Marine Safety Information is defined as the coordinated service of navigational and meteorological warnings, meteorological forecasts and distress alerts.

It represents the core information which the Master of a ship is required to receive under the provisions of chapters IV and V of the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS).

In essence these cover the responsibilities of nations to broadcast messages relating to marine hazards, the obligation placed upon Masters to report such hazards, and to receive messages broadcast about them.

Three separate kinds of information are dealt with in the SOLAS Convention. First, Meteorological Services: these are the business of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which seeks to coordinate the work of various national meteorological administrations. Unfortunately a multitude of overlapping services and areas have grown up out of an expanding practical requirement and capability. This has resulted in overlap of services and consequent multiplication of effort.