No midday Shipping Forecast broadcast on weekdays

Katy Stickland

From April this year, the Shipping Forecast will be broadcast twice a day on weekdays and three times a day on weekends.

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Previously the iconic Shipping Forecast, which marks its 100th anniversary this year, has been broadcast three times daily on Radio 4 long wave (LW).

But the LW platform – operated by Arqiva is coming to the end of its life as a technology as certain parts are no longer manufactured.

From April, sailors can still listen to the service twice daily on BBC Radio 4 at 0048 and 0520, and three times a day on weekends – with an additional 1200 broadcast. The station can be found at 92-95FM.

Sailors can also listen to the service via NAVTEX, HM Coastguard broadcasts, and BBC Sounds.

A man listening to the shipping forecast over VHF

If you are less than 30 miles out, you will still be able to listen to the Shipping Forecast over VHF. Credit: Graham Snook/Yachting Monthly

A BBC spokesperson said: “We announced in 2022 that separate Long Wave scheduling on Radio 4 would be coming to an end in anticipation of the closure of the platform, which is owned and operated by a private company and coming to the end of its life as a technology. No programmes will close and the BBC has been running a targeted information campaign to ensure listeners know how they can hear their favourite Radio 4 LW programmes elsewhere on the BBC. We always work closely with organisations that support vulnerable audiences around the time of any platform closure, ensuring we migrate listeners to our other platforms in a timely and sensitive manner.”

Continues below…

A map showing the areas of the weather forecast

Map of Sea Areas and Coastal Weather Stations referred to in the Shipping Forecast. Credit: Emoscopes/CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikimedia

It is a legal requirement for mariners to be able to receive maritime safety information which includes the Shipping Forecast.

At sea, sailors are being encouraged to use NAVTEX to receive the Shipping Forecast, as it provides coverage out to 270 miles. HM Coastguard provides VHF coverage out to 30 miles and MF coverage out to 150 miles using its network of remote aerial sites around the UK coast.

Further offshore, information is broadcast by EGC (Enhanced Group Calling) by Recognised Mobile Satellite Service providers like Inmarsat and Iridium. This service is complemented by radio telephony broadcasts.

Find more advice at www.gov.uk/maritime-safety-weather-and-navigation

FAQs on changes to the Shipping Forecast

Why are you stopping the Shipping Forecast?

We’re not. We’re committed to broadcasting the Shipping Forecast by other means. It will continue to be broadcast on other channels including BBC and via HM Coastguard.

What is really happening is that long wave is reaching the end of its life as a technology, and will be decommissioned, by the private company which owns the infrastructure.

In preparation for this, the BBC are ending their separate Long Wave broadcasts.

Can I use FM/DAB or BBC Sounds to receive the Shipping Forecast on board my boat?

We would strongly advise against relying on digital media or internet services to access the Shipping Forecast while you are at sea. There are safety concerns as reception of these is not always guaranteed that far out.

On land, receiving the Shipping Forecast via those means is fine. At sea, mariners must make sure they comply with the international rules around being able to receive Maritime Safety Information including weather warnings and general information.

The range of broadcast of the HM Coastguard channels covers an extensive area, which includes most of the area currently covered by broadcasts on the LW frequency.

What options are there open to me as a mariner to receive the Shipping Forecast?

The primary method of sending out Maritime Safety Information in coastal waters is by NAVTEX.

NAVTEX is an international automated medium frequency service for delivery of navigational and meteorological warnings and forecasts, as well as urgent maritime safety information.

This system is most useful for vessels which are out at sea as it provides coverage out to 270 miles.

Beyond that limit, information is broadcast by EGC (Enhanced Group Calling) by Recognised Mobile Satellite Service providers like Inmarsat and Iridium.

This service is complemented by radio telephony broadcasts.

HM Coastguard provides VHF coverage out to 30 miles and MF coverage out to 150 miles using its network of remote aerial sites around the UK coast.

Shipping Forecasts are broadcast twice a day.

For more information go to Maritime Safety: weather and navigation: Maritime Safety Information broadcasts – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or Weather broadcasts and maritime safety information: leaflets – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Radio 4 currently broadcasts the Shipping Forecast four times a day on LW – what will happen to all those broadcasts?

BBC Radio 4 FM will continue to broadcast the Shipping Forecast twice a day on weekdays and three times a day on weekends.

It will also be available on BBC Sounds.

Won’t people going out to sea be put at risk by this loss?

LW is only one of the means by which people can receive the Shipping Forecast.

It is a legal requirement for mariners to be able to receive maritime safety information which includes the Shipping Forecast.

People who rely on the LW Shipping Forecast to inform their safe passage planning need to change how they receive this information. There are numerous alternative sources of the same forecast that can be received in Sea Areas A1 and A2.

Marine weather forecasts and Maritime Safety Information (MSI) is broadcast on NAVTEX, VHF and MF on a regular basis every day.

How does the MCA fit this decision in with its commitment to safety of life at sea?

The MCA is committed to keeping people safe in the maritime environment. LW is reaching the end of its life as a technology.

This is out of the hands of not just us but the BBC and the Met Office too, we are proactively working with all involved to minimise the impact this will have.

We are keen to get the message out about what will happen and when and how people can prepare for this change.

Weather information is key for safe passage planning which is why we provide so many alternative ways of receiving this information.

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