RECALLING article VIII(c) of
the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 (hereinafter
referred to as "the Convention"), concerning the procedure for amending
the Convention by a Conference of Contracting Governments,
RECALLING ALSO resolution A.744(18) by
which the Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)
adopted Guidelines on the enhanced programme of inspections during
surveys of bulk carriers and oil tankers,
NOTING that the IMO Assembly, at its eighteenth session,
when adopting resolution A.744(18),
requested the IMO Maritime Safety Committee and the Marine Environment
Protection Committee to keep the Guidelines under review and update
them as necessary, in the light of experience gained in their application,
RECOGNIZING the urgent need to further improve the safety
standards of ships carrying solid bulk cargoes,
HAVING CONSIDERED amendments to the said Guidelines proposed
and circulated in accordance with article
VIII of the Convention,
1. ADOPTS, in accordance with article VIII(c)(ii) of the Convention,
amendments to the Guidelines on the enhanced programme of inspections
during surveys of bulk carriers and oil tankers, the text of which
is set out in the annex to
the present resolution;
2. DETERMINES, in accordance with article VIII(b)(vi)(2)(bb) of the
Convention, that the amendments shall be deemed to have been accepted
on 1 January 1999, unless, prior to that date, more than one third
of the Contracting Governments to the Convention or Contracting Governments
the combined merchant fleets of which constitute not less than 50%
of the gross tonnage of the world's merchant fleet, have notified
the Secretary-General of IMO of their objections to the amendments;
3. INVITES Contracting Governments to note that,
in accordance with article VIII(b)(vii)(2) of the Convention, the amendments shall enter into force on
1 July 1999 upon their acceptance in accordance with paragraph 2 above.