1 In accordance with the relevant provisions of
the SOLAS and SAR Conventions and the ISM Code, contingency plans for passenger ships should
be prepared for operating in areas considered to be remote from SAR
facilities. Factors which may make an area remote from SAR services
are set out in the Appendix and may include:
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.1 the number of people potentially at risk as
the result of an accident in the area;
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.2 the total recovery capacity of SAR facilities
available to reach the scene of the accident and recover those at
risk within survival times (including all additional SAR facilities
likely to be available, as well as designated SAR units); and
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.3 whether there is any shortfall between the
number to be recovered and the capacity of those SAR facilities available.
2 SAR co-operation planning arrangements should
be enhanced for ships operating in areas remote from SAR facilities
(see Appendix), as follows:
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.1 the Company should give reasonable notice of
the arrival of its ship in the remote area to the relevant RCC;
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.2 if not already doing so, the Company should
arrange direct exchange of the ship's SAR co-operation plan with the
relevant SAR services;
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.3 the relevant SAR services may request a copy
of the relevant part of the Company's emergency plan, in addition
to the basic SAR co-operation plan, in order to assist their own contingency
planning; and
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.4 the Company should keep the RCC informed as
to the ship's position and intentions while the ship is operating
in the remote area.
3 The risks of remote area operation should be
assessed and planned for. The following enhancements should be among
those considered:
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.1 voyage 'pairing', i.e., mutual exchange of
information that may be available to the SAR Authority or the vessel
operator with reference to other passenger ships operating in the
same area, so that, if two or more passenger ships are operating in
the same general area at the same time, each can be used as a SAR
facility in case of accident to another;
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.2 the carriage of enhanced life-saving appliances;
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.3 the provision of additional life-saving resources;
and
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.4 other sources of assistance that may be available
in the area.