Your vessel is participating in the Voluntary Observing Ship Program, at 0600 ZT on 31 January your position is LAT 00°49'S, LONG 84°27'E. You are preparing WS Form B-80 as seen in illustration D041NG below. How should you encode the first three groups after the call sign if you estimate the wind?

Correct Answer: Option C — 31003, 99008, 30844

Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) weather reporting protocols dictate that date, wind indicator, and UTC time are encoded first, followed by latitude and longitude groups. Position 00°49'S and 84°27'E with estimated winds format directly into group sequence 31003, 99008, 30844 per WMO FM 13 SHIP code standards.