Navtex OnlineNAVTEX in France (Mediterranean) and Corsica
On the French Mediterranean coast, NAVTEX is broadcast by CROSS La Garde, the coastguard centre near Toulon: in English on 518 kHz and in French on 490 kHz. Its designed range of about 250 nautical miles covers the coast from the Spanish border to Italy and the whole of Corsica.
The French navigational warnings (AVURNAV) are published on SHOM's PING portal.
Stations and broadcast times (UTC)
| Station | Letter | Frequency | Language | Range | Broadcast times (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CROSS La Garde | W | 518 kHz | English | 250 nm | 03:40, 07:40, 11:40, 15:40, 19:40, 23:40 |
| CROSS La Garde | S | 490 kHz | French | 250 nm | 03:00, 07:00, 11:00, 15:00, 19:00, 23:00 |
Each slot is a 10-minute window, repeated every 4 hours. Urgent messages can go out at any time. Range is the designed range in nautical miles.
Which station for which waters
- Gulf of Lion, Provence and the Côte d'Azur: CROSS La Garde.
- Corsica: CROSS La Garde; around Bonifacio also La Maddalena (Italy).
For France's Atlantic coast, see NAVTEX on the Atlantic coast of France, Spain and Portugal; for the Channel, NAVTEX in the United Kingdom and Ireland (Niton K and T carry the French warnings).
Latest messages from these stations
- Weather forecast from CROSS La Garde WE31 · 11 Nov 11:40 UTC
- Weather forecast from CROSS La Garde WE30 · 10 Nov 23:40 UTC
- Navigational warning from CROSS La Garde WA71 · 10 Nov 15:41 UTC
- Navigational warning from CROSS La Garde WA72 · 10 Nov 15:40 UTC
- Weather forecast from CROSS La Garde WE29 · 10 Nov 11:40 UTC
- Weather forecast from CROSS La Garde WE27 · 9 Nov 11:40 UTC
- Weather forecast from CROSS La Garde WE26 · 8 Nov 23:40 UTC
- Navigational warning from CROSS La Garde WA70 · 8 Nov 15:44 UTC
- Weather forecast from CROSS La Garde WE25 · 8 Nov 11:40 UTC
- Navigational warning from CROSS La Garde WA67 · 8 Nov 03:45 UTC
Few or no messages from CROSS La Garde S have reached us in the last week, so its page may be empty.
What the messages contain
- Navigational warnings (subject
A): military exercises and firing practice, unlit or missing buoys and lights, wrecks, underwater work, cable laying, search areas. - Meteorological warnings (
B): gale and storm warnings. - Weather forecasts (
E). - Search and rescue (
D): distress relays and requests to keep a lookout.
Every message starts with ZCZC, the station letter, the subject letter and a serial number, and ends with NNNN. How to read a NAVTEX message
Reading the messages online
Navtex Online shows the messages received from these stations, each with the original text and a readable version with the abbreviations written out. They come from receivers that publish what they hear and from official lists of warnings; see data sources.
Official sources for this region:
Not for navigation. Reception on land can be incomplete or garbled, and a message can be missing. This site does not replace a NAVTEX receiver on board or the official broadcasts.
Questions
What frequency is NAVTEX in France and Corsica?
518 kHz: CROSS La Garde W (English). 490 kHz: CROSS La Garde S (French). Most receivers can listen to 518 kHz and 490 kHz at the same time.
When are the weather forecasts sent?
Weather forecasts (subject E) go out at least twice a day, in each station's own time slots in the table above. The latest forecasts received are on each station's page.
Can I read these messages without a receiver?
Ashore, yes: the messages received from these stations are on this page and on each station's page, for planning. At sea, carry a NAVTEX receiver: internet access is not reliable offshore, and an online copy can be late or incomplete.
More: NAVAREA III (Mediterranean and Black Sea) · Other regions · What is NAVTEX · Station map