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In Mexico the Navy (SEMAR) runs search and rescue on both coasts; 911 calls about incidents at sea are passed to its rescue system, and SEMAR’s own toll-free line, 800 627 4621, is for Mexican phones. Panama’s SENAN answers 108 and Colombia’s Coast Guard 146, 24 hours a day.
In Brazil, each regional Navy rescue centre (SALVAMAR) has its own 24-hour line, listed by coast; 185 is the national sea-emergency short code but is routed by the caller’s area code, so the regional line comes first. Argentina’s Prefectura Naval answers 106, free and 24 hours; in Uruguay the Navy’s rescue centre is 1701.
Further south, Chile’s Navy answers 137 for maritime emergencies, free and 24 hours, along the whole coast, the Patagonian channels and Rapa Nui. In Ecuador and Galápagos the Navy’s coast stations publish their own lines “for maritime emergencies only”. In Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and El Salvador no navy publishes a public line: you call the national emergency number and ask for the navy.
Short codes in this region are national: from a roaming foreign SIM they may not connect. Where an official full number exists, it is listed.