RECALLING Article 28(b) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization
concerning the functions of the Committee,
RECALLING ALSO regulations IV/7.1 and 14.1 of the International Convention for the Safely of Life
at Sea (SOLAS), 1974, as amended, concerning radiocommunications for the Global
Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), which require, inter alia, that ships
be provided with an emergency position-indicating radio beacon (EPIRB), which shall
conform to appropriate performance standards not inferior to those adopted by the
Organization,
RECOGNIZING the need to prepare performance standards for float-free EPIRBs operating
on 406 MHz through the Cospas-Sarsat System of low-altitude earth orbiting,
medium-altitude earth orbiting, and geostationary earth orbiting satellites to be
used in the GMDSS, in order to ensure the operational reliability of such equipment
and to avoid, as far as practicable, adverse interaction between such equipment and
other communication and navigation equipment on board ships,
RECOGNIZING ALSO that EPIRBs, as a component of the GMDSS and operating through the
Cospas-Sarsat System in the frequency band 406-406.1 MHz, should be type-approved to
ensure the integrity of the Cospas-Sarsat satellite system, avoid harmful
interference to the spaceborne equipment, exclude unauthorized transmissions, and to
provide reliable data to rescue coordination centres,
HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendation made by Sub-Committee on Navigation,
Communications and Search and Rescue, at its sixth session,
1 ADOPTS the Recommendation on performance standards for float-free Emergency
Position-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) operating on 406 MHz, set out in
the annex to the present resolution;
2 RECOMMENDS that Member States ensure that float-free EPIRBs operating on the
frequency 406 MHz, which form part of the GMDSS:
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.1 if installed on or after 1 July 2022, conform to performance standards and
type-approval standards not inferior to those specified in the annex to the
present resolution;
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.2 if installed before 1 July 2022, conform to performance standards not
inferior to those specified in the annex to resolution A.810(19), as amended by resolutions
MSC.56(66) and MSC.120(74), and type-approval standards not inferior to
those specified in resolution A.696(17);
3 INVITES the Cospas-Sarsat partners to ensure that any amendments to the
specification for Cospas-Sarsat 406 MHz distress beacons that could impact on this
performance standard are agreed with the Organization prior to their adoption;
4 AGREES that any proposed amendments to this resolution are agreed with the
Cospas-Sarsat partners prior to their adoption;
5 ALSO AGREES to keep these Performance Standards under review and to adopt
amendments thereto, as necessary.