Anywhere in the EU, 112 works from any phone and is always correct in an emergency. On the radio, VHF channel 16 is the international distress channel. Calling the responsible maritime rescue centre directly removes a transfer step — the numbers are below.
Each 24/7 number was checked against the operating authority's own page on 2 October 2026 —Estonia: Police and Border Guard Board (JRCC Tallinn); Finland: Finnish Border Guard (MRCC Turku); Sweden: Sjöfartsverket (JRCC Göteborg); Latvia: Coast Guard MRCC Riga; Lithuania: Naval Force MRCC Klaipėda; Poland: Maritime SAR Service (MRCC Gdynia); Germany: DGzRS (MRCC Bremen); Denmark: Danish Defence (JRCC Denmark). Re-checked quarterly. The Swedish number is the JRCC's direct line; Sweden's own advice in an emergency is to call 112 and ask for maritime rescue. In the app, the responsible centre is picked from your position (area boundaries are approximate): in the Baltic one of these eight (Russia excluded), elsewhere in Europe one from the full European list; on lakes and rivers, call 112.
A dead engine with nobody in danger is a marine-assistance case, not a rescue one. In Estonia, Trossi members call 5555 3434; Finland, Sweden and Germany have their own assistance memberships. If you're unsure which case yours is, 112 will triage — or read Mayday or a tow? before you ever need to decide.
This list is free to link and reprint with attribution. If a number changes before we've caught it, tell us: support@vesselsos.com.