GUIDE · UPDATED OCTOBER 2026

WRITTEN BY HARRY LIIMAL · REVIEWED BY HENRY LIIMAL

RYA SafeTrx has closed. Here is what actually replaces it.

SHORT ANSWER

RYA SafeTrx — HM Coastguard's official voluntary safety scheme — shut down on 31 December 2025. Nothing replaces it one-to-one. Your vessel record moved to an HM Coastguard database; the tracking and ETA alerts simply ended. For live tracking you now need a separate app — that is the gap VesselSOS is built for (its automatic overdue texts to your contacts are still to come).

What happened

SafeTrx launched in the UK in 2014 and became HM Coastguard's official voluntary safety identification scheme in July 2018, replacing the paper CG66 form. In December 2025 the RYA announced, after discussions with HM Coastguard, that the service would close on 31 December 2025, citing "changes in technology". Owner and vessel data was transferred to a secure HM Coastguard database; users who objected could delete their account first.

Boaters called the closure "a big loss" and "a very serious regressive step in safety" — the sail-plan and tracking side had no official successor. Sources: Marine Industry News, Practical Boat Owner.

What SafeTrx did — and what does it now

 SAFETRX FEATUREWHAT TO DO NOWIN VESSELSOS 

Vessel & owner record Held by HM Coastguard; update by emailing safetrxdata@mcga.gov.uk Craft profile (name, type, length, colour, MMSI, call sign) in your account — read out in the call script and the MAYDAY form

Sail plan + ETA alert Tell a shore contact your route and return time; they call 999 → Coastguard if you're overdue Live tracking link with your battery and course, plus a return time — if you're overdue, the phone asks 'Are you OK?'. Automatic overdue texts to your contacts are coming soon

Track recording Chart apps record tracks, but don't share them for safety Browser link — the person ashore installs nothing; your trips stay in your history for 12 months

Call for help VHF 16, DSC, PLB — unchanged, and still primary Position, word-for-word MAYDAY and the responsible rescue centre's number on one screen

HONESTY CLAUSE

SafeTrx had one thing no commercial app can promise: a direct feed into the Coastguard's own systems. VesselSOS does not claim that — and in UK waters the app does exactly what HM Coastguard asks: it dials 999 and tells you to ask for the Coastguard, with your position and MAYDAY script on screen. What it gives you anywhere with mobile data is the live link for your people ashore, with your position and craft details ready on screen. In a life-threatening emergency the right call is still 999/112 or VHF channel 16.

Frequently asked

Is my SafeTrx data gone?+

Owner and vessel data was transferred to a secure HM Coastguard database unless you deleted your account before closure. You can update or remove it by emailing the SafeTrx data team at the MCA.

Does SafeTrx still exist anywhere?+

Yes — the platform behind it (8 West Consulting) still runs national deployments such as DGzRS SafeTrx in Germany and RS SafeTrx in Norway. Those are tied to each country's rescue organisation and don't cover UK waters.

When is VesselSOS available?+

It's in beta on iOS (TestFlight) now, with Android later — Plus is free during the beta. See the plans for what's in each tier.

The tracking side, rebuilt.

Live link for your people ashore, MAYDAY-ready when it matters.

Get the app →