Breakdown or emergency at sea: what to do, who to call

First, in thirty seconds

1. Everyone keeps their lifejacket on, and anyone without one puts it on.
2. The boat must not drift towards a hazard: if the depth allows, drop the anchor, outside any channel and outside any swimming zone.
3. Do not leave the boat: “a boat is easier to spot than a person in the water”; leave it “only as a very last resort” (SNSM).
4. Someone keeps track of the position: the phone’s GPS, or a landmark ashore (headland, port, beach).

Who to call: 196, channel 16, the rental company

“196 is the only telephone number for reaching the CROSS in an emergency”; it “does not replace VHF channel 16, which remains the priority for alerting the CROSS at sea” (French Ministry for the Sea). The VHF is heard by nearby boats, which can be the first to help, and does not depend on the mobile network. The CROSS can have a mobile phone located by the operators (DIRM Méditerranée). The CROSS for the area is CROSS Méditerranée, at La Garde (government directory).

No official text says “call the rental company first”: it is practical advice, valid only when nobody is in danger. If in any doubt, channel 16 or 196.

What to say on the radio

Two messages, each repeated three times at the start, on channel 16:

Then, in this order (SNSM):

1. This is the boat: its type and name.
2. What is happening: the nature of the problem.
3. Where you are: the GPS position, or the headland, the beach, the nearest port.
4. How many people are on board.
5. “This is the boat … — over.”

On the phone, on 196, give the same information. If the VHF has a red “DISTRESS” button, pressing it for several seconds sends the alert and the position; you then speak on channel 16.

While you wait

• Hold on to the boat, lifejackets on (SNSM).
• The engine stopped and nobody in the water near the propeller; before moving about on board, the engine is switched off or in neutral (Division 240).
• Keep listening on channel 16: at sea, every vessel fitted with a VHF must keep watch on channel 16 “whenever possible” (Division 240, art. 240-2.07).
• Save your phone battery: the CROSS will call you back.

Towing: free or paid?

“Saving human life is free. Towing, on the other hand, is not” (SNSM). The amount charged by the SNSM depends on the duration and the resources deployed; it covers expenses (fuel, maintenance of the lifeboats), it does not pay the volunteers (SNSM). Reimbursement falls under the boat’s insurance, not the minimum third-party liability insurance.

With a rental boat, the contract says who pays: ask about it at departure, along with the number to call in case of breakdown.

Keeping it from happening

• Set out with a full tank and keep a margin: running out of fuel is a cause of rescue call-outs “that could easily be avoided” (SNOSAN) — see the fuel stations.
• Check the day’s weather, and the afternoon’s (reading the marine forecast).
• The kill cord attached to your wrist whenever the engine is running, the spare within reach.
• Tell someone close to you your route and your return time.
• The Nav&Co app, free and published by the French State, reminds you of the regulations and lets you contact the CROSS (SNSM).

It is the French Maritime Prefecture’s watchword for 2026, PEA: Prepare, Equip, Alert (2026 campaign).

Official sources

• French Ministry for the Sea — how to alert the rescue services at sea
• DIRM Méditerranée — for emergencies at sea, call 196
• SNSM — how to alert the rescue services at sea
• SNSM — preparing your trip at sea
• SNSM — all about towing
• SNSM — frequently asked questions
• CROSS Méditerranée — government directory
• Order of 21 May 2026 amending Division 240
• French Ministry for the Sea — kill cord and mandatory equipment
• SNOSAN — review of the 2025 summer season
• French Maritime Prefecture — 2026 campaign

Sources consulted on 26 September 2026. This guide helps you prepare a trip; it replaces neither the texts in force, nor the rental company’s instructions, nor the day’s weather forecast.