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,
RECOGNIZING that emergency position-indicating radio beacons (EPIRBs) improve the safety of
life at sea by greatly facilitating search and rescue,
RECALLING that resolution A.522(13) recommends Administrations to encourage the carriage of
float-free EPIRBs operating on frequencies compatible with the existing satellite search and rescue
services,
RECALLING FURTHER that the Maritime Safety Committee at its fifty-second session
recommended carriage of survival craft radar transponders, as an equivalent arrangement to the
survival craft EPIRBs required by regulation III/6.2.3 of the 1983 SOLAS amendments, and also
recommended that the ship itself be fitted with a satellite EPIRB in order to provide the alerting
function, *
NOTING that the Conference of Contracting Governments to the International Convention for the
Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, on the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS
Conference, 1988) adopted resolution 4 - Recommendation on the early introduction of GMDSS
radio life-saving appliances, which recommends that, where a means of transmitting signals for
locating is provided on board a ship, Administrations accept a satellite EPIRB as equivalent to the
survival craft EPIRBs,
NOTING ALSO the favourable experience already gained with EPIRBs operating in conjunction
with the COSPAS-SARSAT system,
NOTING FURTHER that the GMDSS Conference, by regulation IV/7.1.6 of the 1988 SOLAS
amendments, has adopted provisions, applicable not later than 1 August 1993, for the carriage of a
float-free satellite EPIRB on every ship as part of the global maritime distress and safety system,
HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendation made by the Maritime Safety Committee at its
fifty-seventh session,
RECOMMENDS that Administrations encourage the early fitting of float-free satellite EPIRBs prior
to the date of entry into force of the requirements of chapter IV of the 1988 SOLAS amendments
for the carriage of satellite EPIRBs on ships.
* MSC/Circ.423 on "Equivalent arrangements for survival craft emergency position-indicating radio
beacons".
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Publicatie op Netherlands Regulatory Framework (NeRF) – Maritime:
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Datum beschikbaarheid huidige versie: 11-01-2006 (vanaf dit moment beschikbaar op Netherlands Regulatory Framework (NeRF) – Maritime)
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