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NEWS

 - V8V2222 -
HF/SSB radio email and voice services
 

Marine Weather and Maritime Safety Information (MSI) Broadcasts

BRUNEI BAY RADIO provides a free broadcast service of official marine weather forecasts and Maritime Safety Information for South East Asian waters - and beyond - on a regular basis.

The following schedule details the times, channels/frequencies and areas.

Broadcasts occur 6 days per week. There are no broadcasts on Wednesday each week, nor on Brunei Public Holidays.

Voice broadcasts of Weather, and MSI warnings:   

SE Asian shipping area forecasts:  

  0735 (2335 UTC)  - Brunei offshore waters
                               – ch428 (simplex4351) & freq4042
                               -  Brunei Shell Petroleum

  0745 (2345 UTC)  – West & North Borneo waters
                               – ch428 (simplex4351) & ch608
                               - Malaysian Met Office - Kuching, Reef South, Reef
                                  North, Labuan, Palawan, Sulu & Sulawesi regions

  0835 (0035 UTC)  – Philippines & Taiwan waters
                               – ch835 (simplex 8710) & ch1239
                               - Philippines Met Office - all areas

  0845 (0045 UTC)  – Hong Kong waters
                               – ch835 (simplex 8710) & ch1239
                               - Hong Kong Observatory - all areas  

 0855 (0055 UTC)  – Southern Sth China Sea, Peninsula Malaysia
                                 & Thailand
                               – ch835 (simplex 8710) & ch1239
                               - Malaysian Met Office - Bunguran, Condore, Tioman,
                                  Samui, Sth Straits of Malacca, Nth Straits of
                                  Malacca & Phuket regions   

Maritime Safety Information warnings - SE Asia:

  0935 (0135 UTC)  - Indonesian Archipelago
                               - Java, Flores, Banda, Maluka & Seram Seas
                               - Irian Jaya, Java, Bali, Flores, Timor, Sumatera
                               - ch835 (simplex8710) & ch1239

 0945 (0145 UTC)   – South China Sea - Northern part above 10d N:
                               - West of Philippines/Taiwan, east of China/Vietnam
                               – ch835 (simplex 8710) & ch1239 

  0955 (0155 UTC)  – South China Sea - Southern Part - below 10d N:
                               - west of Borneo/Palawan, east of Malaysia, Thailand
                                 & Vietnam.
                                – ch608 & ch835 (simplex 8710)

 1005 (0205 UTC)  – Southern Philippines & East Borneo:
                                - Palawan, Mindoro, Panay, Negros, Samar, Mindanao
                               - Sulu & Sulawesi Seas
                               – ch608 & ch835 (simplex 8710)

 1015 (0215 UTC)  – Malacca Straits & Phuket waters
                               – ch835 (simplex 8710) & ch1239

METAREA (High Seas) weather forecast:

 1535 (0735 UTC)  - METAREA XI (China)
                               – SE Asian waters
                               - ch608 & ch1239

 1545 (0745 UTC)  – METAREA XI (Japan)
                             – NW Pacific
                             - ch1239 & freq16534

Maritime Safety Information warnings:

 1635 (0835 UTC)  – North West Pacific:
                               - East of Philippines, North of Irian Jaya, West of Guam
                               - Carolines, Marianas, Eastern China Sea to 35d North.
                               - ch1239 & freq16534

 1645 (0845 UTC)   – Eastern Indian Ocean:
                                - West coast of Australia to 95d East and 30d South
                                - Cocos & Christmas Islands
                                - ch1239 & freq16534

 1735 (0935 UTC)  - Northern Indian Ocean - eastern part
                               - Andaman Sea, Sri Lanka, South India coast
                               - ch1239 & freq16534

METAREA (High Seas) weather forecast:

 1745 (0945 UTC)   – METAREA VIII North (India)
                                – Indian Ocean, north of equator
                                - ch1239 & freq16534

Maps of Shipping forecast, METAREA and NAVAREA regions:

   - Malaysian Met office - map of shipping forecast areas
  
   - Philippines Met office - map of shipping forecast areas   
           
   - Hong Kong Observatory - map of shipping forecast areas

   - Int. Met. Org - map of METAREA shipping forecast areas

   - Aus Met. Office - map of high seas (METAREA) forecast areas

   - MSI warnings - map of maritime NAVAREAs

Notes:

Weather Forecasts:

1. SE Asian Local Area Weather Forecasts are sourced from government meteorological agencies in Malaysia, Hong Kong and the Philippines. 

2. METAREA (High Seas) forecasts are published by the meteorological offices in Japan, China and India. These are identical to the official METAREA forecasts distributed via INMARSAT to large ships.

3. Availability may occasionally be limited because of delays in publication or technical issues, such as internet or website functionality.

4. The High Seas (METAREA) forecast for Indonesian waters - Equator to 12d South between 90d to 140d East, and southwards to Australian coast between 125d and 140d East - is published by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. It is pre-recorded and broadcast by Australian Weather West (VMW) on a regular schedule. See their website page for schedule and frequencies.

5. The High Seas (METAREA) forecast for the Eastern Indian Ocean is published by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. It is pre-recorded and broadcast by Australian Weather West (VMW) on a regular automated schedule. See their website page for schedule and frequencies.

6. The inshore forecasts for north and west Australian Coastal Waters are published by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. They are pre-recorded and broadcast by Australian Weather West (VMW) on a regular automated schedule. See their website page for schedule and frequencies.

7. All these forecasts are available via email using BRUNEI BAY RADIO's HF/SSB radio email services; either BBRemail or SailMail .  Obtaining forecasts via these services is often more convenient because emails can be collected when on-board activities permit. And the email modems will handle any difficulties from interference or static.

Forecast  terminology: 

These two definitions below - for wind speed and wave/swell heights - apply to EVERY meteorological publication. All Met offices, private met services, weather information publishers etc, follow the same standards in creating and publishing weather information. This includes information in GRIB weather charts, Buoyweather, METAREA forecasts, local coastal forecasts etc.

All Australian Met Office publications now state these definitions as a result of recommendations from the coronial inquiry into the 1998 Sydney to Hobart race:

1. Wind speed refers to the average speed over a 10-minute period. Gusts may be up to 40 percent stronger than the average speed.  (Wind speed figures are recorded/estimated at 10 metres above the surface.) A simple rule-of-thumb to apply to the published figures is to interpret 12kts as 12-18kts with irregular gusts possible to 24kts.

2. Wave and swell heights refer to significant wave heights which is the average of the highest one third of waves. The possible maximum wave height can be up to twice the significant wave height.  A simple rule-of-thumb to apply to the published figure is to interpret 3m as 3-4.5m with irregular  waves possible to 6m.