Editing Emergency position-indicating radiobeacon (section)

== Ship Security Alert System ==
{{Main|Ship Security Alert System}}
A Ship Security Alert System (SSAS) is a special variety of an EPIRB designed to alert the ship's owner(s) of a possible piracy or terrorist attack. They thus have several distinguishing operational differences:
* They are manually activated by hidden buttons or switches, much like the alarms bank tellers use.
* They are prohibited from emitting a homing signal on 121.5&nbsp;MHz so as to make transmissions more covert.
* The COSPAS-SARSAT system sends the distress message to the vessel's country of origin, regardless of the location of the vessel.
As with EPIRBs, the RTCM maintains specifications for SSAS devices.