Closure of the Black Sea in June, 2020

NAVTEX (NAVigational TEleX) is an international automated warning service for delivery of navigational and meteorological warnings as well as urgent maritime safety information (MSI) to ships. NAVTEX is also a major element of the Global Maritime Distress Safety System to secure safety to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) according to SOLAS Convention #74/88. The information is transmitted via narrow-band direct printing on medium-frequencies of 518 kHz (in English only). Other states (except for the US) are able to use 490 kHz to broadcast in local languages. When bad weather conditions near the Suez Canal (which is close to the desserts of Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula) form dust screens and prevent the use of 518 kHz, another duplicate HF at 4209.5 kHz should be used.