents reviewed for this preview.

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3. NAVDAT Roadmap Implementation Actions Timeframe: Actions assigned following NCSR 13; no fixed 30-day deadline confirmed. NCSR 13 updated the NAVDAT deployment roadmap and identified technical, operational, and regulatory steps required before implementation. NAVDAT is positioned as a complement to NAVTEX for GMDSS digital broadcasting, and flag state administrations should note that regulatory actions identified at NCSR 13 will flow through national implementation processes. The specific list of assigned actions has not yet been published in a publicly available NCSR 13 report; the IMO GISIS database and post-session circular are the primary documents to monitor.

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4. GISIS Global SAR Plan Quality and Maintenance Timeframe: Administrative follow-on from NCSR 13, no fixed deadline confirmed. NCSR 13 directed steps to improve the accuracy and maintenance of the Global SAR Plan information within GISIS. Gaps in GISIS SAR Plan data affect cross-border coordination and mutual assistance planning. RCC staff and national SAR authorities should treat this as a prompt to audit their own GISIS entries and submit any outstanding updates while the post-session directive is current.

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5. Digital VHF Voice Transition Scheme (Draft MSC Circular) Timeframe: Submission to MSC 112, December 2026; inter-sessional review now underway. NCSR 13 finalized a draft MSC circular on the transition scheme for digital VHF voice communications, specifically retaining analog VHF channels to preserve GMDSS distress call continuity during the changeover. RCC communications planners and national GMDSS administrations should review the draft once it is circulated as an MSC document, as the scheme directly affects distress and safety channel configurations.

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On the Horizon

1. MSC 112, December 2026 (Session number cited from ABS post; unverified against IMO 2026 Preliminary Program PDF) Timeframe: December 2026, approximately 150-180 days out. MSC 112 is the adoption point for the EPIRB two-way communication amendments, the digital VHF transition circular, and the ECDIS S-100 data exchange guidance packages forwarded from NCSR 13. SAR program managers should plan for a potential post-MSC 112 implementation cycle that begins immediately after adoption, particularly for EPIRB performance standard revisions that affect carriage requirement compliance.

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2. ICAO APSAR/WG/11 Outcomes and Follow-On Actions Timeframe: Post-session; WG/11 met May 5-8, 2026; follow-on actions expected in Q3 2026. The ICAO Asia/Pacific SAR Working Group held its 11th session in May 2026. Outcomes relevant to aeronautical SAR harmonization and IAMSAR Manual amendments are expected to feed into the ICAO/IMO JWG process. The APSAR/WG/11 working papers have been posted to the ICAO APAC meeting site; SAR program officers in the Pacific region should review WP/04 in particular.

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Note: Cospas-Sarsat meeting schedule, USCG SAR-specific rulemaking notices, NOAA SARSAT domestic updates, and Transport Canada/MCA/AMSA flag state actions for the July-August 2026 window could not be confirmed from publicly available sources reviewed for this edition. Practitioners should check the Cospas-Sarsat Council session calendar at cospas-sarsat.int and the USCG regulatory agenda at regulations.gov directly for those items.

Published by:

Ryan Erickson

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