posted 02-28-2013 11:12 AM ET (US)        

(a) Except as authorized by chapter 119, title 18, UnitedStates Code,1 no person receiving, assisting in receiving, transmitting, or assisting in transmitting, any interstate or foreign communication by wire or radio shall divulge or publish the existence, contents, substance, purport, effect, or meaning thereof, except through authorized channels of transmission or reception, (1) to any person other than the addressee, his agent, or attorney, (2) to a person employed or authorized to forward such communication to its destination, (3) to proper accounting or distributing officers of the various communicating centers over which the communication may be passed, (4) to the master of a ship under whom he is serving, (5) in response to a subpoena issued by a court of competent jurisdiction, or (6) on demand of other lawful authority. No person not being authorized by the sender shall intercept any radio communication and divulge or publish the existence, contents, substance, purport, effect, or meaning of such intercepted communication to any person. No person not being entitled thereto shall receive or assist in receiving any interstate or foreign communication by radio and use such communication (or any information therein contained) for his own benefit or for the benefit of another not entitled thereto. No person having received any intercepted radio communication or having become acquainted with the contents, substance, purport, effect, or meaning of such communication (or any part thereof) knowing that such communication was intercepted, shall divulge or publish the existence, contents, substance, purport, effect, or meaning of such communication (or any part thereof) or use such communication (or any information therein contained) for his own benefit or for the benefit of another not entitled thereto. This section shall not apply to the receiving, divulging, publishing, or utilizing the contents of any radio communication which is transmitted by any station for the use of the general public, which relates to ships, aircraft, vehicles, or persons in distress, or which is transmitted by an amateur radio station operator or by a citizens band radio operator.

Source: http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/docs/dte/catv/documents/sec705.pdf

Note that the act prohibits disclosure or publication of any intercepted communication. There are some exemptions.

As I read that, the phrase "which relates to ships, aircraft, vehicles, or persons in distress" means ships in distress, aircraft in distress, vehicles in distress, or persons in distress.

If you hear a distress call on Channel 16, it is okay to tell someone else about it. If you hear a commercial vessel in the course of communication with another station say something about the time they expect to be in a certain location, you are not supposed to disclose that or publish that informtion.

There is more recent regulation on this topic at
18 USC § 2511 - Interception and disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications prohibited.

This act seems to permit intercept of any marine radio communication. The act says:

(g) It shall not be unlawful under this chapter or chapter 121 of this title for any person—

--(i) to intercept or access an electronic communication made through an electronic communication system that is configured so that such electronic communication is readily accessible to the general public;

--(ii) to intercept any radio communication which is transmitted—

----(I) by any station for the use of the general public, or that relates to ships, aircraft, vehicles, or persons in distress;

----(II) by any governmental, law enforcement, civil defense, private land mobile, or public safety communications system, including police and fire, readily accessible to the general public;

----(III) by a station operating on an authorized frequency within the bands allocated to the amateur, citizens band, or general mobile radio services; or

----(IV) by any marine or aeronautical communications system;

This newer regulation seems to say that it is OK to intercept marine communication, but I am not sure that it says it is OK to disclose it.

posted 02-28-2013 01:09 PM ET (US)            

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/ interception-and-divulgence-radio-communications