‘M’ Notices

M Notices are required to be carried on every UK registered vessel over 12m in length, except
fishing vessels.

There are now 3 categories of M Notice –

 MIN - Marine Information Notice

 MGN - Marine Guidance Notice
 MSN - Merchant Shipping Notice

MIN’s and MGN’s provide information and guidance which will be of interest to mariners, and
the advice contained in them should be heeded.

However, MSN’s effectively form part of the SI’s to which they refer, and as such become part
of criminal law.

It is important to understand that the SI provides a framework for the rules and states the
applicable penalties for non- compliance, but the MSN provides the details and operational
aspects of the law.