WRITTEN BY HARRY LIIMAL · REVIEWED BY HENRY LIIMAL
RYA SafeTrx has closed. Here is what actually replaces it.
SHORT ANSWER
RYA SafeTrx — HM Coastguard's official voluntary safety scheme — shut down on 31 December 2025. Nothing replaces it one-to-one. Your vessel record moved to an HM Coastguard database; the tracking and ETA alerts simply ended. For live tracking you now need a separate app — that is the gap VesselSOS is built for (and if you’re overdue and don’t answer its “Are you OK?”, it texts your contacts automatically).
What happened
SafeTrx launched in the UK in 2014 and became HM Coastguard's official voluntary safety identification scheme in July 2018, replacing the paper CG66 form. In December 2025 the RYA announced, after discussions with HM Coastguard, that the service would close on 31 December 2025, citing "changes in technology". Owner and vessel data was transferred to a secure HM Coastguard database; users who objected could delete their account first.
Boaters called the closure "a big loss" and "a very serious regressive step in safety" — the sail-plan and tracking side had no official successor. Sources: Marine Industry News, Practical Boat Owner.
What SafeTrx did — and what does it now
SAFETRX FEATUREWHAT TO DO NOWIN VESSELSOS
Vessel & owner recordHeld by HM Coastguard; update by emailing safetrxdata@mcga.gov.ukCraft profile (name, type, length, colour, MMSI, call sign) in your account — read out in the call script and the MAYDAY form
Sail plan + ETA alertTell a shore contact your route and return time; they call 999 → Coastguard if you're overdueLive tracking link with your battery and course, plus a return time — if you're overdue, the phone asks 'Are you OK?'. If you don't answer, your contacts get an automatic text with the live link (it never alerts the Coastguard)
Track recordingChart apps record tracks, but don't share them for safetyBrowser link — the person ashore installs nothing; your trips stay in your history for 12 months
Call for helpVHF 16, DSC, PLB — unchanged, and still primaryPosition, word-for-word MAYDAY and the responsible rescue centre's number on one screen
Friends following youNot part of SafeTrx; some logbook apps let friends follow a live broadcastPro: friends you accept see your live position during a trip (if you turn it on) and get a notification when you set off and come back. They get no overdue SMS: that goes to your Emergency and Live contacts
Marking hazards for othersNot part of SafeTrx; not found in the other safety apps we checked (as of 10 Oct 2026)A shared hazard map anyone can view; with a free account you report and confirm hazards, and Pro warns you about hazards on your course during a trip. Reports come from users, aren’t checked and don’t go to the Coastguard
HONESTY CLAUSE
SafeTrx had one thing no commercial app can promise: a direct feed into the Coastguard's own systems. VesselSOS does not claim that — and in UK waters the app does exactly what HM Coastguard asks: it dials 999 and tells you to ask for the Coastguard, with your position and MAYDAY script on screen. What it gives you anywhere with mobile data is the live link for your people ashore, with your position and craft details ready on screen. In a life-threatening emergency the right call is still 999/112 or VHF channel 16.
Frequently asked
Is my SafeTrx data gone?+
Owner and vessel data was transferred to a secure HM Coastguard database unless you deleted your account before closure. You can update or remove it by emailing the SafeTrx data team at the MCA.
Does SafeTrx still exist anywhere?+
Yes — the platform behind it (8 West Consulting) still runs national deployments such as DGzRS SafeTrx in Germany and RS SafeTrx in Norway. Those are tied to each country's rescue organisation and don't cover UK waters.
When is VesselSOS available?+
It’s on iPhone (App Store) and Android (Google Play). The SOS screen is free; tracking and the return-time check are part of Pro (€2.99 a month or €19.99 a year, 14 days free). See the plans for what's in each tier.
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