RECALLING Article 28(b) of the Convention on the International
Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Committee,
RECALLING ALSO resolution A.886(21), by which the Assembly
resolved that the functions of adopting performance standards for
radio and navigational equipment, as well as amendments thereto, shall
be performed by the Maritime Safety Committee on behalf of the Organization,
NOTING that the provisions of regulation
V/20 of the International Convention for the Safety of Life
at Sea, 1974, as amended, do not apply to the existing cargo ships
with respect to the carriage requirements of voyage data recorders
(VDRs),
RECALLING FURTHER resolution MSC.109(73), by which the Committee decided that a study should be carried
out, as a matter of urgency, to assess the feasibility for existing
cargo ships to carry VDRs and instructed the Sub-Committee on Safety
of Navigation accordingly,
NOTING ALSO that the report on the feasibility study clearly
demonstrates the compelling need for mandatory carriage of a simplified
version of VDRs on existing cargo ships,
HAVING CONSIDERED the recommendation made by the Sub-Committee
on Safety of Navigation at its forty-ninth session,
1. ADOPTS the Recommendation on Performance Standards
for Shipborne Simplified Voyage Data Recorders (S-VDRs);
2. INVITES Governments to encourage shipowners
and operators of the existing cargo ships entitled to fly their flag
to install S-VDRs on such ships, as soon as possible, especially considering
that the carriage of S-VDRs may soon be mandatory under the SOLAS Convention;
3. RECOMMENDS Governments to ensure that S-VDRs
installed on board the existing cargo ships flying their flag conform
to performance standards not inferior to those specified in the Annex
to this resolution.