In the UK, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) is responsible for the provision of Maritime Safety Information (MSI) to ships at sea, which includes the broadcast of warnings and forecasts.

The Met Office initiates warnings and prepares routine forecasts for dissemination on behalf of the MCA.

The main outlets for warnings and forecasts are via HM Coastguard, NAVTEX, BBC Radio, and the Inmarsat EGC SafetyNET™ satellite broadcasts.

The SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) Convention requires that the UK provides MSI - including warnings of gales and storms and weather bulletins suitable for shipping - for its area of responsibility as defined within the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS). Certain vessels are required to carry equipment to receive MSI via the Inmarsat EGC SafetyNET™ satellite broadcasts and, when in coastal waters, the International NAVTEX service on 518 kHz.

For those vessels not required by the SOLAS regulations to carry EGC equipment or NAVTEX receivers, MSI is broadcast by HM Coastguard via VHF and MF SSB broadcasts.