The boat most often in trouble is a small open one: a fishing boat, a dinghy or a RIB with no VHF, no AIS and no beacon, just a phone. VesselSOS makes that phone count: a live link for whoever’s waiting at home, and an SOS screen with your position in words, a MAYDAY text and a one-tap 112 call.
On your own at five in the morning, anchored on a mark or drifting off the cliffs, and nobody at home knows more than “back by lunch”. The live link changes that: your position and battery in their browser, with no app to install and no account. If the dot drifts where it shouldn’t, they see it happen.
An outboard that won’t start, with nobody in danger, isn’t a 112 call yet: the app keeps 112 free when you answer “no”. It doesn’t list a marine assistance service in Malta, so know who you’ll call before you go. If it could turn dangerous (a wind pushing you off the coast, the light going), call 112 early. The decision is spelled out in Mayday or a tow? When it genuinely is life-threatening, it’s one tap on SOS, one yes/no question, and the app dials.
Your coordinates are on screen the moment the app opens (GPS needs no mobile signal), and the ready-made text with a map link (one tap to open, then Send) reaches everyone you chose, through coverage too weak for anything else.
A lifejacket does the surviving; the app does the finding. VesselSOS is an aid, not a rescue service: in immediate danger, call 112, or use VHF channel 16 if you carry a radio.
Yes. In Maltese waters “Yes, a life is in danger” dials 112, and the screen shows your position in words. The call needs mobile coverage; your position doesn’t.
One big SOS button, then one yes/no question, and the app dials as soon as you tap Yes. It’s built to work when your hands aren’t at their best.
Pick motor boat for an open fishing boat, RIB or dinghy with an outboard (the other types are sailing boat, SUP/kayak and jet ski). Its name, length and colour go into the call script, and its name into the texts you send.