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 and the prevention and control of marine pollution from ships,
NOTING resolution A.648(16) - General Principles for Ship Reporting Systems and Ship
Reporting Requirements, including Guidelines for Reporting Incidents Involving Dangerous
Goods, Harmful Substances and/or Marine Pollutants,
BEING AWARE of the close relationship between Safety Of navigation anti prevention Of
pollution from Ships,
RECALLING the necessity, duly recognized by resolution A.670(16), of protecting the
vulnerable coasts Of France and Italy in the vicinity of the Strait of Bonifacio in view of their
ecological value,
BEARING IN MIND the international status of the Strait of Bonifacio,
RECOGNIZING the Importance of not derogating from the right of navigation through
international straits,
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT that a ship reporting procedure and an information system for
notifying Ships of the navigational conditions in the narrow waters of the Strait of Bonifacio
would be an important factor in the safety of navigation,
BEING INFORMED of the decision of the Governments Of France and Italy to establish
such a system in the Strait of Bonifacio on a permanent basis,
NOTING that, despite the recommendation made by the Organization, the traffic of laden oil
tankers and of ships carrying dangerous chemicals has increased by 40% in the Strait of
Bonifacio since 1985,
RECOGNIZING FURTHER that laden oil tankers and ships carrying dangerous chemicals
which are neither bound for, nor sailing from, French or Italian ports are able to take routes
which are equally convenient from the point of view of navigation or hydrographic
characteristics,
RECALLING the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at
Sea, 1972, and resolution 5 on Intentional Pollution of the Sea and Accidental Spillages,
adopted by the International Conference on Marine Pollution, 1973,
HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendation made by the Maritime Safety Committee at
its sixty-second session,
1. RECOMMENDS Governments to prohibit or at least strongly discourage the transit of the
Strait of Bonifacio by laden oil tankers and ships carrying dangerous chemicals or substances in
bulk liable, in the event of a casualty, to pollute the sea or the coasts, as listed in the annex to
resolution MEPC.49(31) adopted on 4 July 1991, and which are flying the flags of their
respective States;
2. ENDORSES the Regulations concerning a system of surveillance and information for ships
in the Strait of Bonifacio set out in the annex to the present resolution;
3. REVOKES resolution A.670(16).
Annex Regulations concerning a system of surveillance and information for ships in the strait of bonifacio
1 For the purpose of improving the safety of navigation in the Strait of Bonifacio and reducing
the risks of pollution of the French and Italian coastlines in the Strait as a result of groundings
or collisions involving tankers, gas carriers or bulk chemical carriers, a system of surveillance
and information for mariners shall be established by the Governments of France and Italy.
The system shall have the following objectives:
- to monitor, from radio stations designated for that purpose, the movement of ships in
the Strait of Bonifacio and in its eastern and western approaches so as to be able to
notify the coastal authorities concerned sufficiently in advance of any accident that
might occur to such ships and to be able to warn the ships themselves of any hazard
that might threaten their safe passage;
- to monitor, from radio stations designated for that purpose, the passage through the
Strait of Bonifacio of ships that are or might be a hazard for other shipping because
they are restricted in their ability to navigate as a result of a defect in their essential
equipment which they need in order to pass through the Strait under the prevailing
conditions; to communicate any relevant information on such ships to other ships
crossing the Strait;
- to inform all ships crossing the Strait of the existing navigational conditions and
hazards.
2 In order to achieve this end, every ship which is in a position to do so when entering or
crossing the Strait of Bonifacio is requested:
- to make VHF radiotelephone contact with the French or Italian radio stations on
channel 10 or, if necessary, on channel 16 before beginning their passage and to
maintain such contact without interruption while in the Strait;
- to transmit to one of the radio stations indicated in paragraph 3 below, at the request of
the station, the following information in English, French or Italian as indicated in the
reporting format set out in the appendix.
3 The radio stations providing information for mariners in the Strait of Bonifacio are:
- On the French side:
Pertusato Signal Station
Call sign: Pertusato traffic
Frequency: VHF channel 10
- On the Italian side:
La Maddalena Signal Station
Call sign: La Maddalena
Frequency: VHF channel 10