Ingangsdatum: 23-11-1995
THE ASSEMBLY,
RECALLING Article 15(j) of the Convention on the International
Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Assembly in
relation to regulations and guidelines concerning maritime safety,
RECALLING ALSO that regulation IV/5 of the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) 1974 as amended
in 1988, requires each Contracting Government to undertake to make
available, either individually or in co-operation with other
Contracting Governments, as they may deem practical and necessary,
appropriate shore-based facilities for terrestrial and space radio
services having due regard to the recommendations of the
Organization,
RECALLING FURTHER that the Inmarsat system provides for
radiocommunication services, including those for distress and
safety, utilizing geostationary satellites in the 1.5 and 1.6 GHz
band,
NOTING that the COSPAS-SARSAT system provides for the reception
of distress alerts on the frequency 406 MHz utilizing polar
orbiting satellites,
NOTING ALSO that regulation IV/5 of the 1974 SOLAS Convention
requires the following radio services to be provided:
- a radiocommunication service utilizing geostationary
satellites in the maritime mobile satellite service,
- a radiocommunication service utilizing polar orbiting
satellites in the mobile satellite service,
- the maritime mobile service in the bands between 156 MHz and
174 MHz,
- the maritime mobile service in the bands between 4,000 kHz
and 27,500 kHz, and
- the maritime mobile service in the bands 415 kHz to 535 kHz
and 1,605 kHz to 4,000 kHz,
NOTING FURTHER that the provision contained in paragraph 5.1.1
of the Annex to the International Convention on Maritime Search
and Rescue, 1979, requires that Parties shall ensure that such
continuous radio watches as are deemed practicable and necessary
are maintained on international distress frequencies,
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the resolutions of the World Administrative
Radio Conference for the Mobile Services, 1987, in particular
resolution 331(Mob-87), relating to the introduction of provisions
for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) and the
continuation of the existing distress and safety provisions, and
resolution 322(Rev.Mob-87), relating to coast stations and coast
earth stations assuming watchkeeping responsibilities on certain
frequencies in connection with the implementation of distress and
safety communications for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety
System (GMDSS),
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT ALSO resolution 3 "Recommendation on the
early introduction of the Global Maritime Distress and Safety
System (GMDSS) elements", adopted by the 1988 GMDSS Conference,
CONSIDERING that the GMDSS will use digital selective calling
equipment operating in the MF, HF and VHF bands,
CONSIDERING ALSO that ships should not be required to install
equipment intended primarily for ship/shore communication
functions when operating in areas where no corresponding
shore-based facilities are available,
CONSIDERING FURTHER that it is necessary to provide radio
services for transmission and reception of distress and safety
communications and that not all coast stations will be obliged to
provide for such distress and safety communications,
HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendation made by the Maritime
Safety Committee at its sixty-third session,
1. ADOPTS the Recommendation on Provision of Radio Services for
the GMDSS, the Criteria for Use when Providing Shore-Based Digital
Selective Calling (DSC) Facilities for Use in the GMDSS, the
Criteria for Establishing GMDSS Sea Areas, the Criteria for Use
when Providing a NAVTEX Service and the Criteria for Use when
Providing Inmarsat Shore-Based Facilities for Use in the GMDSS set
out respectively in Annexes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to the present
resolution;
2. RECOMMENDS that Governments undertake, as a matter of urgency,
a review of the need to provide shore-based facilities to support
the GMDSS and to make available, either individually or in
co-operation with other Governments, adequate shore-based
facilities for terrestrial and space radio services deemed
practicable and necessary;
3. URGES Governments to provide, either individually or in
co-operation with other Governments, the radio services deemed
practicable and necessary for the proper operation of the GMDSS;
4. INVITES Governments and organizations concerned to inform the
Secretary-General of radio facilities to be provided in support of
the GMDSS in response to this resolution;
5. REQUESTS the Maritime Safety Committee to keep this resolution
under review and to adopt amendments thereto, as necessary;
6. REVOKES resolution A.704(17).