Maritime safety radio

International conventions require that all coastal states must maintain a coastal radio station responsible for maritime safety radio broadcasts. The national coastal radio station for Finland is Turku Radio, which broadcasts from the Western Finland VTS Centre.

Turku Radio is responsible for safety broadcasts along the Finnish coast, including navigational warnings, maritime weather forecasts and ice reports. During winter, Turku Radio also broadcasts the vessel and route information of behalf of the icebreakers.

If necessary, Turku Radio supports the Finnish Border Guard in ensuring emergency radio communications within Finland’s territorial waters. Turku Radio also receives reports on defective aids to navigation +358 800 181 818.

Radio station details       

VHF                                          Channel 16

VHF-DSC                               Channel 70

MMSI                                      002300230

Answerback                         Turku Radio

Call sign                                OFK

Position                                 60°26,375’N 022°13,600’E

Turku Radio broadcast times

UTC BROADCAST

0233 NAVIGATIONAL WARNINGS

0633 WEATHER FORECAST, NAVIGATIONAL WARNINGS

0803 POSITIONS OF ICEBREAKERS

1033 NAVIGATIONAL WARNINGS, ICE REPORT

1433 NAVIGATIONAL WARNINGS

1833 WEATHER FORECAST, NAVIGATIONAL WARNINGS, ICE REPORT

2233 NAVIGATIONAL WARNINGS

WEATHER MESSAGES

0633, 1833

Including wave height information in the Northern Baltic and Sea of Bothnia 0233, 0633, 1033, 1433, 1833, 2233

Navigational warnings

0233, 0633, 1033, 1433, 1833, 2233 in English. On request in Finnish and/or Swedish.

Ice Reports

1033, 1833 In English. Including positions of icebreakers

0803 icebreaker positions only

Contact info

Telephone: +358 20 448 6400
E-mail: turku.radio@fintraffic.fi

Working channels of Turku Radio for voice communication. Download map.

See the change to the VHF channel on 20 November 2023.

Distress communications in the Saimaa region

Saimaa VTS is responsible for distress and safety radio communication during the Saimaa VTS navigation season. Saimaa VTS receives reports on defective aids to navigation and broadcasts navigational warnings within its surveillance area. Saimaa VTS is responsible for distress communications via VHF and forwards distress calls to rescue authorities.