1 The Maritime Safety Committee, at its seventieth
session (7 to 11 December 1998), considered Guidelines for safe ocean
towing, as prepared by the Sub-Committee on Ship Design and Equipment
(DE) at its forty-first session (9 to 13 March 1998) and, in order
to enhance safety of navigation and environmental protection, agreed
to the need for such Guidelines for commercial towing operations which,
by their nature, are not salvage or rescue towing services.
2 Recalling the adoption by the eighteenth session
of the Assembly of resolution A.765(18) on Guidelines on the safety
of towed ships and other floating objects, including installations,
structures and platforms at sea and the availability of guidance to
minimize the danger to navigation from towed objects, which have broken
adrift from the towing vessel, have grounded or are out of control,
the Committee approved the Guidelines for safe ocean towing, as set
out in the annex.
3 Member Governments are invited to implement
the annexed Guidelines and bring them to the attention of all parties
concerned with ocean towing operations.