If a life is — or could soon be — at risk, it is search and rescue: call 112 or make a MAYDAY on VHF 16, always, everywhere, free. If nobody is in danger and the problem is technical — dead engine, empty tank, fouled prop — it is marine assistance: a membership service tows you free, or you pay several hundred euros per tow without one.
Person in the water, injury, fire, taking on water, drifting toward rocks or a shipping lane, darkness or weather closing in. Yes → 112 / MAYDAY on VHF 16. Don't downgrade a maybe: the rescue centre would rather stand down than start late.
That is marine assistance, not rescue. In many countries the emergency operator makes this triage for you — in Estonia, for example, 112 decides whether it's a rescue case or hands you to the assistance service. If you're a member of your country's scheme, call their line directly and keep 112 free.
Tell the rescue centre anyway — a short report costs nothing and means someone knows where you are if the situation escalates. Then start your tracking link so the people ashore see you drift.
Assistance services run on the roadside-assistance model: members are towed free, everyone else gets an invoice. The numbers make the maths simple:
Figures from Kakumäe SAR / Trossi and SeaHelp, mid-2026. Verify locally — prices and coverage areas change.
The app asks you this exact question: is anyone's life in danger? Yes — it dials the responsible rescue centre at once and shows you what to say, line by line, with a MAYDAY form for the radio. No — it points you to technical assistance (Trossi in Estonia, Meripelastusseura in Finland, Sjöräddningssällskapet in Sweden, SeaHelp in Germany) and dials the member number from your profile. VesselSOS doesn't sell towing and isn't a rescue service; it routes the right call.